Search

Objective: This study aims to investigate the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) pertaining to constipation during pregnancy among pregnant women in Shanghai., Methods: Demographic data and KAP scores were collected using a questionnaire. Differences across groups were analyzed using either Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests or Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance. Spearman's correlation analysis was utilized to evaluate the relationships between KAP scores. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors that influence KAP scores., Results: Encompassing 241 individuals (46.6%) aged between 30 and 34 years, with 349 participants (67.5%) being nulliparous. The median scores for knowledge (possible range: 0-26), attitude (possible range: 7-35), and practice (possible range: 14-70) were 22 (18, 24), 26 (23, 29), and 51 (46, 56), respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that being a medical professional (OR = 2.222, p  = 0.043) and receiving education on constipation during pregnancy (OR = 0.432, p  < 0.001) were significantly associated with higher knowledge scores. Factors significantly associated with practice included being aged 30-34 years (OR = 2.745, p  < 0.001), aged 35 years and above (OR = 2.514, p  < 0.001), working in education (OR = 2.310, p  = 0.012), and not experiencing constipation before pregnancy (OR = 1.894, p  = 0.001)., Conclusion: Pregnant women demonstrated satisfactory knowledge, positive attitudes, and proactive practices concerning constipation during pregnancy. To further augment clinical practice, healthcare providers should tailor educational interventions and guidance specifically for pregnant women who are not medical professionals and those who have not received education and guidance related to constipation during pregnancy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Lin, Yu, Gu, Hu and Zhu.)

Preterm labour is a common pregnancy complication contributing to major maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. We have found microRNA (miR)-212-3p, a potential infection-associated molecule, was significantly over-expressed during human preterm labour. However, the mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we have adopted a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced Institute of Cancer Research murine preterm model to examine the role of miR-212-3p in the infection-induced preterm labour. Myometrial miR-212-3p expression was increased by nearly 4-fold in the term labour group (P = 0.10) and 12-fold (P = 0.03) in the LPS-induced preterm labour group compared with the non-labour group. In vitro cellular experiments confirmed that a series of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)1B (P = 0.02) and IL-6 (P = 0.01), rather than LPS (P = 0.08) itself could significantly upregulate miR-212-3p expression in human myometrial smooth muscle cells. Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), as a target gene of miR-212-3p confirmed by our dual luciferase assay, influenced myocyte contractility and connexin 43 expression which is an important contraction-associated protein. Therefore, we conclude that miR-212-3p may be involved in infection-induced preterm labour through MeCP2 and it is a promoting molecule and novel target for the diagnosis and treatment of preterm labour in the future., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe pregnancy-induced disorder characterized by hypertension and proteinuria and a leading cause of perinatal maternal-fetal mortality and morbidity in developing countries. Dysregulated human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G was found in placentas as well as in maternal sera from PE patients; however, the reason for this difference is unknown. As accumulating evidence has confirmed that DNA methylation is an important mechanism for regulating gene expression, we sought to test the hypothesis that alteration in the DNA methylation of the HLA-G promoter region is responsible for decreased expression of HLA-G in PE. Bisulfite pyrosequencing showed that a series of CpG sites in the HLA-G promoter region were significantly more highly methylated in PE than in normal pregnancy (NP). Interestingly, the hypermethylated CpG sites were mostly reported to be binding sites of active transcription factors. To further investigate the regulation of HLA-G methylation, we also defined the expression patterns of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) in placental tissue using immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. Here, we demonstrate that DNMT-1 is overexpressed and HLA-G expression is reduced in PE women when compared with NP. Furthermore, both treatment with the DNMT inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and specific knockdown of DNMT-1 using siRNAs can significantly increase the expression level of HLA-G in a trophoblastic cell line, indicating the potential mechanism of DNMT-1-mediated DNA methylation in HLA-G regulation. Taken together, our research confirms that DNMT-1-mediated promoter hypermethylation of HLA-G is associated with PE. These findings provide new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of PE., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)