Background: To assess the association between plasma retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels both in the first trimester and second trimester and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: Plasma RBP4 levels and insulin were measured among 135 GDM cases and 135 controls nested within the Peking University Birth Cohort in Tongzhou. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to assess the influence of RBP4 levels on insulin resistance. Conditional logistic regression models were used to compute the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) between RBP4 levels and risk of GDM. Results: The GDM cases had significantly higher levels of RBP4 in the first trimester than controls (medians: 18.0 μg/ L vs 14.4 μg/L; P < 0.05). Plasma RBP4 concentrations in the first and second trimester were associated with fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) in the second trimester (all P < 0.001). With adjustment for diet, physical activity, and other risk factors for GDM, the risk of GDM increased with every 1-log μg/L increment of RBP4 levels, and the OR (95% CI) was 3.12 (1.08-9.04) for RBP4 in the first trimester and 3.38 (1.03-11.08) for RBP4 in the second trimester. Conclusions: Plasma RBP4 levels both in the first trimester and second trimester were dose-dependently associated with increased risk of GDM.
ObjectiveTo examine the effects of dynamic change in fetuin-A levels before the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on insulin resistance and GDM.Research design and methodsA total of 135 women with GDM and 135 normal glucose tolerance (NGT) women with matched age (±2 years old) and gestational age at taking the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were included in this nested case–control study. Fasting venous blood samples were collected at the prenatal visit of the first trimester and during OGTT of the second trimester. Plasma concentration of fetuin-A and insulin was determined.ResultsThe plasma fetuin-A concentration in women with GDM was significantly higher than NGT controls in both the first trimester (medians: 403.0 pg/mL vs 273.4 pg/mL; p<0.05) and the second trimester (medians: 475.7 pg/mL vs 290.8 pg/mL; p<0.05) and notably increased from the first to the second trimester. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the change in fetuin-A concentration was associated with the changes in fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of insulin resistance, and HOMA of β-cell function (HOMA-β) (p<0.05). The highest quartile of the increase in fetuin-A concentration from the first to the second trimester was associated with a higher risk of developing GDM compared with the lowest quartile (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.05 to 4.37).ConclusionsThe dynamic change in fetuin-A levels was associated with the changes in insulin resistance and β-cell function from the first to the second trimester, and was associated with an increased risk of the development of GDM, indicating that fetuin-A could be a biomarker to predict the risk of GDM.Trial registration numberNCT03814395.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.