Joint modelling of mental health markers through pregnancy: a Bayesian semi-parametric approach

Maternal depression and anxiety through pregnancy have lasting societal impacts. It is thus crucial to understand the trajectories of its progression from preconception to postnatal period, and the risk factors associated with it. Within the Bayesian framework, we propose to jointly model seven outcomes, of which two are physiological and five non-physiological indicators of maternal depression and anxiety over time. We model the former two by a Gaussian process and the latter by an autoregressive model, while imposing a multidimensional Dirichlet process prior on the subject-specific random effects to account for subject heterogeneity and induce clustering. The model allows for the inclusion of covariates through a regression term. Our findings reveal four distinct clusters of trajectories of the seven health outcomes, characterising women's mental health progression from before to after pregnancy. Importantly, our results caution against the loose use of hair corticosteroids as a biomarker, or even a causal factor, for pregnancy mental health progression. Additionally, the regression analysis reveals a range of preconception determinants and risk factors for depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy

Immunological observations and transcriptomic analysis of trimester-specific full-term placentas from three Zika virus-infected women.

OBJECTIVES: Effects of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection on placental development during pregnancy are unclear. METHODS: Full-term placentas from three women, each infected with ZIKV during specific pregnancy trimesters, were harvested for anatomic, immunologic and transcriptomic analysis. RESULTS: In this study, each woman exhibited a unique immune response with raised IL-1RA, IP-10, EGF and RANTES expression and neutrophil numbers during the acute infection phase. Although ZIKV NS3 antigens co-localised to placental Hofbauer cells, the placentas showed no anatomic defects. Transcriptomic analysis of samples from the placentas revealed that infection during trimester 1 caused a disparate cellular response centred on differential eIF2 signalling, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative phosphorylation. Despite these, the babies were delivered without any congenital anomalies. CONCLUSION: These findings should translate to improve clinical prenatal screening procedures for virus-infected pregnant patients

Prenatal transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells to treat osteogenesis imperfecta.

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) can be a severe disorder that can be diagnosed before birth. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) has the potential to improve the bone structure, growth and fracture healing. In this review we give an introduction to OI and MSC, and the basis for prenatal and postnatal transplantation in OI. We also summarize the two patients with OI who has received prenatal and postnatal transplantation of MSC.The findings suggest that prenatal transplantation of allogeneic MSC in OI is safe. The cell therapy is of likely clinical benefit with improved linear growth, mobility and reduced fracture incidence. Unfortunately, the effect is transient. For this reason postnatal booster infusions using same-donor MSC have been performed with clinical benefit, and without any adverse events.So far there is limited experience in this specific field and proper studies are required to accurately conclude on clinical benefits of MSC transplantation to treat OI

Postnatal transplantion to boost chimerism following intrauterine haematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) in a murine model of thalassemia

British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy AnnualConference and Joint UK RegenerativeMedicine Platform MeetingUnited Kingdo

A SHORT INVESTIGATION OF MIXED HAEMATOPOIETIC CHIMERISM: AN NHP MODEL OF INTRAUTERINE HAEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION (IUHSCT)

American Society of Gene & Cell TherapyUnited State

Intrauterine gene transfer at early gestation with safe postnatal vector re-administration: a therapeutic strategy for early-onset congenital disease

American Society of Gene and Cell Therap

Simplified 4-item criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome: A bridge too far?

10.1111/cen.13755CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY892202-21

Cover Image, Volume 88, Issue 6

10.1111/cen.13804Clinical Endocrinology892i-