Relationship between vitamin D and gestational diabetes in overweight or obese pregnant women may be mediated by adiponectin

Scope

Maternal vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the association between vitamin D and inflammation, particularly adipokines, remains unexplored in pregnancy.

Methods and results

In 102 overweight or obese pregnant women at high‐risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), we investigated relationships between maternal 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations at 12–15 wk gestation (baseline) and serum lipids, inflammatory markers, novel adipokines (omentin‐1, visfatin, high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin), and subsequent pregnancy outcomes (GDM, preeclampsia, preterm birth [PTB]). After adjustment for maternal factors (age, BMI, parity, ethnicity, and smoking status), baseline 25(OH)D concentrations were inversely associated with total cholesterol and triglycerides, and positively associated with HMW‐adiponectin. Higher baseline 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with decreased fasting and 1‐h post‐OGTT glucose and reduced risk of GDM at 26–28 wk, as well as with longer gestation and reduced risk of PTB upon additional adjustment for caesarean section. Adding HMW‐adiponectin to the multivariable models attenuated most associations, and HMW‐adiponectin was a significant predictor in the models.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that lower maternal 25(OH)D concentrations in overweight/obese pregnant women at high‐risk of GDM are associated with increased cardiometabolic risks during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and that these associations may be mediated by HMW‐adiponectin.

     

Effect of Storage Conditions on Various Parameters of Colour and the Anthocyanin Profile of Rosé Wines

Colour compounds of rosé wines can be very sensitive to storage conditions because of the low levels of naturally-occurring protective compounds. This article deals with the effects of storing rosé wines under different temperature and light conditions, with regard to their colour characteristics and anthocyanin profile. Samples were taken seven times altogether over a period of 582 days. At the end of the storage period, the resulting differences in the wines were studied by μLC/MS. It was found that storing rosé wine at room temperature caused a reduction of 50% in the levels of anthocyanins compared to storing them at 3°C. Increasing the storage temperature to 45°C caused the total decomposition of all anthocyanins. Furthermore, during the maturation of the wine, a loss of sugar moiety, hydration of aglycone, and the formation of the corresponding chalcone or diketone were observed. Levels of pyranoanthocyanins in the wines were studied as well. Vitisins A and B, hydroxyphenyl-pyranomalvidin-3-glucoside, dihydroxyphenyl-pyranomalvidin-3-glucoside, and methoxyhydroxyphenyl-pyranomalvidin-3-glucoside were identified. The highest levels of both chalcones and pyranoanthocyanins were found in samples stored at room temperature. The effect of irradiation on the pigments also appeared to be significant but less important than the effect of high temperature.     

Cryogenic grinding of electrospun poly-ε-caprolactone mesh submerged in liquid media

In this paper, the treatment of poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) nano/micro-mesh system by cryogenic grinding and subsequent characterization of obtained product is described. The PCL nano/micro-mesh layer submerged in appropriate liquid was cryogenically ground and obtained particles were characterized employing mainly laser diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In the ground sample, different types of particles (fibrous particles, fibrous fragments, agglomerates with and without an internal fibrous structure, lamellae and nanoparticles) were identified, described and quantified. Parameters of cryogenic grinding (weight of sample, type of liquid medium, and influence of sample storage) were optimized to maximize the yield of particles with desired features. The potential of the system for cell scaffolding was demonstrated by cultivation of 3T3 fibroblasts on the produced microparticles.     

Anatomy and Histochemistry of Seed Coat Development of Wild (Pisum sativum subsp. elatius (M. Bieb.) Asch. et Graebn. and Domesticated Pea (Pisum sativum subsp. sativum L.)

In angiosperms, the mature seed consists of embryo, endosperm, and a maternal plant-derived seed coat (SC). The SC plays a role in seed filling, protects the embryo, mediates dormancy and germination, and facilitates the dispersal of seeds. SC properties have been modified during the domestication process, resulting in the removal of dormancy, mediated by SC impermeability. This study compares the SC anatomy and histochemistry of two wild (JI64 and JI1794) and two domesticated (cv. Cameor and JI92) pea genotypes. Histochemical staining of five developmental stages: 13, 21, 27, 30 days after anthesis (DAA), and mature dry seeds revealed clear differences between both pea types. SC thickness is established early in the development (13 DAA) and is primarily governed by macrosclereid cells. Polyanionic staining by Ruthenium Red indicated non homogeneity of the SC, with a strong signal in the hilum, the micropyle, and the upper parts of the macrosclereids. High peroxidase activity was detected in both wild and cultivated genotypes and increased over the development peaking prior to desiccation. The detailed knowledge of SC anatomy is important for any molecular or biochemical studies, including gene expression and proteomic analysis, especially when comparing different genotypes and treatments. Analysis is useful for other crop-to-wild-progenitor comparisons of economically important legume crops.     

A New Approach to the Dissolution Tests Management to Obtain Kinetic and Thermodynamic Data: Release of a Model Drug from Glyceryl Behenate Matrix Tablets

This study is focused on the use of glyceryl behenate as a lipophilic excipient of matrix tablets providing controlled drug release. The aim of this study is to evaluate activation energy (EA) and changes of the thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔS, ΔG) of a dissolution process. These values, which have not yet been published, can lead to better understanding of a drug release mechanism and can extend the use options of glyceryl behenate in the pharmaceutical industry. Values of ΔH, ΔS, ΔG and E_A, providing an overall thermodynamic view on the studied matrix tablets, are evaluated based on the temperature-dependences of the release rate constant of a model drug (temperature range 25 - 45 °C). The studied lipophilic matrix tablets contain 10% to 50% of glyceryl behenate. Dissolution testing is carried out in an aqueous solution of HCl with addition of NaCl (pH1.2). Positive values of ΔH in the range of 3.83 to 56.13 kJ mol^-1 and positive values of ΔG indicate that the dissolution of the studied glyceryl behenate matrix tablets is an endothermic process which does not proceed spontaneously (in a temperature range of 25 - 45 °C). The negative slope of the linear curves of enthalpy-entropy compensation confirms the entropy-driven dissolution. Practical Applications : A better understanding of the dissolution process is an important aspect, e.g., in the field of drug formulation strategy. In this study, it is confirmed that the influence of temperature on the model drug release rate is negligible for tablets containing more than 40% of glyceryl behenate. It is an important result for drug design due to the reduction of risk of a possible dose dumping effect induced by temperature and the prevention of in vivo therapeutic failure.     

Modified aluminosilicates as low-cost sorbents of As(III) from anoxic groundwater

The utilization of low-grade clay materials as selective sorbents represents one of the most effective possibilities of As removal from contaminated water reservoirs. The simple pre-treatment of these materials with Fe (Al, Mn) salts can significantly improve their sorption affinity to As oxyanions. The natural kaolin calcined at 550 degrees C (mostly metakaolin) and raw bentonite (mostly montmorillonite) pre-treated with Fe(II), Fe(III), Al(III) and Mn(II) salts were used to remove of As from the model anoxic groundwater with As(III) concentration about 0.5 and 10 mg L(-1). All the pre-treating methods were appropriate for bentonite; the efficiency of As(III) sorption varied from 92 to >99%, by the sorption capacity higher than 4.5 mg g(-1). In the case of metakaolin, Fe(II)- and Mn(II)-treatments proved the high sorption efficiency (>97%), while only <50% of As was removed after Fe(III) and Al(III) pre-treatment. The sorption capacities of treated metakaolin ranged from 0.1 to 2.0 mg g(-1).     

Effect of addition of selected solid cosolutes on viscoelastic properties of model processed cheese containing pectin

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of various selected solid low-molecular cosolutes (d-glucose, d-fructose, d-galactose, lactose, saccharose; target concentrations in samples 1% w/w) on viscoelastic properties of model processed cheese (40% w/w dry matter and 50% w/w fat in dry matter) without and with pectin addition (target concentrations in final products: 0.2% w/w and 0.4% w/w, respectively). Dynamic oscillation rheometry with parallel plate geometry was used to evaluate the changes in viscoelastic properties of samples. All applied low-molecular cosolutes (1% w/w) decreased the firmness of processed cheese. The nature of cosolute was not significant, i.e. the firmness of final products was declined by various cosolutes to the similar level regardless of their (i) reducing or non-reducing ability; (ii) structure (mono- or disaccharide, aldose or ketose); or (iii) steric arrangement (comparison of two epimers – d-glucose and d-galactose). The reduction of sample rigidity due to cosolute addition was observed in both cases, i.e. in processed cheese without and also with pectin.     

Stateful component-based performance models

The accuracy of performance-prediction models is crucial for widespread adoption of performance prediction in industry. One of the essential accuracy-influencing aspects of software systems is the dependence of system behaviour on a configuration, context or history related state of the system, typically reflected with a (persistent) system attribute. Even in the domain of component-based software engineering, the presence of state-reflecting attributes (the so-called internal states) is a natural ingredient of the systems, implying the existence of stateful services, stateful components and stateful systems as such. Currently, there is no consensus on the definition or method to include state-related information in component-based prediction models. Besides the task to identify and localise different types of stateful information across component-based software architecture, the issue is to balance the expressiveness and complexity of prediction models via an effective abstraction of state modelling. In this paper, we identify and classify stateful information in component-based software systems, study the performance impact of the individual state categories, and discuss the costs of their modelling in terms of the increased model size. The observations are formulated into a set of heuristics-guiding software engineers in state modelling. Finally, practical effect of state modelling on software performance is evaluated on a real-world case study, the SPECjms2007 Benchmark. The observed deviation of measurements and predictions was significantly decreased by more precise models of stateful dependencies.