BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic continues worldwide with fluctuating case numbers in the United States. This pandemic has affected every segment of the population with more recent hospitalizations in the pediatric population. Vertical transmission of COVID-19 is uncommon, but reports show that there are thrombotic, vascular, and inflammatory changes in the placenta to which neonates are prenatally exposed. Individuals exposed in utero to influenza during the 1918 pandemic had increased risk for heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, stomach disease and hypertension. Early exposure of COVID-19 during fetal life may lead to altered gene expression with potential long-term consequences.ObjectiveTo determine if gene expression is altered in cord blood cells from term neonates who were exposed to COVID-19 during pregnancy and to identify potential gene pathways impacted by maternal COVID-19.MethodsCord blood was collected from 16 term neonates (8 exposed to COVID-19 during pregnancy and 8 controls without exposure to COVID-19). Genome-wide gene expression screening was performed using Human Clariom S gene chips on total RNA extracted from cord blood cells.ResultsWe identified 510 differentially expressed genes (374 genes up-regulated, 136 genes down-regulated, fold change ≥1.5, p-value ≤ 0.05) in cord blood cells associated with exposure to COVID-19 during pregnancy. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis identified important canonical pathways associated with diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hematological disease, embryonic cancer and cellular development. Tox functions related to cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity were also altered after exposure to COVID-19 during pregnancy.ConclusionsExposure to COVID-19 during pregnancy induces differential gene expression in cord blood cells. The differentially expressed genes may potentially contribute to cardiac, hepatic, renal and immunological disorders in offspring exposed to COVID-19 during pregnancy. These findings lead to a further understanding of the effects of COVID-19 exposure at an early stage of life and its potential long-term consequences as well as therapeutic targets.
El aumento del consumo de papa procesada está permitiendo que la agricultura por contrato gane importancia. Los pequeños productores de papa podrían aprovechar esta modalidad para superar sus dificultades en la comercialización, accediendo a un mercado seguro con precios rentables y estables. No obstante, la literatura revisada y un caso específico de la Sierra Central del Perú demuestran que las empresas procesadoras de papas en tiras y hojuelas prefieren trabajar con los grandes productores, principalmente por razones de costos de transacción y calidad del producto. Los pequeños productores más bien son "una solución de emergencia", cuando no existe un número adecuado de productores grandes logrando abastecer la planta de procesamiento. En este sentido, el crecimiento rápido del consumo de papa procesada en América Latina constituye una buena oportunidad coyuntura! para los pequeños productores. Por falta temporal de suficientes proveedores de grandes volúmenes, ellos puedan aprovechar de este negocio a corto plazo mejorando su competitividad para formar asociaciones de productores. Posteriormente, estas asociaciones podrían reorientar su producción hacia nichos de mercados que "capitalicen" las ventajas reales de los pequeños productores que son: el seguimiento eficiente del cultivo y la mano de obra barata. El apoyo externo de parte de las instituciones de desarrollo debe tener un enfoque más empresarial en identificar e implementar actividades competitivas para pequeños productores. Por lo tanto, son esenciales capacidades en mercadeo y en liderazgo de procesos participativos para formar y consolidar asociaciones de productores exitosas en el mercado.
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