Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Birth defects (BDs) are the main causes of mortality and disability in infants and children. Associations between maternal diabetes mellitus (DM), including gestational DM (GDM) and pregestational DM (type 1 or type 2), and the risk of BDs have been reported. This study aims to determine the relationship between maternal DM and BDs and to investigate whether reducing the incidence of DM can decrease the incidence of BDs. ⋯ Mothers with pregestational DM (type 1 or type 2) increase the incidence of BD. Appropriate maternal glycemic control may achieve good pregnancy and perinatal outcomes.
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Many studies have found that viral infections affect different tissues, including the inner ear. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a viral infection, is a significant health problem worldwide. Prestin is a motor protein with important functions both in the outer hair cells of the inner ear and in cardiac tissue. In addition, prestin is promising as an early biomarker in the detection of ototoxicity. To determine the severity of infection in COVID-19 patients and to determine whether other tissues are affected by the infection, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), biochemical markers such as ferritin and D-dimer are used. This study aimed to compare prestin levels in patients with COVID-19 and healthy volunteers. ⋯ The levels of prestin, a motor protein in inner ear outer hair cells and cardiac myocytes, were found to be higher in COVID-19 patients than in healthy volunteers. It also showed a positive correlation with CRP and D-dimer. This may be associated with systemic dysfunction.