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Environ Int 2021 May 12;156:106627. Epub 2021 May 12.

State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.

Background: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) exist extensively and several of these have been verified to be toxic. Prenatal exposure to PFASs has attracted much attention. Metabolome-wide association analyses can be used to explore the toxicity mechanisms of PFASs by identifying associated biomarkers. Read More

J Mol Cell Cardiol 2021 May 12. Epub 2021 May 12.

National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK. Electronic address:

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant and well-studied internal modification of messenger RNAs among the various RNA modifications in eukaryotic cells. Moreover, it is increasingly recognized to regulate non-coding RNAs. The dynamic and reversible nature of m6A is ensured by the precise and coordinated activity of specific proteins able to insert ("write"), bind ("read") or remove ("erase") the m6A modification from coding and non-coding RNA molecules. Read More

J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2021 May 12. Epub 2021 May 12.

Objective: To explore factors that influence parents' decisions regarding the termination of pregnancy after the detection of fetal congenital heart disease (CHD).

Design: A prospective descriptive study.

Setting: The Institute of Pediatric Cardiology in the Schneider Children's Medical Center. Read More

J Clin Ultrasound 2021 May 15. Epub 2021 May 15.

Department of Gynecology, Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child-Care Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China.

X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED) is a rare congenital genetic disorder caused by mutations in the ectodysplasin A gene, resulting in dysplasia or complete absence of teeth, hair, and sweat glands. XLHED is rarely diagnosed prenatally. We describe a case of XLHED diagnosed with prenatal sonography and umbilical cord blood gene testing. Read More

J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021 May 15. Epub 2021 May 15.

Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University; The Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education; National Research Center for Assisted Reproductive Technology and Reproductive Genetics, Jinan, China.

Context: Obesity management prior to infertility treatment remains a challenge. To date, results from randomized clinical trials involving weight loss by lifestyle interventions have shown no evidence of improved live birth rate.

Objective: To determine whether pharmacologic weight-loss intervention before in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) can improve live birth rate among overweight or obese women. Read More

Nat Med 2021 May 14;27(5):882-891. Epub 2021 May 14.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco,, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect. Fetal screening ultrasound provides five views of the heart that together can detect 90% of complex CHD, but in practice, sensitivity is as low as 30%. Here, using 107,823 images from 1,326 retrospective echocardiograms and screening ultrasounds from 18- to 24-week fetuses, we trained an ensemble of neural networks to identify recommended cardiac views and distinguish between normal hearts and complex CHD. Read More

Complement Ther Clin Pract 2021 May 6;44:101414. Epub 2021 May 6.

Arizona State University, College of Health Solutions, 500 N 3rd St., Mail Code 3020, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA. Electronic address:

Purpose: To describe pregnant women's experiences and perceived facilitators/barriers of a prenatal yoga intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG).

Methods: Pregnant women (N = 13) were interviewed after participation in a 12-week prenatal yoga intervention to prevent EGWG. Interviews were summarized using thematic analysis. Read More

Gynecol Obstet Fertil Senol 2021 May 11. Epub 2021 May 11.

Institut méditerranéen d'imagerie médicale appliquée à la gynécologie, la grossesse et l'enfance IMAGE(2), 6, rue Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France; Unité de dépistage et de diagnostic prénatal, hôpital Saint-Joseph, 26, boulevard de Louvain, 13285 Marseille cedex, France. Electronic address:

Chin Med J (Engl) 2021 May 13. Epub 2021 May 13.

Department of Prenatal Diagnosis, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210004, China Center of Genetic Medicine, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210004, China.

Background: One inevitable shortcoming of non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS)/cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing is the uninterpretable ("no-call") result, which is mainly caused by an insufficient fetal fraction. This study was performed to investigate the factors associated with a successful second NIPS in these cases and determine the optimal management for women with initial no-call results.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of women who underwent NIPS with initial no-call results due to an insufficient fetal fraction from 2017 to 2019 in our center. Read More

Pediatr Cardiol 2021 May 14. Epub 2021 May 14.

Fetal & Neonatal Cardiology Program, Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

To define the relative importance of fetal diagnosis and comorbidities in severity of preoperative compromise, outcomes and hospitalization in neonatal coarctation of the aorta (CoA). Retrospective comparison of preoperative condition and postoperative course of neonates prenatally (PreDx n = 48) or postnatally diagnosed (PostDx n = 67) with CoA. Congenital and non-congenital comorbidities were adjusted for. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2021 Apr;9(8):653

Kidney Disease Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Background: Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is one of the most widely used organophosphorus pesticides globally and can accumulate in the kidney. Researchers have confirmed the regulatory functions of long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) in the kidney. However, very few studies have examined the effects of prenatal CPF exposure or lncRNA on kidney development. Read More

Environ Epigenet 2021 10;7(1):dvab004. Epub 2021 May 10.

Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, 500 S State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a type of phthalate plasticizer found in a variety of consumer products and poses a public health concern due to its metabolic and endocrine disruption activities. Dysregulation of epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, has been shown to be an important mechanism for the pathogenic effects of prenatal exposures, including phthalates. In this study, we used an established mouse model to study the effect of perinatal DEHP exposure on the DNA methylation profile in liver (a primary target tissue of DEHP) and blood (a common surrogate tissue) of both juvenile and adult mice. Read More

Arch Public Health 2021 May 13;79(1):76. Epub 2021 May 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Rheumatology, Immunology and Metabolic Bone Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, University Children's Hospital, Bialystok, Poland.

Background: Information about trends in perinatal and child health inequalities is scarce, especially in the Eastern Europe. We analyzed how mortality under 1 year of age has been changing in the Baltic States and the European Union (EU) over 25 years, and what associations occurred between changes in macroeconomic factors and mortality.

Methods: Data on fetal, neonatal, infant mortality, and macroeconomic factors were extracted from WHO database. Read More

BMC Med Ethics 2021 May 13;22(1):59. Epub 2021 May 13.

Department of Philosophy and Moral Sciences, Bioethics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, Blandijnberg 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.

Background: Breakthroughs in animal studies make the topic of human application of ectogenesis for medical and non-medical purposes more relevant than ever before. While current data do not yet demonstrate a reasonable expectation of clinical benefit soon, several groups are investigating the feasibility of artificial uteri for extracorporeal human gestation.

Main Text: This paper offers the first comprehensive and up to date discussion of the most important pros and cons of human ectogenesis in light of clinical application, along with an examination of crucial ethical (and legal) issues that continued research into, and the clinical translation of, ectogenesis gives rise to. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 2021 May 10:100391. Epub 2021 May 10.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI; Center for Advancing Population Science, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI. Electronic address:

Objective: There are significant racial disparities in obstetric outcomes with the incidence of preterm birth (PTB) being the highest in non-Hispanic black women. The presence of green space, such as forests and parks, is now widely viewed as a health-promoting characteristic of residential environments. The objective of this study was to examine the association between proximity of tree canopy to a prenatal residential address and the rates of PTB in non-Hispanic black women in Milwaukee, WI. Read More

Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2021 May 13. Epub 2021 May 13.

Counties Manukau Health, Auckland, New Zealand.

Aims: There are few data on pregnancy outcomes in women with pre-diabetes (HbA1c 41-49 mmol/mmol) at pregnancy booking. We aimed to (i) identify the proportion of women in Counties Manukau Health (CMH), South Auckland, New Zealand (NZ), with pre-diabetes at booking and (ii) compare outcomes between women with normal HbA1c and pre-diabetes.

Materials And Methods: Using data from a multi-ethnic population of 10,869 singleton pregnancies, booked at <20 weeks from January 2017 to December 2018 in CMH, we compared outcomes between those with normal HbA1c (≤40 mmol/mol) and those with pre-diabetes (HbA1c 41-49 mmol/mol). Read More

Hum Reprod Update 2021 May 13. Epub 2021 May 13.

Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam 3015CN, The Netherlands.

Background: Chromosomal mosaicism can be detected in different stages of early life: in cleavage stage embryos, in blastocysts and biopsied cells from blastocysts during preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A) and later during prenatal testing, as well as after birth in cord blood. Mosaicism at all different stages can be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. There is an onward discussion about whether blastocysts diagnosed as chromosomally mosaic by PGT-A should be considered safe for transfer. Read More

Int J Epidemiol 2021 May 13. Epub 2021 May 13.

Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

Background: The association between maternal smoking in pregnancy and offspring intellectual disability (ID) is less well understood than that of smoking and fetal growth restriction. As fetal growth and cognitive development may share similar confounding structures, comparison of the two associations may improve understanding of the causal nature of the association with ID. Furthermore, comparisons of smoking with smokeless tobacco use may aid identification of mechanisms of action. Read More

J Clin Invest 2021 May 13. Epub 2021 May 13.

Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute-Campus Clinic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. As predicated by its prenatal origin, infant B-ALL (iB-ALL) shows an exceptionally silent DNA mutational landscape, suggesting that alternative epigenetic mechanisms may substantially contribute to its leukemogenesis. Here, we have integrated genome-wide DNA methylome and transcriptome data from 69 patients with de novo MLL-rearranged (MLLr) and non-MLLr iB-ALL leukemias uniformly treated according to Interfant-99/06 protocol. Read More

Death Stud 2021 May 13:1-10. Epub 2021 May 13.

Department of Educational Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.

Despite the high prevalence of miscarriage and stillbirth, prenatally bereaved couples tend to experience a sense of isolation or loneliness after their loss. The purpose of this study was to describe the prenatal loss experiences of partners from a sociocultural perspective. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with 10 couples ( = 20). Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2021 May 3;4(5):e219878. Epub 2021 May 3.

Department of Pediatrics, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Importance: The Zika virus infects progenitor neuron cells, disrupts cerebral development, and, in mice, drives hypothalamic defects. Patients with microcephaly caused by congenital Zika infection present with midline cerebral defects, which may result in hypopituitarism.

Objective: To analyze postnatal growth and the presence of clinical and biochemical features associated with hypopituitarism in children with congenital Zika infections. Read More

BJOG 2021 May 13. Epub 2021 May 13.

PharmacoEpidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, PharmaTox Strategic Initiative, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, 0316, Oslo, Norway.

Objective: To determine the association between child ADHD and prenatal exposure to selective serotonin (SSRI) and serotonin-norepinephrine (SNRI) reuptake inhibitor antidepressants, by timing and duration, with quantification of bias due to exposure misclassification.

Design: Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study and national health registries.

Setting: Nation-wide, Norway. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2021 May 13. Epub 2021 May 13.

Pediatric Cardiology Unit, Karolinska University Hospital, Department of Women´s and Child´s Health, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska, Sweden.

Aim: The aim of this structured review was to discuss knowledge of nicotine use during pregnancy and long-term effects on children's cardiovascular function.

Methods: PubMed and MEDLINE were searched for original papers that covered various forms of nicotine exposure during pregnancy and this identified 314 papers published in English from inception of the databases to 1 March 2021. The research focus was prenatal exposure that had long-term effects on the cardiovascular system. Read More

Child Neuropsychol 2021 May 13:1-16. Epub 2021 May 13.

Collaborative Initiative for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are rarely measured in preschool children due to relative insensitivity of assessment methods at this age. To examine the potential of a nonverbal battery in early identification of cognitive problems in alcohol-exposed children, 291 prospectively identified Ukrainian children were evaluated using a test battery focusing on early executive functioning (EF) and visuospatial skills, areas of cognitive development particularly sensitive to PAE in older children. Tests included the Differential Ability Scales, 2 Edition (DAS-2) and several NEPSY/NEPSY-II subtests, standardized in the United States. Read More

Curr Hypertens Rep 2021 May 13;23(5):30. Epub 2021 May 13.

Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 3, P.O. Box 9, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Purpose Of Review: We review here recent original research and meta-analytic evidence on the associations of maternal hypertensive pregnancy disorders and mental and behavioral disorders in the offspring.

Recent Findings: Seven meta-analyses and 11 of 16 original research studies published since 2015 showed significant associations between maternal hypertensive pregnancy disorders and offspring mental and behavioral disorders. Evidence was most consistent in meta-analyses and high-quality cohort studies. Read More

J Nutr 2021 May 12. Epub 2021 May 12.

The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that insufficient concentrations of vitamin D are associated with dental caries in primary teeth, but evidence remains inconclusive.

Objectives: We assessed the longitudinal associations between prenatal, perinatal, and early childhood serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations [25(OH)D] and the risk of dental caries in 6-year-old children.

Methods: This research was conducted within the Generation R Study, a large, multi-ethnic, prospective cohort study located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Read More

Radiol Case Rep 2021 Jun 17;16(6):1511-1513. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of radiology, Cantonal Hospital "Dr. Safet Mujic," Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A fetus with suspicion for holoprosencephaly and various brain malformations were seen on ultrasound and send for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Immediately after the birth of the female patient ultrasound and MRI was made which confirmed lobar holoprosencephaly. Fetal MRI stands out as a powerful diagnostic tool for detecting anomalies and other disorders. Read More

Front Genet 2021 27;12:645555. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

Since the 1960s, drugs have been known to cause teratogenic effects in humans. Such teratogenicity has been postulated to be influenced by genetics. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the current knowledge on genetic susceptibility to drug teratogenicity in humans and reflect on future directions within the field of genetic teratology. Read More