Aquaporin-8 overexpression is involved in vascular structure and function changes in placentas of gestational diabetes mellitus patients.

To study the role and mechanism of aquaporin-8 (AQP8) in placental vascular development in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry were utilized to analyze the histopathological changes in placentas in GDM patients. Transwell, CCK-8, and tube formation assays were performed to examine cell migration, proliferation, and tube formation. AQP8, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-α, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A expression levels were investigated. Relative to the control group, the placentas in the GDM group showed morphological changes, the number of microvessels in the placental villi arterioles was significantly higher, and the area of microvessels in the arterioles of placental villi was significantly lower. The expression levels of VCAM-1, TNF-α, VEGF-A, and AQP8 in the GDM placentas and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) stimulated by high glucose were significantly higher than those in the control group, and AQP8 was located in placental endothelial cells. Overexpression of glucose and AQP8 inhibited tube formation, migration, and proliferation in HUVECs. High glucose levels can induce dysfunction in vascular endothelial cells and lead to pathological changes in the placental vascular structure in GDM. AQP8 overexpression in placental GDM can inhibit endothelial cell behavior, cause endothelial cell dysfunction, and further participate in the occurrence and development of GDM placental vascular lesions.

miR-1227-3p participates in the development of fetal growth restriction via regulating trophoblast cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a common obstetric disease, which is harmful to the pregnant women and fetuses. It has many influencing factors, but the specific etiology is not clear. MiRNA plays an important role in the fetal growth and development. In this article, we use TaqMan Low-Density Array to screen and analyze the differently expressed miRNAs in FGR-affected placenta (n = 40) and the normal placenta (n = 40). A total of 139 abnormally expressed miRNAs in the FGR-affected placenta were identified, and miR-1227-3p was the most highly downregulated miRNA. Importantly, miR-1227-3p may promote the proliferation in HTR-8/SVneo cells, while inhibited the apoptosis of HTR-8/SVneo cells. DAVID was used to analyze the pathway enrichment of target genes of miR-1227-3p to predict its mechanism of action. Furthermore, the putative targets of miR-1227-3p were predicted using the TargetScan, PicTar, DIANA LAB, and miRWalk database. The potential expression of target genes of miR-1227-3p, including PRKAB2, AKT1, PIK3R3, and MKNK1 were significantly increased in FGR-affected placenta. Taken together, miR-1227-3p may participate in the development of FGR via regulating trophoblast cell proliferation and apoptosis by targeting genes involved in the insulin pathway. MiR-1227-3p may have a potential clinical value in the prevention and treatment of FGR, we need to study further to prove its value in the future.

Computer aided diabetic retinopathy detection based on ophthalmic photography: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.

AIM: To ensure the diagnostic value of computer aided techniques in diabetic retinopathy (DR) detection based on ophthalmic photography (OP). METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Ei village, IEEE Xplore and Cochrane Library database were searched systematically for literatures about computer aided detection (CAD) in DR detection. The methodological quality of included studies was appraised by the Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2). Meta-DiSc was utilized and a random effects model was plotted to summarize data from those included studies. Summary receiver operating characteristic curves were selected to estimate the overall test performance. Subgroup analysis was used to identify the efficiency of CAD in detecting DR, exudates (EXs), microaneurysms (MAs) as well as hemorrhages (HMs), and neovascularizations (NVs). Publication bias was analyzed using STATA. RESULTS: Fourteen articles were finally included in this Meta-analysis after literature review. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were 90% (95%CI, 85%-94%) and 90% (95%CI, 80%-96%) respectively for CAD in DR detection. With regard to CAD in EXs detecting, pooled sensitivity, specificity were 89% (95%CI, 88%-90%) and 99% (95%CI, 99%-99%) respectively. In aspect of MAs and HMs detection, pooled sensitivity and specificity of CAD were 42% (95%CI, 41%-44%) and 93% (95%CI, 93%-93%) respectively. Besides, pooled sensitivity and specificity were 94% (95%CI, 89%-97%) and 87% (95%CI, 83%-90%) respectively for CAD in NVs detection. No potential publication bias was observed. CONCLUSION: CAD demonstrates overall high diagnostic accuracy for detecting DR and pathological lesions based on OP. Further prospective clinical trials are needed to prove such effect.