Pregnancy, urinary tract infections and antibiotics
Peri J. Ballantyne, Kath Ryan in Living Pharmaceutical Lives, 2021
Pregnancy is the period in which a foetus grows and develops inside a woman’s body. The normal duration of a pregnancy is nine months or about 40 weeks. It is a physiological state in which women go through a number of physical and emotional changes. The physical changes can be accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms such as nausea or vomiting and cause women to seek medical support and advice. Among the many different types of health problems experienced during pregnancy, one common condition that can affect women is an infection of the urinary tract. A urinary tract infection (UTI) is normally caused by transfer of bacteria from the gut into the genitourinary tract where they can multiply and cause an infection (Flores-Mireles, Walker, Caparon, & Hultgren, 2015). Behaviours such as not drinking adequate water or wiping the genitals from back to front after urination are associated with developing urinary infections (Ghouri, Hollywood, & Ryan, 2018). UTIs are among the most frequently occurring infections in pregnancy and cause symptoms such as increased frequency of urination and burning pain when passing urine (Delzell & Lefevre, 2000). Infections can also be asymptomatic, however, meaning that bacteria can infect the urinary tract without any outward signs or symptoms.
Fetal Development and Maternal Diet
Praveen S. Goday, Cassandra L. S. Walia in Pediatric Nutrition for Dietitians, 2022
Human fetal growth is characterized by sequential patterns of tissue and organ growth, differentiation, and maturation. Fetal growth has been divided into three phases, which are different from the pregnancy trimesters. The initial phase is characterized by a rapid increase in cell number and occurs in the first 16 weeks. The second phase, which extends up to 32 weeks of gestation, includes an increase in cell number and size. After 32 weeks, fetal growth is by cellular hypertrophy, and it is during this phase that most fetal fat and glycogen are accumulated. The corresponding fetal growth rates during these three phases are 5 g/day at 15 weeks’ gestation, 15–20 g/day at 24 weeks, and 30–35 g/day at 34 weeks. Fetal growth is dependent on maternal provision of substrate, placental transfer of these substrates, and fetal growth potential governed by the genome.
Maturation, Barrier Function, Aging, and Breakdown of the Blood–Brain Barrier
Shamim I. Ahmad in Aging: Exploring a Complex Phenomenon, 2017
The blood–brain barrier (BBB) develops early during brain development (Saunders et al. 2008). The genetic program of embryogenesis coordinates the development of the central nervous system (CNS) including the development, maturation, and complex composition of BBB. This main stream of the process is characterized by a strong construction of the brain with neuronal cells surrounded with vasculature. The development of vasculature is critical for establishment of the vessel network and maturation events. Nutrition is a part of embryogenesis and neonatal development of CNS and BBB. It is very difficult to separate the different phases of embryogenesis, because the processes run in parallel. Early prenatal period can be divided into four stages: blastulation, gastrulation, neurulation, and articulation (Erich Blechschmit 2004, Mason and Price 2016). The vascular progenitor cells appear at a very early stage of neurulation in the prenatal period (E7.5 in mice and E20 in humans) (Table 15.1).
Comparison of the groups treated with mirtazapine and selective serotonine reuptake inhibitors with respect to birth outcomes and severity of psychiatric disorder
Published in Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2019
Buket Belkız Güngör, Nalan Öztürk, Ayça Öngel Atar, Nazan Aydın
The antenatal or prenatal period is defined as the period during pregnancy and before partum. Preterm birth is less than 37 completed weeks of gestation; earlyterm is 37 0/7 weeks of gestation through 38 6/7 weeks of gestation, term 39 0/7 weeks of gestation through 40 6/7 weeks of gestation, late-term 41 0/7 weeks of gestation through 41 6/7 weeks of gestation. An LBW is defined as a birth weight lower than 2500 g, and macrosomia is defined as a birth weight higher than 4000 g [20,21]. The information about gestational age, weight of the newborn at birth, manner of delivery and obstetric history (previous abortus or intrauterine exitus of the fetus) were obtained from hospital and medical records. The diagnosis of poor neonatal adaptation syndrome was included if it was diagnosed by a pediatrician and mentioned in the medical records.
Prenatal use of cleaning and scented products and its association with childhood asthma, asthma symptoms, and mental health and developmental comorbidities
Published in Journal of Asthma, 2021
Morium Bably, Ahmed A. Arif, Abigail Post
Prenatal period, especially the early trimester, plays a critical role for the healthy growth of the fetus. Prenatal exposure to both indoor and outdoor environmental factors is linked to childhood asthma in developing countries (17–20). The use of cleaning products during pregnancy has been linked to adverse respiratory and other health effects among children (21–24). The developing fetus is especially at risk of adverse respiratory health outcomes from exposure to household cleaning products. Prenatal exposure to chemicals such as phthalates has been related to mental and developmental impairment (25,26). However, little information is available on prenatal exposure to cleaning substances on a child’s mental and developmental health. The majority of the studies are from developed countries, as opposed to developing countries where exposure profiles may be different. Furthermore, the adverse respiratory health effects of exposure to occupational cleaning related substances have been well documented. However, limited research has been done to explore the association between prenatal exposure to household cleaning products and the prevalence of childhood asthma, especially in developing countries.
Evaluation of elabela, apelin and nitric oxide findings in maternal blood of normal pregnant women, pregnant women with pre-eclampsia, severe pre-eclampsia and umbilical arteries and venules of newborns
Published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2019
Rulin Deniz, Yakup Baykus, Sefer Ustebay, Kader Ugur, Şeyda Yavuzkir, Suleyman Aydin
Recently, it has been reported in a mice study that ELA deficiency increases the presence of pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular malformations (Ho et al. 2017). In this human study, amount of ELA in maternal blood of pre-eclamptic and severely pre-eclamptic mothers and in arterial and venous cord blood of their offsprings were investigated for the first time. Both in the arterial cord blood of newborns and in the blood of their mothers, the ELA was found to be significantly lower than the control subjects. This low level of ELA was more pronounced in our severe pre-eclampsia cases and even when ELA values of women with pre-eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia were compared among themselves, it was found that amount of ELA was more decreased in the maternal blood of the severely pre-eclamptic mothers, and in the venous and arterial cord blood of their newborns. While these findings were consistent with the ELA animal results of Ho et al. (2017); these were in contrast to Pritchard et al., who most recently reported increasing amounts of ELA in pre-eclamptic cases (Pritchard et al. 2018). In our study, the duration of pregnancy was around 36 weeks, while it was around 40 weeks in the study of Pritchard et al. Therefore, duration of pregnancy might be linked with ELA amount.
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