Lymphatic disorder may cause stillbirth, chronic disease in affected children

In a breakthrough discovery, South Australian researchers have identified a genetic mutation responsible for a lymphatic disorder that may be responsible for causing stillbirth or severe, chronic disease in affected children.

The findings were published in the journal 'Science Translational Medicine'.

An anomaly in the development of lymphatic vessels in unborn children, leading to fluid accumulating in the heart, lungs, and other organs, was uncovered by the scientists from the Centre for Cancer Biology (CCB) based at the University of South Australia (UniSA) and SA Pathology.

CCB Director Professor Natasha Harvey said a genetic study of six families affected by stillbirth or lymphoedema revealed the link between a mutated protein-coding gene called MDFIC and fluid accumulation in vital organs and tissues.

This demonstrated that MFDIC is important for controlling the growth and development of the lymphatic vessels in the foetus for the first time.

"The lymphatic system is a network of vessels (pipes) and nodes (filters and control centres) important for maintaining fluid balance in our tissues and transporting infection-fighting white blood cells throughout our bodies," Prof Harvey said.

"We determined that MDFIC controls cell migration, an important early event during the formation of the lymphatic vessel valves. The genetic variants we have found in our study reveal a crucial, previously unrecognized role for MDFIC in the lymphatic vasculature."

"If the lymphatic valves don't form properly, lymph fluid accumulates in critical organs such as the heart and lungs, causing major respiratory problems that may eventuate in stillbirth or chronic disease."

An SA Pathology research team headed by Professor Hamish Scott initially found the genetic link in an Australian family. Their international colleagues in Belgium, Germany, and the US reported variants in the same gene, MDFIC, in several patients with the same lymphatic disorder.

Prof Harvey said, the disorder, known as the central conducting lymphatic anomaly (CCLA), is one of a group of severe lymphatic disorders and may result in stillbirth, or severe chronic disease in affected children.

Few effective treatments are available but with continued identification of the genetic causes of CCLAs, Prof Harvey says the next step is to develop new therapeutic drugs to combat the disease.

"There are existing drugs that may be used to treat these disorders, but we need to make sure that the signalling pathway that's treated by those drugs is the same pathway that is affected in our patients.

"This project is about the power of collaboration at a local level, national level, and international level, so that's been really important. Science is done in teams and we have great research teams here in Adelaide at the Centre for Cancer Biology. Our Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows have been integral to this work. They have really driven it and we're delighted to be working with such a group of talented people."

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

 

COVID-19 during pregnancy can lead to major adverse outcomes like preeclampsia, stillbirth and more

Since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, experts are trying to ascertain the effect of this virus on pregnant women and the unborn child. Research on this subject have thrown up varying results with some predicting adverse outcomes for either mother or child or both and others saying that the virus does not lead to any complications or negative pregnancy outcome. Now a new research says that if you are pregnant and catch the COVID-19 Infection, you may be at risk of preeclampsia, stillbirth, preterm birth and other adverse outcomes. The study also says that pregnant women with symptomatic infection are more likely to suffer adverse outcome. The Canadian Medical Association Journal published this study.

Risk of stillbirth, cesarean delivery increases by 50 per cent

Researchers from the University of Montreal in Canada found double the risk of preterm birth and a 50 per cent increased risk of cesarean delivery in pregnant people with symptomatic COVID-19 than in those with asymptomatic COVID-19. According to the researchers, contrary to some previous studies, the results of this particular study suggest that pregnant people with COVID-19 have an increased risk of high blood pressure, stillbirth and preterm birth. Their newborns are more likely to need intensive care. Pregnant people with severe COVID-19 symptoms have a particularly high risk of these complications.

There is a four-fold higher risk of preeclampsia

For the purpose of the study, the team of researchers looked at 42 studies involving around 438,548 pregnant people from different parts of the world. They tried to establish the association between COVID-19 infection and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The study indicated that those with severe COVID-19 had a 4-fold higher risk of high blood pressure and preterm birth.

Adverse effects may be a result of inflammation

The researchers said that the reason for the increased risk of adverse outcomes is unclear but could be because this virus may lead to vasoconstriction and stimulate an inflammatory response affecting blood vessels. According to them, their meta-analysis of recent good-quality cohort studies with comparative data does not align with these previous reviews, and provides clear evidence that symptomatic or severe COVID-19 is associated with a considerable risk of preeclampsia, preterm birth and low birth weight. They also stress on the fact that clinicians should be aware of these adverse outcomes when managing pregnancies affected by COVID-19 and adopt effective strategies to prevent or reduce risks to patients and fetuses.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

 

Impaired liver function during pregnancy increases obesity risk in children

Impaired liver function in pregnant women may increase the risk of obesity in children by altering their gut bacteria, says a recent study.

The finding of the study has been presented at The Society for Endocrinology Annual Conference.

In a rodent of a model of the most common liver disease in pregnancy, the composition of gut bacteria in offspring was altered and liver function impaired, particularly when they were fed a Western-style, high-fat diet.

These findings suggest that children at risk should maintain a healthy diet and that interventions to alter gut bacteria may help reduce childhood obesity rates in the future.

The most common liver disease in pregnancy, intrahepatic cholestasis (ICP), reduces the release of digestive fluid bile from the liver causing bile acids to build up in the blood, impairing liver function, causing severe itching for the mother and increasing risks of stillbirth and preterm birth for the baby.

Previous studies suggest that children of women with ICP are more likely to develop childhood obesity. Growing evidence suggests the importance of the gut microbiome for good metabolic health and that altered composition can lead to impaired metabolism and weight gain.

No previous studies have investigated the effects of ICP during pregnancy on the gut microbiome of either mothers or their children. Understanding how ICP may lead to obesity in children could help prevent the risk of developing this serious and life-limiting condition.

Dr Caroline Ovadia from King's College London and colleagues investigated how gut microbiota are affected in the offspring of a mouse model of ICP.

The results reported that the offspring had a different gut microbiome composition and liver function, particularly when fed a high-fat diet, which could contribute to impaired metabolism and increase the risk of obesity.

"These findings further suggest that health during pregnancy can have long-term health effects on children, and in this case how gut microbiome alterations may increase the risk of obesity in children on a Western-style, high-fat diet," commented Dr Ovadia.

The results suggest that mice born to mothers with ICP, or other liver diseases, may benefit from maintaining a healthy diet and should avoid fatty foods. These findings also suggest that targeting microbiome composition with treatment strategies in pregnant women, such as using pre-biotics or pro-biotics, could help prevent the risk of child obesity.

"Understanding changes in the composition of the gut microbiome and their effects may provide new ways of diagnosing patients at particular risk of obesity before it occurs. We could then develop personalised medicine and target appropriate treatments to alter gut bacteria accordingly," Dr Ovadia added.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement