Prenatal News and Research

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Long-term stress for the mother can influence growth of unborn child through amniotic fluid

The feeling of constantly being on edge, always having to take care of everything, not being able to find a balance: If an expectant mother is strongly stressed over a longer period of time, the risk of the unborn child developing a mental or physical illness later in life - such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or cardiovascular disease - increases.

30 May 2017

A new Zika threat hovers as summer’s mosquitoes get bzzzzy

Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that triggered public health alarm bells last summer, has receded from the spotlight. But, experts say, expect the virus to pose a renewed threat this year.

30 May 2017

Physical stress to mother during pregnancy can influence growth of unborn child

If the mother is stressed over a longer period of time during pregnancy, the concentration of stress hormones in amniotic fluid rises, as proven by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Zurich. Short-term stress situations, however, do not seem to have an unfavorable effect on the development of the fetus.

29 May 2017

Mindfulness training during childbirth can help cope with labor pain, reduce depression symptoms

Mindfulness may be good for new moms. A study this month from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California, San Francisco shows mindfulness training that addresses fear and pain during childbirth can improve women's childbirth experiences and reduce their depression symptoms during pregnancy and the early postpartum period.

24 May 2017

Exposure to high prenatal stress and air pollution linked to increased risk for childhood asthma

A new study has found that children, especially boys, whose mothers were exposed to higher levels of outdoor particulate air pollution at the same time that they were very stressed were most likely to develop asthma by age six.

22 May 2017

New report highlights racial, ethnic inequalities in Chicago

Despite some progress, significant racial inequities have stagnated, and in some cases grown worse, in Chicago since the civil rights movement, according to a new report by University of Illinois at Chicago researchers.

16 May 2017

Gestational exposure to marijuana smoke may have lasting effects on the retina

Scientists have shown for the first time that gestational exposure to marijuana smoke in animals affects the development of the eye and these alterations seem to progress with age.

8 May 2017

Obese women may get less dangerous form of preeclampsia, study suggests

Despite having higher rates of preeclampsia, a dangerous high-blood pressure disorder of late pregnancy, obese women may be less than half as likely to suffer strokes, seizures, and other serious complications of the disorder. The

5 May 2017

New conference aims to improve understanding of how advances in genomics influence society

From prenatal genetic screening to the genetic testing of women with family histories of breast cancer, genomics is rapidly becoming a fixture in our lives.

5 May 2017

Pediatric cardiology expert advises pregnant women to ask three questions about fetal ultrasounds

For pregnant women, it is standard practice to get a general fetal ultrasound between 18 to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Ultrasound scans, which use high-frequency sound waves to show images of the fetus, placenta and amniotic fluid, help the doctor see how the baby is developing and detect possible birth defects.

5 May 2017

Lost function of genes impairs development of motor skills in maturing mice

Scientists report in Neuron the lost function of two genes prevents infant laboratory mice from developing motor skills as they mature into adults. Researchers also suggest in their study that people with certain motor development disabilities be tested to see if they have mutant forms of the same genes.

3 May 2017

Phthalate exposure linked to increased risk of allergies among children

Phthalates, which are used as plasticizers in plastics, can considerably increase the risk of allergies among children.

3 May 2017

Prenatal cocaine exposure linked to increased risk of drug use among teens

While the crack cocaine epidemic peaked in the late 1980's, its effects are still causing harm to an estimated 3 million teenagers and young adults exposed to the stimulant in the womb.

3 May 2017

ARVO 2017 to showcase latest advances in treatments for eye disease and blindness

The Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology is the largest gathering of eye and vision researchers in the world, with over 11,000 attendees from more than 75 countries.

2 May 2017

Glycated CD59 identified as novel biomarker for screening and diagnosis of gestational diabetes

Mellitus, LLC today reported the publication of results from a prospective, investigator-initiated study conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital demonstrating the potential clinical utility of glycated CD59 (GCD59) as a novel biomarker for the screening and diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus.

28 Apr 2017

Marijuana use among pregnant women linked to low birth weight infants

In a new study, researchers in London, Ontario found that women who used marijuana while pregnant were almost three times more likely to have an infant with low birth weight than women who did not use marijuana.

27 Apr 2017

New blood test could help identify women at higher risk for developing gestational diabetes

A new study led by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital has found that a single measurement of plasma glycated CD59 (GCD59), a novel biomarker for diabetes, at weeks 24-28 of gestation identified, with high sensitivity and specificity, women who failed the glucose challenge test as well as women with gestational diabetes.

27 Apr 2017

Prenatal News and Research

Long-term stress for the mother can influence growth of unborn child through amniotic fluid

A new Zika threat hovers as summer’s mosquitoes get bzzzzy

Physical stress to mother during pregnancy can influence growth of unborn child

Mindfulness training during childbirth can help cope with labor pain, reduce depression symptoms

Exposure to high prenatal stress and air pollution linked to increased risk for childhood asthma

New report highlights racial, ethnic inequalities in Chicago

Gestational exposure to marijuana smoke may have lasting effects on the retina

Obese women may get less dangerous form of preeclampsia, study suggests

New conference aims to improve understanding of how advances in genomics influence society

Pediatric cardiology expert advises pregnant women to ask three questions about fetal ultrasounds

Lost function of genes impairs development of motor skills in maturing mice

Phthalate exposure linked to increased risk of allergies among children

Prenatal cocaine exposure linked to increased risk of drug use among teens

ARVO 2017 to showcase latest advances in treatments for eye disease and blindness

Glycated CD59 identified as novel biomarker for screening and diagnosis of gestational diabetes

Marijuana use among pregnant women linked to low birth weight infants

New blood test could help identify women at higher risk for developing gestational diabetes

Artificial womb could improve survival among premature babies

Collaboration between Hamilton Robotics and Illumina creates noninvasive streamlined prenatal testing solution

Study compares alcohol consumption during pregnancy across European countries

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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