Liposomal ferric pyrophosphate and ascorbic acid supplementation in pregnant women with iron deficiency anaemia: haematochemical, obstetric, neonatal and psychological outcomes in a prospective observational study

Effect of dietary myo-inositol supplementation on the insulin resistance and the prevention of gestational diabetes mellitus: an open-label, randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

Myo-inositol (MI) is an insulin-sensitizing dietary supplement, enhancing the transfer of glucose into the cell. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is characterized by abnormal glucose tolerance, which is associated with elevated insulin resistance. The present study aimed to assess the effect of MI supplementation during pregnancy on the incidence of GDM.

METHODS

We performed a single-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial. A cohort of 200 pregnant women at 11-13+6 weeks of gestation were randomly assigned in two groups: MI group (n = 100) and control group (n = 100). The MI group received MI and folic acid (4000 mg MI and 400 mcg folic acid daily), while the control group received folic acid alone (400 mcg folic acid daily) until 26-28 weeks of gestation, when the 75 g Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) was performed for the diagnosis of GDM. Clinical and metabolic outcomes were assessed.

RESULTS

The incidence of GDM was significantly higher in the MI group (14.9%) compared to the control group (28.5%) (P = 0.024). Women treated with MI had significantly lower OGTT glucose values, than those not treated with MI (P < 0.001). The insulin resistance as assessed by HOMA-IR was significantly lower in the MI group versus control (P = 0.045). Furthermore, MI group had significantly higher insulin sensitivity as measured by the Matsuda Index, compared to the control group (P = 0.037).

CONCLUSION

MI supplementation seems to be an effective option to improve the glycemic control of pregnant women and prevent the onset of GDM.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN16142533. Registered 09 March 2017.

Efficacy and Safety of Shengxuening Combined with Conventional Iron Supplementation in the Treatment of Anemia during Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shengxuening combined with conventional iron supplementation in the treatment of anemia during pregnancy.

Methods

Electronic searches of Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China Knowledge Network (CNKI), Wanfang database (Wanfang), and China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP) were conducted. A randomized controlled trial of Shengxuening combined with conventional iron supplements for the treatment of anemia in pregnancy was included. The quality of the included trials was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook's Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (version 5.1.0), and data analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software and Stata 15.0 statistical software.

Results

A total of 150 studies were detected and 17 studies with a total of 1741 cases were finally included. Meta-analysis results showed that the effectiveness of Shengxuening combined with conventional iron supplementation was significantly better than that of conventional iron supplementation alone, and the adverse effects were significantly reduced compared with that of iron supplementation alone, and various anemia indicators such as Hb, RBC, MCV, and MCHC and iron metabolism indicators such as SI and TSAT were also significantly increased.

Conclusion

The efficacy of the combination of Shengxuening and conventional iron supplementation in the treatment of anemia in pregnancy is better than that of conventional iron supplementation alone, and the adverse effects in the experimental group are much less than those in the control group, but the quality of the included studies is not high, and more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed for further validation.

Selective Leaching and Recovery of Er, Gd, Sn, and In from Liquid Crystal Display Screen Waste by Sono-Leaching Assisted by Magnetic Separation

We report a facile, economic, and ecofriendly method for selective recovery of Er, Gd, Sn, and In from liquid crystal display (LCD) screen wastes by ultrasound-assisted leaching, followed by magnetic separation. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the pyrophosphate ion is an excellent leaching agent for Er, Gd, and In at pH values below 8. Dissolved screen waste powder was subjected to leaching at room temperature using aqueous solutions of 0.05 M of sodium pyrophosphate (Na4P2O7) as the leaching agent; hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (3 v/v %) was added as an auxiliary reducing agent, and an ultrasonic source was used in the process. Once completed, magnetic separation was applied to the leached residue. The average contents of Er, In, Sn, and Gd in the LCD screen were found to be 477, 2422, 835, and 93 mg·kg-1, respectively, of which 93, 97, 72, and 99% were selectively recovered from the waste material by this method at pH 3 after 2 h of leaching. The proposed method emerges as an easy and selective process for leaching Er from LCD screen wastes and concentrating In, Sn, and Gd in a separable magnetic solid.

A novel biosensor for detecting vitamin C in milk powder based on Hg2+-mediated DNA structural changes

Background:

Detection of Vitamin C (Vc) is very important to protect human health. A lot of methods have been developed for the detection of Vc. However, many methods require complex material preparation and skilled operators. Thus, a simple, label-free biosensor is still urgently needed.

Methods:

In this work, N-methylmesoporphyrin IX (NMM)/G-quadruplex pair was used as a label-free signal reporter. Without Vc, the G-quadruplex DNA and its incomplete complementary chain could form duplex structure by T-Hg(II)-T mismatch. In this case, the G-quadruplex structure could not be formed. When Vc was added, the Hg2+ was reduced to Hg(0). Then, the G-quadruplex DNA became free and formed G-quadruplex structure to emit fluorescence signal.

Results:

Under optimal conditions, this biosensor showed a good linear response in the range of 0.2 - 4.0 μM and a low limit of detection (19.9 nM). This biosensor also had good selectivity towards Vc. Meanwhile, the satisfactory recovery rates (93.2%-102.8%) suggested that this biosensor had attractive potential for measuring Vc in real samples.

Conclusion:

In this work, a simple label-free fluorescent biosensor for the detection of Vc based on Hg2+-mediated DNA structural changes had been developed. The whole experiment was simple and all reagents were commercialized. The label-free detection was realized by NMM/G-quadruplex as a signal reporter. This biosensor was very sensitive with a low limit of detection. And it had a potential practical application for the Vc detection in milk powder.

Preeclampsia: state of art and future perspectives. A special focus on possible preventions

Preeclampsia (PE) is characterised by the new onset of hypertension after the 20th week of pregnancy, with or without proteinuria or hypertension that leads to end-organ dysfunction. Since the only definitive treatment is delivery, PE still represents one of the leading causes of preterm birth and perinatal mobility and mortality. Therefore, any strategies that aim to reduce adverse outcomes are based on early primary prevention, prenatal surveillance and prophylactic interventions. In the last decade, intense research has been focussed on the study of predictive models in order to identify women at higher risk accurately. To date, the most effective screening model is based on the combination of anamnestic, demographic, biophysical and maternal biochemical factors. In this review, we provide a detailed discussion about the current and future perspectives in the field of PE. We will examine pathogenesis, risk factors and clinical features. Moreover, recent developments in screening and prevention strategies, novel therapies and healthcare management strategies will be discussed.