Cutaneous malignant melanoma is one of the most common neoplasms among pregnancy-associated cancers (PACs). Risk factors include excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the presence of benign and dysplastic nevi, and a patient or family history of melanoma. Self-examination and careful inspection of nevi are crucial, especially in the context of their progression over time. Physiological changes that occur during pregnancy, such as the darkening and enlargement of the nevi, delay the diagnosis of CMM. In the fetus, metastases are very rare, and if they do occur, they concern the placenta or fetal tissues. The choice of treatment is influenced by the cancer stage, symptoms, the time of termination of pregnancy, and the patient’s decision. Essential procedures which are safe for the fetus are diagnostic biopsy, ultrasound, and the therapeutic excision of the lesion and the affected lymph nodes. Other imaging methods can be used with a safe radiation dose limit of 100 mGy. Immunotherapy and targeted treatments must be carefully considered, because of their possible adverse effects on the fetus. An interdisciplinary approach to the problem of melanoma during pregnancy is necessary, involving doctors of various specialties.

Introduction and objective: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is one of the main types of neonatal encephalopathy in which perinatal asphyxia has been proven. The incidence of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is estimated at 1–8 per 1,000 newborns and is associated with a variety of...

Perinatal mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are characterized by high phenotypic plasticity, allowing them to dynamically adapt to microenvironmental stimuli. However, the extent to which maternal pathophysiology and clinical history in vivo permanently alter their biological properties remains poorly understood. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of the maternal in vivo environment—including vascular stress (gestational hypertension), metabolic stress (hypothyroidism), and obstetric history (miscarriages, stillbirths)—on the transcriptomic, proteomic, and epigenetic profiles of growth factors in umbilical cord blood stem cells (UC-MSCs) and human milk stem cells (MM-MSCs). UC-MSCs (n = 51) and MM-MSCs (n = 78) were isolated from eligible donors. Global transcriptomic pathways associated with maternal hypertension were examined in UC-MSCs using Affymetrix expression microarrays. Targeted polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) validation was performed in both cell sources for key growth factors and receptors and for microRNA-155 in MM-MSCs. Paracrine protein concentrations (HGF, IGF-1, VEGF) in whole milk were quantified using ELISA. Microarray screening demonstrated that maternal hypertension is associated with a transcriptomic shift in the UC-MSCs towards a profibrotic signature, marked by an increased expression of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and structural components of the extracellular matrix, while simultaneously suppressing the expression of genes associated with cell migration networks. qPCR confirmed that maternal hypertension is associated with significantly reduced FGFR1 expression and a downward trend in EGF and HGF in UC-MSCs, while correlating with an asymmetric response in MM-MSCs. Maternal hypothyroidism was linked to a transcriptomic profile suggestive of a rescue response (a trend toward increased IGF1 and EGF expression) in UC-MSCs, in contrast to a potential paracrine translation deficit (trends toward reduced VEGF, HGF, and IGF-1 protein levels) in the milk matrix. Importantly, a history of miscarriage correlated with alterations in the cellular mechanism of MM-MSCs (a trend toward increased IGF1 and EGF mRNA expression), while previous stillbirths were associated with a systemic, threefold increase in free IGF-1 protein concentration in whole milk. This paracrine dynamic strongly correlated with miR-155 expression, suggesting a potential regulatory role in the lactation niche. Our findings suggest that the molecular and epigenetic makeup of perinatal stem cell niches is dynamically and persistently associated with the mother’s somatic health and reproductive history. This tissue-specific plasticity provides robust molecular support for the DOHaD paradigm, indicating that offspring stem cell profiles may directly reflect the maternal inheritance in vivo.

Introduction and objective: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive neuromuscular disorder characterized by the absence or severe deficiency of functional dystrophin, a key component of the muscle cytoskeleton and dystrophin-associated protein complex. The aim of the review...