OBJECTIVE Prenatal exposure to inappropriate levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) and maternal stress are putative mechanisms for the fetal programming of later health outcomes. The current investigation examined the influence of prenatal maternal cortisol and maternal psychosocial stress on infant physiological and behavioral responses to stress. METHODS The study sample comprised 116 women and t...

Recent studies have linked maternal exposure to air pollution with a range of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the available evidence linking this exposure to congenital anomalies is still limited and controversial. The present case-control study tested the hypothesis that maternal exposure to ambient black smoke and sulfur dioxide is a risk factor for the occurrence of congenital heart dis...

BACKGROUND Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a recognised air pollutant. Its harmful effects have been found to be implicated in health disorders, including unfavourable pregnancy outcomes. The discrepancy between self-reported environmental tobacco smoke exposure and cotinine levels in pregnant non-smokers in France was examined. METHOD Plasma cotinine was determined by a CPG-SM method on...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to examine to what extent maternal and offspring phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) genotypes in conjunction with maternal IQ and dietary control during pregnancy are related to cognitive development in offspring of women with phenylketonuria (PKU). METHODS PAH gene mutations were determined in 196 maternal PKU subjects and their offspring. The women we...

OBJECTIVE To provide information on pregnancy outcomes in women receiving certolizumab pegol (CZP). METHODS The UCB Pharma safety database was searched for pregnancies through to September 1, 2014. Reports for maternal and paternal CZP exposure were included and outcomes examined, and data on CZP exposure, pregnancy, comorbidities, and infant events were extracted by 2 independent reviewers. ...

OBJECTIVE Prenatal androgen exposure has been suggested to play a role in polycystic ovary syndrome. Given the limited information on what maternal characteristics influence maternal testosterone levels, and the even less explored routes by which female fetus androgen exposure would occur, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of maternal age, BMI, weight gain, depressed mood and ...

OBJECTIVE To study the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) and its association with maternal factors. DESIGN Cohort study. SETTING Urban community. SUBJECTS Cohort of 210 pregnant women. RESULTS The LBW prevalence was 30.3%. On multivariate analyses the maternal factors significantly associated with LBW were anemia (OR-4.81), low socioeconomic status (OR-3.96), short birth interval (OR...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association of prenatal alcohol exposure with balance in10-year-old children. DESIGN Population-based prospective longitudinal study. SETTING Former Avon region of UK (Southwest England). PARTICIPANTS 6915 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children who had a balance assessment at age 10 and had data on maternal alcohol consumption. OUT...

Title of Dissertation: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXPOSURE, MATERNAL EDUCATION, AND MATERNAL AUTONOMY AS PREDICTORS OF INDIAN WOMEN’S USE OF MATERNAL HEALTH SERVICES AND INFANT LOW BIRTH WEIGHT Mili Duggal, Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Dissertation directed by: Professor Sally A. Koblinsky Department of Family Science India contributes disproportionately to the world’s maternal mortality ratio and rate of...

With a birth prevalence of 1 in 1000, neural tube defects (NTD)s contribute considerably to morbidity and healthcare costs. Known genetic and environmental (noninherited) risk factors for NTDs account for a small portion of risk, suggesting unidentified risk factors. In animal studies, maternal alcohol and pesticide exposures, independently, led to excess neural cell death, resulting in too few...