Predicting comorbidities of pregnancy: A comparison between total and free 25(OH)D and their associations with parathyroid hormone.

Pregnancy is a unique time when amplified sex steroid concentrations promote an escalation in vitamin D binding protein (DBP) synthesis, associated with increased total vitamin D and metabolites, including 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Free 25(OH)D concentration increases disproportionately to total 25(OH)D during pregnancy, likely an adaptation to supply the woman and fetus with readily available 25(OH)D. Highlighting the importance of the calcium metabolic stress during pregnancy, the interactional relationship between serum 25(OH)D and PTH has been evaluated. Maternal total 25(OH)D and total 25(OH)D/iPTH are measures of vitamin D status and biomarkers for potential pregnancy complications. It has been proposed that free 25(OH)D and free 25(OH)D/iPTH could be better indicators of vitamin D status and predictors of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes (GDM), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and preterm delivery. This study aims to determine if free 25(OH)D and its association with PTH are more accurate predictors of comorbidities of pregnancy than total 25(OH)D and its association with PTH. In this post hoc analysis of the Kellogg Pregnancy Study, a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, participants included 297 women with singleton pregnancies: 191 participants were randomized into a group receiving a daily prenatal (400 IU vitamin D3) while 196 received a prenatal plus extra supplementation (4400 IU vitamin D3). Blood and urine samples were collected monthly. 297 participants' serum total 25(OH)D concentrations were measured using radioimmunoassay at baseline (visit 1) and 5-7 months' gestation (visit 6-7). 93 participants' serum free 25(OH)D and PTH concentrations were measured using ELISA and immunoradiometric assay, respectively, at visit 1 and 6-7; 66 participants had paired samples and were included in this analysis. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.4, Cary, N.C. or SPSS v28, IBM Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. Results were considered significant with a p < 0.05. A significant relationship exists between the ratio of total 25(OH)D/iPTH and free 25(OH)D/iPTH grouped by total 25(OH)D ≥ 30 ng/mL and < 30 ng/mL as an indicator of maternal vitamin D status. There was a statistically significant relationship between lower mean free 25(OH)D/iPTH and the development of GDM at visit 1 (p = 0.0003) and at visit 6-7 (p = 0.001) while total 25(OH)D/iPTH and GDM were significantly related only at visit 1 (p = 0.029). In this exploratory cohort, neither free 25(OH)D/iPTH nor total 25(OH)D/iPTH were significantly associated with increased incidence of preterm delivery, hypertensive disorders, or combined comorbidities of pregnancy. An univariate logistic regression evaluating the outcome of gestational diabetes while independently controlling for independent factors showed the ratio of free 25(OH)D/iPTH was more closely associated with gestational diabetes than the ratio of total 25(OH)D/iPTH, although neither were significant. This proof-of-concept analysis suggests that the ratio of free 25(OH)D/iPTH is associated with the development of gestational diabetes throughout pregnancy while total 25(OH)D/iPTH is only associated with the outcome early in pregnancy. Further investigation is warranted to explore this relationship between calcium metabolic stress during pregnancy with a larger cohort to improve validity,reproducibility, and relevance to other pregnancy comorbidities.

Vitamin D and Child Neurodevelopment-A Post Hoc Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D (VitD) has been shown to impact neurodevelopment. Studies have shown that higher 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations (the indicator of vitD status) may be associated with better neurodevelopmental outcomes, although current data are conflicting. This study examined the relationship between total circulating 25(OH)D concentrations and neurodevelopmental outcomes in 3-5-year-old (3-5 yo) children. METHODS: In this study, pregnant women were randomized to receive 400 (standard dose), 2000, or 4000 IU vitD3/day. Offspring then underwent the Brigance Screen at 3-5 yo. The 25(OH)D concentration was measured at birth and 3-5 yo. Relationships between Brigance scores and 25(OH)D and Brigance scores and vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) genotype were examined. RESULTS: Higher 25(OH)D at the time of testing was associated with better overall performance on neurodevelopmental testing as measured by the Brigance quotient (B = 0.208, p = 0.049). Scores were then broken down into sub-scores. Children born to mothers in the 2000 IU/day group scored higher on the Brigance language component of the assessment versus the standard dose group (B = 4.667, p = 0.044). The group of children who had the Gc1f-1s or Gc1f-2 genotypes scored higher on the Brigance academic component (B = 9.993, p < 0.001) and lower on the Brigance language component versus the 1f1f genotype (B = -9.313, p < 0.001). Children with the Gc1s-1s, Gc1s-2, or Gc2-2 genotypes also scored lower than the Gc1f-1f genotype (B = -6.757, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that higher 25(OH)D concentrations early in life and higher doses of maternal vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy may have a positive association with neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study also suggests that the VDBP genotype is associated with neurodevelopment and differentially affects various fields of neurodevelopment.

Does maternal vitamin D status influence placental weight or vascular and inflammatory pathology? Secondary analysis from the Kellogg Pregnancy Study.

INTRODUCTION: Positive effects of vitamin D (vitD) supplementation on comorbidities of pregnancy (COP) have been explored; however, few studies have elucidated the pathophysiology behind the development of these COP and the potential relationship with derangements in placental development and morphology. Additionally, it is known that placentas weighing 10th-90th % for gestational age are associated with better outcomes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of resulting circulating serum 25(OH)D concentrations associated with intake of high or low doses of supplementary vitD on placental development and morphology in women who participated in a randomized double blind, placebo-controlled trial of vitD supplementation. We hypothesized that if maternal serum 25(OH)D concentration (vitD status marker) is insufficient/deficient, then placental weight and % for gestational age (GA) will be smaller and will correlate with increased vascular and inflammatory placental pathologic findings. METHODS: The findings of the present study are a secondary analysis of data generated from a previously reported randomized controlled trial (RCT), the Kellogg Vitamin D Pregnancy Study. Pregnant women (n = 297) in this RCT (January 2013 - April 2018) were randomly assigned to 400 IU vs. 4400 IU vitD/day (10-14 weeks' gestational age) and followed to delivery. 132 placentas were analyzed by pathologists blinded to treatment, and the 2016 Amsterdam Consensus Criteria were used to categorize grouping/grading of placental pathology and weight. Total [25(OH)D] was measured using radioimmunoassay (ng/mL). Chi-square and Student's t-test were used to show the difference in maternal characteristics by treatment group and by placental weight. Chi-square analysis was used to determine differences between the percent pathology findings by treatment group. Students t-test was used to determine the differences in vitD status and the frequency of placental lesions. Association between [25(OH)D] area under the curve (AUC) and placental morphology were determined in a regression model that included maternal BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, race/ethnicity, and vitD treatment group allocation. Data were analyzed using SAS v9.4 (Cary, NC) and statistical significance was indicated by p < 0.05. RESULTS: The percent pathology findings by treatment group were not significantly different for each of the placental pathology categories as defined by the 2016 Amsterdam Consensus Criteria including placental weight. However, when using 25(OH)D as a biomarker for vitD status, linear regression model showed maternal serum [25(OH)D] AUC was significantly associated with greater placental weight (p = 0.023). Logistic regression models showed mothers with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 had larger placental weight (p = 0.046), and Hispanic and white/Caucasian mothers had greater placental weights than Black American mothers (p = 0.025). When placentas ≥ 90th % for GA, n = 7, were removed from the placental pool, Pearson correlation still showed a positive association between maternal serum 25(OH)D AUC and placental weight (p = 0.011). In a second linear regression model of placentas ≥ 90th % for GA (n = 7) vs. placentas < 90th % (n = 108), maternal serum 25(OH)D AUC was significantly greater in those placentas ≥ 90th % (p = 0.03); however, this was not associated with increased perinatal mortality. CONCLUSION FINDINGS: suggest increasing maternal serum [25(OH)D] via vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy did not adversely affect placental morphology; trends showed those in the treatment group had fewer placental lesions. Placental weight was found to be significantly associated with [25(OH)D] AUC, which represents maternal vitamin D status over the course of pregnancy; 7 placentas ≥ 90th % for GA were not associated with perinatal mortality.

Riding the wave: a quantitative report of electrocardiogram utilization for myocardial infarction confirmation.

The purpose of this study was to generate a quantitative profile of electrocardiograms (ECGs) for confirming surgical success of permanent coronary artery ligation. An ECG was recorded at baseline, and 0, 1, and 5 min after ligation and analyzed using iWorkx LabScribe software. Cohort 1 (C57Bl6/J, n = 8/sex) was enrolled to determine ECG characteristics that were confirmed in cohort 2 (C57Bl6/J, n = 6/sex; CD8-/-n = 6 males/4 females). Of the 16 mice in cohort 1, 12 (6/sex) had an infarct ≥35% and four mice (2/sex) had <35% based on 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. After ligation, the QRS complex and R-S amplitude were significantly different compared with baseline. No differences were observed in the R-S amplitude between mice with infarcts ≥35% versus <35% at any time point, whereas the QRS complex was significant 1 min after ligation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve linked changes in the QRS complex but not the R-S amplitude at 1 and 5 min with surgical success. Data were normalized to baseline values to calculate fold change. ROC analysis of the normalized QRS data indicated strong sensitivity and specificity for infarcts ≥35%; normalized R-S amplitude remained nonsignificant. With a cutoff generated by ROC analysis of cohort 1 (>80% sensitivity; >90% specificity), the non-normalized QRS complex of cohort 2 had an 86% success rate (2 false positives; 1 false negative). The normalized data had a 77% success rate (2 false positives; 3 false negatives). Neither sex nor genotype was associated with false predictions (P = 0.18). Our data indicate that the area under the QRS complex 1 min after ligation can improve reproducibility in MI surgeries.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our study describes a quantitative method for using an electrocardiogram (ECG) to determine which animals have infarcts that reflect coronary artery ligation. Using a quantitative ECG, investigators will have the benefit of having real-time feedback during the procedure, which will ultimately decrease the amount of time investigators spend performing experiments. This overall increase in efficiency will help investigators decrease animal numbers used due to better surgical outcomes.