No abstract

Chronic low-grade inflammation plays a central role in the pathophysiology of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). To investigate the ability of different inflammatory blood cell parameters in predicting the development of GDM and pregnancy outcomes, 258 women with GDM and 1,154 women without were included in this retrospective study. First-trimester neutrophil count outperformed white blood cell count and the neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio in the predictability for GDM. Subjects were grouped based on tertiles of neutrophil count during their first-trimester pregnancy. The results showed that as the neutrophil count increased, there was a stepwise increase in GDM incidence as well as in glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels, HOMA for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), macrosomia incidence, and newborn weight. Neutrophil count was positively associated with prepregnancy BMI, HOMA-IR, and newborn weight. Additionally, neutrophil count was an independent risk factor for the development of GDM, regardless of the history of GDM. Spline regression showed that there was a significant linear association between GDM incidence and the continuous neutrophil count when it was >5.0 3 10 9 /L. This work suggested that the first-trimester neutrophil count is closely associated with the development of GDM and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

No abstract

Glutathione-responsive carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles cross-linked with disulfide bonds were developed for controlled release of herbicides. The nanoparticles were synthesized by selfassembly of amphiphilic carboxymethyl chitosan derivative (CMCS-MUA) in aqueous solution and subsequently producing disulfide cross-linking bonds by ultrasonic treatment. TEM showed that the nanoparticles had a spherical core-shell configuration with a size of about 250 nm. Assessment of stability of the nanoparticles (considering mean diameter, polydispersity, and Zeta potential) was conducted over a period of three months, and the nanoparticles were found to be stable in solution. Herbicide-loaded nanoparticles were prepared using diuron as a model herbicide. In vitro release study revealed that diuron can be released from nanoparticles in a controlled manner depended on the glutathione concentration. Herbicidal activity assays performed with preemergence treatment of target species (Echinochloa crusgalli) showed the effectiveness of diuron-loaded nanoparticles. Assays with nontarget species (Zea mays) showed that the diuronloaded nanoparticles did not affect plant growth. The results indicate that the glutathioneresponsive nanoparticles prepared in this work will be a promising candidate for controlled release of herbicides in agriculture.