Neurodevelopment After Prenatal Exposure to Newer Epilepsy Drugs Tracked for 3 Years
Children with fetal exposure to newer antiseizure medications showed no difference in neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 3 compared with unexposed children, data from the ongoing MONEAD study showed. In the prospective observational study, mean verbal index scores at age 3 did not differ for children of women with epilepsy (102.7) versus those born to mothers […]
Higher Fetal Cortisol Levels Linked to Sleep Onset Delays
INDIANAPOLIS — Higher levels of neonatal hair cortisol, a measure of fetal cortisol production in the third trimester, may have a negative effect on sleep health among infants, according to a longitudinal study. Among 70 infants in the Care Project study, greater neonatal hair cortisol levels at birth predicted longer sleep onset latency at 7 […]
Lupus During Pregnancy Carries Higher Maternal, Fetal Morbidity Risks
Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) had higher risks for maternal and fetal morbidity compared to those without the chronic autoimmune disorder, according to a nationwide analysis of U.S. data. The 10-year study showed that patients with SLE had higher intrauterine growth restriction versus people without SLE (8.0% vs 2.7%) and more frequent preterm delivery […]
A high-fat diet in pregnant monkeys impairs fetal blood stem cells
Maternal consumption of a Western-style diet alters the transcriptional landscape of fetal blood stem cells in rhesus macaques, researchers report November 3rd in the journal Stem Cell Reports. “This discovery is the first demonstration in primates that maternal unhealthy diet and obesity disrupt the immune system in the developing fetus,” says Oleg Varlamov of the […]