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Background: The quality of prenatal care is critical for the prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 64 % of women worldwide have access to over four sessions of prenatal care throughout their pregnancy. Thus, studies that address factors affecting maternal and child health status before and after pregnancy are of immense importance. The primary aim of the mothers and their children's health (MATCH) cohort study is to evaluate the effect of nutrition, sleep quality, and lifestyle on maternal and neonatal outcomes.Methods: A prospective cohort of > 2500 pregnant women in the first trimester (before 12 weeks' gestation) will be recruited at Arash Women's Hospital in Tehran, Iran between February 2020 and August 2021. All eligible pregnant women will be followed from their first trimester of pregnancy until delivery at four time points and assessed through a series of in-person visits with interviewer-administered questionnaires and telephone interviews. Detailed data will be collected on maternal demographics, lifestyle, medical history, reproductive history, obstetric history, dietary intake, sleep pattern, blood specimens, and anthropometric measurements, alongside paternal demographics, lifestyle, and family history. The outcomes will include antenatal, peripartum, and postnatal maternal complications and infant growth and neurodevelopment.Discussion: The results of the MATCH cohort study will support the development of contextual interventions that can enhance antenatal, peripartum, and postnatal status, neonatal outcomes, and longevity mother and child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common causes of infertility in women of reproductive age. Insulin resistance is a main pathophysiologic feature in these patients. According to some studies, the intake of probiotic bacteria may improve glucose homoeostasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of synbiotics on metabolic parameters and apelin in PCOS patients. This randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted on eighty-eight PCOS women aged 19–37 years old. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups receiving (1) synbiotic supplement (n 44), and (2) placebo (n 44) for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after 12 weeks. The two groups showed no difference in fasting blood sugar (adjusted mean difference: 0·60; 95 % CI −3·80, 5·00, P=0·727), plasma glucose fasting 2-h (adjusted mean difference 2·09; 95 % CI −9·96, 14·15, P=0·134), HbA1c (adjusted mean difference 0·06; 95 % CI −0·09, 0·22, P=0·959), homoeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (adjusted mean difference: 0·02; 95 % CI −0·99, 1·03, P=0·837), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (adjusted mean difference: −0·02; 95 % CI −0·33, 0·29, P=0·940) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (adjusted mean difference: 0·24; 95 % CI −1·61, 2·08, P=0·141) by the end of the intervention. A significant difference was observed in the mean apelin 36 before and after the intervention between synbiotic and placebo groups (adjusted mean difference: −4·05; 95 % CI −7·15, −0·96, P=0·004). A 12-week synbiotic supplementation has no significant beneficial effects on HOMA-IR and CRP in PCOS patients, whereas the level of apelin 36 significantly decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A correction is presented to the article "Effects of synbiotic supplementation on metabolic parameters and apelin in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial", which appeared in the previous issue of the periodical.