This study aimed to investigate diet quality in healthy pregnant women based on the Na-to-K ratio from 24 h urine sample and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), to compare dietary micro- and macronutrient intake with current nutritional recommendations (RDA), and to investigate whether gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with Na-to-K ratio and diet quality during pregnancy in general. Sixty-four healthy pregnant women between 37 and 40 weeks of gestation participated in the study. Participants’ GWG, body composition, molar 24 h urine Na-to-K ratio, and FFQ data on average daily total energy, food groups, and micro-/macronutrient intake were obtained. A Na-to-K ratio of 2.68 (1.11–5.24) does not meet nutrition quality and is higher than the WHO recommendations due to excessive sodium and insufficient potassium intake. FFQ Na-to-K ratio was associated with a higher daily intake of soups, sauces, cereals, fats, and oils and a low intake of fruit and non-alcoholic beverages. A total of 49% of pregnant women exhibited excessive GWG, which was attributed to the increase in adipose tissue mass. GWG was not associated with total energy but may be the result of insufficient physical activity during pregnancy. Daily intake of vitamin D, vitamin E, folate, niacin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, and zinc was suboptimal compared to RDA.

<p><strong>Aim<br /></strong> To investigate a potential of the clinical use of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT-1) to placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio from the perspective of a small hospital centre. <br /><strong>Methods<br /></strong> Maternal serum samples were analysed at 24 1/7-28 0/7 , and 28 1/7-32 0/7 weeks of gestation. The level of sFLT-1 and PIGF was determined by immunoassay platform and used to calculate the sFLT-1/PIGF ratio in 35 pregnant women, and divided into subgroups according to preeclampsia occurrence at the time of delivery: preterm (≤37 weeks) or term (37-42 weeks'), and matched a control group. <br /><strong>Results<br /></strong> Patients in the preterm delivery group had a significantly higher incidence of intrauterine growth restriction, lower gestational age at the time of delivery, and lower infant birth weight compared to the other two groups. There was a negative correlation between the sFLT-1/PlGF ratio and GA and between the sFLT-1/ PlGF ratio and birth weight at the time of delivery. The value of the sFLT-1/PlGF ratio was significantly higher in the preterm delivery PE group. All the PE group pregnancies ended with caesarean delivery compared to 25% in the control group. However, none of the patients from the PE group had any of the possible complications of preeclampsia nor did they require additional therapy such as blood transfusion or additional non-standard hypertensive therapy. <br /><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong> The sFLT-1/PlGF ratio could be used as an indicator for the development and estimation of the severity of PE to provide objective evidence for the management of preeclampsia patients, and as a predictive marker of preeclampsia at low cost.</p>

Objective:Even in healthy individuals, high-salt (HS) loading leads to endothelial dysfunction, a hallmark of cardiometabolic diseases, independently of the changes in blood pressure (BP). Still, the effect of the amount of daily salt intake during healthy pregnancy on maternal endothelium-dependent vascular reactivity has not yet been investigated. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effect of the amount of daily salt intake during third trimester of pregnancy on maternal microvascular reactivity to stimuli in healthy pregnant women.Design and method:The present study was designed as a cross-sectional study in which all the data for each pregnant woman were obtained at one-time point between 37 and 40 weeks of gestation. Daily salt intake was estimated based on 24-h urinary sodium excretion using appropriate formula [1-g salt (NaCl) = 393.4 mg Na = 17.1 mmol Na]. Microvascular endothelium-dependent vasodilation in response to vascular occlusion (PORH), iontophoresis of acetylcholine (AChID) and local heating (HEAT), as well as endothelium-independent vasodilation in response to iontophoresis of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was assessed by Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF).Results:Preliminary results of the present study involve data obtained from 27 healthy pregnant women. According to the amount of daily salt intake, pregnant women were divided in low-salt (LS, < 5 g of salt/day, N = 4), normal-to-high salt (NHS, 5.0–7.5 g of salt/day, N = 12) and high-salt (HS, > 7.5 g of salt/day, N = 11) group. All pregnant women were normotensive, and BP values did not differ between groups. HEAT was significantly lower in HS compared to LS and NHS group, while PORH and AChID tended to be lower in HS compared to LS and NHS group, but without statistical significance. SNPID did not significantly differ between the groups. There was weak to moderate negative correlation between daily salt intake and functional markers of microvascular endothelium-dependent vasodilation (PORH, AChID and HEAT).Conclusions:The amount of daily salt intake significantly affects maternal endothelium-dependent microvascular reactivity during third trimester of healthy pregnancy, i.e. the increased salt intake significantly reduces the endothelium-dependent dilatation of the skin microcirculation, especially responses mediated by nitric-oxide (NO).