Placenta News and Research

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Study reveals how early placenta solves the problem of supplying oxygen to growing embryos

A new role for the placenta has been revealed by University of Manchester scientists who have identified sites which store, and gradually release, oxygen for newly formed embryos in the weeks after the baby's heart is developed.

10 Sep 2015

Fetal microchimerism could be a subtle and dizzyingly complex puzzle

Parents go to great lengths to ensure the health and well-being of their developing offspring. The favor, however, may not always be returned.

29 Aug 2015

New non-invasive image processing technique may improve IVF success rates

A collaboration between biologists and engineers at Monash University has led to the development of a new non-invasive image processing technique to visualise embryo formation. Researchers were able to see, for the first time, the movement of all of the cells in living mammalian embryos as they develop under the microscope.

29 Aug 2015

Multiple IV administration of adipose-derived MSCs may extend healthy life and lifespan

Researchers in Korea have determined the possibility that adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may extend healthy life and lifespan by intravenous injections.

28 Aug 2015

New Pitt analysis reveals causes of stillbirth among obese women

Obese women are nearly twice as likely as their lean counterparts to have stillborn babies for several specific, potentially preventable medical reasons, a new University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health analysis reveals.

27 Aug 2015

Transplanting mesenchymal stromal cells derived from amniotic membranes can benefit eye diseases

A team of researchers in South Korea has successfully transplanted mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from human amniotic membranes of the placenta (AMSCs) into laboratory mice modeled with oxygen-induced retinopathy (a murine model used to mimic eye disease).

20 Aug 2015

New study offers first clinical recommendations for headache diagnosis in pregnant women

If a pregnant woman with high blood pressure and no history of headache suddenly develops a headache that quickly gets worse, she could be at risk for pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, which put both the mother and fetus at risk.

20 Aug 2015

Women's Medicine Collaborative awarded NIH grant to study link between placenta and sleep abnormalities

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $2.7 million to the Women's Medicine Collaborative to study the placenta and its function to determine whether changes in the placenta are linked to sleep abnormalities.

14 Aug 2015

Single incidence of abortion or miscarriage may impact subsequent pregnancies in women's lives

It has been well established that women who have had several abortions or miscarriages are likely to face a slightly higher risk of complications in subsequent pregnancies. They may experience vaginal bleeding during early pregnancy, preterm birth, low fetal birth weight, and placenta-related complications. Women with a medical history of several interrupted pregnancies are usually advised to take extra precautions to ensure healthy full-term pregnancies later in life.

12 Aug 2015

MiMedx Group reports record revenues and earnings for Q2 2015

MiMedx Group, Inc., the leading regenerative medicine company utilizing human amniotic tissue and patent-protected processes to develop and market advanced products and therapies for the Wound Care, Surgical, Orthopedic, Spine, Sports Medicine, Ophthalmic and Dental sectors of healthcare, announced today its record results for the second quarter of 2015.

30 Jul 2015

Study finds that serum biomarkers can predict pre-eclampsia risk in pregnant women

Levels of biomarkers in the blood of pregnant women can be used to predict which women are at risk of pre-eclampsia, finds a study published today (22 July) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG). ADMA and Hcy, both known to be raised in women with pre-eclampsia, are present in the blood in higher than normal concentrations a month before the onset of the condition.

23 Jul 2015

Americord Registry reports new policy for client reimbursement

Americord Registry, a private cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta tissue banking company, announced today that it is introducing a new policy for client reimbursement. Starting immediately, Americord will offer full reimbursements for cancellation fees that are often incurred by parents who sign up with other cord blood banks.

15 Jul 2015

WSU researcher secures $1.25 million NIH grant to study role of rosiglitazone drug in reversing preeclampsia

Sascha Drewlo, Ph.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has secured a $1.25 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to study the role of approved drugs to improve placental function.

8 Jul 2015

Research: Fetuses more vulnerable to some pollutants that penetrate into feto-maternal system

Toxic environmental contaminants are increasingly known to cause a number of severe health problems, in particular on fetuses, including heart failure, low cognitive ability, delayed development, and neurobehavioral disorders.

27 Jun 2015

Americord Registry, Smart Cells International partner to educate parents on benefits of cord blood banking

Today, Americord Registry announced a new partnership with Smart Cells International, the first cord blood company in the United Kingdom, as part of its initiatives during Cord Blood Awareness Month (July) to educate parents around the globe on the benefits of cord blood banking.

26 Jun 2015

NIH researchers develop 'placenta-on-a-chip' to study role of placenta in pregnancy

National Institutes of Health researchers and their colleagues have developed a "placenta-on-a-chip" to study the inner workings of the human placenta and its role in pregnancy. The device was designed to imitate, on a micro-level, the structure and function of the placenta and model the transfer of nutrients from mother to fetus. This prototype is one of the latest in a series of organ-on-a-chip technologies developed to accelerate biomedical advances.

18 Jun 2015

Study shows that women with endometriosis at increased risk of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy

Women with endometriosis are at an increased risk of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, according to results of a huge nationwide study presented today. Moreover, women with a history of endometriosis whose pregnancies progressed beyond 24 weeks were found to be at a higher than average risk of complications, including haemorrhage (ante- and postpartum) and preterm birth.

15 Jun 2015

Study: Non-invasive prenatal testing works in women at high risk of having babies with Down's syndrome

Results from a national study of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in women at high risk of having a baby with Down's syndrome will be presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday).

8 Jun 2015

March of Dimes funds studies that explore factors, mechanisms involved in placental malaria

Malaria infection during pregnancy poses serious risks to women and infants. The March of Dimes Foundation, an American organization that works to improve pregnancy and baby health, has now funded Carlos Penha-Goncalves' laboratory, at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC, Portugal), for their studies on factors and mechanisms involved in placental malaria. This is the first time that this American Foundation funds research from a Portuguese Institution.

3 Jun 2015

Non-coding RNAs in maternal food can pass through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression

In a new study published in the Protein & Cell, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University reports that small non-coding RNAs in maternal food can transfer through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression.

14 May 2015