Associations of Thyroid Function Tests with Lipid Levels and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes During the First Trimester.

Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the relationship of thyroid function during the first trimester of pregnancy with lipid levels and pregnancy outcomes. Methods: Women who delivered babies at the Shanghai General Hospital between March 2019 and December 2019 with a known pregnancy outcome and complete data were included in the present study (n = 1779). A retrospective cohort study of all subjects with available first-trimester thyroid function testing and lipid levels data was conducted, and the relationship of thyroid function with lipid levels and pregnancy outcomes was evaluated. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software for statistical correlation. Results: The proportion of caesarean sections was higher in women with hypothyroxinemia (HIA) and hypothyroidism than in women with euthyroidism. Hypothyroidism was shown to be related with polyhydramnios, preterm labor and hypertriglyceridemia. HIA was correlated with increased rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preeclampsia, gestational hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia. Compared with the euthyroidism group, the hypothyroidism group had a higher apolipoprotein A1 (Apo A1) level and apolipoprotein B level; the subclinical hypothyroidism group had a higher total cholesterol (TC) level and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level; the HIA group had higher triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and lower TC, Apo A1 levels. TC levels were positively correlated with the thyroid-stimulating hormone level and negatively correlated with free thyroxine (FT4) level, and free triiodothyronine and FT4 levels were positively correlated with GDM occurrence. Conclusion: Thyroid function in early pregnancy is associated with dyslipidemia and pregnancy outcomes; conventional screening of thyroid diseases in early pregnancy may help improve lipid levels and decrease adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Effect of exposure to antibiotics on the gut microbiome and biochemical indexes of pregnant women.

INTRODUCTION: Exposure to antibiotics (ABX) during pregnancy can have a systematic effect on both fetal and maternal health. Although previous biomonitoring studies have indicated the effects on children of extensive exposure to ABX, studies on pregnant women remain scarce. To explore the effect on pregnant women of environmental exposure to ABX through accidental ingestion and identify potential health risks, the present study investigated 122 pregnant women in East China between 2019 and 2020. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The presence of six categories of ABX (quinolones, sulfonamides, lincosamides, tetracyclines, amide alcohol ABX, and ß-lactams) in plasma samples taken from the pregnant women was investigated using an ABX kit and a time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay. RESULTS: All six ABX were detected in the plasma, with a detection rate of 17.2%. It was discovered that the composition of intestinal flora in pregnant women exposed to ABX was different from that of pregnant women who had not been exposed to ABX. The intestinal flora of pregnant women exposed to ABX also changed at both the phylum and genus levels, and several genera almost disappeared. Furthermore, the metabolic levels of glucose and insulin and the alpha diversity of pregnant women exposed to ABX were higher than those of pregnant women not exposed to ABX. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women are potentially at higher risk of adverse microbial effects. Glucose metabolism and insulin levels were generally higher in pregnant women exposed to ABX than in unexposed women. Also, the composition and color of the gut microbiome changed.

The characteristics of intestinal flora in overweight pregnant women and the correlation with gestational diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of intestinal flora in overweight pregnant women and the correlation with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: A total of 122 women were enrolled and divided into four groups according to their pre-pregnancy BMI and the presence of GDM: group 1 (n = 71) with a BMI <24 kg/m2, without GDM; group 2 (n = 27) with a BMI <24 kg/m2, with GDM; group 3 (n = 17) with a BMI ≥24 kg/m2, without GDM; and group 4 (n = 7) with a BMI ≥24 kg/m2 with GDM. Feces were collected on the day that the oral glucose tolerance test was conducted. The V3-V4 variable region of 16S rRNA was sequenced using the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform, and a bioinformatics analysis was conducted. RESULTS: There were differences between the four groups in the composition of intestinal flora, and it was significantly different in group 4 than in the other three groups. Firmicutes accounted for 36.4% of the intestinal flora in this group, the lowest among the four groups, while Bacteroidetes accounted for 50.1%, the highest among the four groups, making ratio of these two bacteria approximately 3:5, while in the other three groups, this ratio was reversed. In women with a BMI <24 kg/m2, the insulin resistance index (homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)) in pregnant women with GDM was higher than in those without (P3 = 0.026). CONCLUSION: The composition of the intestinal flora of pregnant women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy and suffered from GDM was significantly different than women who were not overweight or did not suffer from GDM.

Alterations of gut microbiota in gestational diabetes patients during the second trimester of pregnancy in the Shanghai Han population.

BACKGROUND: The causes of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are still unclear. Recent studies have found that the imbalance of the gut microbiome could lead to disorders of human metabolism and immune system, resulting in GDM. This study aims to reveal the different gut compositions between GDM and normoglycemic pregnant women and find the relationship between gut microbiota and GDM. METHODS: Fecal microbiota profiles from women with GDM (n = 21) and normoglycemic women (n = 32) were assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Fasting metabolic hormone concentrations were measured using multiplex ELISA. RESULTS: Metabolic hormone levels, microbiome profiles, and inferred functional characteristics differed between women with GDM and healthy women. Additionally, four phyla and seven genera levels have different correlations with plasma glucose and insulin levels. Corynebacteriales (order), Nocardiaceae (family), Desulfovibrionaceae (family), Rhodococcus (genus), and Bacteroidetes (phylum) may be the taxonomic biomarkers of GDM. Microbial gene functions related to amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism were found to be enriched in patients with GDM. CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that dysbiosis of the gut microbiome exists in patients with GDM in the second trimester of pregnancy, and gut microbiota might be a potential diagnostic biomarker for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of GDM.