Publications by authors named "Eleonora Rubini"

Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on how the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) during the periconceptional period affects embryonic development, particularly embryonic volume (EV) and head volume (HV) in pregnant women.* -
  • Findings reveal that many women have low omega-3 intake, and while higher PUFA intake is linked to a smaller HV/EV ratio, it does not correlate with individual EV or HV growth measures.* -
  • The research highlights a significant omega-3 deficiency in pregnant women and emphasizes the need for better awareness of PUFA intake to mitigate risks of negative pregnancy outcomes.*
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Purpose: To investigate the association between oocyte area and fertilization rate, embryo usage, and preimplantation embryo development in order to establish if oocyte area can be a marker for optimal early embryo development.

Methods: From 2017 to 2020, 378 couples with an indication for IVF (n = 124) or ICSI (n = 254) were included preconceptionally in the Rotterdam Periconception Cohort. Resulting oocytes (n = 2810) were fertilized and submitted to time-lapse embryo culture.

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A healthy diet before and during pregnancy is beneficial in acquiring essential B vitamins involved in 1-carbon metabolism, and in maintaining a healthy gut microbiota. Each play important roles in fetal development, immune-system remodeling, and pregnancy-nutrient acquisition. Evidence shows that there is a reciprocal interaction between the one-carbon metabolism and the gut microbiota given that dietary intake of B vitamins has been shown to influence the composition of the gut microbiota, and certain gut bacteria also synthesize B vitamins.

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Homocysteine is a marker for derangements in one-carbon metabolism. Elevated homocysteine may represent a causal link between poor maternal nutrition and impaired embryonic and fetal development. We sought to investigate associations between reference range maternal homocysteine and embryonic and fetal growth.

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The maternal environment during the periconceptional period influences foetal growth and development, in part, via epigenetic mechanisms moderated by one-carbon metabolic pathways. During embryonic development, one-carbon metabolism is involved in brain development and neural programming. Derangements in one-carbon metabolism increase (i) the short-term risk of embryonic neural tube-related defects and (ii) long-term childhood behaviour, cognition, and autism spectrum disorders.

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In recent years, a new focus of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis has emerged examining the potential role that paternal health may play in embryo development, fetal growth and long-term offspring health. While the association between male health and sperm quality has been studied in detail, our understanding of the long-term paternal effects on offspring health remains limited. As with studies aimed at understanding maternal programming, animal models are an essential tool with which to define the underlying mechanisms linking paternal health to post-fertilisation development and offspring well-being.

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