BACKGROUND This case report describes a protocol developed by Danaun Medical Clinic for the introduction of a pioneering intervention comprising intravenous human placen-tal extract(HPE)therapy to improve the liver fu...BACKGROUND This case report describes a protocol developed by Danaun Medical Clinic for the introduction of a pioneering intervention comprising intravenous human placen-tal extract(HPE)therapy to improve the liver function of patients with chronic liver disease(CLD).CASE SUMMARY This study involved data from patients whose chief complaint was reduced quality of life attributable to CLD.The new treatment approach resulted in improvements in the liver function and fatty liver of 30 patients with CLD.Im-provements were observed using abdominal ultrasonography.Unlike traditional methods,this protocol provided more sustainable and meaningful results.Treat-ment with 10 mL of HPE administered intravenously once or twice per week significantly improved liver function.The observed improvements in fatty liver and liver function suggest the utility of this approach for the management of patients with CLD.CONCLUSION This case series highlights the potential of innovative treatments for patients with CLD that could improve the quality of life of the patients.展开更多
This editorial provided commentaries on an article titled"Liver function improvement after human placental extract injections in patients with chronic liver disease:Thirty case reports".The first clinical ap...This editorial provided commentaries on an article titled"Liver function improvement after human placental extract injections in patients with chronic liver disease:Thirty case reports".The first clinical application of an innovative therapeutic protocol was comprehensively described in this case report by Lee,in which 30 patients with chronic liver disease(CLD)received intravenous administration of 10 mL human placental extract(HPE).Notably,significant improvements in liver function could be observed in these patients,which underscored the potential of this novel treatment for CLD management.However,the rising prevalence of CLD around the world underscored the limitations of conventional therapies(such as antiviral agents and lifestyle modifications)in addressing advanced fibrosis or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.Additionally,emerging regenerative therapies(including HPE)have garnered more attention due to their bioactive components,which could modulate the hepatic microenvironment based on antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,and proregenerative mechanisms.Although the existing evidence remains relatively lacking,the multi-targeted action of HPE highlights its potential as a novel therapeutic strategy.Overall,this editorial outlines the research advancements of HPE,alongside the critical analysis of existing limitations and the proposal of future research directions.展开更多
Somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT)has been successfully employed across various mammalian species,yet cloned animals consistently exhibit low pregnancy rates,primarily due to placental abnormalities such as hyperplas...Somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT)has been successfully employed across various mammalian species,yet cloned animals consistently exhibit low pregnancy rates,primarily due to placental abnormalities such as hyperplasia and hypertrophy.This study investigated the involvement of the Hippo signaling pathway in aberrant placentaldevelopmentinSCNT-inducedbovine pregnancies.SCNT-derived cattle exhibited placental hypertrophy,including enlarged abdominal circumference and altered placental cotyledon morphology.RNA sequencing analysis indicated significant dysregulation of Hippo signaling pathway genes in SCNT placentas.Coexpression of YAP1 and CCND1 was observed in cloned blastocysts,placental tissues,and bovine placental mesenchymal stem cells(bPMSCs).Manipulation of YAP1expression demonstrated the capacity to regulate bPMSC proliferation.Experimental assays confirmed the direct binding of YAP1 to CCND1,which subsequently promoted CCND1 expression in bPMSCs.Furthermore,inhibition of CDK6,a downstream target of CCND1,attenuated SCNT bPMSC proliferation.This study identified YAP1 as a key regulatory component within the Hippo signaling pathway that drives placental hyperplasia in cloned cattle through up-regulation of CCND1-CDK6 expression,facilitating cell cycle progression.These findings offer potential avenues for enhancing cloning efficiency,with implications for evolutionary biology and the conservation of valuable germplasm resources.展开更多
<em>Background:</em> The diagnosis of placental abruption is primarily clinical, but findings from imaging, laboratory, and postpartum pathologic studies can be used to support the clinical diagnosis. In p...<em>Background:</em> The diagnosis of placental abruption is primarily clinical, but findings from imaging, laboratory, and postpartum pathologic studies can be used to support the clinical diagnosis. In patients with classic symptoms, fetal heart rate abnormalities, intrauterine fetal demise, and/or disseminated intravascular coagulation strongly support the clinical diagnosis and indicate extensive placental separation. In a few cases, placental separation has not been recognized and was only identified upon cesarean section as an incidental finding. <em>Objectives: </em>To describe the clinical presentations and pregnancy outcomes of placental abruption cases that are not diagnosed before cesarean delivery, termed “unpredictable placental abruption” and also cases diagnosed before cesarean delivery, termed “predictable placental abruption”.<em> Methods: </em>A retrospective analysis of 100 cases of placental abruption was identified by cesarean delivery at Tu Du hospital from September 2018 to May 2019. Clinical variables were compared between the unpredictable and predictable groups. The unpredictable group consists of cases that are not diagnosed before cesarean delivery, while the predictable cases were identified placental separation before cesarean delivery. The maternal and fetal outcomes were also studied. <em>Results:</em> In 100 cases of placental, abruption by gross clinical examination of the placenta at the time operation revealed that, 33% were unpredictable. Placental abruption attributed to maternal complications included one case of total hysterectomy (1%) with no cases of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), shock or maternal death;specifically, this case of total hysterectomy appeared with predictable one. There were two cases of stillbirths. Among the 98 live neonates, 15 cases (14.7%) experienced severe birth asphyxia resulting in eight neonatal deaths;two of which were caused by heart disease and necrotizing enterocolitis. Sixty-three neonates were delivered prematurely (61.74%), with mean gestational age of 34.64 <span style="white-space:nowrap;">±</span> 3.32 weeks. Among the 33 unpredictable cases, there were no stillbirths but 60.6% and 12.1% experienced moderate and severe asphyxia, respectively. All unpredictable cases had obvious indications of cesarean section but the basic symptoms and signs of acute placental abruption included the onset of preterm labor, unspecified intrapartum hemorrhage, hypertonic uterine contractions and fetal distress for emergency caesarian section;however there were also cases where there were no symptoms and signs.<em> Conclusions: </em>Unpredictable placental abruption cases—not suspected of having abruption, termed—“concealed” or “chronic” placental abruption, may have variable clinical manifestations and better pregnancy outcomes.展开更多
BACKGROUND Mifepristone-induced abortion(MIA)has been used worldwide to terminate pregnancies.However,the association between placenta accrete(PA)and MIA has seldom been reported.CASE SUMMARY A 26-year-old pregnant wo...BACKGROUND Mifepristone-induced abortion(MIA)has been used worldwide to terminate pregnancies.However,the association between placenta accrete(PA)and MIA has seldom been reported.CASE SUMMARY A 26-year-old pregnant woman presented with painless vaginal bleeding at 35 wk of gestation.She had a medical abortion(mifepristone followed by misoprostol)1 year ago at the sixth week of gestation.Her personal history for previous surgery was negative.Abdominal ultrasonography showed a normal foetus with complete placenta previa.The foetal membrane ruptured with massive vaginal bleeding and severe abdominal pain.An emergency Caesarean section was performed,and the newborn was delivered.The placenta failed to expel and manual extraction was carried out.A large defect was noted in the uterine fundus and repair of the uterine rupture was conducted immediately.The postoperative pathology report showed placenta accreta.CONCLUSION The evidence suggests a possible etiologic role of MIA in PA,as the incidence of PA after MIA is much higher than general population.Millions of pregnancies are complicated by PA each year,some of which result in fatality.To prevent subsequent placental complications after MIA,hormonal supplementation might be a promising therapeutic options.However,further studies are needed to identify the high-risk factors and to confirm the effectiveness of estrogen supplement therapy.展开更多
Objective:?The study’s objective was to assess the accuracy of using prenatal 3-dimensional power Doppler analysis of vascular placental indices to accurately diagnose morbidly adherent placenta objectively. Backgrou...Objective:?The study’s objective was to assess the accuracy of using prenatal 3-dimensional power Doppler analysis of vascular placental indices to accurately diagnose morbidly adherent placenta objectively. Background:?Traditionally, 2D ultrasound was used for the diagnosis of a suspected morbidly adherent placenta (MAP) previa. More objective techniques like 3D power Doppler haven’t been well studied. Study Design:?A prospective cohort study?is?designed for women with gestational age between 28 and?32 weeks with suspected placenta previa. Patients were examined by 2D ultrasound which was used in management decisions.?3D Power Doppler’s VI, FI and VFI were measured during the same examination after manual tracing of placenta;data were blinded to obstetricians. Histopathology was performed to confirm MAP. Results: Our results showed that the 3D power Doppler VI ≥ 16 predicted the diagnosis of MAP with 100% sensitivity, 100% specificity which is better than those of 2D ultrasound. While VI > 33.1 measured by 3D Doppler predicted severe MAP with a sensitivity of 73.9% and specificity of 86.4%, which was superior to 2D ultrasound. Conclusion:?In patients with placenta previa, the 3D Doppler’s vascular index accurately predicts MAP. Furthermore, vascular and vascular flow indices of 3D Doppler were more predictive of severe cases of MAP compared to 2D ultrasound.展开更多
Many studies have reported on the different types of placenta in different species, but accessory or paraplacental structures are mentioned only in species that have such a nutrient-exchanging mechanism. Hystricomorph...Many studies have reported on the different types of placenta in different species, but accessory or paraplacental structures are mentioned only in species that have such a nutrient-exchanging mechanism. Hystricomorph rodents possess a subplacenta, swine and equines have the placental areola, equines have the chorionic girdle, and carnivores have hemophagous organs that are equivalent to the placental hematoma in ruminants. These accessory structures are specialized tissues for specific nutrient exchanges in different species, and they are adaptive modifications exhibited by domestic and wild species to remedy the nutritional deficiencies that are related to permeability of the main placenta to important nutrients for the growth and development of the fetus during the gestation.展开更多
Background: In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the impact of insults during pregnancy on postnatal health and disease. It is known that changes in placental development can impact fetal growth and...Background: In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the impact of insults during pregnancy on postnatal health and disease. It is known that changes in placental development can impact fetal growth and subsequent susceptibility to adult onset diseases;however, a method to collect sufficient placental tissues for both histological and gene expression analyses during gestation without compromising the pregnancy has not been described. The ewe is an established biomedical model for the study of fetal development. Due to its cotyledonary placental type, the sheep has potential for surgical removal of materno-fetal exchange tissues, i.e., placentomes. A novel surgical procedure was developed in well-fed control ewes to excise a single placentome at mid-gestation.Results: A follow-up study was performed in a cohort of nutrient-restricted ewes to investigate rapid placental changes in response to undernutrition. The surgery averaged 19 min, and there were no viability differences between control and sham ewes. Nutrient restricted fetuses were smaller than controls(4.7 ± 0.1 kg vs. 5.6 ± 0.2 kg;P < 0.05), with greater dam weight loss(-32.4 ± 1.3 kg vs. 14.2 ± 2.2 kg;P < 0.01), and smaller placentomes at necropsy(5.7 ± 0.3 g vs. 7.2 ± 0.9 g;P < 0.05). Weight of sampled placentomes and placentome numbers did not differ.Conclusions: With this technique, gestational studies in the sheep model will provide insight into the onset and complexity of changes in gene expression in placentomes resulting from undernutrition(as described in our study),overnutrition, alcohol or substance abuse, and environmental or disease factors of relevance and concern regarding the reproductive health and developmental origins of health and disease in humans and in animals.展开更多
Aim: Exposure to the ubiquitous endocrine disrupter Bisphenol A (BPA) has been associated, in pregnancy, with low birth weight. The aim of our study is the identification of the damage caused by Bisphenol A on placent...Aim: Exposure to the ubiquitous endocrine disrupter Bisphenol A (BPA) has been associated, in pregnancy, with low birth weight. The aim of our study is the identification of the damage caused by Bisphenol A on placental tissue through the evaluation of its effects on micro-vessel density and apoptosis. Methods: After fertilization, we exposed 3 female rats to oral BPA, by means of a free access to a beverage solution containing 100 μg/L of BPA. Three female rats were used as controls. Placentas underwent histological examination and immunohistochemistry for von Willebr and factor (F-VIII) and caspase-9. Results: Sixty-seven fetuses have been produced, 30 from control rats and 37 from exposed rats. Exposed fetuses showed a lower longitudinal/transverse diameter ratio than controls (2.57 ± 0.29 vs. 2.78 ± 0.38, p < 0.05). Also, exposed fetuses showed a significant reduction in the number of placental vessels per field (124.86 ± 19.15 vs. 143.54 ± 22.09, p < 0.05). On the other hand, apoptosis is not increased by exposure, as shown by caspase-9 levels. Conclusion: Exposure to BPA during pregnancy may affect placental vascularization, and this phenomenon may explain the lower birth weight reported. However, our results do not show the increase in apoptosis observed in vitro.展开更多
Purpose: Feto-maternal haemorrhage (FMH) is a complication of pregnancy and large FMH may lead to life-threatening anaemia in the fetus or newborn. In addition, exposure of Rhesus (Rh) D negative women to small amount...Purpose: Feto-maternal haemorrhage (FMH) is a complication of pregnancy and large FMH may lead to life-threatening anaemia in the fetus or newborn. In addition, exposure of Rhesus (Rh) D negative women to small amounts of fetal Rh D positive red cells during pregnancy or delivery may result in sensitization with its attendant problems of isoimmunisation. In most cases, the cause of FMH IS unknown. Through this study, we sought to determine if placental weight & diameter have any direct relationship with incidence and severity of FMH.Methods: This was a prospective study of parturients for presence of fetal red cells in the maternal blood circulation. The prepared slide was processed as in the acid elution test described by Kleihauer-Betke. The FMH was calculated using Mollison formula. Baseline data included maternal biodata, blood group, Rh D factor, placenta weight and diameter. Data generated were analysed with Frequency tables, cross-tabulations and Odd ratio and confidence intervals as appropriate.Results: Three hundred parturients were studied. However, only two hundred and ninety-five parturients were analysed, with five excluded due to lysed blood samples. A total of 52 parturients (17.63%) had demonstrable FMH, of which 8 (2.71%) were large FMH (>15 ml foetal cells). Both the placenta weight (P g, in contrast to 4.17% (4/96) in the group with weight of placenta below or equal to 500 g. All the 8 parturients with large FMH had placenta weights greater than 500 g. Placenta diameters were greater than 22 cm in 41/197 (20.81%) who had demonstrable FMH, compared with 11/98 (11.23%) whose diameter was less than 22 cm. Conclusion:Both the placenta weight and diameter are significant predictors of FMH in parturients. However, placenta diameter appears to be a minor predictor. These are factors that can be assessed antenatally by ultrasonography and in conjunction with other known obstetric factors, may possibly be considered in risk-based scoring system for predicting feto-maternal haemorrhage.展开更多
Multiple gestations have been reported as a risk factor for placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) but the evidence is limited. Previous reports showed that PAS degrees (creta, increta, percreta) were similar in multiple ges...Multiple gestations have been reported as a risk factor for placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) but the evidence is limited. Previous reports showed that PAS degrees (creta, increta, percreta) were similar in multiple gestation placentas. To our knowledge, there have been no reports of PAS in dichorionic placentas with different degrees of invasion. Here, we report dichorionic diamniotic placentas with two different degrees of invasion, one increta and another percreta.展开更多
Purpose: Placenta increta in early pregnancy is rare and has been documented in only few cases and is a complication of pregnancy that can be life threatening for both mother and fetus. Thus early diagnosis of this pr...Purpose: Placenta increta in early pregnancy is rare and has been documented in only few cases and is a complication of pregnancy that can be life threatening for both mother and fetus. Thus early diagnosis of this problem is very important. This problem is a result of inadequate development of the decidua. Case Presentation: A 26 years old woman (gravid 3, para 2) with history of cesarean section for two times, referred to our center with vaginal bleeding with gestational age of 10 weeks and pelvic ultrasonography showed molar or missed pregnancy. The patient was operated by suction curettage. It’s noteworthy to mention that during the procedure sever vaginal bleeding occurred so that total abdominal hysterectomy was done. Histological examination identified placenta increta. Conclusion: In our community, the diagnosis and treatment of placenta accrete in early pregnancy are so crucial and must be taken seriously with considering the fact that the number of repeated cesarean section is high and placenta accreta is one of the most important complication of this method.展开更多
Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) frequently leads to adverse maternal and foetal outcomes in our setting. The pathophysiology is strongly linked to placental development. We aimed to study placental lesions associated w...Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) frequently leads to adverse maternal and foetal outcomes in our setting. The pathophysiology is strongly linked to placental development. We aimed to study placental lesions associated with PE in a population of Cameroonian women. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, analytical study in three university teaching hospitals in Yaounde namely, the Yaounde Central Hospital, the pathology laboratory of the Yaounde University Hospital Centre, and the Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital. The study spanned 8 months from January 1<sup>st</sup> to September 1<sup>st</sup>, 2021. Placental analysis was carried out as per standard protocol. The study included 101 parturients with pre-eclampsia. These were divided into two groups, with groups 1 and 2 being made of patients with mild pre-eclampsia (n = 40), and severe pre-eclampsia (n = 61), respectively. Results: The mean ages of the two groups were 29.93 ± 7.36 versus 28.28 ± 7.18 (p = 0.267) for patients with mild and severe pre-eclampsia respectively. Low socioeconomic status was the most frequently identified risk factor in both groups (59%). Patients’ history revealed that the women with severe pre-eclampsia tended to have poor pregnancy follow-up compared to those with mild pre-eclampsia (p < 0.05). Also, the placentas of patients with severe pre-eclampsia weighed significantly less than those of patients with mild pre-eclampsia (454.4 ± 122 vs. 511.7 ± 125;p < 0.05). Pre-eclampsia-related lesions were significantly greater in patients with severe disease (p Conclusion: PE-related placental lesions in our context are multiple and diverse especially in severe disease, and these arise as a result of defective maternal vascular perfusion.展开更多
Maternal diabetes constitutes an unfavorable environment for embryonic and fetoplacental development. Despite current treatments, pregnant women with pregestational diabetes are at increased risk for congenital malfor...Maternal diabetes constitutes an unfavorable environment for embryonic and fetoplacental development. Despite current treatments, pregnant women with pregestational diabetes are at increased risk for congenital malformations, materno-fetal complications, placental abnormalities and intrauterine malprogramming. The complications during pregnancy concern the mother (gravidic hypertension and/or preeclampsia, cesarean section) and the fetus (macrosomia or intrauterine growth restriction, shoulder dystocia, hypoglycemia and respiratory distress). The fetoplacental impairment and intrauterine programming of diseases in the offspring's later life induced by gestational diabetes are similar to those induced by type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Despite the existence of several developmental and morphological differences in the placenta from rodents and women, there are similarities in the alterations induced by maternal diabetes in the placenta from diabetic patients and diabetic experimental models. From both human and rodent diabetic experimentalmodels, it has been suggested that the placenta is a compromised target that largely suffers the impact of maternal diabetes. Depending on the maternal metabolic and proin ammatory derangements, macrosomia is explained by an excessive availability of nutrients and an increase in fetal insulin release, a phenotype related to the programming of glucose intolerance. The degree of fetal damage and placental dysfunction and the availability and utilisation of fetal substrates can lead to the induction of macrosomia or intrauterine growth restriction. In maternal diabetes, both the maternal environment and the genetic background are important in the complex and multifactorial processes that induce damage to the embryo, the placenta, the fetus and the offspring. Nevertheless, further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms that govern the early embryo development, the induction of congenital anomalies and fetal overgrowth in maternal diabetes.展开更多
Objective: To study the effect of hypoxia on the expression of placental trophoblast cells SATB1 and β-catenin and its correlation with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Methods: Trophoblastic cell lines HRT8/SVneo w...Objective: To study the effect of hypoxia on the expression of placental trophoblast cells SATB1 and β-catenin and its correlation with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Methods: Trophoblastic cell lines HRT8/SVneo were cultured, SATB1 and β-catenin expression and cell biological behavior were determined after hypoxia reoxygenation treatment; cell biological behavior and the expression of related genes were determined after the transfection of SATB1 and β-catenin siR NA; preeclampsia placenta and normal placenta tissues were collected and the expression of SATB1 and β-catenin were determined. Results: OD value, cell migration rate, m RNA contents of SATB1 and β-catenin of H/R group were significantly lower than those of Nor group, cell apoptosis rate was higher than that of Nor group and the number of invasive cells was less than that of Nor group; OD value and bcl-2 mRNA content of SATB1-siRNA group were lower than those of NC group; cell apoptosis rate as well as Bax, Caspase-3, caspase-6 and caspase-9 mRNA contents were higher than those of NC group; cell migration rate as well as CTSB, CTSD, MMP2 and MMP9 mRNA contents of β-catenin-siRNA group were lower than those of NC group; the number of invasive cells was less than that of NC group; the expression levels of SATB1 and β-catenin in preeclampsia placenta tissue were significantly lower than those in normal placenta tissue. Conclusions: Hypoxia can inhibit the expression of SATB1 and β-catenin in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, which can affect the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of cells.展开更多
This study aimed to determine the effect of exposure to heavy metals in pregnant women in Beijing, China. We also evaluated the association of these heavy metals with birth weight and length of newborns. We measured t...This study aimed to determine the effect of exposure to heavy metals in pregnant women in Beijing, China. We also evaluated the association of these heavy metals with birth weight and length of newborns. We measured the levels of 10 heavy metals,including lead(Pb), titanium(Ti), manganese(Mn), nickel(Ni), cadmium(Cd), chromium(Cr), antimony(Sb), stannum(Sn), vanadium(V), and arsenic(As), in 156 maternal and cord blood pairs. An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method was used for measurement. Pb, As, Ti, Mn, and Sb showed high detection rates(> 50%) in both maternal and cord blood. Fourteen(9%) mothers had blood Pb levels greater than the United States Center for Disease Control allowable threshold limit for children(50 μg/L).In prenatal exposure to these heavy metals, there was no significant association between any heavy metal and birth weight/length. Moreover, we estimated the placental transfer efficiency of each heavy metal, and the median placental transfer efficiency ranged from 49.6%(Ni) to 194%(Mn)(except for Cd and Sn). The level and detection rate of Cd in maternal blood were much higher than that in cord blood, which suggested that Cd had difficulty in passing the placental barrier. Prospective research should focus on the source and risk of heavy metals in non-occupationally exposed pregnant women in Beijing.展开更多
OBJECTIVE： This study evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture point injection （API） with placenta extract on pain reduction and joint function in patients with knee osteoarthritis （OA）. METHODS： Fifty-two pat...OBJECTIVE： This study evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture point injection （API） with placenta extract on pain reduction and joint function in patients with knee osteoarthritis （OA）. METHODS： Fifty-two patients with knee OA, with an average age of 64, and having a symptom duration of more than 3 months were studied in this report. Placental extract was injected weekly into acupuncture point ST35, BL23, BL24 and BL25 for 5 weeks; 8 mL of placental extract into ST35 on the affected side, and 1 mL of placental extract to BL23, BL24 and BL25 bilaterally. RESULTS： After a five-week treatment of API with placental extract, pain was substantially decreased in patients of all Kellgren-Lawrence （KL） grades. Improvement of knee joint swelling was also apparent Decrease of pain and joint swelling improved daily working productive time among patients of all KL grades. CONCLUSION： Study results imply that API with placental extract is a potentially useful therapy to control pain and maintain joint functions in knee OA patients.展开更多
Objective： To explore the mechanism of native Tibetan fetuses adaptation to hypoxia, we tried to find the different expression genes about mitochondrial function in the native Tibetan placents. Methods： In this stud...Objective： To explore the mechanism of native Tibetan fetuses adaptation to hypoxia, we tried to find the different expression genes about mitochondrial function in the native Tibetan placents. Methods： In this study, the placents of native Tibetan and the high-altitude Hart （ha-Hart） were collected. After the total RNA extraction, the finally synthesized cDNAs were hybridized to mitochondrial array to find the altered expression genes between them. Then, the cytochrome c oxidase 17 （Coxl7）, dynactin 2 （DCTN2, also known as p50）, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor （VEGFR, also known as KDR） were chosen from the altered expression genes to further verify the array results using the SYBR Green real-time PCR. Because the altered expression genes （such as Cybb and Cox 17） in the array results related to the activities of COXI and COXIV, the placental mitochondria activities of COXI and COXIV were measured to find their changes in the hypoxia. Results： By a standard of≥1.5 or ≤0.67, there were 24 different expressed genes between the native Tibetan and the ha-Han placents, including 3 up-regulated genes and 21 down-regulated genes. These genes were related to energy metabolism, signal transduction, cell proliferation, electron transport, cell adhesion, nucleotide-excision repair. The array results of Cox17, DCTN2 and KDR were further verified by the real-time RT-PCR. Through the mitochondria respiration measurements, the activity of COXI in the native Tibetan placents were higher than that of ha-Han, there was no difference in COXIV activity between them. Conclusion： The altered mitochondrial related genes in the native Tibetan placents may have a role in the high altitude adaptation for fetuses through changing the activity of mitochondrial COX.展开更多
Interactions of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） with receptors VEGFR1/Fltl and VEGFR2/Flk1, and those of angiopoietins （Ang-1, Ang-2） with receptor Tie2 play important roles in placental angiogenesis. Th...Interactions of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） with receptors VEGFR1/Fltl and VEGFR2/Flk1, and those of angiopoietins （Ang-1, Ang-2） with receptor Tie2 play important roles in placental angiogenesis. This study investigated vascular morphology and expression of these angiogenic factors in rat placenta on the day 15, 18, 21 of gestation （D 15, D 18 and D21）. The rats were randomly assigned into 3 groups： normal group, model group [fetal growth restriction （FGR） model], and Bushen Tqi Huoxue （BYHR） recipe treatment group （BYHR group, the pregnant rats with FGR were treated with BYHR recipe）. Morphological analysis indicated that during initial villous formation, fetal nucle- ated erythrocytes （FNEs） appeared in maternal blood sinus （MBS）. Subsequently, FNEs were sur- rounded by endothelial cells to form fetal capillary （FC） and then by trophoblast cells to form villi. As pregnancy proceeded, FC density increased progressively with increasing endothelial identification staining （EIS） in normal and BYHR groups. Whereas, villous formation was suppressed, normal in- crease in FC density was impaired and EIS was weakened in model group. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that VEGF and Flkl mRNA increased over gestation in all groups, indicating that VEGF might play a pivotal role in FC growth during late gestation. VEGF mRNA was increased on D15, while de- creased on D21 in model group as compared with normal group and BYHR group. Immunohistochemi- cally, Ang-2 protein was highly expressed in FNEs, gradually disappeared as villi matured, and decreased over gestation in all groups, indicating that Ang-2 might play a pivotal role in villous formation, which was further supported by decreased Ang-2 mRNA and protein expression in model group on D 15. Ang-1 mRNA, Tie2 mRNA and Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio increased from D15 to D18 in all groups as placenta matured. Ang-1 mRNA, Tie2 mRNA and Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio were decreased on D18 in model group as compared with normal and BYHR groups, indicating delayed maturity of FGR placenta. Alterations in angiogenic factors may result in altered placental vasculature and cause placental insufficiency. BYHR recipe could balance the angiogenic factors to promote the formation and maturation of FGR placental vasculature.展开更多
BACKGROUND Clinically significant portal hypertension(CSPH) and severe portal hypertension(SPH) increase the risk for decompensation and life-threatening complications in liver cirrhosis. Pathologic angiogenesis might...BACKGROUND Clinically significant portal hypertension(CSPH) and severe portal hypertension(SPH) increase the risk for decompensation and life-threatening complications in liver cirrhosis. Pathologic angiogenesis might contribute to the formation of these conditions. Placental growth factor(PlGF) and Nogo-A protein are biomarkers of pathological angiogenesis, but data on their role in liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension is scarce.AIM To determine plasma levels of PlGF and Nogo-A in patients with liver cirrhosis,CSPH, SPH and potential to predict portal hypertension.METHODS A cohort of 122 patients with hepatitis C virus and/or alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis with characterized hepatic venous pressure gradient(HVPG) were included in the study. Demographic data, medical history, Child-Turcotte-Pugh and Model of End Stage liver disease score, clinical chemistry, liver stiffnessvalues were recorded on the day of the procedure prior HVPG measurement. The degree of portal hypertension was determined by the invasive HVPG measurement. Nogo-A and PlGF plasma levels were evaluated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The control group consisted of 30 healthy age-and sex-matched individuals.RESULTS Peripheral PlGF levels were higher and Nogo-A levels were lower in patients with liver cirrhosis(23.20 vs 9.85;P < 0.0001 and 2.19 vs 3.12;P = 0.004 respectively). There was a positive linear correlation between peripheral levels of PlGF and HVPG(r = 0.338, P = 0.001) and negative linear correlation between the peripheral Nogo-A levels and HVPG(r =-0.267, P = 0.007). PlGF levels were higher in CSPH and SPH(P = 0.006;P < 0.0001) whereas Nogo-A levels were lower(P = 0.01;P < 0.033). Area under the curve for the diagnosis of CSPH for PlGF was 0.68(P = 0.003) and for Nogo-A-0.67(P = 0.01);for SPH 0.714(P <0.0001) and 0.65(P = 0.014) respectively. PlGF levels were higher and Nogo-A levels were lower in patients with esophageal varices(P < 0.05). PlGF cut-off value of 25 pg/mL distinguished patients with CSPH at 55.7% sensitivity and76.7% specificity;whereas Nogo-A cut-off value of 1.12 ng/mL was highly specific(93.1%) for the diagnosis of CSPH.CONCLUSION Plasma PlGF levels were higher while Nogo-A levels were lower in patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Biomarkers showed moderate predictive value in determining CSPH and SPH.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND This case report describes a protocol developed by Danaun Medical Clinic for the introduction of a pioneering intervention comprising intravenous human placen-tal extract(HPE)therapy to improve the liver function of patients with chronic liver disease(CLD).CASE SUMMARY This study involved data from patients whose chief complaint was reduced quality of life attributable to CLD.The new treatment approach resulted in improvements in the liver function and fatty liver of 30 patients with CLD.Im-provements were observed using abdominal ultrasonography.Unlike traditional methods,this protocol provided more sustainable and meaningful results.Treat-ment with 10 mL of HPE administered intravenously once or twice per week significantly improved liver function.The observed improvements in fatty liver and liver function suggest the utility of this approach for the management of patients with CLD.CONCLUSION This case series highlights the potential of innovative treatments for patients with CLD that could improve the quality of life of the patients.
基金Supported by PhD Supervisor Training Program,No.22GSSYA-3Gansu Provincial Health Industry Research Project,No.GSWSKY2020-45Gansu Natural Science Foundation,No.20JR10RA378.
文摘This editorial provided commentaries on an article titled"Liver function improvement after human placental extract injections in patients with chronic liver disease:Thirty case reports".The first clinical application of an innovative therapeutic protocol was comprehensively described in this case report by Lee,in which 30 patients with chronic liver disease(CLD)received intravenous administration of 10 mL human placental extract(HPE).Notably,significant improvements in liver function could be observed in these patients,which underscored the potential of this novel treatment for CLD management.However,the rising prevalence of CLD around the world underscored the limitations of conventional therapies(such as antiviral agents and lifestyle modifications)in addressing advanced fibrosis or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.Additionally,emerging regenerative therapies(including HPE)have garnered more attention due to their bioactive components,which could modulate the hepatic microenvironment based on antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,and proregenerative mechanisms.Although the existing evidence remains relatively lacking,the multi-targeted action of HPE highlights its potential as a novel therapeutic strategy.Overall,this editorial outlines the research advancements of HPE,alongside the critical analysis of existing limitations and the proposal of future research directions.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32060755)Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia (2024MS03001)+7 种基金Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Open Competition Projects (2022JBGS0018)Program for Young Talents of Science and Technology in Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (NJYT23090)Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Science and Technology Leading Team (2022LJRC0006)Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Science and Technology Major Project (2021ZD0009)Major Agricultural Science and Technology Project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (NK2022130203)Central Government Guides Local Science and Technology Development Funds (2022ZY0212)Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region High-level Talent Support ProgramInner Mongolia University Chief Scientist Program。
文摘Somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT)has been successfully employed across various mammalian species,yet cloned animals consistently exhibit low pregnancy rates,primarily due to placental abnormalities such as hyperplasia and hypertrophy.This study investigated the involvement of the Hippo signaling pathway in aberrant placentaldevelopmentinSCNT-inducedbovine pregnancies.SCNT-derived cattle exhibited placental hypertrophy,including enlarged abdominal circumference and altered placental cotyledon morphology.RNA sequencing analysis indicated significant dysregulation of Hippo signaling pathway genes in SCNT placentas.Coexpression of YAP1 and CCND1 was observed in cloned blastocysts,placental tissues,and bovine placental mesenchymal stem cells(bPMSCs).Manipulation of YAP1expression demonstrated the capacity to regulate bPMSC proliferation.Experimental assays confirmed the direct binding of YAP1 to CCND1,which subsequently promoted CCND1 expression in bPMSCs.Furthermore,inhibition of CDK6,a downstream target of CCND1,attenuated SCNT bPMSC proliferation.This study identified YAP1 as a key regulatory component within the Hippo signaling pathway that drives placental hyperplasia in cloned cattle through up-regulation of CCND1-CDK6 expression,facilitating cell cycle progression.These findings offer potential avenues for enhancing cloning efficiency,with implications for evolutionary biology and the conservation of valuable germplasm resources.
文摘<em>Background:</em> The diagnosis of placental abruption is primarily clinical, but findings from imaging, laboratory, and postpartum pathologic studies can be used to support the clinical diagnosis. In patients with classic symptoms, fetal heart rate abnormalities, intrauterine fetal demise, and/or disseminated intravascular coagulation strongly support the clinical diagnosis and indicate extensive placental separation. In a few cases, placental separation has not been recognized and was only identified upon cesarean section as an incidental finding. <em>Objectives: </em>To describe the clinical presentations and pregnancy outcomes of placental abruption cases that are not diagnosed before cesarean delivery, termed “unpredictable placental abruption” and also cases diagnosed before cesarean delivery, termed “predictable placental abruption”.<em> Methods: </em>A retrospective analysis of 100 cases of placental abruption was identified by cesarean delivery at Tu Du hospital from September 2018 to May 2019. Clinical variables were compared between the unpredictable and predictable groups. The unpredictable group consists of cases that are not diagnosed before cesarean delivery, while the predictable cases were identified placental separation before cesarean delivery. The maternal and fetal outcomes were also studied. <em>Results:</em> In 100 cases of placental, abruption by gross clinical examination of the placenta at the time operation revealed that, 33% were unpredictable. Placental abruption attributed to maternal complications included one case of total hysterectomy (1%) with no cases of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), shock or maternal death;specifically, this case of total hysterectomy appeared with predictable one. There were two cases of stillbirths. Among the 98 live neonates, 15 cases (14.7%) experienced severe birth asphyxia resulting in eight neonatal deaths;two of which were caused by heart disease and necrotizing enterocolitis. Sixty-three neonates were delivered prematurely (61.74%), with mean gestational age of 34.64 <span style="white-space:nowrap;">±</span> 3.32 weeks. Among the 33 unpredictable cases, there were no stillbirths but 60.6% and 12.1% experienced moderate and severe asphyxia, respectively. All unpredictable cases had obvious indications of cesarean section but the basic symptoms and signs of acute placental abruption included the onset of preterm labor, unspecified intrapartum hemorrhage, hypertonic uterine contractions and fetal distress for emergency caesarian section;however there were also cases where there were no symptoms and signs.<em> Conclusions: </em>Unpredictable placental abruption cases—not suspected of having abruption, termed—“concealed” or “chronic” placental abruption, may have variable clinical manifestations and better pregnancy outcomes.
文摘BACKGROUND Mifepristone-induced abortion(MIA)has been used worldwide to terminate pregnancies.However,the association between placenta accrete(PA)and MIA has seldom been reported.CASE SUMMARY A 26-year-old pregnant woman presented with painless vaginal bleeding at 35 wk of gestation.She had a medical abortion(mifepristone followed by misoprostol)1 year ago at the sixth week of gestation.Her personal history for previous surgery was negative.Abdominal ultrasonography showed a normal foetus with complete placenta previa.The foetal membrane ruptured with massive vaginal bleeding and severe abdominal pain.An emergency Caesarean section was performed,and the newborn was delivered.The placenta failed to expel and manual extraction was carried out.A large defect was noted in the uterine fundus and repair of the uterine rupture was conducted immediately.The postoperative pathology report showed placenta accreta.CONCLUSION The evidence suggests a possible etiologic role of MIA in PA,as the incidence of PA after MIA is much higher than general population.Millions of pregnancies are complicated by PA each year,some of which result in fatality.To prevent subsequent placental complications after MIA,hormonal supplementation might be a promising therapeutic options.However,further studies are needed to identify the high-risk factors and to confirm the effectiveness of estrogen supplement therapy.
文摘Objective:?The study’s objective was to assess the accuracy of using prenatal 3-dimensional power Doppler analysis of vascular placental indices to accurately diagnose morbidly adherent placenta objectively. Background:?Traditionally, 2D ultrasound was used for the diagnosis of a suspected morbidly adherent placenta (MAP) previa. More objective techniques like 3D power Doppler haven’t been well studied. Study Design:?A prospective cohort study?is?designed for women with gestational age between 28 and?32 weeks with suspected placenta previa. Patients were examined by 2D ultrasound which was used in management decisions.?3D Power Doppler’s VI, FI and VFI were measured during the same examination after manual tracing of placenta;data were blinded to obstetricians. Histopathology was performed to confirm MAP. Results: Our results showed that the 3D power Doppler VI ≥ 16 predicted the diagnosis of MAP with 100% sensitivity, 100% specificity which is better than those of 2D ultrasound. While VI > 33.1 measured by 3D Doppler predicted severe MAP with a sensitivity of 73.9% and specificity of 86.4%, which was superior to 2D ultrasound. Conclusion:?In patients with placenta previa, the 3D Doppler’s vascular index accurately predicts MAP. Furthermore, vascular and vascular flow indices of 3D Doppler were more predictive of severe cases of MAP compared to 2D ultrasound.
文摘Many studies have reported on the different types of placenta in different species, but accessory or paraplacental structures are mentioned only in species that have such a nutrient-exchanging mechanism. Hystricomorph rodents possess a subplacenta, swine and equines have the placental areola, equines have the chorionic girdle, and carnivores have hemophagous organs that are equivalent to the placental hematoma in ruminants. These accessory structures are specialized tissues for specific nutrient exchanges in different species, and they are adaptive modifications exhibited by domestic and wild species to remedy the nutritional deficiencies that are related to permeability of the main placenta to important nutrients for the growth and development of the fetus during the gestation.
文摘Background: In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the impact of insults during pregnancy on postnatal health and disease. It is known that changes in placental development can impact fetal growth and subsequent susceptibility to adult onset diseases;however, a method to collect sufficient placental tissues for both histological and gene expression analyses during gestation without compromising the pregnancy has not been described. The ewe is an established biomedical model for the study of fetal development. Due to its cotyledonary placental type, the sheep has potential for surgical removal of materno-fetal exchange tissues, i.e., placentomes. A novel surgical procedure was developed in well-fed control ewes to excise a single placentome at mid-gestation.Results: A follow-up study was performed in a cohort of nutrient-restricted ewes to investigate rapid placental changes in response to undernutrition. The surgery averaged 19 min, and there were no viability differences between control and sham ewes. Nutrient restricted fetuses were smaller than controls(4.7 ± 0.1 kg vs. 5.6 ± 0.2 kg;P < 0.05), with greater dam weight loss(-32.4 ± 1.3 kg vs. 14.2 ± 2.2 kg;P < 0.01), and smaller placentomes at necropsy(5.7 ± 0.3 g vs. 7.2 ± 0.9 g;P < 0.05). Weight of sampled placentomes and placentome numbers did not differ.Conclusions: With this technique, gestational studies in the sheep model will provide insight into the onset and complexity of changes in gene expression in placentomes resulting from undernutrition(as described in our study),overnutrition, alcohol or substance abuse, and environmental or disease factors of relevance and concern regarding the reproductive health and developmental origins of health and disease in humans and in animals.
文摘Aim: Exposure to the ubiquitous endocrine disrupter Bisphenol A (BPA) has been associated, in pregnancy, with low birth weight. The aim of our study is the identification of the damage caused by Bisphenol A on placental tissue through the evaluation of its effects on micro-vessel density and apoptosis. Methods: After fertilization, we exposed 3 female rats to oral BPA, by means of a free access to a beverage solution containing 100 μg/L of BPA. Three female rats were used as controls. Placentas underwent histological examination and immunohistochemistry for von Willebr and factor (F-VIII) and caspase-9. Results: Sixty-seven fetuses have been produced, 30 from control rats and 37 from exposed rats. Exposed fetuses showed a lower longitudinal/transverse diameter ratio than controls (2.57 ± 0.29 vs. 2.78 ± 0.38, p < 0.05). Also, exposed fetuses showed a significant reduction in the number of placental vessels per field (124.86 ± 19.15 vs. 143.54 ± 22.09, p < 0.05). On the other hand, apoptosis is not increased by exposure, as shown by caspase-9 levels. Conclusion: Exposure to BPA during pregnancy may affect placental vascularization, and this phenomenon may explain the lower birth weight reported. However, our results do not show the increase in apoptosis observed in vitro.
文摘Purpose: Feto-maternal haemorrhage (FMH) is a complication of pregnancy and large FMH may lead to life-threatening anaemia in the fetus or newborn. In addition, exposure of Rhesus (Rh) D negative women to small amounts of fetal Rh D positive red cells during pregnancy or delivery may result in sensitization with its attendant problems of isoimmunisation. In most cases, the cause of FMH IS unknown. Through this study, we sought to determine if placental weight & diameter have any direct relationship with incidence and severity of FMH.Methods: This was a prospective study of parturients for presence of fetal red cells in the maternal blood circulation. The prepared slide was processed as in the acid elution test described by Kleihauer-Betke. The FMH was calculated using Mollison formula. Baseline data included maternal biodata, blood group, Rh D factor, placenta weight and diameter. Data generated were analysed with Frequency tables, cross-tabulations and Odd ratio and confidence intervals as appropriate.Results: Three hundred parturients were studied. However, only two hundred and ninety-five parturients were analysed, with five excluded due to lysed blood samples. A total of 52 parturients (17.63%) had demonstrable FMH, of which 8 (2.71%) were large FMH (>15 ml foetal cells). Both the placenta weight (P g, in contrast to 4.17% (4/96) in the group with weight of placenta below or equal to 500 g. All the 8 parturients with large FMH had placenta weights greater than 500 g. Placenta diameters were greater than 22 cm in 41/197 (20.81%) who had demonstrable FMH, compared with 11/98 (11.23%) whose diameter was less than 22 cm. Conclusion:Both the placenta weight and diameter are significant predictors of FMH in parturients. However, placenta diameter appears to be a minor predictor. These are factors that can be assessed antenatally by ultrasonography and in conjunction with other known obstetric factors, may possibly be considered in risk-based scoring system for predicting feto-maternal haemorrhage.
文摘Multiple gestations have been reported as a risk factor for placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) but the evidence is limited. Previous reports showed that PAS degrees (creta, increta, percreta) were similar in multiple gestation placentas. To our knowledge, there have been no reports of PAS in dichorionic placentas with different degrees of invasion. Here, we report dichorionic diamniotic placentas with two different degrees of invasion, one increta and another percreta.
文摘Purpose: Placenta increta in early pregnancy is rare and has been documented in only few cases and is a complication of pregnancy that can be life threatening for both mother and fetus. Thus early diagnosis of this problem is very important. This problem is a result of inadequate development of the decidua. Case Presentation: A 26 years old woman (gravid 3, para 2) with history of cesarean section for two times, referred to our center with vaginal bleeding with gestational age of 10 weeks and pelvic ultrasonography showed molar or missed pregnancy. The patient was operated by suction curettage. It’s noteworthy to mention that during the procedure sever vaginal bleeding occurred so that total abdominal hysterectomy was done. Histological examination identified placenta increta. Conclusion: In our community, the diagnosis and treatment of placenta accrete in early pregnancy are so crucial and must be taken seriously with considering the fact that the number of repeated cesarean section is high and placenta accreta is one of the most important complication of this method.
文摘Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) frequently leads to adverse maternal and foetal outcomes in our setting. The pathophysiology is strongly linked to placental development. We aimed to study placental lesions associated with PE in a population of Cameroonian women. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, analytical study in three university teaching hospitals in Yaounde namely, the Yaounde Central Hospital, the pathology laboratory of the Yaounde University Hospital Centre, and the Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital. The study spanned 8 months from January 1<sup>st</sup> to September 1<sup>st</sup>, 2021. Placental analysis was carried out as per standard protocol. The study included 101 parturients with pre-eclampsia. These were divided into two groups, with groups 1 and 2 being made of patients with mild pre-eclampsia (n = 40), and severe pre-eclampsia (n = 61), respectively. Results: The mean ages of the two groups were 29.93 ± 7.36 versus 28.28 ± 7.18 (p = 0.267) for patients with mild and severe pre-eclampsia respectively. Low socioeconomic status was the most frequently identified risk factor in both groups (59%). Patients’ history revealed that the women with severe pre-eclampsia tended to have poor pregnancy follow-up compared to those with mild pre-eclampsia (p < 0.05). Also, the placentas of patients with severe pre-eclampsia weighed significantly less than those of patients with mild pre-eclampsia (454.4 ± 122 vs. 511.7 ± 125;p < 0.05). Pre-eclampsia-related lesions were significantly greater in patients with severe disease (p Conclusion: PE-related placental lesions in our context are multiple and diverse especially in severe disease, and these arise as a result of defective maternal vascular perfusion.
文摘Maternal diabetes constitutes an unfavorable environment for embryonic and fetoplacental development. Despite current treatments, pregnant women with pregestational diabetes are at increased risk for congenital malformations, materno-fetal complications, placental abnormalities and intrauterine malprogramming. The complications during pregnancy concern the mother (gravidic hypertension and/or preeclampsia, cesarean section) and the fetus (macrosomia or intrauterine growth restriction, shoulder dystocia, hypoglycemia and respiratory distress). The fetoplacental impairment and intrauterine programming of diseases in the offspring's later life induced by gestational diabetes are similar to those induced by type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Despite the existence of several developmental and morphological differences in the placenta from rodents and women, there are similarities in the alterations induced by maternal diabetes in the placenta from diabetic patients and diabetic experimental models. From both human and rodent diabetic experimentalmodels, it has been suggested that the placenta is a compromised target that largely suffers the impact of maternal diabetes. Depending on the maternal metabolic and proin ammatory derangements, macrosomia is explained by an excessive availability of nutrients and an increase in fetal insulin release, a phenotype related to the programming of glucose intolerance. The degree of fetal damage and placental dysfunction and the availability and utilisation of fetal substrates can lead to the induction of macrosomia or intrauterine growth restriction. In maternal diabetes, both the maternal environment and the genetic background are important in the complex and multifactorial processes that induce damage to the embryo, the placenta, the fetus and the offspring. Nevertheless, further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms that govern the early embryo development, the induction of congenital anomalies and fetal overgrowth in maternal diabetes.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.39770176)National Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar(No.3 9925012)
文摘Objective: To study the effect of hypoxia on the expression of placental trophoblast cells SATB1 and β-catenin and its correlation with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Methods: Trophoblastic cell lines HRT8/SVneo were cultured, SATB1 and β-catenin expression and cell biological behavior were determined after hypoxia reoxygenation treatment; cell biological behavior and the expression of related genes were determined after the transfection of SATB1 and β-catenin siR NA; preeclampsia placenta and normal placenta tissues were collected and the expression of SATB1 and β-catenin were determined. Results: OD value, cell migration rate, m RNA contents of SATB1 and β-catenin of H/R group were significantly lower than those of Nor group, cell apoptosis rate was higher than that of Nor group and the number of invasive cells was less than that of Nor group; OD value and bcl-2 mRNA content of SATB1-siRNA group were lower than those of NC group; cell apoptosis rate as well as Bax, Caspase-3, caspase-6 and caspase-9 mRNA contents were higher than those of NC group; cell migration rate as well as CTSB, CTSD, MMP2 and MMP9 mRNA contents of β-catenin-siRNA group were lower than those of NC group; the number of invasive cells was less than that of NC group; the expression levels of SATB1 and β-catenin in preeclampsia placenta tissue were significantly lower than those in normal placenta tissue. Conclusions: Hypoxia can inhibit the expression of SATB1 and β-catenin in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, which can affect the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of cells.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21677170)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. XDB14010300)
文摘This study aimed to determine the effect of exposure to heavy metals in pregnant women in Beijing, China. We also evaluated the association of these heavy metals with birth weight and length of newborns. We measured the levels of 10 heavy metals,including lead(Pb), titanium(Ti), manganese(Mn), nickel(Ni), cadmium(Cd), chromium(Cr), antimony(Sb), stannum(Sn), vanadium(V), and arsenic(As), in 156 maternal and cord blood pairs. An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method was used for measurement. Pb, As, Ti, Mn, and Sb showed high detection rates(> 50%) in both maternal and cord blood. Fourteen(9%) mothers had blood Pb levels greater than the United States Center for Disease Control allowable threshold limit for children(50 μg/L).In prenatal exposure to these heavy metals, there was no significant association between any heavy metal and birth weight/length. Moreover, we estimated the placental transfer efficiency of each heavy metal, and the median placental transfer efficiency ranged from 49.6%(Ni) to 194%(Mn)(except for Cd and Sn). The level and detection rate of Cd in maternal blood were much higher than that in cord blood, which suggested that Cd had difficulty in passing the placental barrier. Prospective research should focus on the source and risk of heavy metals in non-occupationally exposed pregnant women in Beijing.
文摘OBJECTIVE： This study evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture point injection （API） with placenta extract on pain reduction and joint function in patients with knee osteoarthritis （OA）. METHODS： Fifty-two patients with knee OA, with an average age of 64, and having a symptom duration of more than 3 months were studied in this report. Placental extract was injected weekly into acupuncture point ST35, BL23, BL24 and BL25 for 5 weeks; 8 mL of placental extract into ST35 on the affected side, and 1 mL of placental extract to BL23, BL24 and BL25 bilaterally. RESULTS： After a five-week treatment of API with placental extract, pain was substantially decreased in patients of all Kellgren-Lawrence （KL） grades. Improvement of knee joint swelling was also apparent Decrease of pain and joint swelling improved daily working productive time among patients of all KL grades. CONCLUSION： Study results imply that API with placental extract is a potentially useful therapy to control pain and maintain joint functions in knee OA patients.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, 2006CB504101)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30393131)
文摘Objective： To explore the mechanism of native Tibetan fetuses adaptation to hypoxia, we tried to find the different expression genes about mitochondrial function in the native Tibetan placents. Methods： In this study, the placents of native Tibetan and the high-altitude Hart （ha-Hart） were collected. After the total RNA extraction, the finally synthesized cDNAs were hybridized to mitochondrial array to find the altered expression genes between them. Then, the cytochrome c oxidase 17 （Coxl7）, dynactin 2 （DCTN2, also known as p50）, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor （VEGFR, also known as KDR） were chosen from the altered expression genes to further verify the array results using the SYBR Green real-time PCR. Because the altered expression genes （such as Cybb and Cox 17） in the array results related to the activities of COXI and COXIV, the placental mitochondria activities of COXI and COXIV were measured to find their changes in the hypoxia. Results： By a standard of≥1.5 or ≤0.67, there were 24 different expressed genes between the native Tibetan and the ha-Han placents, including 3 up-regulated genes and 21 down-regulated genes. These genes were related to energy metabolism, signal transduction, cell proliferation, electron transport, cell adhesion, nucleotide-excision repair. The array results of Cox17, DCTN2 and KDR were further verified by the real-time RT-PCR. Through the mitochondria respiration measurements, the activity of COXI in the native Tibetan placents were higher than that of ha-Han, there was no difference in COXIV activity between them. Conclusion： The altered mitochondrial related genes in the native Tibetan placents may have a role in the high altitude adaptation for fetuses through changing the activity of mitochondrial COX.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30973833)
文摘Interactions of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） with receptors VEGFR1/Fltl and VEGFR2/Flk1, and those of angiopoietins （Ang-1, Ang-2） with receptor Tie2 play important roles in placental angiogenesis. This study investigated vascular morphology and expression of these angiogenic factors in rat placenta on the day 15, 18, 21 of gestation （D 15, D 18 and D21）. The rats were randomly assigned into 3 groups： normal group, model group [fetal growth restriction （FGR） model], and Bushen Tqi Huoxue （BYHR） recipe treatment group （BYHR group, the pregnant rats with FGR were treated with BYHR recipe）. Morphological analysis indicated that during initial villous formation, fetal nucle- ated erythrocytes （FNEs） appeared in maternal blood sinus （MBS）. Subsequently, FNEs were sur- rounded by endothelial cells to form fetal capillary （FC） and then by trophoblast cells to form villi. As pregnancy proceeded, FC density increased progressively with increasing endothelial identification staining （EIS） in normal and BYHR groups. Whereas, villous formation was suppressed, normal in- crease in FC density was impaired and EIS was weakened in model group. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that VEGF and Flkl mRNA increased over gestation in all groups, indicating that VEGF might play a pivotal role in FC growth during late gestation. VEGF mRNA was increased on D15, while de- creased on D21 in model group as compared with normal group and BYHR group. Immunohistochemi- cally, Ang-2 protein was highly expressed in FNEs, gradually disappeared as villi matured, and decreased over gestation in all groups, indicating that Ang-2 might play a pivotal role in villous formation, which was further supported by decreased Ang-2 mRNA and protein expression in model group on D 15. Ang-1 mRNA, Tie2 mRNA and Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio increased from D15 to D18 in all groups as placenta matured. Ang-1 mRNA, Tie2 mRNA and Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio were decreased on D18 in model group as compared with normal and BYHR groups, indicating delayed maturity of FGR placenta. Alterations in angiogenic factors may result in altered placental vasculature and cause placental insufficiency. BYHR recipe could balance the angiogenic factors to promote the formation and maturation of FGR placental vasculature.
基金Supported by the Research Fund of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences(SV5-074/BN17-99)No.LSMU-21
文摘BACKGROUND Clinically significant portal hypertension(CSPH) and severe portal hypertension(SPH) increase the risk for decompensation and life-threatening complications in liver cirrhosis. Pathologic angiogenesis might contribute to the formation of these conditions. Placental growth factor(PlGF) and Nogo-A protein are biomarkers of pathological angiogenesis, but data on their role in liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension is scarce.AIM To determine plasma levels of PlGF and Nogo-A in patients with liver cirrhosis,CSPH, SPH and potential to predict portal hypertension.METHODS A cohort of 122 patients with hepatitis C virus and/or alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis with characterized hepatic venous pressure gradient(HVPG) were included in the study. Demographic data, medical history, Child-Turcotte-Pugh and Model of End Stage liver disease score, clinical chemistry, liver stiffnessvalues were recorded on the day of the procedure prior HVPG measurement. The degree of portal hypertension was determined by the invasive HVPG measurement. Nogo-A and PlGF plasma levels were evaluated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The control group consisted of 30 healthy age-and sex-matched individuals.RESULTS Peripheral PlGF levels were higher and Nogo-A levels were lower in patients with liver cirrhosis(23.20 vs 9.85;P < 0.0001 and 2.19 vs 3.12;P = 0.004 respectively). There was a positive linear correlation between peripheral levels of PlGF and HVPG(r = 0.338, P = 0.001) and negative linear correlation between the peripheral Nogo-A levels and HVPG(r =-0.267, P = 0.007). PlGF levels were higher in CSPH and SPH(P = 0.006;P < 0.0001) whereas Nogo-A levels were lower(P = 0.01;P < 0.033). Area under the curve for the diagnosis of CSPH for PlGF was 0.68(P = 0.003) and for Nogo-A-0.67(P = 0.01);for SPH 0.714(P <0.0001) and 0.65(P = 0.014) respectively. PlGF levels were higher and Nogo-A levels were lower in patients with esophageal varices(P < 0.05). PlGF cut-off value of 25 pg/mL distinguished patients with CSPH at 55.7% sensitivity and76.7% specificity;whereas Nogo-A cut-off value of 1.12 ng/mL was highly specific(93.1%) for the diagnosis of CSPH.CONCLUSION Plasma PlGF levels were higher while Nogo-A levels were lower in patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Biomarkers showed moderate predictive value in determining CSPH and SPH.
