Placenta News and Research

RSS

Human genome is like a time machine, says researcher

The human genome is a bit like a time machine, says Ben Voight, an associate professor in Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics and of Genetics in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine.

3 Apr 2018

High levels of humanin protein found in placenta of women who delivered low-birthweight babies

For the first time, UCLA scientists have discovered higher levels of a protein called humanin in the placenta tissue of women who give birth to severely underweight infants.

28 Mar 2018

Study reveals genes that cause extreme nausea and vomiting in pregnancy

Researchers have identified two genes that are associated with severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, a condition known of as hyperemesis gravidarum.

22 Mar 2018

Study identifies two genes associated with extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy

Most women experience some morning sickness during pregnancy, but about 2 percent of pregnant women experience a more severe form of nausea and vomiting.

21 Mar 2018

The Importance of Fetal Fibronectin Testing for Women with Symptomatic Preterm Labor

Preterm birth is a dangerous condition that often goes undiagnosed. Fetal fibronectin (fFN) is a biomarker for preterm labor, but testing for fFN is widely underused. We explore this issue with Dr. Michael S. Ruma, a maternal-fetal specialist from the Perinatal Associates of New Mexico.

14 Mar 2018

Simple dietary supplement found to improve birth outcomes

A simple dietary supplement (L-arginine) was found to improve birth outcomes, paving the way for future clinical trials to test this inexpensive and safe intervention.

9 Mar 2018

One in 14 pregnant women continue to smoke

According to a report released this week (28th February 2018), one in 14 women who have given birth in the United States has smoked during their pregnancy despite warnings regarding the harmful effects of the same. The report comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC’s) National Center for Health Statistics.

1 Mar 2018

Diabetes drug use during pregnancy may increase risk of obesity or overweight in children

When women take the common diabetes medication metformin during pregnancy, it may put their children at increased risk of having obesity or overweight.

28 Feb 2018

Study finds high rate of neonatal infections in Madagascar

Every year in the world, 4 million children die before the age of one, mainly in resource-limited countries, one-third of them due to a severe infection. The neonatal period alone (first month of life) accounts for one third of deaths before the age of one.

27 Feb 2018

New study identifies novel molecular biomarkers of preeclampsia

Preeclampsia, a sudden pregnancy complication that can interfere with the blood flow to the placenta and possibly to the fetus, can lead to low birth weight, prematurity and even death.

22 Feb 2018

Father's stress affects the brain development of offspring, mice study shows

New research in mice has found that a father's stress affects the brain development of his offspring. This stress changes the father's sperm, which can then alter the brain development of the child. This new research provides a much better understanding of the key role that fathers play in the brain development of offspring.

19 Feb 2018

Researchers receive major boost to explore long-standing paradigm in endocrinology

A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside, seeking to upend a long-held theory explaining how hormones freely enter and exit cells, has received a major boost in the form of a $1 million award from the W. M. Keck Foundation.

5 Feb 2018

Viruses closely related to Zika may cause fetal brain damage and death, study finds

Two viruses closely related to Zika – West Nile and Powassan – can spread from an infected pregnant mouse to her fetuses, causing brain damage and fetal death, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

31 Jan 2018

As marijuana laws relax, doctors say pregnant women shouldn’t partake

Two-year-old Maverick Hawkins sits on a red, plastic car in his grandmother’s living room in the picturesque town of Nevada City, Calif., in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. His playpal Delilah Smith, a fellow 2-year-old, snacks on hummus and cashews and delights over the sounds of her Princess Peppa Pig stuffie.

31 Jan 2018

Researchers grow human trophoblast stem cells for the first time

In a milestone achievement for better understanding the development and function of the human placenta, scientists have derived and grown trophoblast stem cells for the first time.

24 Jan 2018

Changes in vaginal bacteria associated with premature births

Changes to the communities of microbes living in the reproductive tract of pregnant women could help to spot those at risk of giving birth prematurely.

24 Jan 2018

Research shows how Zika virus damages placenta to cause malformations in babies

Though the Zika virus is widely known for a recent outbreak that caused children to be born with microencephaly, or having a small head, and other malformations, scientists have struggled to explain how the virus affects a baby as it grows in the womb.

19 Jan 2018