Marcelo Zubaran Goldani

Associations between parenting behavior and anxiety in a rodent model and a clinical sample: relationship to peripheral BDNF levels

Adverse early-life environment is associated with anxiety-like behaviors and disorders. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is sensitive to this environment and could be a marker of underlying brain changes. We aimed at evaluating the development of anxiety-like behaviors in a rat model of early adversity, as well as the possible association with BDNF levels. Similar associations were investigated in a sample of adolescent humans. For the rat study, Wistar rat litters were divided into: early-life stress (ELS, limited access to nesting material) and control groups. Maternal behavior was observed from days 1 to 9 of life and, as adults, rats were subjected to behavioral testing and BDNF measurements in plasma, hippocampus, amygdala and periaqueductal gray. For the human study, 129 adolescents were evaluated for anxiety symptoms and perceived parental care. Serum BDNF levels and the Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene were investigated. We found that ELS dams showed more pure contact, that is, contact with low care and high control, toward pups, and their adult offspring demonstrated higher anxiety-like behaviors and plasma BDNF. Also the pure contact correlated positively with adult peripheral BDNF. Similarly in humans, there was a positive correlation between maternal overprotection and serum BDNF only in Met carriers. We also found negative correlations between maternal warmth and separation anxiety, social phobia and school phobia. Finally, our translational approach revealed that ELS, mediated through variations in maternal care, is associated with anxiety in both rats and humans and increased peripheral BDNF may be marking these phenomena.

Maternal age, social changes, and pregnancy outcome in Ribeirão Preto, southeast Brazil, in 1978-79 and 1994

This study focused on changes in demographic, social, and health-care patterns and pregnancy outcome related to maternal age from 1978-79 to 1994 in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil. Information on pregnancy outcome was obtained from two cohorts of singleton live births, 6,681 births in 1978/79 and 2,839 births in 1994. A standardized questionnaire was submitted to mothers after delivery, and demographic information was collected from official records. There was a significant increase in teenage pregnancies (from 5.1% to 7.4%) and a decrease in infant mortality (36/1,000 to 17/1,000). There were significant decreases in the proportion of mothers with low schooling (24.5% to 14.4%), smoking (28.9% to 21.%), and multiparity (14.7% to 9.0%). Prenatal coverage improved (from 23.4% to 9.0% of patients with fewer than 4 prenatal visits), while cesareans increased (from 30.6% to 50.8%), as did preterm delivery (7.2% to 13.6%) and low birthweight (7.2% to 10.6%). Despite significant improvements in some maternal characteristics, the proportion of teenage pregnancies, preterm deliveries, low birthweight, and cesareans increased, raising concerns about the health costs and consequences for mothers and infants.

P21.08: Diagnosis of metabolic risk during pregnancy by body mass index (BMI): does a better method exist? Preliminary results

from biparietal diameter and abdominal circumference using the eSnurra algorithm. Mean fetal weight gain/day was calculated as the difference between birthweight and estimated fetal weight in the second trimester, and thereafter related to the remaining days in pregnancy from the ultrasound examination to delivery. Results: We observed a significant association between mean flow calculated from PixelFlux and weight gain/day (r =0.33; p =0.02) as presented in the Figure. The correlations remained significant after adjusting for maternal age, BMI, parity and systolic blood pressure (p =0.01 and p =0.02, respectively). Conclusions: We found a significant association between total blood flow based on PixelFlux and fetal weight-gain/day. The PixelFlux method might be a promising tool in predicting birthweight.

EP17.06: Ultrasound evaluation of maternal visceral adiposity tissue (VAT) during pregnancy and the impact in maternal glycemic levels (preliminary results)

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of nulliparous women undergoing obstetric ultrasound between 14 and 23 weeks with a cervical length greater than 3.0 cm who delivered between 24 and 42 weeks gestation. A 3D volume of the placenta was evaluated. The distance from the placental cord insertion to the placental edge (PCI-D) was obtained using VOCAL software. Demographic, ultrasound and pregnancy outcome information were abstracted. Generalised linear regression and generalised additive models were fitted to explore the associations between PCI-D in relation to demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: 216 pregnancies were included in the analysis. PCI-D did not correlate with maternal age, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery or 5-minute Apgar score. While not statistically significant, both multigravidity and birth weight Z-score were associated with shorter PCI-D (p=0.08, adjusted model). Low-lying placenta or placenta previa was associated with greater PCI-D (p=0.03). Conclusions: The distance of the placental cord insertion from the placental edge is associated with placental position. This data is vital for understanding placental development. PCI-D may be associated with pregnancy factors such as birthweight and multigravidity in nulliparous women. More research is needed to evaluate the effects of pregnancy-related factors on PCI-D and the effect of PCI-D on pregnancy outcomes.