SLC38A2 promotes cell proliferation and invasion by promoting glutamine metabolism in adenomyosis.

Adenomyosis is a benign uterine disorder that is associated with female infertility, a reduced clinical pregnancy rate and a high risk of miscarriage. Solute carrier family 38 member a2 (SLC38A2) is a glutamine (Gln) transporter that serves roles in various medical conditions. The present study aimed to reveal the role of SLC38A2 in adenomyosis. The mRNA expression levels of SLC38A2 in eutopic endometrial (EU) and ectopic endometrial (EC) tissues from adenomyotic patients were examined by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. EU and EC cell proliferation and invasion were analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell assays. Changes in the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) were determined to indicate the mitochondrial respiratory function and observed using a Seahorse analyzer. SLC38A2 expression in EC tissues was upregulated compared with that in normal endometrial tissues. SLC38A2 knockdown repressed EC cell proliferation and invasion. In addition, the Gln content and OCR were decreased in EC cells transfected with SLC38A2-knockdown lentivirus, whereas SLC38A2 overexpression had the opposite effect in EU cells. Furthermore, the increased proliferation and invasion rates and Gln level induced by SLC38A2 overexpression in EU cells were alleviated by CB-839, a glutaminase inhibitor. SLC38A2 overexpression promoted Gln metabolism and oxygen consumption rate, resulting in an increase in cell proliferation and invasion in the adenomyosis context. The present study indicated that reduction of SLC38A2 expression could be a novel target for adenomyosis therapy, and SLC38A2 may be a valuable clinical diagnostic molecule for adenomyosis.

Impact of Pre-Pregnancy Hemoglobin Level on the Association Between Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Single Center in China.

Aim: To assess the impact of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) based on different pre-pregnancy hemoglobin levels. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 1289 pregnant women between June 2020 and January 2022. Clinical data were collected by reviewing their medical and antepartum screening records between 24 and 28 gestational weeks, including pre-pregnancy BMI and pre-pregnancy hemoglobin (Hb) levels. The diagnosis of GDM mainly depended on oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) during 24-28 weeks. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) was used to investigate the association between the pre-pregnancy Hb level and the risk of GDM. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to evaluate the relative risk of GDM. Results: Of the 1289 included pregnant women, 187 (14.5%) women were diagnosed with GDM in this study. The pre-pregnancy Hb level was significantly associated with GDM risk, and the pre-pregnancy Hb level of 123 g/L was identified as the threshold to stratify and assess the association between the GDM risk and the pre-pregnancy BMI. For women with a pre-pregnancy Hb level ≥123 g/L, the pre-pregnancy BMI showed a significant association with GDM risk, and the estimated incidence rate of GDM was 7.7%, 14.8%, 36.3% and 44% for underweight, normal-weight, overweight and obese pregnant women, respectively. After adjusting for potential influencing factors of GDM, the respective relative risk was 1.0 (reference), 2.04 (95% CI 0.84, 4.99), 7.06 (2.66, 18.61), and 10.77 (2.85, 40.63) (P for trend < 0.001). Conclusion: In pregnant women with a pre-pregnancy Hb level ≥123 g/L, pre-pregnancy BMI showed a more significant association with GDM risk as compared with those with a pre-pregnancy Hb level <123 g/L.

Impact of elevated first and second trimester white blood cells on prevalence of late-onset preeclampsia.

Objective: Increased white blood cell count (WBC) is known to be associated with preeclampsia (PE). This study aimed to determine whether WBC count >10×109/L had significant impact on late-onset PE (LOPE) during the first and second trimesters. Methods: This prospective study was conducted in 600 pregnant women from Shanghai Pudong Hospital in China from July 2019 to August 2020. They were classified into four groups: Group 1: WBC count ≤10×109/L at 10th-12th week and 24th-26th week; Group 2, WBC count ≤10×109/L at 10th-12th week but WBC count >10×109/L at 24th-26th week; Group 3, WBC count >10×109/L at 10th-12th week but WBC count≤10×109/L at 24th-26th week; Group 4, WBC count >10×109/L at 10th-12th week and 24th-26th week. Complete blood count results from 10th-12th week and 24th-26th week were obtained for each patient. Maternal laboratory values including white blood cell (WBC) count were compared between the four groups. Results: 34 women were diagnosed with LOPE at predelivery. The estimated incidence rate of LOPE during pregnancy was 3.6% in Group 1, 5.8% in Group 2, 7.2% in Group 3, and 11% in Group 4 for the respective WBC level of Group 1, 2, 3 and 4. After adjusting for potential influencing factors of PE, the respective relative risks for LOPE was 1.0 (reference), 1.76 (95% CI 0.37, 8.30), 2.23 (0.85, 5.89), and 3.07 (1.34, 7.02) (P for trend = 0.048). Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that WBC count >10×109/L during the first and second trimesters is a risk of LOPE.