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Researchers identify smoking gun for environmental exposures to affect future generations

Grandmother's cigarette smoking could be responsible for her grandchild's asthma, and the recent discovery of this multi-generational transmission of disease suggests the environmental factors experienced today could determine the health of family members for generations to come, two Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) lead researchers write in the March edition of Review of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

5 Mar 2013

DHA supplementation during pregnancy reduces very low birth weight and early preterm delivery

University of Kansas researchers have found that the infants of mothers who were given 600 milligrams of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA during pregnancy weighed more at birth and were less likely to be very low birth weight and born before 34 weeks gestation than infants of mothers who were given a placebo. This result greatly strengthens the case for using the dietary supplement during pregnancy.

26 Feb 2013

Valproate, pregnancy and IQ: an interview with Professor Kimford Meador

Valproate (sodium salt of valproic acid) is an anticonvulsant used in the treatment of epilepsy, migraine and bipolar disorder as well as some other off label psychiatric indications.

11 Feb 2013

Samoan epidemic of obesity may start with rapid weight gain in early infancy

As some Pacific island cultures have "westernized" over the last several decades, among the changes has been a dramatic increase in obesity. Researchers don't understand all the reasons why, but even a decade ago in American Samoa 59 percent of men and 71 percent of women were obese. A new Brown University study finds that the Samoan epidemic of obesity may start with rapid weight gain in early infancy.

6 Feb 2013

Potential connection between autism and insulin-like growth factor

A New York-based physician-researcher from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, best known for his research into fertility and twinning, has uncovered a potential connection between autism and a specific growth protein that could eventually be used as a way to predict an infant's propensity to later develop the disease.

2 Feb 2013

Tributyltin exposure may cause ‘transgenerational obesity’

Research shows that offspring of mice exposed to low doses of the chemical tributyltin, used in paints, plastics, and other consumer products, have greater than normal body fat, liver fat, and fat-specific gene expression.

30 Jan 2013

Treatment of maternal sleep-disordered breathing with CPAP therapy improves fetal activity levels

A new study suggests that treatment of mild sleep-disordered breathing with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in pregnant women with preeclampsia improves fetal activity levels, a marker of fetal well-being.

3 Jan 2013

Babies begin absorbing language while still in the womb

Babies only hours old are able to differentiate between sounds from their native language and a foreign language, scientists have discovered. The study indicates that babies begin absorbing language while still in the womb, earlier than previously thought.

2 Jan 2013

Maternal vitamin D deficiency could cause low birth weight

Women deficient in vitamin D early in their pregnancies are more likely to deliver babies with lower birth weights, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health research reveals.

20 Dec 2012

AAV-based gene therapy cocktail may help extend lives of children with Canavan disease

Results of a clinical trial that began in 2001 show that a gene therapy cocktail conveyed into the brain by a molecular special delivery vehicle may help extend the lives of children with Canavan disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

20 Dec 2012

Perthes’ disease link to congenital disorders revealed

Researchers have linked Perthes' disease with several congenital conditions, pointing to intra-uterine factors behind the development of the disease.

14 Dec 2012

Prematurity marks the adult heart

People born preterm have compromised cardiac structure and function as young adults, a study shows.

12 Dec 2012

Study examines association between ischemic-hypoxic conditions and ADHD

Children who had in-utero exposure to ischemic-hypoxic conditions, situations during which the brain is deprived of oxygen, were significantly more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder later in life as compared to unexposed children, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the journal Pediatrics.

10 Dec 2012

Microarray analysis more effective in pinpointing potential genetic causes of stillbirth

Stillbirth is a tragedy that occurs in one of every 160 births in the United States. Compounding the sadness for many families, the standard medical test used to examine fetal chromosomes often can't pin down what caused their baby to die in utero. In most cases, the cause of the stillbirth is not immediately known.

6 Dec 2012

Azathioprine exposure concerns raised for SLE mothers

Researchers have raised the possibility of an increased risk for developmental delay in the children of mothers who used azathioprine for systemic lupus erythematosus during pregnancy.

26 Nov 2012

Maternal cigarette smoking reduces reading accuracy in children

Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that children born to mothers who smoked more than one pack per day during pregnancy struggled on tests designed to measure how accurately a child reads aloud and comprehends what they read.

20 Nov 2012

In utero exposure to BPA associated with decreased thyroid function in newborn sheep

In utero exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) can be associated with decreased thyroid function in newborn sheep, according to a recent study accepted for publication in Endocrinology, a journal of The Endocrine Society. Hypothyroidism is characterized by poor mental and physical performance in human adults and in children can result in cognitive impairment and failure to grow normally.

15 Nov 2012

New study confirms neurodevelopmental effects of PBDE flame retardant exposure in children

Prenatal and childhood exposure to flame retardant compounds are linked to poorer attention, fine motor coordination and IQ in school-aged children, a finding by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, that adds to growing health concerns over a chemical prevalent in U.S. households.

15 Nov 2012

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

Elevated risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal health complications and possible longer term neurobehavioral abnormalities, including autism, suggest that a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) should only be prescribed with great caution and with full counseling for women experiencing depression and attempting to get pregnant, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center and MetroWest Medical Center.

31 Oct 2012

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

31 Oct 2012

In Utero News and Research

Researchers identify smoking gun for environmental exposures to affect future generations

DHA supplementation during pregnancy reduces very low birth weight and early preterm delivery

Valproate, pregnancy and IQ: an interview with Professor Kimford Meador

Samoan epidemic of obesity may start with rapid weight gain in early infancy

Potential connection between autism and insulin-like growth factor

Tributyltin exposure may cause ‘transgenerational obesity’

Treatment of maternal sleep-disordered breathing with CPAP therapy improves fetal activity levels

Babies begin absorbing language while still in the womb

Maternal vitamin D deficiency could cause low birth weight

AAV-based gene therapy cocktail may help extend lives of children with Canavan disease

Perthes’ disease link to congenital disorders revealed

Prematurity marks the adult heart

Study examines association between ischemic-hypoxic conditions and ADHD

Microarray analysis more effective in pinpointing potential genetic causes of stillbirth

Azathioprine exposure concerns raised for SLE mothers

Maternal cigarette smoking reduces reading accuracy in children

In utero exposure to BPA associated with decreased thyroid function in newborn sheep

New study confirms neurodevelopmental effects of PBDE flame retardant exposure in children

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

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