Objective To evaluate the association of hepatic steatosis index (HSI) in the first trimester and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) as well as large for gestational age (LGA) infant in Chinese women. Methods A total of 1082 pregnant women were included in this study. Maternal basic laboratory data, including ALT, AST, FBG, insulin, TG, and HDL-C, were tested during 6–12 weeks of gestation and anthropometric characteristics were monitored during gestation. A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted at 24–28 weeks of gestation. HSI, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) liver fat score, triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) and triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index were calculated. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval for subsequent risk of GDM and LGA by HSI quartiles were assessed by binary logistic regression model. The predictive ability of HSI for GDM and LGA was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and was compared with other indices. Results The incidence of GDM and LGA were 22.09% (239/1082) and 10.53% (87/826). HSI was higher in GDM group than in NGT group (median, interquartile range: 30.67, 27.20–35.10 vs 27.98, 25.70–30.82, P <0.001). Incidence of GDM was gradually increased with increasing HSI values. Women in the highest HSI quartile had significantly higher risk of LGA delivery than those in the lowest HSI quartile ( P <0.05). The area under the ROC curves of HSI for GDM and LGA were higher than other indices, reaching 0.646 (95%CI: 0.605–0.686) and 0.600 (95%CI: 0.541–0.660), respectively. Conclusion Higher HSI was independently associated with higher risk of GDM and LGA in Chinese women. HSI in the first trimester can predict the risk of GDM and LGA.

Objective To assess the association between insulin resistance and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in early pregnancy and find a simple surrogate index of the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR). Methods A total of 700 pregnant women were included in this prospective, double‐center, observational cohort study. The glucose and lipid metabolic characterization was performed at 6–12 weeks of pregnancy. All participants underwent a 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks of pregnancy. Linear regression analysis was applied to find a novel surrogate index of HOMA‐IR. Binary logistic analysis was applied to estimate possible associations of different indices with GDM and insulin resistance. Results GDM was diagnosed in 145 of 700 women with singleton pregnancies (20.7%). HOMA‐IR was higher in the GDM group than in the normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group and was an individual risk factor for GDM (adjusted risk ratio RR 1.371, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.129–1.665, P < 0.001). TyHGB index as the surrogate index of HOMA‐IR was represented as TG/HDL‐C + 0.7*FBG (mmol/L) +0.1*preBMI (kg/m2)(where TG/HDL‐C is triglyceride/high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; FBG is fasting blood glucose, and preBMI is the pre‐pregnancy body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters]). The cut‐off point of the TyHGB index was 6.0 (area under the curve 0.827, 95% CI 0.794–0.861, P < 0.001) for mild insulin resistance. Conclusion Increased HOMA‐IR in early pregnancy was a risk factor of GDM. TyHGB index could be a surrogate index of HOMA‐IR and had a predictive value for GDM.

Objective: This study aimed to find the association between alanine transaminase-toaspartate aminotransferase ratio (ALT/AST) and the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: A total of 1128 pregnant women were included in this prospective, double-center, observational cohort study. ALT, AST and total bilirubin (TBil) were tested during 6-12 weeks of gestation and 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted during 24-28 weeks of gestation to screen GDM. The association between ALT/AST and glucose concentration during OGTT was analyzed by linear regression model. The OR with 95% CI for incidence of GDM associated with ALT/AST was estimated by binary logistic regression. The discriminatory values of ALT/AST and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) for GDM were calculated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC). Results: The incidence of GDM was 22.07% (249/1128). ALT/AST was higher in GDM group than in NGT group (0.92 [0.75, 1.18] vs 0.80[0.65, 1.02], P <0.001). ALT/AST had positive correlations with fasting blood glucose, 1-hour and 2-hour blood glucose concentration during OGTT (0.089 [95% CI: 0.034, 0.163], 0.176 [95% CI: 0.052, 0.104], and 0.115 [95% CI: 0.199, 0.609], respectively). The OR of ALT/AST for incidence of GDM was 1.603 (95% CI:1.097, 2.344). The ROC-AUC of ALT/AST and TG/HDL-C reached 0.615 (95% CI: 0.575, 0.655) and 0.619 (95% CI: 0.580, 0.659), respectively. Conclusion: ALT/AST in early pregnancy was an independent risk factor of GDM. The predictive ability of ALT/AST was similar to TG/HDL-C for GDM.

Background The prevalence of CGG repeat expansion mutation in FMR1 gene varies among different populations. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of this mutation in women of reproductive age from northern China. Methods A total of 11,891 pre-conceptional or pregnant women, including 5037 pregnant women and 7357 women with the history of spontaneous abortion or induced abortion due to delayed growth of the embryos, were recruited. The number of CGG repeats in FMR1 was measured by the TRP-PCR method. We also offered genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis to the women carrying pre-mutation or full mutation alleles. Results The prevalence of pre-mutation in reproductive women in northern China was 1/410, higher than that in southern China and Korea but lower than that in western countries. We also found that the prevalence of pre-mutation was relatively high (1/320) in women with abortion history. Conclusion Screening for CGG repeat expansion mutation in FMR1 should be recommended to the women with the history of spontaneous abortion or induced abortion due to delayed growth of the embryos.

Objective: To investigate the ability of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in early pregnancy for predicting gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Chinese women with different first-trimester body mass index (FT-BMI) values. Methods: Baseline characteristics and laboratory tests were collected at the first prenatal visit (6–12 weeks of gestation). GDM was diagnosed by a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at 24–28 weeks of gestation. Partial correlation analysis and binary logistic regression were applied to identify the association between HOMA-IR and GDM. The cutoff points for predicting GDM were estimated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Of the total of 1343 women, 300 (22.34%) were diagnosed with GDM in the 24–28 weeks of gestation. Partial correlation analysis and binary logistic regression verified HOMA-IR as a significant risk factor for GDM in the normal weight subgroup (FT-BMI < 24 kg/m2) (adjusted OR 2.941 [95% CI 2.153, 4.016], P < 0.001), overweight subgroup (24.0 kg/m2 ≤ FT-BMI < 28.0 kg/m2) (adjusted OR 3.188 [95% CI 2.011, 5.055], P < 0.001), and obese subgroup (FT-BMI ≥ 28.0 kg/m2) (adjusted OR 9.415 [95% CI 1.712, 51.770], p = 0.01). The cutoff values of HOMA-IR were 1.52 (area under the curve (AUC) 0.733, 95% CI 0.701–0.765, p < 0.001) for all participants, 1.43 (AUC 0.691, 95% CI 0.651–0.730, p < 0.001) for normal weight women, 2.27 (AUC 0.760, 95% CI 0.703–0.818, p < 0.001) for overweight women, and 2.31 (AUC 0.801, 95% CI 0.696–0.907, p < 0.001) for obese women. Conclusions: Increased HOMA-IR in early pregnancy is a risk factor for GDM, and HOMA-IR can be affected by body weight. The cutoff value of HOMA-IR to predict GDM should be distinguished by different FT-BMI values.