Prenatal News and Research

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Researchers discover new and rare skeletal disease

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a new and rare skeletal disease. In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine they describe the molecular mechanism of the disease, in which small RNA molecules play a role that has never before been observed in a congenital human disease.

25 Feb 2019

Mothers with children taken into out-of-home care more likely to receive inadequate prenatal care

Mothers whose first child was taken into care were found to have inadequate or no prenatal care during subsequent pregnancies, according to a study published in CMAJ.

25 Feb 2019

New blood test detects genetic disorders in fetuses

Tel Aviv University researchers have developed a new blood test for genetic disorders that may allow parents to learn about the health of their baby as early as 11 weeks into pregnancy.

21 Feb 2019

Novel preclinical model mimics persistent interneuron loss seen in preterm infants

Research-clinicians at Children's National Health System have created a novel preclinical model that mimics the persistent interneuron loss seen in preterm human infants, identifying interneuron subtypes that could become future therapeutic targets to prevent or lessen neurodevelopmental risks, the team reports Jan. 31, 2019, in eNeuro.

20 Feb 2019

Prenatal exposure to forest fires causes stunted growth in children

Forest fires are more harmful than previously imagined, causing stunted growth in children who were exposed to smoke while in the womb, according to new research from Duke University and the National University of Singapore.

19 Feb 2019

Specialized lung cells appear in the developing fetus much earlier than previously thought

Specialized lung cells appear in the developing fetus much earlier than scientists previously thought. A new animal study reports how cells that become alveoli, the tiny compartments in which gas exchange occurs in the lung, begin their specialized roles very early in prenatal life.

19 Feb 2019

Fetal signaling pathways may offer future opportunities to treat lung damage

Specialized lung cells appear in the developing fetus much earlier than scientists previously thought. A new animal study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports how cells that become alveoli, the tiny compartments in which gas exchange occurs in the lung, begin their specialized roles very early in prenatal life.

18 Feb 2019

Prenatal exposures to BPA may pose threat to human ovarian function

While previous studies have shown the adverse health effects of prenatal exposure to the industrial chemical bisphenol A, there is little evidence surrounding effects specifically on ovarian function.

14 Feb 2019

Researchers map extremely complex chromosome aberrations using DNA puzzle pieces

Using puzzle pieces from four different DNA analyses, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have been able to map three extremely complex chromosome aberrations.

12 Feb 2019

Positive attitude during pregnancy could improve child's ability in maths and science

Using data from Bristol's Children of the 90s study the research is one of a series from the University of Bristol, that examines a parental personality attribute known as the 'locus of control'.

11 Feb 2019

Prenatal maternal depression has important consequences for infant temperament, study shows

A new Infant Mental Health Journal study demonstrates that prenatal maternal depression has important consequences for infant temperament. Furthermore, the negative impact of prenatal maternal depression appeared to be magnified when pregnant women lived through Superstorm Sandy.

6 Feb 2019

Study: Maternal age, body mass index, race affect hormone concentrations in pregnancy

Hormone concentrations during early fetal development -- that may affect the child's development and increase the mother's risk for breast and ovarian cancer years later -- are significantly affected by maternal age, body mass index and race rather than lifestyle, according to a Rutgers study.

5 Feb 2019

Resuming sexual activity after childbirth can be difficult for many mothers

Resuming sexual activity after pregnancy isn't always like riding a bike, especially for mothers experiencing postpartum pain, fatigue and stress.

5 Feb 2019

Genetic testing improves diagnoses of abnormalities in developing babies

Genetic testing improves the diagnoses of abnormalities in developing babies that are picked up during ultrasound scans, scientists report today (31 January) in The Lancet.

1 Feb 2019

New understanding could help improve prediction and prevention of depression

In a new study, researchers from the Danish iPSYCH project demonstrate that people with the highest genetic propensity are over two and a half times as likely to be treated in a psychiatric hospital for depression compared to people with the lowest propensity.

31 Jan 2019

New link found between psychiatric disorders and events during the prenatal stage

Particular genetic variants in the human genome that are important for the development of the brain early in the life of the fetus are frequently found in psychiatric disorders. This is shown by a study carried out by iPSYCH.

31 Jan 2019

Black women have much higher risk of pregnancy-related stroke than whites

The risk of pregnancy-related stroke is much higher among black women than among white women, according to preliminary research to be presented in Honolulu at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2019, a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease.

30 Jan 2019

Association between tobacco use and paranoia is largely due to shared genetic influences

Paranoia is associated with regular tobacco smoking in adolescents after accounting for other factors like cannabis use, sleep disturbances and stressful life events, reports a study recently published to the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

25 Jan 2019

Cardiovascular disease risk begins even before birth

Heart disease is the greatest killer in the world today, and it is widely accepted that our genes interact with traditional lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking, obesity and/or a sedentary life to promote an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

23 Jan 2019

New research discusses ramifications of low DHA levels among pregnant women

A new scientific paper has, for the first time, proposed an omega-3 DHA target blood level of 5% or higher for pregnant women who want to reduce their risk of preterm birth.