Prevalence and adverse perinatal outcomes of anaemia in the third trimester of pregnancy in Hebei Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Anaemia in pregnancy is one of the most frequent complications related to pregnancy and is a public health concern. This article examines the prevalence of anaemia in the third trimester of pregnancy and the associations between anaemia and adverse perinatal outcomes in Hebei Province, China. METHODS: We used SPSS software to describe the incidence of anaemia in the third trimester of pregnancy in Hebei Province and analysed the clinical characteristics in anaemic patients and the relationship between anaemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of anaemia in the third trimester of pregnancy was 35.0% in Hebei Province. The prevalence of anaemia in the population with a high education level was lower than that in the population with a low education level. The incidence rate in rural areas was higher than that in urban areas. After adjustment for confounding factors, anaemia in the third trimester of pregnancy is an independent risk factor in terms of placenta previa, placental abruption, uterine atony, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, heart disease, postpartum haemorrhage, premature birth, laceration of birth canal, puerperal infection, caesarean section and large for gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anaemia in the third trimester of pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. A comprehensive approach to prevent anaemia is needed to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

The Effect of 2016 Chinese second-child policy and different maternal age on pregnancy outcomes in Hebei Province, China.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of the 2016 Chinese second child policy and different maternal ages on adverse perinatal outcomes. METHODS: Clinical data were collected from 22 monitoring hospitals in Hebei Province from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2021. A total of 413,892 parturient were divided into 3 groups based on delivery age: 20-34, 35-39, and 40-55 years old. The clinical data were analyzed to explore the relationship among the 2016 Chinese second-child policy, maternal age, and various pregnancy risks. RESULTS: Pregnancy complications showed an upward trend from 2013 to 2021.The top 10 incidences of pregnancy complications in Hebei Province were anemia, small for gestational age (SGA), large for gestational age (LGA), macrosomia, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), premature delivery, preeclampsia (PE), postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), placenta previa, and placental abruption. The two-child policy was implemented in 2016. The incidence of pregnancy complications, anemia, GDM, PE, placental abruption, cesarean delivery, premature delivery, SGA, LGA, macrosomia in 2016-2021 was significantly higher than that in 2013-2015 (P<0.05), and the proportion of women of advanced maternal age (AMA, ≥ 35 years old) increased from 2013 to 2021. Advanced maternal age was a risk factor for most assessed adverse pregnancy outcomes, including GDM, PE, placenta previa, placenta abruption, cesarean delivery, PPH, premature delivery, SGA, LGA and macrosomia. CONCLUSION: After the adjustment of the "second-child" policy, the incidence of pregnancy complications increased. Moreover, the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in AMA has increased. Early prevention and intervention should be implemented to cope with the occurrence of adverse perinatal outcomes.

Secular increase in the prevalence of gestational diabetes and its associated adverse pregnancy outcomes from 2014 to 2021 in Hebei province, China.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the secular prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and evaluate its adverse pregnancy outcomes among pregnant women in Hebei province, China. Methods: We analyzed the data from the monitoring information management system for pregnant women in 22 hospitals of Hebei province, China. In this study, 366,212 individuals with singleton live births from 2014 to 2021 were included, of whom 25,995 were diagnosed with gestational diabetes. We described the incidence of common complications and further analyzed the clinical characteristics in GDM patients and the relationship between GDM and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Results: The top 3 pregnancy complications in Hebei province are anemia, gestational hypertension, and GDM. The average incidence of GDM was 7.10% (25,995/366,212). The incidence rate of GDM significantly increased from 2014 to 2021 (χ2 trend = 7,140.663, P < 0.001). The top 3 regions with GDM incidence were Baoding (16.60%), Shijiazhuang (8.00%), and Tangshan (3.80%). The incidence of GDM in urban pregnant women (10.6%) is higher than that in rural areas (3.7%).The difference between the GDM and Non-GDM groups was statistically significant in terms of maternal age, gravidity, parity, education level, and incidence of pregnancy complications (gestational hypertension, heart diseases, and anemia) (P < 0.05). GDM individuals were at significantly increased risk of most assessed adverse pregnancy outcomes, including premature delivery, Cesarean delivery, uterine inertia, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, Apgar (activity-pulse-grimace-appearance-respiration) score at 1 min, and macrosomia (P < 0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that GDM was an independent risk factor in terms of premature birth, Cesarean delivery, uterine inertia, placental abruption, NICU admission, and macrosomia. Conclusion: The risk of adverse pregnancy outcome in pregnant women with GDM is significantly increased. In order to reduce the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes, effective interventions are needed.

MiR-130a-3p regulates neural stem cell differentiation in vitro by targeting Acsl4.

In the adult mammalian brain, neural stem cells (NSCs) are the precursor cells of neurons that contribute to nervous system development, regeneration, and repair. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate cell fate determination and differentiation by negatively regulating gene expression. Here, we identified a post-transcriptional mechanism, centred around miR-130a-3p that regulated NSC differentiation. Importantly, overexpressing miR-130a-3p promoted NSC differentiation into neurons, whereas inhibiting miR-130a-3p function reduced the number of neurons. Then, the quantitative PCR, Western blot and dual-luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-130a-3p negatively regulated acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (Acsl4) expression. Additionally, inhibition of Acsl4 promoted NSC differentiation into neurons, whereas silencing miR-130a-3p partially suppressed the neuronal differentiation induced by inhibiting Acsl4. Furthermore, overexpressing miR-130a-3p or inhibiting Acsl4 increased the levels of p-AKT, p-GSK-3ß and PI3K. In conclusion, our results suggested that miR-130a-3p targeted Acsl4 to promote neuronal differentiation of NSCs via regulating the Akt/PI3K pathway. These findings may help to develop strategies for stem cell-mediated treatment for central nervous system diseases.

miR-103-3p targets Ndel1 to regulate neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

The regulation of adult neural stem cells (NSCs) is critical for lifelong neurogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a type of small, endogenous RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and influence signaling networks responsible for several cellular processes. In this study, miR-103-3p was transfected into neural stem cells derived from embryonic hippocampal neural stem cells. The results showed that miR-103-3p suppressed neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation, and promoted apoptosis. In addition, miR-103-3p negatively regulated NudE neurodevelopment protein 1-like 1 (Ndel1) expression by binding to the 3' untranslated region of Ndel1. Transduction of neural stem cells with a lentiviral vector overexpressing Ndel1 significantly increased cell proliferation and differentiation, decreased neural stem cell apoptosis, and decreased protein expression levels of Wnt3a, ß-catenin, phosphor-GSK-3ß, LEF1, c-myc, c-Jun, and cyclin D1, all members of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. These findings suggest that Ndel1 is a novel miR-103-3p target and that miR-103-3p acts by suppressing neural stem cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis and differentiation. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Nantong University, China (approval No. 20200826-003) on August 26, 2020.

miR-33-3p Regulates PC12 Cell Proliferation and Differentiation In Vitro by Targeting Slc29a1.

MicroRNA-33-3p (miR-33-3p) has been widely investigated for its roles in lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function; however, there are few studies on miR-33-3p in the context of neurological diseases. In this study, we investigated the functional role of miR-33-3p in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. A miR-33-3p mimic was transduced into PC12 cells, and its effects on proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation were studied using the MTS assay, EdU labeling, flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, western blot, ELISA, and immunofluorescence. We found that miR-33-3p significantly suppressed PC12 cell proliferation, but had no effect on apoptosis. Furthermore, miR-33-3p promoted the differentiation of PC12 cells into Tuj1-positive and choline acetyltransferase-positive neuron-like cells. Mechanistically, miR-33-3p repressed the expression of Slc29a1 in PC12 cells. Importantly, knocking down Slc29a1 in PC12 cells inhibited proliferation and induced differentiation into neuron-like cells. In conclusion, this study showed that miR-33-3p regulated Slc29a1, which in turn controlled the proliferation and differentiation of PC12 cells. Thus, we hypothesize that the miR-33-3p/Slc29a1 axis could be a promising therapeutic target for recovering neurons and the cholinergic nervous system.

A Candidate Regulatory Variant at the TREM Gene Cluster Confer Alzheimer's Disease Risk by Modulating Both Amyloid-ß Pathology and Neuronal Degeneration.

Background: rs9357347 located at the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM) gene cluster could increase TREM2 and TREM-like transcript 1 (TREML1) brain gene expression, which is considered to play a protective role against Alzheimer's disease (AD). Objectives: To investigate the role of rs9357347 in AD pathogenesis by exploring the effects of rs9357347 on AD specific biomarkers. Methods: This study analyzed the association of rs9357347 with AD-related cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuroimaging markers from 201 cognitively normal (CN) older adults, 349 elders with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 172 elders with AD dementia from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). We next analyzed the association in 259 amyloid-ß positive (Aß+) elders and 117 amyloid-ß negative (Aß-) elders (Aß+: CSF Aß1-42 ≤ 192 pg/ml; Aß-: CSF Aß1-42 > 192 pg/ml). Associations were tested using multiple linear regression models at baseline. Furthermore, multiple mixed-effects models were used in a longitudinal study which lasted 4 years. Results: At baseline, we found that rs9357347 had association with CSF Aß1-42 in CN group (ß = 0.357, P = 0.009). In AD group, rs9357347 was associated with total tau (T-tau) level (ß = -0.436, P = 0.007). Moreover, the strong influence exerted by rs9357347 on T-tau was also seen in Aß+ group (ß = -0.202, P = 0.036). In the longitudinal study, rs9357347 was also found to be associated with Aß1-42 in CN group (ß = 0.329, P = 0.023). In AD group, the mutation of rs9357347 was associated with slower accumulation of T-tau (ß = -0.472, P = 0.002) and tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 [P-tau 181 (ß = -0.330, P = 0.019)]. Furthermore, the obvious influence exerted by rs9357347 on T-tau was also seen in Aß+ group (ß = -0.241, P = 0.013). Conclusion: This study suggested that rs9357347 reduced the risk of AD by modulating both amyloid-ß pathology and neuronal degeneration.

[Spatial Variability and Contamination of Arsenic in Soils of Xijiang River Basin].

In this study, 2585 soil samples were collected in the Xijiang River Basin in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the spatial variability and contamination of Arsenic in soils were evaluated using geostatistical and GIS tools. The results showed that the concentrations of As in surface soils (23.82 mg·kg-1) were higher than the background values of the Guangxi and Xijiang Rivers in natural soils; the upstream values (Diaojiang River and Huanjiang River) (30.22 mg·kg-1) were significantly higher than those in other regions. Concentrations of As in soil samples were in the order of soil in mining areas > soil in dryland > natural soil > paddy soil. As in mining areas were significantly higher than in other areas; high As concentrations were measured in the upstream of the Diaojiang River basin and the downstream of the Huanjiang River Basin. Low concentration clusters were in the six villages of Nandan, which are far from the mine, and in the upper reaches of the Dahuanjiang River and Xiaohuanjiang River Basin. Spatial autocorrelations of arsenic in the watershed soil were evident and the structural variability was dominant. The concentration of As in the upper reaches decreased from the northwest to the southeast. High As concentrations were distributed naturally along the river basin; concentrations in the middle and lower reaches of the basin were between 0.44 mg·kg-1 and 40 mg·kg-1. The concentration levels of As in total soil samples ranged from no-pollution to slight pollution, and the pollution was mainly distributed in the administrative areas of the city and the intensive areas of mining activities, among which the soil pollution in Jinchengjiang River and Nandan counties was more prominent. Effective measures should be taken to strengthen the safety level of tailings reservoirs during the rainy season, so as to maintain the production levels while protecting living standards of local residents.

[Concentrations and Health Risk Assessments of Heavy Metal Contents in Soil and Rice of Mine Contaminated Areas].

Nandan County is famous for its mining of nonferrous metals. In order to investigate the effects of mining activities on the soil and rice and to evaluate the health risk of the exposure of typical local inhabitants to heavy metals via consumption of rice, a consecutive 3-day household diet survey in four villages in Nandan was conducted. Liuzhai is an uncontaminated contrast area, and Chehe, Dachang, and Zhanglao are contaminated areas. The data for rice consumption rates were obtained. At the same time, 56 soil samples from rice fields and 90 rice samples were collected for the analysis of As, Sb, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn. In addition, the potential health risk of the exposure of local people to heavy metals via consumption of the rice was assessed using the pollution index method and the data from the intake of heavy metals. Results showed that the mean contents of As, Sb, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn were 58.1, 16.4, 1.22, 49.1, 52.1, and 271 mg·kg-1 in the soil samples from contaminated areas, with higher pollution risks than from the control area for soil heavy metal contents. The Nemero comprehensive contamination index (PN) was 3.14, a heavy pollution grade. Cd contents in rice in Liuzhai, Chehe, Dachang, and Zhanglao were 2.23 times, 4.40 times, 3.81 times, and 3.52 times higher than those of GB 2762-2017.The content in rice exceeds the standard in all four areas. The daily intake (DI) of Cd in the four areas was higher than the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) established by FAO/WHO. This indicates that Cd and As are the major heavy metal elements posing health risks to the health of the inhabitants in the mining areas and that the inhabitants in the mining areas are facing severe risks of exposure to heavy metals.

Effects of Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) Treatment on Enhancing Activity and Conformation of α-Amylase.

To explore an efficient, safe, and speedy application of pulsed electric field (PEF) technology for enzymatic modification, effects of PEF treatment on the enzymatic activity, property and kinetic parameters of α-amylase were investigated. Conformational transitions were also studied with the aid of circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectra. The maximum enzymatic activity of α-amylase was obtained under 15 kV/cm electric field intensity and 100 mL/min flow velocity PEF treatment, in which the enzymatic activity increased by 22.13 ± 1.14% compared with control. The activation effect could last for 18 h at 4 °C. PEF treatment could widen the range of optimum temperature for α-amylase, however, it barely exerted any effect on the optimum pH. On the other hand, α-amylase treated by PEF showed an increase of Vmax, t1/2 and ΔG, whereas a decrease of Km and k were observed. Furthermore, it can be observed from fluorescence and CD spectra that PEF treatment had increased the number of amino acid residues, especially that of tryptophan, on α-amylase surface with enhanced α-helices by 34.76% and decreased random coil by 12.04% on α-amylase when compared with that of untreated. These changes in structure had positive effect on enhancing α-amylase activity and property.

[Characteristics of Heavy Metal Contents in Human Hairs of Mine Contaminated Areas in Nandan County].

Nandan county is usually called "land of nonferrous metals". In order to discuss the impact of mining activities on the health of inhabitants in Nandan county, 200 human hair samples were collected from 4 villages (Liuzhai is a uncontaminated contrast areas, Chehe, Dachang and Zhanglao are contaminated areas) of Nandan and analyzed for contents of As, Sb, Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn. The results showed that the average contents of As, Sb, Cd and Pb were 1.260, 2.161, 2.466 and 20.92 µg·g-1 in the human hair samples from contaminated areas. They were 4.0, 20, 2.1 and 1.9 times higher than those in the contrast areas, and the Sb contents in human hair of Chehe and Dachang were higher than the recommended normal range. The contents of human hair Zn showed a negative correlation with the age of people (P<0.05), and contents of human hair Cd and Pb showed a weak negative correlation with the age of people in contaminated areas (P<0.1). The independent-samples t-test showed that Cd contents in male hair were apparently higher than those in female hair (P<0.05), however, Cu and Zn contents in female hair were apparently higher than those in male hair (P<0.05), in the contaminated areas. There were positive correlations between As and Sb, Cd and Pb, as well as As and Cd (P<0.01), while other elements showed no significant correlation between pairs. It was therefore concluded that contamination from the mining activities has exposed a serious threat to human health in the mine contaminated areas in Nandan county.

Stromal derived factor-1α in hippocampus radial glial cells in vitro regulates the migration of neural progenitor cells.

Stromal derived factor-1α (SDF-1α), a critical chemokine that promotes cell homing to target tissues, was presumed to be involved in the traumatic brain injury cortex. In this study, we determined the expression of SDF-1α in the hippocampus after transection of the fimbria fornix (FF). Realtime PCR and ELISA showed that mRNA transcription and SDF-1α proteins increased significantly after FF transection. In vitro, the expression of SDF-1α in radial glial cells (RGCs) incubated with deafferented hippocampus extracts was observed to be greater than in those incubated with normal hippocampus extracts. The co-culture of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and RGCs indicated that the extracts of deafferented hippocampus induced more NPCs migrating toward RGCs than the normal extracts. Suppression or overexpression of SDF-1α in RGCs markedly either decreased or increased, respectively, the migration of NPCs. These results suggest that after FF transection, SDF-1α in the deafferented hippocampus was upregulated and might play an important role in RGC induction of NPC migration; therefore, SDF-1α is a target for additional research for determining new therapy for brain injuries.

The co-transduction of Nurr1 and Brn4 genes induces the differentiation of neural stem cells into dopaminergic neurons.

Fetal brain tissue can be used in cell replacement therapy for PD (Parkinson's disease), but there is a poor donor supply of this tissue. NSCs (neural stem cells) may overcome this problem as they can be isolated and expanded in vitro. However, the usage of NSCs is limited because the differentiation of NSCs into specific dopaminergic neurons has proven difficult. In the present study, we investigated the effect of Nurr1 (nuclear receptor related factor 1), a transcription factor specific for the development and maintenance of the midbrain dopaminergic neurons on inducing the differentiation of NSCs into TH (tyrosine hydroxylase) immunoreactive dopaminergic neurons. Nonetheless, these cells exhibited an immature neuronal morphology with small cell bodies and short neurite processes, and they seldom expressed DAT (dopamine transporter), a late marker of mature dopaminergic neurons. However, forced co-expression of Nurr1 with Brn4, a member of the POU domain family of transcription factors, caused immature Nurr1-induced dopaminergic neurons to differentiate into morphologically and phenotypically more mature neurons. Thus the enriched generation of mature dopaminergic neurons by forced expression of Nurr1 with Brn4 may be of future importance in NSC-based cell replacement therapy for PD.

Effects of Brn-4 on the neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells derived from rat midbrain.

NSCs (neural stem cells) provide a powerful research tool for the design and discovery of new approaches to cell replacement therapy during brain repair. However, the usefulness of this tool has been particularly obstructed by limited neuronal differentiation of NSCs. Brn-4, a member of the POU domain family of transcription factors, has been previously implicated in the development of neurons by expression analysis. Here, we directly investigated the effects of Brn-4 on the neuronal differentiation and development of NSCs derived from the E13 rat midbrain. We found that Brn-4 knockdown in NSCs resulted in a significant decrease of MAP-2-positive neurons with immature morphology. Overexpression of Brn-4 in NSCs markedly increased the production and maturation of newborn neurons. These results suggest that Brn-4 has a critical role in the neuronal differentiation of mesencephalic NSCs and the maturation of newborn neurons. Brn-4 may be utilized to manipulate NSCs for gene and cell therapy of several neurological diseases.

Effects of Ginkgolide on the development of NOS and AChE positive neurons in the embryonic basal forebrain.

Extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGb) has been therapeutically used for several decades to increase peripheral and cerebral blood flow so as to prevent cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases. However, the role of EGb in neuroprotective effects has received much attention recently. In this study, we investigated the effect of EGb on the development of NOS and AChE positive neurons in the rat embryonic basal forebrain. The results showed that treated with EGb, the OD of MTT staining analysis, and the numbers, the cell sizes and circumferences of NOS and AChE positive neurons were greatly promoted. These data suggest that EGb had similar effects of the neurotrophins such as NGF and BDNF in promoting the development of NOS and AChE positive neurons in the rat embryonic basal forebrain.