Maternal undernutrition during pregnancy is a risk factor that impairs fetal growth and causes cardiovascular diseases. However, the underlying mechanism is still unknown. In this study, we evaluated the effect of maternal undernutrition on the expression levels of transcription factors in the fetal heart. Female mice were given low protein or regular food from 2 weeks before mating and during their pregnancy. The fetal hearts were collected on day 17.5 of gestation, about 1-2 days before birth. Maternal undernutrition resulted in a significant increase in the relative heart weight (heart weight/body weight) in female fetuses, but not in male fetuses. Microarray analysis revealed that expression levels of mRNAs for 133 transcription factors were changed in the fetal heart under maternal undernutrition. Among them, we focused on hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1α) that is involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases on adulthood. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression level of HIF1α mRNA was increased about 1.3-fold in male fetal heart under maternal undernutrition, but remained unchanged in female heart. Moreover, maternal undernutrition increased the mRNA level of prolyl hydroxylase 1 (PHD1), which contributes to degradation of HIF1α, in male heart but not in female heart. Immunohistochemical analysis showed the accumulation of HIF1α protein in the fetal heart of both sexes under maternal undernutrition, without the induction of HIF1α mRNA expression in female heart. These results suggest that maternal undernutrition may induce HIF1α expression in the fetal heart through the distinct mechanisms depending on the sex.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1620/tjem.224.163 | DOI Listing |
Pan Afr Med J
January 2025
Department of Optometry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Introduction: vitamin A is a nutrient required for normal visual system function, growth, and development. Periodic vitamin A supplementation is a cost-effective strategy for preventing vitamin A deficiency in children. This study aimed to assess the coverage and associated factors of vitamin A supplementation among children aged 6-59 months in Gondar City, Northwest Ethiopia 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFF1000Res
January 2025
Health Promotion Division, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, Delhi, 110030, India.
Background: The Indian government is committed to addressing various manifestations of malnutrition, including overweight and obesity, inorder to improve individual health and well-being. The scoping review aims to map existing national policy instruments (programmes, schemes, regulations and guidelines) addressing overweight and obesity in India and analysing them for Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) strategies.
Methods: Systematic identification and selection of policy instruments using 'Arksey and O'Malley' framework was conducted from central government ministry websites, between March and June 2023.
Curr Dev Nutr
January 2025
UNICEF Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.
Background: Nigerian pregnant and lactating women continue to experience high rates of malnutrition and Nigerian women experience long-term discrimination in the allocation and control of productive resources. Nigeria has policies and a governance architecture in place to advance nutrition, but these commitments lack recognition of how gender equity and nutrition are interwoven.
Objective: To address this gap, this study sought to identify and analyze the influence of gender dynamics and gender norms on nutrition and health-related practices in Nigeria.
Endocrinology
January 2025
Cardiopulmonary Immunotoxicology Branch, Public Health and Integrated Toxicology Division, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC.
Maternal exposure to ozone during implantation results in reduced fetal weight gain in rats. Offspring from ozone-exposed dams demonstrate sexually dimorphic risks to high-fat diet feeding in adolescence. To better understand the adolescent hepatic metabolic landscape following fetal growth restriction, RNA sequencing was performed to characterize the effects of ozone-induced fetal growth restriction on male and female offspring.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Nutr ESPEN
January 2025
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, faculty of public health, Jimma University, Jimma Ethiopia. Electronic address:
Background: Strategies for achieving improved nutrition in young children in developing countries where plant-based complementary foods are the main source of nutrients can address the challenge of meeting nutritional needs from these foods.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effect of counseling about complementary food flour soaking on nutritional and health status of children 6-23 months.
Methods: A total of 726 mother-child pairs (intervention n=363 and control n=363) were enrolled in this study.
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