Priyanka plays an elite spy with no past memory in ‘Citadel’ first-look

Obesity in pregnancy more deadly for mother, baby: Study

Maternal obesity during pregnancy can turn to be fatal for both the mother as well as the baby, according to a new study.

Your low calorie drinks, food items may up heart attack, stroke risk

Tspy thriller series ‘Cit adel’ were unveiled recently and they show Priyanka Chopra Jonas in a deadly gun-toting avatar which she balances by setting the mercury on fire with her look. Her character is revealed to be an elite spy, Nadia Sinh in the show directed by Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo.

‘Citadel’ tells the story of the eponymous independent global spy agency which gets destroyed by operatives of Manticore as the former was tasked to uphold the safety and security of all people. Manticore is a powerful syndicate manipulating the world from the shadows.

With Citadel’s fall, elite agents Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh had their memories wiped as they narrowly escaped with their lives. They continue to be hidden from the world, building new lives under new identities, unaware of their pasts. Until one night, when Mason is tracked down by his former Citadel colleague, Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci), who desperately needs his help to prevent Manticore from establishing a new world order. Mason seeks out his a mission that takes them around the world in an effort to stop Manticore, all while contending with a relationship built on secrets, lies, and a dangerous-yetundying love.

The series also stars Lesley Manville as Dahlia Archer, Osy Ikhile as Carter Spence, Ashleigh Cummings as Abby Conroy, Roland Moller as Anders Silje and Davik Silje and Caoilinn Springall as Hendrix Conroy.

‘Citadel’ has been executive produced by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela RussoOtstot, Scott Nemes for AGBO, Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg for Midnight Radio, Newton Thomas Sigel and Patrick Moran with David Weil serving as showrunner and executive producer.

The series will premiere on Prime Video on April 28, with two episodes, followed by a new episode released weekly every Friday through May 26. ‘Citadel’ and its subsequent series traverse the globe with interconnected stories. Each Citadel series is locally created, produced, and filmed in-region, and stars top talent, forming a distinct global franchise. Series are already underway in Italy and India, respectively, starring Matilda De Angelis, Varun Dhawan, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. (IANS)

The findings, published in The Journal of Physiology, show that excess weight alters the structure of the placenta -- a vital organ that nourishes the baby in the mother’s womb -- more than poor glucose control in pregnancy.

The rates of obesity and gestational diabetes -- the development of poor glucose -- during pregnancy, are increasing worldwide.

While both are linked to multiple maternal and foetal complications, such as increased risk of foetal death, stillbirth, infant death and higher infant birth weight, it was not known yet how these complications arise. The study revealed that maternal obesity more than gestational diabetes reduced the formation of the placenta, its blood vessel density and surface area, and its capacity to exchange nutrients between the mother and developing child.

Both obesity and gestational diabetes impact placental hormone production and inflammation markers, suggest ing that the placenta is indeed functioning abnormally. The new insight enhances understanding about the mechanisms underlying poor pregnancy outcomes and the subsequent greater risk of poor neonatal and offspring health.

“As obesity and gestational diabetes often coexist, the study highlights the importance of obesity over gestational diabetes in modulating placental structure and function, and begins to piece together how these placental changes may explain observed complications (For example - intrauterine death and stillbirths) and increased future non-communicable disease risk for both mother and baby,” said Professor Mushi Matjila from the University of Cape Town.

Trying to switch to drinks and food that are low on calories and carbohydrate to avoid sugar? These are often loaded w ith an artificial sweetener called erythritol and can raise your risk of a major adverse cardiac event such as heart attack, stroke or death, warned a study.

Erythritol is about 70 per cent as sweet as sugar and is produced through corn fermentation and often mixed to sweeten stevia, monk fruit or add bulk to low-calorie products. The artificial sweetener is also used as a common replacement for table sugar and is often recommended for people who have obesity, diabetes or metabolic syndrome and are looking for options to help manage their sugar or calorie intake.

After ingestion, erythritol is poorly metabolised by the body. Instead, it goes into the bloodstream and leaves the body mainly through urine. The human body creates low amounts of erythritol naturally, so any additional consumption can accumulate. Researchers from Cleveland Clinic in the US also found that erythritol, when added to whole blood or isolated platelets was found to make platelets easier to activate and form a clot.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, are based on a study of more than 4,000 people in the US and Europe.

“Our study shows that when participants consumed an artificially sweetened beverage with an amount of erythritol found in many processed foods, markedly elevated levels in the blood are observed for days -- levels well above those observed to enhance clotting risks,” said Stanley Hazen, from Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic.

“It is important that further safety studies are conducted to examine the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners in general, and erythritol specifically, on risks for heart attack and stroke, particularly in people at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. (IANS)