Prenatal News and Research

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Study suggests potential way to predict autism or psychosis risk in children with genetic abnormality

Doctors and researchers have long known that children who are missing about 60 genes on a certain chromosome are at a significantly elevated risk for developing either a disorder on the autism spectrum or psychosis — that is, any mental disorder characterized by delusions and hallucinations, including schizophrenia. But there has been no way to predict which child with the abnormality might be at risk for which disorder.

28 Jul 2015

Girls are born with weaker spines compared to boys, study finds

Looking at measurements of the vertebrae - the series of small bones that make up the spinal column - in newborn children, investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles found that differences between the sexes are present at birth. Results of the study, now online in advance of publication in the August issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, suggest that this difference is evolutionary, allowing the female spine to adapt to the fetal load during pregnancy.

25 Jul 2015

Screening for HIV in pregnancy eliminates vertical transmission

Canada has almost eliminated mother-to-child HIV transmission, known as vertical transmission, in recent years by ensuring that all women have the opportunity to be screened for HIV in pregnancy and that women with the disease receive treatment before giving birth.

23 Jul 2015

Adverse life events in childhood can increase woman's risk of preterm birth

Like most health professionals, David Olson has known for some time of the dangers posed by excessive stress. His latest research, though, is giving surprising new insight into how chronic stress in childhood can have an impact years after it occurred in women giving birth.

17 Jul 2015

Noninvasive prenatal testing clue to maternal malignancy

A preliminary study lends support to the hypothesis that a false-positive noninvasive prenatal test finding could be due to the presence of an occult maternal cancer.

16 Jul 2015

Noninvasive prenatal screening could detect maternal cancer

A study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that genetic test results, as revealed by non-invasive prenatal testing for fetal chromosome abnormalities, may detect underlying conditions in the mother, including cancer.

15 Jul 2015

New five point model of midwifery care results in safer birth outcomes, lower Cesarean Section rates

Donna Tabas, CNM, M.S., has developed a new five point model of midwifery care for low risk women that results in faster, safe, natural and empowering labor and birthing outcomes in both first time and repeat birthing mothers and extremely low Cesarean Section rates.

14 Jul 2015

Newborn's first stool can signal future cognitive problems

A newborn's first stool can signal the child may struggle with persistent cognitive problems, according to Case Western Reserve University Project Newborn researchers.

14 Jul 2015

Sequenom Laboratories announces launch of MaterniT GENOME test

Sequenom Laboratories, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sequenom, Inc., a life sciences company committed to enabling healthier lives through the development of innovative products and services, announced today the upcoming launch of the MaterniT GENOME laboratory-developed test.

13 Jul 2015

Kay E. Davies named recipient of ASHG's 2015 William Allan Award

The American Society of Human Genetics has named Kay E. Davies, DPhil, Dr. Lee's professor of anatomy, associate head of the medical sciences division; and director of the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit in the department of physiology, anatomy and genetics at the University of Oxford, the 2015 recipient of the annual William Allan Award.

30 Jun 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

Vitamin K-deficient bleeding increasingly common in newborns

Vitamin K, which has been administered to newborns as an injection since it was first recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1961, is vital for blood to clot normally. Despite it being given as standard medical practice since then, vitamin K-deficient bleeding (VKDB) is being seen more often in newborns than it has in decades.

23 Jun 2015

Compass Group USA wins Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award

Compass Group USA was named as a 2015 National Business Group on Health Best Employer for Healthy Lifestyles for its ongoing commitment and dedication to promoting a healthy work environment and encouraging their associates and families to maintain healthy lifestyles.

18 Jun 2015

Study identifies new biomarkers for prenatal risk assessment

NX Prenatal Inc., a privately held women's healthcare molecular diagnostic company, announced today that the American Journal of Perinatology has published the results of a blinded, retrospective study of 48 asymptomatic, healthy pregnant women that demonstrates the feasibility of assessing biomarkers associated with blood based microvesicles/exosomes for spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) risk.

18 Jun 2015

New research suggests pedophiles more likely to have facial anomalies

New research suggests pedophiles are more likely to have superficial facial flaws, known as Minor Physical Anomalies (MPAs). They are also more likely to be left-handed, says Fiona Dyshniku of the University of Windsor in Canada. She led an investigation into the prevalence and distribution of physical anomalies among men who are sent for sexological assessment.

11 Jun 2015

Study on how maternal proteins help regulate initial cell divisions during early development

Researchers in the University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center are visually capturing the first process of chromosome alignment and separation at the beginning of mouse development. The findings could lead to answers to questions concerning the mechanisms leading to birth defects and chromosome instability in cancer cells.

10 Jun 2015

High air-temperature exposure during pregnancy increases risk of lower birth weight

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Harvard University researchers have developed a technique that measures the correlation between air temperature and birth weight. They evaluated the relationship between birth outcomes (focusing on birth weight) and ambient air temperature during pregnancy in Massachusetts between 2000 and 2008.

10 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

Non-invasive prenatal testing for Down's syndrome acceptable to parents

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for Down's syndrome is feasible, acceptable to parents, and could be introduced into the National Health Service, UK researchers say. The results of a National Institute for Health Research study carried out by the first NHS laboratory to provide NIPT testing will be reported to the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday).

8 Jun 2015

Non-invasive prenatal testing can detect maternal cancer at early stage

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for chromosomal foetal disorders is used increasingly to test for conditions such as Down's syndrome. NIPT examines DNA from the foetus in the mother's blood, and therefore does not carry the risk of miscarriage involved in invasive testing methods.

7 Jun 2015