Glucometabolic Alterations in Pregnant Women with Overweight or Obesity but without Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: An Observational Study

Introduction: Maternal overweight is a risk factor for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, emerging evidence suggests that an increased maternal body mass index (BMI) promotes the development of perinatal complications even in women who do not develop GDM. This study aims to assess physiological glucometabolic changes associated with increased BMI. Methods: Twenty-one women with overweight and 21 normal weight controls received a metabolic assessment at 13 weeks of gestation, including a 60-min frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. A further investigation was performed between 24 and 28 weeks in women who remained normal glucose tolerant. Results: At baseline, mothers with overweight showed impaired insulin action, whereby the calculated insulin sensitivity index (CSI) was lower as compared to normal weight controls (3.5 vs. 6.7 10-4 min-1 [microU/mL]-1, p = 0.025). After excluding women who developed GDM, mothers with overweight showed higher average glucose during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the third trimester. Moreover, early pregnancy insulin resistance and secretion were associated with increased placental weight in normal glucose-tolerant women. Conclusion: Mothers with overweight or obesity show an unfavorable metabolic environment already at the early stage of pregnancy, possibly associated with perinatal complications in women who remain normal glucose tolerant

Expectation Values in Relativistic Coulomb Problems

We evaluate the matrix elements , where O ={1, \beta, i\alpha n \beta} are the standard Dirac matrix operators and the angular brackets denote the quantum-mechanical average for the relativistic Coulomb problem, in terms of the generalized hypergeometric functions_{3}F_{2} for all suitable powers. Their connections with the Chebyshev and Hahn polynomials of a discrete variable are emphasized. As a result, we derive two sets of Pasternack-type matrix identities for these integrals, when p->-p-1 and p->-p-3, respectively. Some applications to the theory of hydrogenlike relativistic systems are reviewed.Comment: 16 pages, one table, two appendices, no figures; to appear in J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phy

O conceito de espaço em epidemiologia: uma interpretação histórica e epistemológica The concept of space in epidemiology: a historical and epistemological interpretation

Este trabalho apresenta uma interpretação a respeito da utilização do conceito de espaço em epidemiologia. Destaca que o que orienta epistemologicamente a concepção do espaço em epidemiologia é a teoria da doença, assinalando a importância do conceito de transmissão de agentes específicos como estrutura nuclear da apreensão da relação entre espaço e corpo. A caracterização do espaço de circulação de agentes etiológicos das doenças foi a base epistemológica que configurou a utilização de sucessivos desenvolvimentos teóricos da geografia, possibilitando a construção das diferentes vertentes explicativas do conceito de espaço. O artigo analisa especificamente a produção da vertente latino-americana, revisando os principais autores que orientam esses estudos, como Pavlovsky, Max Sorre e Samuel Pessoa. Ressalta o pensamento de Milton Santos como referência fundamental das pesquisas mais recentes acerca da organização social do espaço e emergência ou prevalência de doenças. Aborda, ainda, transformações contemporâneas na apreensão do espaço e seus reflexos nos estudos epidemiológicos.<br>This study provides an interpretation of the concept of space in epidemiology. The authors highlight that the epistemological orientation of the space concept in epidemiology is the theory of disease, emphasizing the importance of the concept of specific etiologic agents and their transmission as the central structure for grasping the relationship between space and the body. Characterization of the space for circulation of etiologic agents was the epistemological base shaping the use of various theoretical developments in geography, allowing for the construction of different explanatory watersheds in the concept of space. The article specifically analyzes the Latin American watershed, reviewing the main authors orienting these studies, like Pavlovsky, Max Sorre, and Samuel Pessoa. The authors highlight Milton Santos' thinking as a fundamental reference in recent research on the social organization of space and disease emergence or prevalence. The authors also approach contemporary changes in the understanding of space as they are reflected in epidemiological studies