Background: The mother’s diet has a direct impact on fetal development and pregnancy, and can also be important in the course of the body’s inflammatory response. An anti-inflammatory diet can be a promising way to counter an excessive inflammatory response in pregnancy. Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the pregnant women’s serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) and 10 (IL-10) and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration in the course of normal and complicated pregnancy. Research Methods and Procedures: The study included 45 Polish pregnant women recruited to the study. The DII, a literature-based dietary index to assess the inflammatory properties of diet, was estimated based on a seven-day 24-h recall and an food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in each trimester of pregnancy. At the same time as the nutritional interviews, blood samples were collected for the determination of IL-6, IL-10, and CRP concentrations. The studied group was divided into subgroups with normal and complicated pregnancy and depending on the DII median. Results: With the development of pregnancy, the DII score slightly decreased in subsequent trimesters: −1.78 in the first trimester, −2.43 in the second trimester, and −2.71 in the third trimester (p = 0.092). Independent of the trimester of pregnancy and the occurrence of pregnancy complications, the DII score did not affect the differences in the serum concentrations of IL-6, IL-10, and CRP, with the exception of CRP level in the second trimester in women with complicated pregnancy (subgroup with DII < median had a lower CRP level than subgroup with DII > median). In the first and third trimesters, there was a weak but significant positive correlation between the DII score and CRP concentration. During the second trimester, in the group with normal pregnancy and DII below the median, a significant negative correlation between the DII score and the serum IL-6 and IL-10 concentration was noted as well as in the third trimester for IL-6. Conclusion: The anti-inflammatory potential of a pregnant woman’s diet increases slightly with pregnancy development; however, its value has no permanent significant association with the level of CRP, IL-6, and IL-10.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their derivatives can be promising tools in oncology including ovarian cancer treatment. This study aimed to determine the effect of HATMSC2-MVs (microvesicles derived from human immortalized mesenchymal stem cells of adipose tissue origin) on the fate and behavior of primary ovarian cancer cells. Human primary ovarian cancer (OvCa) cells were isolated from two sources: post-operative tissue of ovarian cancer and ascitic fluid. The phenotype of cells was characterized using flow cytometry, real-time RT-PCR, and immunofluorescence staining. The effect of HATMSC2-MVs on the biological activity of primary cells was analyzed in 2D (proliferation, migration, and cell survival) and 3D (cell survival) models. We demonstrated that HATMSC2-MVs internalized into primary ovarian cancer cells decrease the metabolic activity and induce the cancer cell death and are leading to decreased migratory activity of tumor cells. The results suggests that the anti-cancer effect of HATMSC2-MVs, with high probability, is contributed by the delivery of molecules that induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis (p21, tumor suppressor p53, executor caspase 3) and proapoptotic regulators (bad, BIM, Fas, FasL, p27, TRAIL-R1, TRAIL-R2), and their presence has been confirmed by apoptotic protein antibody array. In this study, we demonstrate the ability to inhibit primary OvCa cells growth and apoptosis induction after exposure of OvCa cells on HATMSC2-MVs treatment; however, further studies are needed to clarify their anticancer activities.

Selenium is essential for the synthesis and function of various selenoenzymes, such as glutathione peroxidases, selenoprotein P, and thioredoxin reductase. These enzymes play a critical role in both antioxidant defense and in limiting oxidative damage. Numerous studies have reported associations between serum selenium concentration, obstetric complications and pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether the dietary intake of selenium, its serum concentration, and the activity of glutathione peroxidase in subsequent trimesters of pregnancy affect the birth condition of newborns. This was assessed based on the APGAR score in the 1st and 5th minute of life, birth weight, body length and head and chest circumference in both physiological and complicated pregnancy courses. Twenty-seven pregnant women, with a mean age of 29.6 ± 4.8 years from the Lower Silesia region of Poland, participated in the study. Fifty-five percent of the study group experienced pregnancy complications. The median reported selenium intake and serum selenium content for Polish pregnant women in the first trimester was 56.30 μg/day and 43.89 μg/L, respectively. These figures changed in the second trimester to 58.31 μg/day and 41.97 μg/L and in the third trimester to 55.60 μg/day and 41.90 μg/L. In the subgroup of pregnant women with a physiological pregnancy course, a weak, positive correlation was observed in the first trimester between Se intake and the length (R = 0.48, p = 0.019) and the birth weight of newborns (R = 0.472, p = 0.022). In the second trimester, a positive correlation was noted with the APGAR score at the 1st (R = 0.680, p = 0.005) and 5th minutes (R = 0.55, p = 0.033), and in the third trimester with the APGAR score at the 1st minute (R = 0.658, p = 0.019). The glutathione peroxidase activity had a strong positive correlation with the APGAR score at the 1st min (R = 0.650, p = 0.008) in the second trimester and with the birth weight of the newborns (R = 0.598, p = 0.039) in the third trimester. No correlation was found between newborns’ birth measurements and serum selenium concentration. In the subgroup of pregnant women with complications, a strong, negative correlation was found between Se intake in the second trimester and gestational age (R = −0.618, p = 0.032). In the third trimester, a positive correlation was noted between Se concentration in serum and head circumference (R = 0.587, p = 0.021). The results indicate that maternal selenium status during pregnancy, including dietary intake, serum concentration, and glutathione peroxidase activity, correlates with anthropometric parameters of the newborn, such as birth weight, length, and APGAR score, especially in pregnancies with a physiological course. However, these relationships diminish in importance when pregnancy complications occur.

Rationale: Leiomyomas are the most common benign tumors of smooth muscle origin in women. They are most frequently found in the submucosal tissue of the uterine corpus; however, they also occur in other areas of the uterus, including the cervix. Their size usually varies between 0.5 to 1.0 cm; however, they can reach great dimensions. A strong correlation between the onset and growth of leiomyomas and estrogen levels was observed. Granulosa cell tumor (GCT) is an infrequent sex cord-stromal ovarian neoplasm. Despite their malignancy, GCTs have a good long-term prognosis. In this study, we present a unique case of coincidence of 2 tumors: leiomyoma of rare location (cervix uteri) and extraordinary size (9, 04 cm diameter) with an adult granulosa cell tumor. Patient concerns: A 67-year-old Caucasian woman was transported from an emergency ward to a gynecological surgery department due to a massive vaginal hemorrhage. Diagnoses: Preliminary examination showed a presence of an enormous uteri cervix tumor. Interventions: Initially, the patient underwent physical and ultrasound examinations. To prevent further bleeding, an urgent surgery (hysterectomy) with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Outcome: Postoperative histopathological examination revealed a cervical leiomyoma and the incidental occurrence of an adult GCT in the right ovary. Lessons: This case shares an interesting coincidence between a rare variant of leiomyoma and GCT. The study suggests that the potential reason for this can be estrogen secreted by the GCT, which causes the enormous size of the patient’s cervical leiomyoma and the severe vaginal bleeding. Therefore, we advise it is important in abnormal cases to search for other hidden explanations, as in cases of GCT.

Selenium is essential for the synthesis and function of various selenoenzymes, such as glutathione peroxidases, selenoprotein P, and thioredoxin reductase, which play an important role in both antioxidant defense and limiting oxidative damage. Associations between serum selenium concentration and obstetric complications as well as pregnancy outcomes has been reported in many studies. The aim of this study was to determine whether the dietary intake of selenium, its concentration in serum and the activity of glutathione peroxidase in subsequent trimesters of pregnancy affect the birth condition of newborns assessed on the basis of the Apgar score in the 1st and 5th minute of life, birth weight, body length and head and chest circumference in physiological and complicated pregnancy course. Twenty-seven pregnant women at a mean age 29.6 ± 4.8 years from the Lower Silesia region of Poland were recruited to the study, 55% of studied group had pregnancy complications. The mean reported Se intake and serum selenium content for Polish pregnant women was in the first trimester – 56.53 μg/day and 43.75 μg/l, the second trimester – 61.79 μg/day and 41.77 μg/l and the third trimester – 58.37 μg/day and 42.13 μg/l, respectively. In the subgroup of pregnant women with a physiological pregnancy course, a weak, although statistically significant, positive correlation was found in the first trimester between Se intake and the length (R=0.48, p=0.019) and birth weight of newborns (R=0.472, p=0.022), and in the second trimester with the APGAR score at 1 (R=0.680, p=0.005) and 5 minutes (R=0.55, p=0.033), as well as in the third trimester with th APGAR score at 1 minut (R=0.658, p=0.019). The GPX value had a strong positive correlation with the APGAR score at 1 min. (R=0.650, p=0.008) in the second trimester and with the birth weight of the newborns (R=0.598, p=0.039) in the third trimester. There was no correlation between newborns' birth measurements and serum selenium concentration. In the subgroup of pregnant women with pregnancy complications, a strong, statistically significant, negative correlation was found between Se intake in the second trimester and gestational age (R=-0.618, p=0.032), and in the third trimester, a positive correlation between Se concentration in serum and head circumference (R=0.587, p=0.021). The obtained results indicate that there is a relationship between the maternal selenium status during pregnancy, both in terms of the intake of this element, its serum concentration as well as the glutathione peroxidase activity, and the anthropometric parameters of the newborn, such as birth weight, length and APGAR score, especially in the group with physiological course of pregnancy, but when pregnancy complications occur, these relationships lose their importance.