Objectives: In this study, we hypothesized that dietary salt and potassium intake may be related with blood pressure, kidney damage and perinatal outcome in pregnants with preeclampsia (PE). Methods: In total, 200 women (50 control women with healthy pregnancy, 150 women with PE) were recruited for the study. Daily salt and potassium intake was estimated based on calculation of 24-hour urinary sodium U[Na+] and potassium U[K+] excretion. U[Na+]/[K+] was calculated by dividing U[Na+] by U[K+]. At the end of the measurements, the pregnant women with PE (n=150) were divided into tertiles according to U[Na+]/[K+]: low Na/K group (n=50, mean U[Na+]/[K+]: 1,04±0,32), medium Na/K group (n=50, mean U[Na+]/[K+]: 2,49± 0,54), high Na/K group (n=50, mean U[Na+]/[K+]: 6,62±3,41). Results: The mean SBP and DBP levels were significantly lower in low Na/K group compared with medium or high Na/K groups (p=0.024, p=0.0002; respectively). Serum creatinine was significantly lower in low Na/K group than high Na/K group (p=0.025). Frequency of severe preeclampsia is lower in low Na/K group than medium or high Na/K groups (p=0.002, p=0.0001; respectively). Birth weight and gestational age at birth were higher in low Na/K group compared with high Na/K group (p=0.045, p=0.0002; respectively). After adjusting for covariates, SBP and DBP and creatinine levels were independently associated with 24 hours urinary [Na+]/[K+] Conclusion: These findings suggest that pregnant with PE with high dietary salt and low potassium intake may have greater maternal and neonatal morbidity risk than pregnant with PE under low dietary salt and high potassium intake.

Background: Preeclampsia is characterized by an increase in high blood pressure and decrease in GFR and proteinuria, however, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Renalase is a recently discovered protein implicated in regulation of blood pressure in humans. Materials and methods: Plasma concentrations of serum renalase were measured in healthy controls, healthy pregnant and pregnant with preeclampsia matched for age, gestational age, in the third trimester of pregnancy. Serum renalase levels were compared in pregnant with and without preeclampsia and non-pregnant controls. Factors associated with serum renalase levels in pregnancies were also evaluated. Results: In healthy pregnant serum renalase levels were significantly higher than in controls. However, pregnant with preeclampsia had lower renalase levels than healthy controls. Serum renalase levels were inversely associated with blood pressure levels and positively correlated with glomerular filtration rate. Conclusion: The results indicated that the development of preeclampsia in pregnant is accompanied by altered serum renalase levels. High blood pressure and kidney damage that characterize this disorder are mediated at least in part by low renalase levels.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to evaluate the oxidative stress (OS) in pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) by evaluating thiol/disulphide homeostasis using an alternative technique. Methods: A total of 57 pregnant women with ICP were compared with 50 gestational age and body mass index matched controls. A recently defined method was used for the measurement of plasma native-total thiol and disulphide levels. The independent two-sample t test, Mann–Whitney-U test, Chi-square test, binary logistic regression with backward elimination and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed for statistical analyses. Results: Pregnant women with ICP (n = 57) versus controls (n = 50) had significantly lower serum levels of native thiol (233.8 ± 47.4 μmol/L vs. 308.5 ± 51.7 μmol/L, p < .001), total thiol (258.4 ± 46.5 μmol/L vs. 328.0 ± 52.0 μmol/L, p < .001) and higher levels of disulphide (12.3 ± 3.6 μmol/L vs. 9.7 ± 3.4 μmol/L, p < .001). Binary logistic regression showed that the most important variables related to ICP were native thiol and total thiol. According to the ROC curve, the optimal cut-off level for native thiol was 280.0 μmol/L (sensitivity: 86%, specificity: 84.2%, area under the curve (AUC):0.896, 95% CI: 0.831–0.962, p < .001), and the optimal cut-off level for total thiol was 300.0 μmol/L (sensitivity: 86%, specificity: 80.7%, AUC: 0.883, 95% CI: 0.815–0.951, p < .001). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study in the literature exploring thiol/disulphide balance in ICP. We found that thiol/disulphide balance indicate OS in pregnant woman with ICP.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of immunonutritional markers, specifically the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), in predicting late-onset fetal growth restriction (LO-FGR) during the first trimester. This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care center between October 2022 and August 2023. The study included a total of 213 singleton pregnancies, with 99 women in the LO-FGR group and 114 in the healthy control group, matched by maternal age and gestational age at delivery. All blood samples were collected between 11 and 14 weeks of gestation (during the first-trimester screening test). We analyzed first-trimester laboratory parameters, specifically focusing on hemoglobin levels, white blood cells (WBCs), lymphocytes, platelets, and albumin levels. Afterwards, we calculated the HALP score and PNI, and then compared the values of both groups. Both HALP score (3.58 ± 1.31 vs. 4.19 ± 1.8, p = 0.012) and PNI (36.75 ± 2.9 vs. 39.37 ± 3.96, p < 0.001) were significantly lower in the FGR group than in the control group. The HALP score cut-off value of < 3.43 in predicting FGR had a sensitivity of 62.3% and specificity of 54.5% (AUC = 0.600, 95% CI: 0.528–0.672, p = 0.012). The PNI cut-off value of < 37.9 in predicting FGR had a sensitivity of 65.8% and specificity of 62.9% (AUC = 0.707, 95% CI: 0.632–0.778, p < 0.001). While the HALP score was not a significant predictor of composite adverse neonatal outcomes in the FGR group, PNI showed a cut-off value of < 37.7 with a sensitivity of 60.9% and specificity of 59.7% (AUC = 0.657, 95% CI: 0.581–0.733, p < 0.001). The HALP score and PNI are valuable prognostic tools for predicting the risk of FGR in the first trimester. Low PNI values are also associated with composite adverse neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by FGR.