Physical exercise does not lead to changes in systemic blood flow or fetal-placental flow in healthy pregnant women, confirming that exercises of mild to moderate intensity can be prescribed.
The results suggest that the main factor for the increase in oxidative stress and reduced δ-ALA-D activity in diabetic pregnant women is gestational hyperglycemic environment, which changed the redox balance and interfered on mechanism of the δ-ALA-D activity in relation to normoglycemic pregnant women.
An oxidative burst occurs during pregnancy due to the large consumption of oxygen in the tissues and an increase in metabolic demands in response to maternal physiological changes and fetal growth. This study aimed to determine the oxidative profile and activity of δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase (δ-ALA-D) in pregnant women who received iron supplementation. Oxidative stress parameters were evaluated in 25 pregnant women with iron supplementation, 25 pregnant women without supplementation and 25 non-pregnant women. The following oxidative stress parameters were evaluated: thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein thiol groups (P-SH), non-protein thiol levels (NP-SH), vitamin C levels, catalase and δ-ALA-D activity. Markers of oxidative stress and cell damage, such as TBARS in plasma were significantly higher in pregnant women without supplementation. Levels of P-SH, NP-SH and δ-ALA-D activity were significantly lower in pregnant women without supplementation compared to non-pregnant and pregnant women with supplementation, while vitamin C levels were significantly lower in pregnant women without supplementation when compared to non-pregnant women. The increase in the generation of oxidative species and decrease of antioxidants suggest the loss of physiological oxidative balance during normal pregnancy, which was not observed in pregnant women with iron supplementation, suggesting a protective effect of iron against oxidative damage.
The aim of this study was to perform a comparative evaluation between pregnant women: healthy, with pre-gestational type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), to determine if diabetes mellitus developed at different times interferes with the oxidative impact on the pregnant woman maternal body. A total of 90 pregnant women were recruited in the third trimester of pregnancy, subdivided into the three groups, and evaluated through their clinical characteristics, oxidative stress markers and delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase (δ-ALA- D) activity. Pregnant women with diabetes mellitus (DM) showed an increase in: age, pre-gestational and gestational body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose and platelet count; those with T2DM had higher pre-gestational BMI and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were higher and the levels of non-protein thiols and catalase activity were lower in the DM groups compared to the control. Vitamin C was decreased in the T2DM group. The δ-ALA-D activity was decreased in pregnant women with GDM and the rate of enzymatic reactivation was higher in the DM groups. DM presented in gestation, regardless of the moment of its development, generates increase of the oxidative stress and decrease of the antioxidant defences, representing the largest difference with the control group. It is suggested that the insulin used in the treatment of T2DM acts in a beneficial way in the δ-ALA-D activity.
Background: Studies on physical activity during pregnancy and its impact on mother and fetus are still limited. International protocols consider only aerobic exercise and fail to provide information about other modalities such as isometric exercise. Isometric exercise promotes cardiorespiratory resistance and muscle strengthening, but it is rarely tested on pregnant women because it increases maternal blood pressure and can subsequently affect placental circulation. Objective: To evaluate maternal and fetal response of low-risk pregnant women undergoing isometric testing through a Doppler velocimetry study. Methodology: A cross-sectional, experimental study was performed on 46 healthy pregnant women (gestational age between 26 and 36 weeks) who underwent isometric testing. This testing was performed using a handgrip dynamometer to measure maternal and fetal hemodynamic parameters before, during, and after isometric testing. Results: There was a significant increase in systolic blood pressure (BP; pre-isometrics 113.13 ± 9.92 mmHg, during isometrics 117.13 ± 10.24 mmHg, and post-isometrics 112.43 ± 9.87 mmHg, p < 0.001) and heart rate (HR; pre-isometrics 87.52 ± 14.10 bpm, during isometrics 97.61 ± 14.83 bpm, and post-isometrics 85.13 ± 13.24 bpm, p < 0.001). There were significant decreases in the pulsatility index (PI; pre-isometrics 0.63 ± 0.15, during isometrics 0.56 ± 0.15, and post-isometrics 0.65 ± 0.17, p = 0.001), resistance index (RI; pre-isometrics 0.44 ± 0.08, during isometrics 0.40 ± 0.07, and post-isometrics 0.45 ± 0.08, p = 0.001), and systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio (pre-isometrics 1.81 ± 0.26, during isometrics 1.69 ± 0.24, and post-isometrics 1.85 ± 0.29, p < 0.001) of the left uterine artery (UA). These results showed significant changes only during the isometric exercise, and not between the pre-and post-isometric exercises. There were no significant differences in fetal parameters when the results before, during, and after the isometric test were compared. Conclusion: Isometric testing had no repercussions for fetal hemodynamics in healthy low-risk pregnant women.
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