Prenatal News and Research

RSS

Babies exposed to higher levels of organochlorine compounds in womb may have worse lung function

Babies exposed to higher levels of organochlorine compounds in the womb go on to have worse lung function in childhood, according to new research presented today at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

18 Sep 2018

Study: Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are immunologically disparate at birth

Neonatal concentrations of eight detectable inflammatory markers were significantly different in children later diagnosed with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) compared with controls.

14 Sep 2018

Discovery of key mechanism may lead to more functional skin grafts for burn victims

University of Colorado Boulder researchers have discovered a key mechanism by which skin begins to develop in embryos, shedding light on the genetic roots of birth defects like cleft palate and paving the way for development of more functional skin grafts for burn victims.

14 Sep 2018

Overweight mothers more likely to stop breastfeeding sooner than healthy weight women

Overweight mothers are more likely than those classed as being of a healthy weight to stop breastfeeding in the first week after having a baby and less likely to continue past four months, according to a new study from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Auckland.

12 Sep 2018

Prenatal cannabinoid use can cause behavioral and neuronal deficits in male offspring

Taking cannabinoids during pregnancy can cause behavioral and neuronal deficits in adult male offspring, while females remain unaffected, says new research published in eLife.

12 Sep 2018

Alzheimer’s risk gene may play role in neurological effects of air pollution in children

There is growing evidence that exposure to air pollution adversely affects cognitive and behavioural development in children.

6 Sep 2018

Children experiencing homelessness for more than six months have high risk of poor health outcomes

Experiencing homelessness at any time during the pre- or postnatal period can negatively affect a young child's health.

3 Sep 2018

New study examines scope of state policies targeting drug use by pregnant women

Policymakers and public health experts have long recognized the harm that can come to fetuses if women use drugs during pregnancy.

20 Aug 2018

Study shows electronic health records leave doctors and patients unsatisfied

Electronic Health Records are intended to streamline and improve access to information - and have been shown to improve quality of care - but a new study shows they also leave both doctors and patients unsatisfied, even after full implementation.

17 Aug 2018

Maternal stress increases anxious and depressive-like behaviors in female offspring

High maternal levels of the stress hormone cortisol during pregnancy increase anxious and depressive-like behaviors in female offspring at the age of 2, reports a new study in Biological Psychiatry.

16 Aug 2018

Prenatal exposure to violence increases toddlers' aggressive behavior to their mothers

Babies whose mothers experience interpersonal violence during pregnancy are more likely to exhibit aggression and defiance toward their mothers in toddlerhood, according to new research by Laura Miller-Graff,assistant professor of psychology and peace studies, and Jennifer Burke Lefever, managing director of the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, both at the University of Notre Dame.

16 Aug 2018

New research confirms link between DDT exposure and autism

The results of a national birth cohort study published today provide biomarker evidence that DDT increases the risk of autism.

15 Aug 2018

Prenatal Tdap vaccination not linked with increased risk of autism in children, study shows

A Kaiser Permanente study of more than 80,000 children born over a 4-year period showed that the prenatal Tdap vaccination (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) was not associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in children.

13 Aug 2018

Scientists identify key neurobiological mechanisms that control aggression

A number of psychiatric disorders present with aggression and violence, which, needless to say, are destructive to both individuals and societies worldwide: death, disease, disability, and numerous socioeconomic problems can often be traced back to aggressive behavior.

9 Aug 2018

Rutgers researchers receive $2.5 million NIEHS grant to study cadmium exposure in expecting mothers

Rutgers researchers, with the aid of $2.5 million National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant, will study how exposure to cadmium during pregnancy can impact fetal development.

7 Aug 2018

Women with PCOS more likely to have an autistic child

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are more likely than other women to have an autistic child, according to an analysis of NHS data carried out by a team at Cambridge University's Autism Research Centre.

1 Aug 2018

Father’s genes can affect quality of maternal care received by a newborn

A father’s genes are no longer thought to just provide a blueprint for the growth and development of their offspring.

1 Aug 2018

Drinking or smoking while breastfeeding and affects later cognition in children

According to a new study published this week in the journal Pediatrics, quite a few breast feeding women are not abstaining from alcohol and are thus causing exposure of their babies to alcohol. They write in their study that children who are exposed to alcohol in the breast milk that they take are likely to have lower cognitive abilities.

31 Jul 2018

Rat study shows negative effects of perinatal exposure to phthalates

Male and female rats exposed in the womb and during lactation to plasticizing chemicals known as phthalates had significantly fewer neurons and synapses than those that were not exposed, researchers report in a new study.

19 Jul 2018

New class of chemical compounds has potential for treating Zika virus and RSV

A new and promising class of chemical compounds has major potential for treating Zika virus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, according to a new study by University of Alberta scientists. The next step is to develop a drug.

12 Jul 2018