This study investigated the longitudinal trajectory of changes in antioxidative and anti-inflammatory high-density lipoprotein (HDL) components during healthy pregnancy and pregnancy with cardiometabolic complications. We recruited and longitudinally followed 84 women with healthy pregnancies and 46 pregnant women who developed cardiometabolic pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes mellitus and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy). Their general lipid profiles, oxidative stress status, inflammatory status, and antioxidative and anti-inflammatory HDL components were analyzed. The results of our study confirmed the expected trajectory for the routine lipid parameters. Our study results indicate more intensive oxidative stress and a higher level of inflammation in the group with complications compared with the control group. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) was significantly lower in the first trimester in the group with complications compared with the control group (p < 0.05). We did not find significant differences in the apolipoprotein A1 (Apo A1) concentrations in the first trimester between the control group and the group with complications, but in the second and third trimesters, the group with complications had significantly higher concentrations (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, respectively). The S1P, paraoxonase 1 (PON1), and serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations were significantly lower in the group with complications in the first trimester. During the second trimester, only the SAA concentrations were identified as significantly lower in the group with complications compared with the control group, while in the third trimester, the PON1, apolipoprotein M (Apo M), and SAA concentrations were all significantly lower in the group with complications. Through a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, the S1P concentration in the first trimester was distinguished as an HDL-associated marker independently associated with cardiometabolic pregnancy complications. In conclusion, our study results showed that HDL remodeling differs between healthy pregnancies and pregnancies with maternal cardiometabolic complications, with changed HDL composition and functionality consequently impacting its biological functionality in the latter case.

Background and Objectives: The aim of the present work was to compare the characteristics of delta and omicron variants of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women, the association of infection with comorbidity, clinical manifestation of the disease, type of delivery, and pregnancy outcome. Material and Methods: The study was designed as an observational, retrospective study of a single center. The analysis included the cohort of women who had SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and/or childbirth in the period from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2023. Results: Out of a total of 675 pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 130 gave birth with the delta and 253 with the omicron variant. In our retrospective analysis, pregnant women with both SARS-CoV-2 variants had a mild clinical history in most cases. In the omicron period, a significantly lower incidence of pregnancy loss (p < 0.01) and premature birth (p = 0.62) admission of mothers and newborns to the intensive care unit (p < 0.05) was recorded. Conclusions: In our retrospective analysis, pregnant women with COVID-19 infection generally exhibited a milder clinical manifestation with both variants (delta and omicron) of the viral infection. During the delta-dominant period, ten percent of affected pregnant women experienced a severe clinical history. However, during the omicron-dominant period infection, a significantly lower incidence of complications, pregnancy loss, preterm delivery, and admission of mothers and neonates to the intensive care unit was recorded. This can be partly explained by the greater presence of pregnant women with natural or induced vaccine immunity.

Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of pregnancy complications. We investigated the effects of pregestational overweight and obesity on maternal lipidome during pregnancy and on newborns’ characteristics. The study encompassed 131 pregnant women, 99 with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m² and 32 with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². Maternal lipid status parameters, plasma markers of cholesterol synthesis and absorption and sphingolipids were determined in each trimester. Data on neonatal height, weight and APGAR scores were assessed. The results showed a higher prevalence (p < 0.05) of pregnancy and childbirth complications among the participants with elevated pregestational BMI. Levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol (p < 0.05) and LDL-cholesterol (p < 0.01) were significantly lower, and concentrations of triglycerides were higher (p < 0.05) in women with increased pre-gestational BMI. Lower concentrations of the cholesterol synthesis marker, desmosterol, in the 2nd trimester (p < 0.01) and the cholesterol absorption marker, campesterol, in each trimester (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively) were also found in this group. Markers of maternal cholesterol synthesis were in positive correlation with neonatal APGAR scores in the group of mothers with healthy pre-pregnancy weight but in negative correlation in the overweight/obese group. Our results indicate that gestational adaptations of maternal lipidome depend on her pregestational nutritional status and that such changes may affect neonatal outcomes.