Flexible progestin-primed ovarian stimulation versus a GnRH antagonist protocol in predicted suboptimal responders undergoing freeze-all cycles: a randomized non-inferiority trial.

Study Question: Are live birth rates (LBRs) per woman following flexible progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (fPPOS) treatment non-inferior to LBRs per woman following the conventional GnRH-antagonist protocol in expected suboptimal responders undergoing freeze-all cycles in assisted reproduction treatment?

Summary Answer: In women expected to have a suboptimal response, the 12-month likelihood of live birth with the fPPOS treatment did not achieve the non-inferiority criteria when compared to the standard GnRH antagonist protocol for IVF/ICSI treatment with a freeze-all strategy.

What Is Known Already: The standard PPOS protocol is effective for ovarian stimulation, where medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is conventionally administered in the early follicular phase for ovulatory suppression. Recent retrospective cohort studies on donor cycles have shown the potential to prevent premature ovulation and maintain oocyte yields by delaying the administration of MPA until the midcycle (referred to as fPPOS), similar to GnRH antagonist injections.

Association between Age and Miscarriage in an Assisted Reproductive Technology Population: A 10-Year Cohort Study.

Background: Advanced maternal age decreased success of pregnancy rate in the assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. We aimed to investigate the association between age and miscarriages in women who required ART for conception.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted using a 10-year sample of 14,898 pregnancy cycles with ART treatment in Xi'an, China.

Risk-prediction nomogram for congenital heart disease in offspring of Chinese pregnant women.

Background: The identification and assessment of environmental risks are crucial for the primary prevention of congenital heart disease (CHD). We were aimed to establish a nomogram model for CHD in the offspring of pregnant women and validate it using a large CHD database in Northwest China.

Methods: A survey was conducted among 29,204 women with infants born between 2010 and 2013 in Shaanxi province, Northwest China.

Glutathione depletion and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibition actuated ferroptosis-augment to surmount triple-negative breast cancer.

Ferroptosis is a promising therapeutic approach for combating malignant cancers, but its effectiveness is limited in clinical due to the adaptability and self-repair abilities of cancer cells. Mitochondria, as the pivotal player in ferroptosis, exhibit tremendous therapeutic potential by targeting the intramitochondrial anti-ferroptotic pathway mediated by dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). In this study, an albumin-based nanomedicine was developed to induce augmented ferroptosis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by depleting glutathione (GSH) and inhibiting DHODH activity.

The Interactions between Maternal Iron Supplementation and Iron Metabolism-Related Genetic Polymorphisms on Birth Outcomes: A Prospective Study in Chinese.

Background: The effect of iron supplementation during pregnancy on birth outcomes may vary with maternal genetic background and needs more investigation.

Objectives: This prospective study aimed to evaluate the interactions between maternal iron supplementation and iron metabolism-related genetic polymorphisms on birth outcomes.

Methods: This was a substudy from a community-based randomized control trial conducted in Northwest China, which included 860 women from the 2 micronutrient supplementation groups (folic acid [FA] and FA + iron group).

Tumor microenvironment-initiated lipid redox cycling for efficient triple-negative breast cancer therapy.

The use of overwhelming reactive oxygen species (ROS) attack has shown great potential for treating aggressive malignancies; however, targeting this process for further applications is greatly hindered by inefficiency and low selectivity. Here, a novel strategy for ROS explosion induced by tumor microenvironment-initiated lipid redox cycling was proposed, which was developed by using soybean phosphatidylcholine (SPC) to encapsulate lactate oxidase (LOX) and sorafenib (SRF) self-assembled nanoparticles (NPs), named LOX/SRF@Lip. SPC is not only the delivery carrier but an unsaturated lipid supplement for ROS explosion.

Maternal exposure to housing renovation during the periconceptional period and the risk of offspring with isolated congenital heart disease: a case-control study.

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most prevalent birth defect in recent decades. The aim of this research was to examine the association between maternal housing renovation exposure during the periconceptional period and isolated congenital heart disease (CHD) in their offspring.

Methods: A multi-hospitals case-control study was conducted from six tertiary A hospitals in Xi'an, Shaanxi, Northwest China based on questionnaires and interviews to address this question.

Maternal Dietary Inflammatory Potential and Offspring Birth Outcomes in a Chinese Population.

Background: Chronic inflammation perturbations during pregnancy may impact fetal growth; however, research on the association between dietary inflammation and birth outcomes is limited and inconsistent.

Objectives: This study seeks to assess whether the dietary inflammatory potential is related to birth outcomes among pregnant women in China.

Methods: A total of 7194 mothers aged 17-46 y and their infants in China were included in this cross-sectional study.

Association between Maternal Blood Glucose Levels during Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes: A Birth Cohort Study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal blood glucose levels during pregnancy and neonatal birth outcomes in Northwest China.

Methods: This population-based cohort study included 10,010 first-trimester pregnant women who joined the birth cohort of the Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital from July 2018 to July 2020. Basic demographic characteristics, lifestyle and behavior patterns were collected.

Association of maternity formula supplementation during pregnancy with small for gestational age birth in Chinese newborns.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the association between maternity formula supplementation and small for gestational age (SGA) status in Chinese newborns.

Methods: Data were from a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted in Shaanxi, Northwest China between August and December 2013. A total of 27 780 women pregnant with singletons and 356 with twins were included in this survey.

Risk Assessment for Birth Defects in Offspring of Chinese Pregnant Women.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a nomogram for the risk assessment of any type of birth defect in offspring using a large birth-defect database in Northwest China.

Methods: This study was based on a birth-defect survey, which included 29,204 eligible women who were pregnant between 2010 and 2013 in the Shaanxi province of Northwest China. The participants from central Shaanxi province were assigned to the training group, while the subjects from the south and north of Shaanxi province were assigned to the external validation group.

Associations of B Vitamin-Related Dietary Pattern during Pregnancy with Birth Outcomes: A Population-Based Study in Northwest China.

This study aimed to derive a maternal dietary pattern to explain the variation in B vitamins during pregnancy and to investigate this pattern in relation to birth outcomes. A total of 7347 women who gave birth to live newborns less than one year were included. Their dietary pattern during pregnancy was derived using the reduced-rank regression method with six B vitamins as response variables.

Maternal Hemoglobin Concentrations and Birth Weight, Low Birth Weight (LBW), and Small for Gestational Age (SGA): Findings from a Prospective Study in Northwest China.

Birth weight and related outcomes have profound influences on life cycle health, but the effect of maternal hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy on birth weight is still unclear. This study aims to reveal the associations between maternal hemoglobin concentrations in different trimesters of pregnancy and neonatal birth weight, LBW, and SGA. This was a prospective study based on a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted from July 2015 to December 2019 in rural areas of Northwest China.

Cooking stoves and risk of congenital heart disease in Northwest China: A case-control study.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) has become the most common birth defect in recent decades. The aim of our study was to examine the association between stove cooking by women during pregnancy and congenital heart disease in their offspring. To address this question, we conducted a case-control study from 2014 to 2016 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, Northwest China, investigating 326 cases and 1071 controls.

Associations between maternal calcium intake from diet and supplements during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth in a Chinese population.

Background/objectives: Preterm birth is a global public health priority related to maternal nutrition. The effect of maternal calcium intake during pregnancy on preterm birth is inconclusive and data is lacking in China. We aimed to estimate the role of calcium intake from diet and supplements on preterm birth in the Chinese population.

Lipid/Hyaluronic Acid-Coated Doxorubicin-FeO as a Dual-Targeting Nanoparticle for Enhanced Cancer Therapy.

Development of a delivery system to lower systemic toxicity and enhance doxorubicin (DOX) antitumor efficacy against multi-drug resistant (MDR) tumors is of great clinical significance. Here, lipid/hyaluronic acid (HA)-coated DOX-FeO was characterized to determine its optimal safety and efficacy on a tumor. DOX was first conjugated onto the FeO NPs surface, which was subsequently coated with phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids, which consisted of a tumor cell-targeting HA ligand, to generate a dual-targeting nanoparticle (NP).

Maternal exposure to low-to-medium altitude and birth outcomes: evidence from a population-based study in Chinese newborns.

Despite high altitude was implicated in adverse birth outcomes, there remained a paucity of evidence on low-to-medium altitude effect. This study aimed to explore the association of low-to-medium altitude with birth outcomes. A population-based cross-sectional survey was performed using a stratified multistage random sampling method among women with their infants born during 2010-2013 in Northwestern China.

Association of antenatal vitamin B complex supplementation with neonatal vitamin B status: evidence from a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Evidence about the effect of maternal vitamin B supplementation on offspring's vitamin B status is limited. The present interventional study sought to evaluate the association of antenatal vitamin B complex supplementation with neonatal vitamin B status.

Methods: In an ongoing cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in three rural counties in northwest China, pregnant women < 20 weeks of gestation were randomized to three treatment groups: blank control, iron supplements, or vitamin B complex supplements.

Parameterization of the mid-trimester drop in blood pressure trajectory during pregnancy and its utility for predicting preeclampsia.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to parameterize mid-trimester drop in blood pressure (BP) trajectory during pregnancy and to evaluate its utility for predicting preeclampsia.

Methods: To develop parametric models for BP trajectory during pregnancy, we used data from 7923 Chinese pregnant women with 24 810 routine antenatal care visits. Then, we evaluated the utility of BP trajectory parameters for predicting clinician-diagnosed preeclampsia in a separate sample of 3524 pregnant women from a randomized controlled trial of prenatal vitamin supplementation conducted in the same area.

Maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy derived by reduced-rank regression and birth weight in the Chinese population.

Few studies have investigated the association between maternal dietary patterns (DP) during pregnancy, derived from reduced-rank regression (RRR), and fetal growth. This study aims to identify DP during pregnancy associated with macro- and micronutrient intakes, using the RRR method, and to examine their relationship with birth weight (BW). We used data of 7194 women from a large-scale cross-sectional survey in Northwest China.

Maternal adherence to micronutrient supplementation before and during pregnancy in Northwest China: a large-scale population-based cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: To report the situation of maternal micronutrient supplementation before and during pregnancy in Northwest China and to examine the rates of and factors related to the adherence to micronutrient supplementation among pregnant women in this region, where dietary micronutrient intake is commonly insufficient.

Design: A large-scale population-based cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Twenty counties and ten districts of Shaanxi Province.

The association of maternal dietary folate intake and folic acid supplementation with small-for-gestational-age births: a cross-sectional study in Northwest China.

The effect of maternal folate intake on small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births remains inconclusive. The present study aimed to investigate the associations of maternal folate intake from diet and supplements with the risk of SGA births using data from a cross-sectional study in Shaanxi Province of Northwest China. A total of 7307 women who were within 12 months (median 3; 10th-90th percentile 0-7) after delivery were included.

Socioeconomic disparity in the diet quality of pregnant women in Northwest China.

Background And Objectives: Few studies have described the socioeconomic disparity of dietary quality in Northwest China. The present study aimed to evaluate the diet quality of pregnant women in Shaanxi province of Northwest China by using the Diet Balance Index for Pregnancy (DBI-P) and explored the relationships with socioeconomic status (SES).

Methods And Study Design: A cross-sectional analysis of data from 7,630 women who were pregnant during 2012-2013 was performed.

Vegetable dietary pattern associated with low risk of preeclampsia possibly through reducing proteinuria.

Background: Evidence on the potential roles that dietary patterns play in the risk of preeclampsia remains limited.

Objective: To examine the associations between dietary patterns during pregnancy and the risk of preeclampsia.

Study Design: We analyzed data from a cluster randomized controlled trial among 987 healthy pregnant women in three rural counties in northwestern China.