Simple test may predict preterm births

Researchers have found that a simple test of cervical mucus may reveal pregnant women’s risk of going into labour too early. Up to 18 per cent of babies born worldwide arrive before they are full-term, defined as 37 weeks of gestation. The study, showed that cervical mucus from women who delivered their babies before 37 weeks was very different from that of women who delivered later. This type of analysis could offer an easy way to calculate the risk of early labor, potentially allowing doctors to try to intervene earlier to prevent preterm births.

 “Our prediction is that we might be able to identify risk for preterm birth ahead of time, before labour sets in,” said senior author of the study. Between 25 and 40 per cent of early births are believed to be caused by infections that occur when microbes reach the uterus through the cervical plug, which is made of mucus and normally blocks access to the uterus. For the new study, the researchers decided to investigate the mucus’s permeability to small particles. Mucus is formed from polymers known as mucins, and the composition and arrangement of these mucins determine how porous the gel is.

The researchers collected samples from two groups of patients. The low-risk group included pregnant women who came in to their doctors’ offices for routine visits around 30 weeks and ended up giving birth after 37 weeks.  The high-risk group included women who went into labor early, between 24 and 34 weeks. Doctors were able to halt labour in these women, and the samples were taken after they were stabilised. They all ended up giving birth before 37 weeks.

The researchers found a significant differences in mucus permeability and adhesiveness – the peptides were able to pass through samples from high-risk women much more easily. This suggests that cervical mucus from women at high risk for early labour, for reasons not yet known, may be more susceptible to invasion by potentially harmful bacteria and microbes, making it more likely that those women will experience an infection that leads to preterm birth, the researcher said.

In addition, the altered mucus may be less able to retain helpful immune system components such as antibodies or antimicrobial peptides, which would normally help to combat infection, the study said. The researcher anticipates that cervical mucus testing could be done early in pregnancy, as part of a routine screen that would reveal whether a woman was at high risk of preterm birth.

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Here’s how mango pulp helps you fight cancer, inflammation

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 Here’s one more reason to make mangoes your favourite fruit. Did you know they have numerous compounds that have antioxidant properties? These include vitamin C and beta carotene, as well as several polyphenolic compounds including gallic acid and their larger polymers gallotannins, which have been linked to anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities in previous in-vitro and in-vivo studies.

The absorption, metabolism, and excretion of mango galloyl derivatives have not previously been investigated in humans. In this human pilot trial published in the journal of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 11 healthy volunteers between the ages of 21 and 38 years old consumed 400gm/day of mango-pulp for 10 days, with blood and urine samples taken on days one and 10 of the study following mango consumption.

 Participants refrained from consuming dietary supplements and foods which could be sources of gallic acid such as berries, grapes, and tea for one week prior to the beginning of the study and during the 10 days of mango consumption.

 Seven metabolites of gallic acid were identified in the urine of healthy volunteers, and of those two microbial metabolites were found to be significantly more excreted following 10 days of mango consumption. The presence of gallic acid and pyrogallol metabolites in human urine after the consumption 400g of mango indicates the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of mango galloyl derivative and confirms the bioavailability of these mango-derived metabolites. This study has been published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.