No abstract

Aim: To investigate the relationship between abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy and maternalfetal outcomes, after categorizing women into groups with different levels of gestational abnormal glucose tolerance. Methods: A total of 1858 pregnant women who received two-step screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) at Fooyin University Hospital were categorized into four groups, according to their glucose abnormalities, and their maternal-fetal outcomes were investigated from October 2015 to June 2020. Results: Among the groups having different levels of abnormal glucose tolerance, there were significant differences and trends in mother's age, currently married status, and prepregnancy overweight or obesity, incidences of cesarean section, preterm, and gestational hypertension or preeclampsia; and with respect to neonatal incidence of large for gestational age (LGA), average weight, and average height (p < 0.05). After adjusting for potential factors, there were higher incidences of cesarean section (AOR = 1.71; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-2.61), preterm (AOR = 2.20; 95% CI: 1.23-3.91), neonatal LGA (AOR = 4.94; 95% CI: 2.87-8.51), and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission (AOR = 2.66; 95% CI: 1.14-6.24) in the GDM group, relative to the control group. Furthermore, the women in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)-1 group had a higher incidence of neonatal LGA when compared with the women in the normal group (AOR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.02-5.33). Conclusions: We found higher incidences of cesarean section, preterm, and neonatal LGA and NICU admission in the GDM women, and a higher incidence of neonatal LGA in the OGTT-1 group, relative to control group.

Abstract. Vaccination is considered the most effective method to prevent rubella spread and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The aim of the present study was to investigate the rubella immunity among native and immigrant pregnant women in Taiwan. From 2000 to 2014, a total of 16,879 pregnant women who received routine prenatal examinations were recruited in this study. The rubella IgG antibodies were assayed using a microparticle enzyme immunoassay or chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Subjects were categorized by nationality and subcategorized by specific periods of time for comparison. The rubella susceptibility was 12.7% in total, 11.1% in Taiwanese and 20.3% in immigrant population from 2000 to 2014. Among the immigrant women, those from Vietnam had the highest susceptibility (22.3%) and those from Thailand had the lowest susceptibility (3.8%). The immigrant women from Vietnam and China showed a significantly higher susceptibility compared with the native Taiwanese women in which the odds ratio was 2.30 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.04-2.60), 1.96 (95% CI: 1.59-2.41), respectively ( P < 0.001). It meant that immigrants from Vietnam and China had a higher likelihood of rubella susceptibility and related CRS sequela than native women.

Skin hyperpigmentation sometimes occurs on the face during pregnancy. The production of melanin is regulated by genetic factors and simulated by environmental and endocrine factors. However, there is little information about the correlation between genetic variation and skin hyperpigmentation in Taiwanese populations. In the present study, we measured the facial melanin values and analyzed the genotypes of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from pregnant women at Fooyin University Hospital. Four SNPs (TYR rs7129973, SLC45A2 rs26722, KITLG rs642742, and ESR2 rs1271572) were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), and the melanin values were measured by Mexameter. The results show that allele frequencies of the TYR rs7129973 A allele, SLC45A2 rs26722 G allele, KITLG rs642742 A allele, and ESR2 rs1271572 T allele were 75.0%, 54.5%, 43.8%, and 42.0%, respectively. This is the first report about genetic variation of melanogenesis in pregnant women from Taiwan. However, the association of SNPs with skin hyperpigmentation needs further investigation.