ObjectiveTo estimate the global and country-level burden of overweight and obesity among pregnant women from 2005 to 2014.MethodsPublicly accessible country-level data were collected from the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the Food and Agricultural Organization. We estimated the number of overweight and obese pregnant women among 184 countries and determined the time-related trend from 2005 to 2014. Based on panel data model, we determined the effects of food energy supply, urbanization, gross national income and female employment on the number of overweight and obese pregnant women.ResultsWe estimated that 38.9 million overweight and obese pregnant women and 14.6 million obese pregnant women existed globally in 2014. In upper middle income countries and lower middle income countries, there were sharp increases in the number of overweight and obese pregnant women. In 2014, the percentage of female with overweight and obesity in India was 21.7%, and India had the largest number of overweight and obese pregnant women (4.3 million), which accounted for 11.1% in the world. In the United States of America, a third of women were obese, and the number of obese pregnant women was 1.1 million. In high income countries, caloric supply and urbanization were positively associated with the number of overweight and obese pregnant women. The percentage of employment in agriculture was inversely associated with the number of overweight and obese pregnant women, but only in upper middle income countries and lower middle income countries.ConclusionThe number of overweight and obese pregnant women has increased in high income and middle income countries. Environmental changes could lead to increased caloric supply and decreased energy expenditure among women. National and local governments should work together to create a healthy food environment.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the mutual effect of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on obesity-related adverse pregnancy outcomes.MethodsThis birth cohort study was conducted in three Streets in Changsha, China, including a total of 976 mother-child pairs. All data was collected within 15 days after deliveries from a self-administered questionnaire, maternal health manual and perinatal health care information system. Multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to estimate the effects of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, WC and GWG on obesity-related adverse pregnancy outcomes including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), primary cesarean section (P-CS), large for gestational age (LGA) and composite outcome (one or more adverse pregnancy outcomes)ResultsAfter controlling for all confounders, both maternal pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and central adiposity contributed to increased risks of GDM [ORs 95% CIs = 2.19 (1.02–4.76) and 2.26 (1.11–4.60), respectively], P-CS [ORs 95% CIs = 1.66 (1.05–2.65) and 1.71 (1.11–2.63), respectively], LGA [ORs 95% CIs = 1.93 (1.07–3.50) and 2.14 (1.21–3.75), respectively] and composite outcome [ORs 95% CIs = 1.82 (1.15–2.87) and 1.98 (1.30–3.01), respectively] compared with mothers with normal pre-pregnancy weight and normal WC. Excessive GWG was found to be associated with an increased risk of LGA [OR 95% CI = 1.74 (1.05–2.89)], but was not significantly related to higher risks of GDM, P-CS and composite outcome [ORs 95% CIs = 0.90 (0.47–1.72), 1.08 (0.77–1.52), and 1.30 (0.94–1.79), respectively]. In terms of the joint effect of maternal pregestational BMI and WC on obesity-related composite outcome, mothers with both pre-pregnancy overweight and central adiposity had the highest risk of composite outcome [OR 95% CI = 3.96 (2.40–6.54)], compared with mothers without pre-pregnancy overweight or central adiposity.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that maternal pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and central adiposity may contribute to multiple obesity-related adverse pregnancy outcomes, excessive weight gain during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of LGA. Healthcare providers should carry out health education, and guide women to keep an ideal BMI and WC prior to pregnancy and help them gain optimal weight during pregnancy based on their pre-pregnancy BMI and WC.

Sodium layered oxides are considered to be cathode candidates with the most potential for large-scale energy storage because of their high reversible capacity and wide availability of sodium resources. A significant hurdle to wide application of these layered oxides lies in simultaneously satisfying high-energy density and long cycle life because of the intrinsic problems associated with their structural irreversibility. Herein, a O3/O′3-P2 core–shell composite that integrates a high specific capacity from O-type Ni-based core and good structural stability from P2-type Mn-rich shell is presented. Multiscale electron microscopy and affiliated spectroscopy analyses reveal that, in addition to the microscale O3/O′3-P2 core–shell structure, a nanoscale coherent P2/O3 intergrown structure can also be identified in the composite. Such well-tailored structures not only constrain the structural damages (microscale cracks) induced by repeated volumetric changes upon desodiation and resodiation but also facilitate fast Na ions diffusion through the exterior P2-type layered structure. This work may provide new clues into the design of high-performance cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

Background Few prospective birth cohort studies are available on the effects of prenatal and early-life exposures on food allergy and eczema among Chinese children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of prenatal and early-life exposures on food allergy and eczema during the first year of life in a prospective birth cohort study. Methods This study was based on a prospective, observational birth cohort of 976 mother-child pairs in three Streets in Changsha, China from January to December 2015. Data on prenatal, early-life exposures and allergic outcomes were obtained from questionnaires collected at birth, and 1, 3, 6, 8, and 12 months of age. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed to estimate the effects of prenatal and early-life exposures on food allergy and eczema. Results Common risk factors for food allergy and eczema in infancy were parental history of allergy, while moderate eggs consumption (3–4 times/week) during pregnancy was protective for both of them compared with low consumption (≤ 2 times/week). Factors only associated with food allergy were maternal aquatic products consumption during pregnancy, number of older siblings and age of solid food introduction, whereas factors only associated with eczema were maternal milk or milk products consumption during pregnancy, maternal antibiotic exposure during pregnancy, season of birth and antibiotic exposure through medication during the first year of life. Conclusion Our study suggests that factors associated with food allergy and eczema are multifaceted, which involving hereditary, environmental and nutritional exposures. Furthermore, differential factors influence the development of food allergy and eczema in infants.

miR-126, an endothelial-specific microRNA, is associated to vascular integrity and angiogenesis. It is well established that angiogenesis plays a critical role in burn wound healing. However, there was a lack of understanding of the mechanism by which miR-126 regulates angiogenesis during burn wound healing. HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) is a well-characterized long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. Sciellin (SCEL), a precursor to the cornified envelope of human keratinocytes, has been shown to inhibit migration and invasion capabilities of colorectal cancer cells. In this study, a cohort of 20 burn wound tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues were collected. LncRNA and messenger RNA expression profiles were screened by microarray analysis in five pairs of samples with mostly increased miR-126 levels. miR-126 was highly expressed in burn wound tissues and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) exposed to heat stress, whereas HOTAIR and SCEL were down-regulated after thermal injury. Bioinformatic analysis, dual luciferase reporter assay, and quantitative real-time PCR were conducted to validate that HOTAIR and SCEL competitively bind to miR-126 to function as the competitive endogenous RNA. miR-126 promoted endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis, but suppressed apoptosis, while HOTAIR and SCEL exerted opposite effects in HUVECs. The biological functions were determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, Annexin-V-FITC/PI (propidium iodide/fluorescein isothiocyanate) staining, transwell migration, and tube formation assays. Collectively, our study revealed that HOTAIR/miR-126/SCEL axis contributes to burn wound healing through mediating angiogenesis.