@article{vonWebskyHasanReichetzederetal.2018,
  author    = {von Websky, Karoline and Hasan, Ahmed Abdallah Abdalrahman Mohamed and Reichetzeder, Christoph and Tsuprykov, Oleg and Hocher, Berthold},
  title     = {Impact of vitamin D on pregnancy-related disorders and on offspring outcome},
  series = {The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology},
  volume    = {180},
  journal   = {The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0960-0760},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.jsbmb.2017.11.008},
  pages     = {51 -- 64},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Observational studies from all over the world continue to find high prevalence rates of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in many populations, including pregnant women. Beyond its classical function as a regulator of calcium and phosphate metabolism, vitamin D elicits numerous effects in the human body. Current evidence highlights a vital role of vitamin D in mammalian gestation. During pregnancy, adaptations in maternal vitamin D metabolism lead to a physiologic increase of vitamin D levels, mainly because of an increased renal production, although other potential sources like the placenta are being discussed. A sufficient supply of mother and child with calcium and vitamin D during pregnancy ensures a healthy bone development of the fetus, whereas lack of either of these nutrients can lead to the development of rickets in the child. Moreover, vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy has consistently been associated with adverse maternal and neonatal pregnancy outcomes. In multitudinous studies, low maternal vitamin D status was associated with a higher risk for pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus and other gestational diseases. Likewise, several negative consequences for the fetus have been reported, including fetal growth restriction, increased risk of preterm birth and a changed susceptibility for later-life diseases. However, study results are diverging and causality has not been proven so far. Meta-analyses on the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and pregnancy outcomes revealed a wide heterogeneity of studied populations and the applied methodology in vitamin D assessment. Until today, clinical guidelines for supplementation cannot be based on high-quality evidence and it is not clear if the required intake for pregnant women differs from non-pregnant women. Long-term safety data of vitamin D supplementation in pregnant women has not been established and overdosing of vitamin D might have unfavorable effects, especially in mothers and newborns with mutations of genes involved in vitamin D metabolism. Reliable data from large observational and interventional randomized control trials are urgently needed as a basis for any detailed and safe recommendations for supplementation in the general population and, most importantly, in pregnant women. This is of utmost importance, as ensuring a sufficient vitamin D-supply of mother and child implies a great potential for the prevention of birth complications and development of diseases.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FruscalzoFrommerLonderoetal.2017,
  author    = {Fruscalzo, Arrigo and Frommer, Julia-Marie and Londero, Ambrogio P. and Henze, Andrea and Schweigert, Florian J. and Nofer, Jerzy-Roch and Steinhard, Johannes and Klockenbusch, Walter and Schmitz, Ralf and Raila, Jens},
  title     = {First trimester TTR-RBP4-ROH complex and angiogenic factors in the prediction of small for gestational age infant's outcome},
  series = {Archives of gynecology and obstetrics},
  volume    = {295},
  journal   = {Archives of gynecology and obstetrics},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Heidelberg},
  issn      = {0932-0067},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00404-017-4338-4},
  pages     = {1157 -- 1165},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {To study the role of the TTR-RBP4-ROH complex components (transthyretin, serum retinol binding protein, retinol) and of angiogenic factors PlGF (placental growth factor) and sFlt-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1) in pregnancies complicated by small for gestational age infants (SGA). Case control study conducted on maternal serum collected between 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks of gestation. TTR, RBP4, ROH, PlGF and sFlt-1 were measured in SGA patients (birth weight < 10\%) who delivered at term (n = 37) and before 37 weeks of gestation (n = 17) and in a matched control group with uneventful pregnancies (n = 37). We found decreased RBP4 in SGA patients that delivered fetuses < 3\% and in fetuses delivered after the 37 weeks of gestation compared to controls [1.50 (95\% CI 1.40-1.75) vs 1.62 (95\% CI 1.47-1.98), p < 0.05]. Further, we found lower PlGF and sFlt-1 concentrations in SGA that delivered before 37 weeks of gestation compared to controls (respectively, PIGF and sFlt-1: 39.7 pg/ml (95\% CI 32.3-66.3) vs 62.9 pg/ml (95\% CI 45.2-78.4) and 906 pg/ml (95\% CI 727-1626) vs 1610 pg/ml (95\% CI 1088-212), p < 0.05). First trimester maternal serum RBP4 and angiogenic factors PlGF and sFlt-1 can differently predict the timing of delivery of pregnancies complicated by SGA fetuses.},
  language  = {en}
}