Helena Sławska

Mercury concentrations in human placenta, umbilical cord, cord blood and amniotic fluid and their relations with body parameters of newborns

Studies were conducted on samples taken from giving birth women (n = 40) living in Poland, representing three age groups: 19-25, 26-30 and 31-38 years old. Mercury concentrations were measured with CV-AAS in placenta, umbilical cord, cord blood and amniotic fluid. The placentas weight did not exceed the 750 g value and was heavier than 310 g. Mean values of Hg concentrations in blood, placenta and umbilical cord were similar (c.a. 9 μg/g). High levels of mercury were noted in cord blood which in 75% of all observations exceeded (up to 17 μg/L) the safe dose set by US EPA (5.8 μg/L). No statistically significant differences in medium level of Hg in all the studied tissues among age groups of women were observed. Positive correlations between Hg concentrations in placenta and umbilical cord and cord blood were revealed as well as some negative ones between mercury concentrations and pregnancy parameters.

Decreased human milk concentration of epidermal growth factor after preterm delivery of intrauterine growth-restricted newborns.

Background and Aim: The aim of the study was to compare epidermal growth factor (EGF) concentration in 81 colostrum samples collected from mothers of newborns in the following growth categories: preterm appropriate for gestational age (AGA), preterm small for gestational age (SGA), and full term (FT). Results: Significantly higher concentrations of EGF were found in the colostrum of mothers who delivered premature AGA infants at less than 32 weeks of gestation compared with mothers who delivered premature SGA babies at the same gestational age. Conclusions: We concluded that the maternal compensatory mechanism accelerating the development of immature breast-fed infants may be disturbed when gestation is complicated by intrauterine growth retardation.

Late Prematurity in Twins: A Polish Multicenter Study

The study aimed at investigating the impact of late prematurity (LPT) on neonatal outcome in twins and neonatal morbidity and mortality within LPT with regard to the completed weeks of gestation. The study was conducted in six tertiary obstetric departments from different provinces of Poland (Warsaw, Lublin, Poznan, Wroclaw, Bytom). It included 465 twin deliveries in the above centers in 2012. A comparative analysis of maternal factors, the course of pregnancy and delivery and neonatal outcome between LPT (34 + 0-36 + 6 weeks of gestation) and term groups (completed 37 weeks) was performed. The neonatal outcome included short-term morbidities. The analysis of neonatal complication rates according to completed gestational weeks was carried out. Out of 465 twin deliveries 213 (44.8%) were LPT and 156 (33.55%) were term. There were no neonatal deaths among LPT and term twins. One-third of LPT newborns suffered from respiratory disorders or required antibiotics, 40% had jaundice requiring phototherapy, and 30% were admitted to NICU. The analysis of neonatal morbidity with regard to each gestational week at delivery showed that most analyzed complications occurred less frequently with the advancing gestational age, especially respiratory disorders and NICU admissions. The only two factors with significant influence on neonatal morbidity rate were neonatal birth weight (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.2-0.9, p = .02) and gestational age at delivery (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.5-0.8, p < .01). LPT have a higher risk of neonatal morbidity than term twins. Gestational age and neonatal birth weight seem to play a crucial role in neonatal outcome in twins.

Monitoring the Transcriptional Activity of Human Endogenous Retroviral HERV-W Family Using PNA Strand Invasion into Double-Stranded DNA

In the presented assay, we elaborated a method for distinguishing sequences that are genetically closely related to each other. This is particularly important in a situation where a fine balance of the allele abundance is a point of research interest. We developed a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) strand invasion technique for the differentiation between multiple sclerosis-associated retrovirus (MSRV) and ERVWE1 sequences, both molecularly similar, belonging to the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-W family. We have found that this method may support the PCR technique in screening for minor alleles which, in certain conditions, may be undetected by the standard PCR technique. We performed the analysis of different ERVWE1 and MSRV template mixtures ranging from 0 to 100% of ERVWE1 in the studied samples, finding the linear correlation between template composition and signal intensity of final reaction products. Using the PNA strand invasion assay, we were able to estimate the relative ERVWE1 expression level in human specimens such as U-87 MG, normal human astrocytes cell lines and placental tissue. The results remained in concordance with those obtained by semi-quantitative or quantitative PCR.

Perinatal outcome according to chorionicity in twins — a Polish multicenter study

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to analyze the perinatal outcome of twin gestations and estimate the influence of chorionicity on the outcome in a large cohort of twin pregnancies in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective analysis of 465 twin deliveries in 6 Polish centers in 2012 was conducted. Baseline characteristics, the course of pregnancy and labor, as well as the neonatal outcome were analyzed in the study group and according to chorionicity. RESULTS A total of 356 twin pregnancies were dichorionic (DC group) (76.6%), and 109 were monochorionic (MC group) (23.4%). There were no differences in the occurrence of pregnancy complications according to chorionicity, except for IUGR of at least one fetus (MC 43.1% vs. DC 34.6%; p = 0.003). 66.5% of the women delivered preterm, significantly more in the MC group (78% vs. 62.9%; p = 0.004). Cesarean delivery was performed in 432 patients (92.9%). Mean neonatal birthweight was statistically lower in the MC group (2074 g vs. 2370 g; p < 0.001). Perinatal mortality of at least one twin was 4.3% (2.8% in the DC group vs. 9.2% in the MC group; p = 0.004). Neonatal complications, including NICU admission, respiratory disorders, and infections requiring antibiotic therapy, were significantly more often observed among the MC twins. CONCLUSIONS The overall perinatal outcome in the presented subpopulation of Polish twins and its dependence on cho-rionicity is similar to the reports in the literature. Nevertheless, the rates of preterm and cesarean deliveries remain higher. It seems that proper counselling of pregnant women and education of obstetricians may result in reduction of these rates.

ADRB1 as a Potential Target for Gene Therapy of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) do not cause any problems with recognition; however, their pathophysiologies are still not explained. Yet many authors suggest that adrenergic β–1 receptor (ADRB1) plays a crucial role. The aim of this study was to evaluate the transcription activity of ADRB1 by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in placenta from normal pregnancies and from PIH and GDM. Obtained findings demonstrated a significant increase in ADRB1 mRNA expression in the examined groups in comparison to the control (p = 0.03). Our data indicate a potential perspective of ADRB1 suppression gene therapy in the treatment of PIH and GDM.