Maternal Vitamin B12 in Pregnancy and Placental Development.

Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is an essential nutrient required for diverse physiological functions secondary to its role as a critical cofactor for two mammalian enzymes, methionine synthase and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase. While essential throughout all life stages, several pathways that require vitamin B12, including hematopoiesis, myelination, and DNA/histone methylation, are particularly critical during pregnancy and fetal development. This narrative review aims to describe vitamin B12 in pregnancy, with emphasis on the placenta's role in ensuring adequate nutrition of the fetus and impacts of vitamin B12 deficiency on placental development and function.

Assessment of an AI-based tool for population-wide collection of placental morphological data.

Objectives: Automated placental assessment could allow accurate and timely morphological/pathological measurements at scale. We undertook a pilot study using an artificial intelligence-based assessment system (AI-PLAX) to ascertain the potential of a state-wide rollout as part of Generation Victoria, assessing the impact of time post-delivery, user, and technology used for image capture, on a range of derived placental data.

Study Design: Ten placentas were imaged by three different users and imaging technologies (iPad, iPhone, Samsung) at (0 h), 24 h, and 48 h post-delivery.

Iron status, development, and behavior in young children in the Pennsylvania foster care system.

Background: Children in foster care are classified as a highly vulnerable population and struggle with both physical and mental health problems. Medical conditions, like poor nutritional status, remain understudied in children in foster care. To our knowledge, few studies in children in U.

Culinary Medicine for Family Medicine Residents.

Background: Physicians are inadequately trained to effectively provide lifestyle counseling to manage the obesity epidemic.

Activity: Family and community medicine residents participated in a culinary medicine course taught by two Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) in University Park, PA, in March 2020.

Results: All residents ( = 13) reported increased knowledge, 92% ( = 12) reported increased confidence, and 84.

Net benefit and cost-effectiveness of universal iron-containing multiple micronutrient powders for young children in 78 countries: a microsimulation study.

Background: Universal home fortification of complementary foods with iron-containing multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs) is a key intervention to prevent anaemia in young children in low-income and middle-income countries. However, evidence that MNPs might promote infection raises uncertainty about whether MNPs give net health benefits and are cost-effective. We aimed to determined country-specific net benefit or harm and cost-effectiveness of universal provision of MNPs to children aged 6 months.

Prevalence of the factor VLeiden mutation among autopsy patients with pulmonary thromboembolic disease using an improved method for factor VLeiden detection.

Activated protein C resistance caused by factor VLeiden mutation is the most common inherited predisposing cause of venous thromboembolism, including pulmonary embolism (PE). We studied whether the incidence of factor VLeiden is higher among patients with PE evident at autopsy than in the general population. Paraffin-embedded fixed tissue blocks from all autopsy patients with diagnosed pulmonary thromboembolic disease during a 4-year period were collected for DNA extraction.

The I1307K polymorphism of the APC gene in colorectal cancer.

Background & Aims: Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in humans. Recently, a germline missense mutation, I1307K, was identified in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene that was suggested to increase cancer predisposition in Ashkenazi Jews. However, a second study indicated that the I1307K mutation did not contribute greatly to the risk of colon cancer in Ashkenazi breast-ovarian cancer families, and a role of mismatch repair deficiency was suggested.