Pregnancy is a special period in a woman’s life when her organism undergoes multiple physiological changes so that the fetus has optimal conditions for growth and development. These include modifications in the composition of the microbiome that occur between the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. There is an increase in Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, and Firmicutes, which have been associated with an increase in the need for energy storage. The growth in Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria levels has a protective effect on both the mother and the fetus via proinflammatory mechanisms. The aim of the study is to review the research on the relationship between the mother’s intestinal microbiome and gestational pathologies. Changes in the maternal gut microbiome is probably one of the mechanisms that occurs in various pregnancy diseases such as preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, gestational diabetes mellitus, excessive gestational weight gain, and premature birth. For this reason, it seems vital to pay attention to certain interventions that can benefit the affected patients both in the short term, by preventing complications during pregnancy, and in the long term, as one of the mechanisms occurring in various gestational diseases is dysbiosis of the maternal intestinal flora.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that induce health benefits in the host. Taking probiotics is generally safe and well tolerated by pregnant women and their children. Consumption of probiotics can result in both prophylactic and therapeutic effects. In healthy adult humans, the gut microbiome is stable at the level of the dominant taxa: Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, and has a higher presence of Verrucomicrobia. During pregnancy, an increase in the number of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria phyla and a decrease in the beneficial species Roseburia intestinalis and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii are observed. Pregnancy is a “window” to the mother’s future health. The aim of this paper is to review studies assessing the potentially beneficial effects of probiotics in preventing the development of diseases that appear during pregnancy, which are currently considered as risk factors for the development of metabolic syndrome, and consequently, reducing the risk of developing maternal metabolic syndrome in the future. The use of probiotics in gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia and excessive gestational weight gain is reviewed. Probiotics are a relatively new intervention that can prevent the development of these disorders during pregnancy, and thus, would reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome resulting from these disorders in the mother’s future.

Introduction and purpose: Celiac disease occurs in 1% of the general population. However, many cases remain unrecognized. The disease is a chronic immune-mediated disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten that appears in individuals with genetic susceptibility. Celiac disease can develop in paediatric patients as well as adults. The purpose of this review is to analyze the newest information on the characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of patients with celiac disease.  Material and methods: This review was based on available data collected in the PubMed database and published between 2015 and 2022. The research was done by looking through keywords such as: “celiac disease”, “Gluten-Free Diet”, “diagnosis” and “treatment”. Results: The diagnosis of celiac disease is most often delayed due to the broad spectrum of presentations. Screening of at-risk individuals is important to progress the diagnosis. It is additionally crucial to raise clinicians' attention to non-specific parenteral symptoms that may indicate celiac disease. The majority of the symptoms arise from nutritional deficiencies caused by intestinal malabsorption. According to scientific reports, the most common deficiencies of people with celiac disease are iron, folic acid, vitamin B12, fat-soluble vitamins and a calcium. Conclusions: Recent years have seen the emergence of research into new therapeutic options, but their efficacy and safety still need to be evaluated more thoroughly. Strict adherence to a gluten-free diet by patients is still the only treatment option at present. Celiac disease, due to the constant increase in knowledge about its pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment is an important material for further research.

Introduction and purpose: Neonatal asphyxia is a medical condition in which the neonate is not able to maintain sufficient respiratory function. The hypoxia may be caused by either an impaired respiratory activity of the neonate or an interruption of blood flow to the placenta in the period immediately before or during delivery, which resulted in inadequate oxygen perfusion to vital organs. Description of the state of knowledge: Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a form of perinatal hypoxia, occurring in newborns after the 35th week of gestation and presenting along with neurological disorders. In fact, it is a major cause of death and infant disability. The incidence of HIE is approximately 2-5 per 1000 live births. The standard recommended treatment for perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy is therapeutic hypothermia. There are two methods used: selective head cooling with moderate whole-body hypothermia (SHC) and whole-body hypothermia (WBC). In both cases, metabolism and neural tissue destruction are slowed down. Conclusions: Therapeutic hypothermia is a promising treatment option for neonatal encephalopathy. Thus, it decreases the risk of death and neurological deficits in the form of cerebral palsy, epilepsy and psychomotor retardation. Whole-body hypothermia appears to be a more successful method than selective head cooling, however more research is still needed.

Introduction: The efforts to restore lost collagen, regain youthful-looking skin and healthier joints have made collagen oral supplements a huge trend of the last few years. Because collagen is the main building protein of our body, many people may ask themselves - can collagen supplementation have a real impact on our health? Are these nutraceuticals a fountain of youth in a bottle or nothing more than marketing hype?The aim of the study: The aim of this paper was to present the current state of knowledge on the supplementation of collagen and application of collagen in oral nutraceuticals. Material and methods: Literature review available on PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar and evaluation of available randomized controlled trials using collagen supplementation in terms of treatment effectiveness in terms of skin quality, anti-aging benefits and potential use in dermatology. Abstracts, comments, and non-English language articles were excluded. Conclusions: Collagen is important for maintaining the structural integrity of every tissue in the body. Despite many studies on collagen supplementation, the literature is still impecunious, but the scientific works so far confirm that supplementation with hydrolyzed collagen can improve various aspects of skin aging.Key words: collagen, collagen peptides, antiaging, skin health, nutraceuticals