Symptoms of Prenatal Depression Associated with Shorter Telomeres in Female Placenta.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a common mood disorder during pregnancy impacting one in every seven women. Children exposed to prenatal depression are more likely to be born at a low birth weight and develop chronic diseases later in life. A proposed hypothesis for this relationship between early exposure to adversity and poor outcomes is accelerated aging. Telomere length has been used as a biomarker of cellular aging. We used high-resolution telomere length analysis to examine the relationship between placental telomere length distributions and maternal mood symptoms in pregnancy. METHODS: This study utilised samples from the longitudinal Grown in Wales (GiW) study. Women participating in this study were recruited at their presurgical appointment prior to a term elective caesarean section (ELCS). Women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and trait subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Telomere length distributions were generated using single telomere length analysis (STELA) in 109 term placenta (37-42 weeks). Multiple linear regression was performed to examine the relationship between maternally reported symptoms of depression and anxiety at term and mean placental telomere length. RESULTS: Prenatal depression symptoms were significantly negatively associated with XpYp telomere length in female placenta (B = -0.098, p = 0.026, 95% CI -0.184, -0.012). There was no association between maternal depression symptoms and telomere length in male placenta (B = 0.022, p = 0.586, 95% CI -0.059, 0.103). There was no association with anxiety symptoms and telomere length for either sex. CONCLUSION: Maternal prenatal depression is associated with sex-specific differences in term placental telomeres. Telomere shortening in female placenta may indicate accelerated placental aging.

Metformin and insulin treatment prevent placental telomere attrition in boys exposed to maternal diabetes.

Shortened leukocyte and placental telomeres associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) suggest this exposure triggers telomere attrition contributing to adverse outcomes. We applied high resolution Single Telomere Length Analysis (STELA) to placenta from GDM pregnancies with different treatment pathways to determine their effectiveness at preventing telomere attrition. Differences in telomere length between control (N = 69), GDM lifestyle intervention (n = 14) and GDM treated with metformin and/or insulin (n = 17) was tested by Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) followed by group comparisons using Fisher's least significant difference. For male placenta only, there were differences in mean telomere length (F(2,54) = 4.98, P = 0.01) and percentage of telomeres under 5 kb (F(2,54) = 4.65, P = 0.01). Telomeres were shorter in the GDM lifestyle intervention group compared to both controls (P = 0.02) and medically treated pregnancies (P = 0.003). There were more telomeres under 5 kb in the GDM lifestyle intervention group compared to the other two groups (P = 0.03 and P = 0.004). Although further work is necessary, we suggest that early adoption of targeted medical treatment of GDM pregnancies where the fetus is known to be male may be an effective strategy for ameliorating adverse outcomes for children.

Persistence of anxiety symptoms after elective caesarean delivery.

BACKGROUND: In the UK, 11.8% of expectant mothers undergo an elective caesarean section (ELCS) representing 92 000 births per annum. It is not known to what extent this procedure has an impact on mental well-being in the longer term. AIMS: To determine the prevalence and postpartum progression of anxiety and depression symptoms in women undergoing ELCS in Wales. METHOD: Prevalence of depression and anxiety were determined in women at University Hospital Wales (2015-16; n = 308) through completion of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; ≥13) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; ≥40) questionnaires 1 day prior to ELCS, and three postpartum time points for 1 year. Maternal characteristics were determined from questionnaires and, where possible, confirmed from National Health Service maternity records. RESULTS: Using these criteria the prevalence of reported depression symptoms was 14.3% (95% CI 10.9-18.3) 1 day prior to ELCS, 8.0% (95% CI 4.2-12.5) within 1 week, 8.7% (95% CI 4.2-13.8) at 10 weeks and 12.4% (95% CI 6.4-18.4) 1 year postpartum. Prevalence of reported anxiety symptoms was 27.3% (95% CI 22.5-32.4), 21.7% (95% CI 15.8-28.0), 25.3% (95% CI 18.5-32.7) and 35.1% (95% CI 26.3-44.2) at these same stages. Prenatal anxiety was not resolved after ELCS more than 1 year after delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Women undergoing ELCS experience prolonged anxiety postpartum that merits focused clinical attention. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None.

Impact and characteristics of the non-Caucasian population in hospital admissions for diabetes onset during 2003-2010. / Impacto y características diferenciales de la población de origen no caucásico en los ingresos por inicio de diabetes durante el periodo 2003-2010.

AIMS: To assess the prevalence of non-Caucasian patients in hospital admissions for onset of symptomatic diabetes mellitus during the 2003-2010 period, and to analyze the characteristics differentiating them from the Caucasian population at diagnosis and 2 years later. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective, observational study. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients aged 18-40 years admitted for de novo symptomatic diabetes from January 2003 to October 2010. Prevalence of patients of non-Caucasian origin was analyzed, and clinical, biochemical, immunological, and beta-cell function of both populations were compared at diagnosis and 2 years later. RESULTS: Nineteen percent of patients admitted to hospital for de novo symptomatic diabetes were non-Caucasian, with a progressive increase in recent years. Non-Caucasian patients had milder decompensation (3.0% had ketoacidosis, as compared to 15.2% in the Caucasian group, P<.05), lower presence of autoimmunity (27.2 vs. 73.1%, P<.01) and higher stimulated C-peptide levels (0.70±0.56 vs. 0.42±0.39 nmol/l, P<.05), mainly because of the subgroup with negative autoimmunity (0.82 vs. 0.25). Two years after diagnosis, less non-Caucasian patients were on intensified treatment (39.1 vs. 93.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Non-Caucasian patients had a lower prevalence of autoimmunity, better beta-cell function at diagnosis, particularly due to the subgroup with negative autoimmunity, and less need for intensive treatment 2 years after diagnosis, features which are more characteristic of type 2 diabetes mellitus.