UNASSIGNED: Exposure to environmental chemicals such as phthalates, phenols, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during pregnancy can increase the risk of adverse newborn outcomes. We explored the associations between maternal exposure to select environmental chemicals and DNA methylation in cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) and placental tissue (maternal and fetal sides) to identify potential mechanisms underlying these associations.
UNASSIGNED: This study included 75 pregnant individuals who planned to give birth at the University of Cincinnati Hospital between 2014 and 2017. Maternal urine samples during the delivery visit were collected and analyzed for 37 biomarkers of phenols (12), phthalates (13), phthalate replacements (4), and PAHs (8). Cord blood and placenta tissue (maternal and fetal sides) were also collected to measure the DNA methylation intensities using the Infinium HumanMethylation450K BeadChip. We used linear regression, adjusting for potential confounders, to assess CpG-specific methylation changes in CBMC (n = 54) and placenta [fetal (n = 67) and maternal (n = 68) sides] associated with gestational chemical exposures (29 of 37 biomarkers measured in this study). To account for multiple testing, we used a false discovery rate q-values < 0.05 and presented results by limiting results with a genomic inflation factor of 1±0.5. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis was conducted using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomics pathways.
UNASSIGNED: Among the 29 chemical biomarkers assessed for differential methylation, maternal concentrations of PAH metabolites (1-hydroxynaphthalene, 2-hydroxyfluorene, 4-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene), monocarboxyisononyl phthalate, mono-3-carboxypropyl phthalate, and bisphenol A were associated with altered methylation in placenta (maternal or fetal side). Among exposure biomarkers associated with epigenetic changes, 1-hydroxynaphthalene, and mono-3-carboxypropyl phthalate were consistently associated with differential CpG methylation in the placenta. Gene enrichment analysis indicated that maternal 1-hydroxynaphthalene was associated with lipid metabolism and cellular processes of the placenta. Additionally, mono-3-carboxypropyl phthalate was associated with organismal systems and genetic information processing of the placenta.
UNASSIGNED: Among the 29 chemical biomarkers assessed during delivery, 1-hydroxynaphthalene and mono-3-carboxypropyl phthalate were associated with DNA methylation in the placenta.
UNASSIGNED: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43682-024-00027-7.

Hybrid mapping is a powerful approach to efficiently identify and characterize genes regulated through mechanisms in cis. In this study, using reciprocal crosses of the phenotypically divergent Duroc and Lulai pig breeds, we perform a comprehensive multi-omic characterization of regulatory variation across the brain, liver, muscle, and placenta through four developmental stages. We produce one of the largest multi-omic datasets in pigs to date, including 16 whole genome sequenced individuals, as well as 48 whole genome bisulfite sequencing, 168 ATAC-Seq and 168 RNA-Seq samples. We develop a read count-based method to reliably assess allele-specific methylation, chromatin accessibility, and RNA expression. We show that tissue specificity was much stronger than developmental stage specificity in all of DNA methylation, chromatin accessibility, and gene expression. We identify 573 genes showing allele specific expression, including those influenced by parent-of-origin as well as allele genotype effects. We integrate methylation, chromatin accessibility, and gene expression data to show that allele specific expression can be explained in great part by allele specific methylation and/or chromatin accessibility. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of regulatory variation across multiple tissues and developmental stages in pigs.

暂无摘要。

UNASSIGNED: Spontaneous preterm delivery is defined as the beginning of the birth process before the 37th week of pregnancy. The presence of microorganisms in the fetal membranes is accompanied by an increase in the production of prostaglandin, one of the important factors associated with the prevalence of preterm birth. The invasion of microorganisms leads to the production of protease, coagulase, and elastase, which directly stimulate the onset of childbirth. We investigated the role of genital infections in women with preterm birth.
UNASSIGNED: The present case-control study was conducted in the west of Iran on 100 women with spontaneous preterm delivery (following 24 weeks of gestation and before 36 weeks and 6 days) as the case group and 100 women with normal delivery as controls. A questionnaire was applied to collect the data. Polymerase chain reaction and pathological examination of the placenta were performed.
UNASSIGNED: The average age in women with normal delivery (30.92 ± 5.10) in women with spontaneous preterm delivery (30.27 ± 4.93). The prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Listeria monocytogenes, and Mycoplasma genitalium infections was zero in both groups. The highest prevalence of Gardnerella vaginalis was 19 (19%) in the case group and Ureaplasma parvum 15 (15%) in the control group. Also, Placental inflammation was zero in controls and 7(7%) in the patient group. There was a significant relationship between Gardnerella vaginalis bacteria and spontaneous preterm delivery.
UNASSIGNED: The results of our study showed that except for Gardnerella vaginalis bacteria, there is no significant relationship between the above bacterial infections and spontaneous preterm birth. Moreover, despite the significant reduction in the prevalence of many sexually transmitted infections in this research, it is still suggested to increase the awareness of people, including pregnant women, about the ways it can be transmitted by gynecologists and health and treatment centers.

Endocytosis represents a category of regulated active transport mechanisms. These encompass clathrin-dependent and -independent mechanisms, as well as fluid phase micropinocytosis and macropinocytosis, each demonstrating varying degrees of specificity and capacity. Collectively, these mechanisms facilitate the internalization of cargo into cellular vesicles. Pregnancy is one such physiological state during which endocytosis may play critical roles. A successful pregnancy necessitates ongoing communication between maternal and fetal cells at the maternal-fetal interface to ensure immunologic tolerance for the semi-allogenic fetus whilst providing adequate protection against infection from pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria. It also requires transport of nutrients across the maternal-fetal interface, but restriction of potentially harmful chemicals and drugs to allow fetal development. In this context, trogocytosis, a specific form of endocytosis, plays a crucial role in immunological tolerance and infection prevention. Endocytosis is also thought to play a significant role in nutrient and toxin handling at the maternal-fetal interface, though its mechanisms remain less understood. A comprehensive understanding of endocytosis and its mechanisms not only enhances our knowledge of maternal-fetal interactions but is also essential for identifying the pathogenesis of pregnancy pathologies and providing new avenues for therapeutic intervention.

BACKGROUND: Tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP; encoded by the ALPL gene) has a critical role in the postnatal regulation of phosphate homeostasis, yet how TNSALP activity and expression are regulated during pregnancy remain largely unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that progesterone (P4) and/or interferon tau (IFNT) regulate TNSALP activity during pregnancy in sheep.
METHODS: In Exp. 1, ewes were bred and received daily intramuscular injections of either corn oil vehicle (CO) or 25 mg progesterone in CO (P4) for the first 8 days of pregnancy and were hysterectomized on either Day 9, 12, or 125 of gestation. In Exp. 2, ewes were fitted with intrauterine catheters on Day 7 of the estrous cycle and received daily intramuscular injections of 50 mg P4 in CO and/or 75 mg progesterone receptor antagonist (RU486) in CO from Days 8 to 15, and twice daily intrauterine injections of either control proteins (CX) or IFNT (25 µg/uterine horn/d) from Days 11 to 15 (treatment groups: P4 + CX; P4 + IFNT; RU486 + P4 + CX; and RU486 + P4 + IFNT) and were hysterectomized on Day 16.
RESULTS: In Exp. 1, endometria from ewes administered P4 had greater expression of ALPL mRNA than ewes administered CO on Day 12. TNSALP activity appeared greater in the epithelia, stratum compactum stroma, and endothelium of the blood vessels in the endometrium and myometrium from ewes administered P4 than ewes administered CO on Day 12. On Day 125, TNSALP activity localized to uterine epithelial and endothelial cells, independent of P4 treatment. TNSALP activity in placentomes appeared greater in P4 treated ewes and was detected in endothelial cells and caruncular tissue in P4 treated but not CO treated ewes. In Exp. 2, endometrial homogenates from ewes administered RU486 + P4 + CX had lower TNSALP activity those for P4 + CX and P4 + IFNT ewes. Immunoreactive TNSALP protein appeared greater in the mid- and deep-glandular epithelia in RU486 + P4 + CX treated ewes as compared to the other treatment groups. Enzymatic activity appeared greater on the apical surface of the deep glandular epithelia in endometria from ewes treated with RU486 + P4 + CX compared to the other treatment groups.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that P4, but not IFNT, regulates the expression and activity of TNSALP in utero-placental tissues and has the potential to contribute to the regulation of phosphate availability that is critical for conceptus development during pregnancy.

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological and genetic features of confined placental mosaicism (CPM) and its effect on fetal intrauterine growth. Methods: Fourteen CPM cases of Haidian Maternal and Children Health Hospital were collected from May 2018 to March 2022. Clinicopathological examination on placental specimens and molecular genetic analysis were performed. Results: The age of the parturient women ranged from 27 to 34 years, with an average age of (30.0±3.54) years. The gestational weeks ranged from 35+1 to 41+2 weeks. There were 4 premature births and 10 term births, among which 6 were female and 8 were male fetuses. Nine cases (9/14) had adverse pregnancy outcomes, including 7 cases of fetal growth restriction. The weight of CPM placenta decreased, with 6 cases below the 10th percentile of weight standards and 5 cases between the 10th and 25th percentile. All 14 CPM placental specimens showed morphological changes of perfusion dysfunction to varying degrees, with mainly placental-maternal vascular malperfusion followed by placental-fetal vascular malperfusion. The mosaic chromosomes in different CPM cases varied, with 16-trisomy/monosomy mosaicism being the most common followed by 7-trisomy and 21-trisomy/monosomy mosaicism. The mosaic proportion was unequal in different parts of the same CPM placenta, with the mosaic proportion of umbilical cord, fetal membranes, fetal surface, maternal surface, and edge ranging from 1% to 70%. Conclusions: The mosaic chromosomes in different CPM cases vary, and the mosaic proportion is unequal in different parts of the same CPM placenta. The pathological morphology is mainly manifested as perfusion dysfunction, which can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as fetal growth restriction and preterm birth.
目的： 探讨限制性胎盘嵌合（confined placental mosaicism，CPM）的分子遗传与临床病理特征及其对胎儿宫内发育的影响。 方法： 收集北京市海淀区妇幼保健院2018年5月至2022年3月确诊的14例CPM，对胎盘标本进行分子遗传和病理学检查，并进行临床病理学分析。 结果： 产妇年龄27~34岁，平均年龄（30.0±3.54）岁，孕周35+1~41+2周。4例早产，10例足月产，其中女胎儿6例，男胎儿8例。9例（9/14）出现了不良妊娠结局，其中7例为胎儿生长受限。CPM胎盘重量减轻，其中6例重量小于第10百分位数，5例重量位于第10~25百分位数之间。14例CPM胎盘均出现不同程度的灌注功能障碍形态学变化，以胎盘-母体血管灌注功能障碍为主，其次为胎盘-胎儿血管灌注功能障碍。不同CPM病例嵌合染色体各异，以16-三体/单体嵌合常见，其次为7-三体和21-三体/单体嵌合。同一个CPM胎盘不同部位嵌合比例不等，脐带、胎膜、胎儿面、母体面和边缘嵌合比例波动范围为1%~70%。 结论： 不同CPM病例嵌合染色体各异，同一CPM胎盘不同部位嵌合比例不等，病理形态学以灌注功能障碍为主要表现，可导致胎儿生长受限、早产等不良妊娠结局发生。.

BACKGROUND: The placenta is a transient organ critical for fetal development. Disruptions of normal placental functions can impact health throughout an individual\'s entire life. Although being recognized by the NIH Human Placenta Project as an important organ, the placenta remains understudied, partly because of a lack of non-invasive tools for longitudinally evaluation for key aspects of placental functionalities.
OBJECTIVE: Our goal is to create a non-invasive preclinical imaging pipeline that can longitudinally probe murine placental health in vivo. We use advanced imaging processing schemes to establish functional biomarkers for non-invasive longitudinal evaluation of placental development.
METHODS: We implement dynamic contrast enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and analysis pipeline to quantify uterine contraction and placental perfusion dynamics. We use optic flow and time-frequency analysis to quantify and characterize contraction-related placental motion. Our novel imaging and analysis pipeline uses subcutaneous administration of gadolinium for steepest slope-based perfusion evaluation, enabling non-invasive longitudinal monitoring.
RESULTS: We demonstrate that the placenta exhibits spatially asymmetric contractile motion that develops from E14.5 to E17.5. Additionally, we see that placental perfusion, perfusion delivery rate, and substrate delivery all increase from E14.5 to E17.5, with the High Perfusion Chamber (HPC) leading the placental changes that occur from E14.5 to E17.5.
CONCLUSIONS: We advance the placental perfusion chamber paradigm with a novel, physiologically based threshold model for chamber localization and demonstrate spatially varying placental chambers using multiple functional metrics that assess mouse placental development and remodeling throughout gestation.
CONCLUSIONS: Our pipeline enables the non-invasive, longitudinal assessment of multiple placenta functions from a single imaging session. Our pipeline serves as a key toolbox for advancing research in mouse models of placental disease and disorder.

Twin pregnancy in cattle is undesirable for a number of reasons, including a higher abortion risk compared to pregnancies with a single foetus. Yet, the abortion risk is significantly influenced by the intrauterine location of the foetuses, that is, the abortion risk is several times higher if they are implanted in the same uterine horn (unilateral twin pregnancy) than if they are implanted with one foetus in each uterine horn (bilateral twin pregnancy). The reason for the higher abortion risk in unilateral twin pregnancies is unknown, but it may be related to malnutrition of the outermost foetus due to a limited placental capacity, as is the case for equine twin foetuses. A slaughterhouse study was performed and the foetuses of cattle pregnant with twins were measured. We identified 65 cases of twin pregnancies, of which 35 were unilateral twin pregnancies and 30 were bilateral twin pregnancies. There was no significant difference between the outermost and the more centrally located foetus in unilateral twin pregnancies in terms of body weight and length of the metacarpal diaphysis. Growth retardation of the outermost foetus could therefore not be confirmed as the cause of the higher abortion risk in unilateral bovine twin pregnancies. Four cases of pre-slaughter foetal mortality were identified. In three of these cases, both twins were dead, of equal size and at a comparable level of degradation. In the fourth case, with approximately 40-day-old twin foetuses of equal size, only one of the foetuses showed signs of pre-slaughter death.

This article delves into the latest MR imaging developments dedicated to diagnosing placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). PAS, characterized by abnormal placental adherence to the uterine wall, is of paramount concern owing to its association with maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly in high-risk pregnancies featuring placenta previa and prior cesarean sections. Although ultrasound (US) remains the primary screening modality, limitations have prompted heightened emphasis on MR imaging. This review underscores the utility of quantitative MR imaging, especially where US findings prove inconclusive or when maternal body habitus poses challenges, acknowledging, however, that interpreting placenta MR imaging demands specialized training for radiologists.