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Placental health in late pregnancy linked to childhood ADHD

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children may be associated with problems with the health of the placenta during late pregnancy, according to a new study by University of Iowa Health Care researchers.

30 Sep 2026

Advances in chemistry and delivery are taking oligonucleotide medicines beyond rare diseases

A review in Cell Reports Medicine examines how advances in oligonucleotide chemistry and delivery have established ASOs and RNA interference therapies as a class of genetic medicines, with 21 oligonucleotides approved at the time of writing. It also identifies extrahepatic delivery, safety, target validation, individualized treatment, and data quality as priorities as the field expands into common diseases and explores AI-assisted development.

24 Sep 2026

Common chemical exposures in pregnancy may be linked to early attention and memory

Researchers examined whether prenatal exposure to aromatic amines and cotinine was associated with attention, processing speed, and memory in 250 infants assessed at 7.5 months. The study found mixed patterns across cognitive measures, with several estimates suggesting poorer attention or memory but carrying substantial statistical uncertainty.

23 Sep 2026

Magnetic robotic fetoscope improves precision of twin transfusion surgery

In Switzerland, around 2,400 children are born as twins every year. When the fetuses share a placenta, they are connected to one another via blood vessels.

16 Sep 2026

Maternal obesity alters fetal liver metabolism via placental molecular signals

A mother's obesity during pregnancy may send molecular signals across the placenta that permanently alter her son's liver metabolism, according to a new study in mice published in Nature Communications.

26 Aug 2026

Book reframes pregnancy loss as a natural trial-and-error process

According to a new book from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign anthropology professor Kate Clancy, pregnancy is necessarily fraught, involving a series of tests of egg, embryo and reproductive system viability, with potential losses at every stage.

24 Aug 2026

Multiple long-term conditions raise pregnancy risks, study finds

Women who begin pregnancy with two or more pre-existing, long-term physical or mental health conditions have 20% higher risk of miscarriage, 69% higher risk of severe nausea and vomiting, and around four times the risk of anxiety and depression, compared with those with no long-term conditions.

18 Aug 2026

Placental biology breakthrough could make biologic medicines safer during pregnancy

Biologic medicines have transformed the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, migraine, inflammatory disorders and many other diseases.

14 Aug 2026

Two early-life findings stood out in children who later screened positive for autism risk

Children born very preterm were more likely than term-born children to screen positive for autism risk at age 5 using the Social Communication Questionnaire. Among very preterm children, cerebellar abnormalities at term-equivalent age and moderate-to-severe histologic chorioamnionitis were independently associated with higher autism screening risk, alongside male sex and higher social risk.

13 Aug 2026

New research highlights carbohydrate role in early human brain development

Fruit, honey and other naturally sweet foods may have helped fuel the evolution of the human brain, according to new research from the University of Sydney and the University of Glasgow.

7 Aug 2026

Air pollution in pregnancy raises birth risks differently across trimesters

A population-based study of 26,582 live singleton births in Madrid found that associations between NO₂ exposure and adverse birth outcomes varied by pregnancy stage, with key patterns emerging in the first and third trimesters.

6 Aug 2026

Blood filtration method helps clear circulating lipids and toxic microplastics

The machine is not new. Some version of it has run in hospital treatment rooms for about four decades, drawing blood from one arm, separating out the plasma, passing it across a filter or an adsorber, and returning it to the other arm.

4 Aug 2026

NIH awards $2.4 million to study how maternal viral infections reprogram fetal immune development

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a new, five-year $2.4 million R01 grant to Dr. Jiahui Ding, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine's C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, to support research that aims to uncover how viral infections during pregnancy reprogram the developing immune system of the fetus, influencing susceptibility to infectious diseases throughout life.

29 Jul 2026

Study discovers new therapeutic targets for severe preeclampsia

Unusual behavior in the cells of mothers and babies with preeclampsia may provide new therapeutic targets for the condition, finds a new UCL-led study.

24 Jul 2026

Individualized treatment speeds recovery for babies with opioid withdrawal

A major new study shows that individualized treatment for babies born with opioid withdrawal can speed recovery and reduce time spent in the hospital.

24 Jul 2026

Air pollution mixtures linked to higher early preterm birth risk

Pregnancy puts higher oxygen demands on the body, so expectant mothers breathe significantly more air over the course of a day. When air quality is bad, they're also breathing in more harmful pollutants.

21 Jul 2026

Researchers rank 11 preeclampsia therapies as top candidates for further development

Researchers ranked 83 preclinical candidates for preventing or treating preeclampsia and eclampsia, identifying 11 as having high potential for further development. The analysis also revealed limited target diversity, moderate bias, inactive programs, and animal models that may not fully represent human pregnancy

15 Jul 2026

Micro and nanoplastics in the blood linked to increased heart attack risk factors

People who have suffered a serious heart attack had higher levels of micro and nanoplastics in their blood, compared to patients diagnosed with chronic ischemic heart disease and those who have normal blood vessels supplying the heart, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal today (Wednesday).

14 Jul 2026

New accessible placental measurement method could help prevent stillbirths

When Ann O'Neill suffered a stillbirth in 2018, she was bewildered. She was already a mother to three healthy children and therefore had received no information on stillbirth prevention from her doctors.

14 Jul 2026

Paracetamol during pregnancy does not raise autism or ADHD risk

A sibling-matched study finds no link between prenatal paracetamol use and autism or ADHD, reassuring its safety when clinically indicated during pregnancy.

2 Jul 2026