Prenatal News and Research

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Viral infection during pregnancy affects maternal care and can trigger depression in offspring

A viral infection in a pregnant woman not only affects her subsequent ability to provide maternal care but can also trigger depression in her offspring, which can then even extend into the next generation as a result of changes to genetic mechanisms in the brain.

15 Dec 2016

Additional MRI scan during pregnancy could help accurately detect foetal abnormalities

An additional MRI scan during pregnancy could help to more accurately detect foetal abnormalities and give more certainty for parents whose 20-week ultrasound scan showed a potential problem, according to new research by scientists at the University of Sheffield.

15 Dec 2016

Families are probably not financially burdened by their childrens' Down Syndrome medical care

The first study to analyze the out-of-pocket costs to families for the medical care of children and adolescents with Down syndrome finds that monthly costs - averaged over the first 18 years of life - are less than $100 a month more than the costs for care of a typically developing child. The report published in American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A also finds that the additional costs are lower when the child is older.

14 Dec 2016

Study reveals self-harm is leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Colorado

Self-harm was the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths in Colorado from 2004 to 2014, ahead of car crashes, medical conditions and homicide, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

9 Dec 2016

Woman’s history of drug use can help predict risk of postpartum stress and anxiety

New research from North Carolina State University and the University of British Columbia finds that a woman's lifetime history of drug use can help predict whether the woman will suffer from problems with stress and anxiety after childbirth.

8 Dec 2016

Experts discuss ways to integrate whole genome analysis into clinical practice at Congenica webinar

Whole genome analysis – where all of a patient’s genes are screened for potential disease causing variants – offers the potential for a rapid, responsive NHS testing service.

6 Dec 2016

Elucigene collaborates with Congenica to develop new NGS kit for cystic fibrosis

The emergence of new therapies that treat the causes of cystic fibrosis are creating an imperative for more accurate variant analysis.

2 Dec 2016

Japanese researchers discover new method for predicting congenital CMV infection in fetuses

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can cause serious complications such as hearing difficulties and mental retardation in affected infants.

25 Nov 2016

Exposure to allergens during pregnancy alters the brain makeup of fetuses and newborn rats

A new study in rats could begin to explain why allergies during pregnancy are linked to higher risks for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism in children.

17 Nov 2016

Prenatal cigarette smoke exposure and high temperatures linked to increased SIDS risk

Researchers are a step closer to understanding why cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

16 Nov 2016

Prenatal exposure to mother's stress causes microbial changes that persist into adulthood

Prenatal exposure to a mother's stress contributes to anxiety and cognitive problems that persist into adulthood, a phenomenon that could be explained by lasting - and potentially damaging - changes in the microbiome, according to new research in mice.

15 Nov 2016

Low-cost eye drops just as effective as antibiotics in treating bacterial keratitis, study reports

Bacterial keratitis, an infection of the cornea often caused by contact lenses, malnutrition, or an injury, can lead to corneal scarring, one of the leading causes of blindness around the globe, according to the World Health Organization. It has blinded more than 400,000 children worldwide.

14 Nov 2016

Medicaid programs cover more number of preterm births than private insurance plans, study shows

Medicaid programs cover a higher proportion of preterm births than private insurance plans, according to a new study from researchers at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and the March of Dimes.

11 Nov 2016

Researchers identify blood test that may help predict FASD during pregnancy

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine and the Omni-Net Birth Defects Prevention Program in Ukraine have identified a blood test that may help predict how severely a baby will be affected by alcohol exposure during pregnancy, according to a study published November 9 in the journal PLOS ONE.

9 Nov 2016

Researchers find timing, duration of androgen exposure can influence genital defects in female mice

University of Florida researchers have identified cells targeted by a male hormone and found that an excess of that hormone at a specific time can cause genital defects in female mice.

8 Nov 2016

Individualized vitamin D supplementation may benefit women during pregnancy

Individualized supplement doses help protect pregnant women from vitamin D deficiency, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

27 Oct 2016

Choline deficiency in sows during pregnancy impacts nutrient composition of milk

Choline is an essential nutrient that is used by the body in a number of ways. However, nearly 90 percent of adults do not get the recommended amount in their diets.

24 Oct 2016

Gut microbes can modify our mood and behaviour, research reveals

If aliens were to examine a human, they would think we were just slavish organisms designed to feed microbes and carry them around.

21 Oct 2016

New edition of Nurturing Natures gets right to the heart of children's emotional development

This new edition of the bestselling text, Nurturing Natures, provides an indispensable synthesis of the latest scientific knowledge about children's emotional development.