BACKGROUND Well-documented outbreaks of human toxoplasmosis infection are infrequently reported. Here, we describe a community outbreak of multivisceral toxoplasmosis that occurred in Patam, a Surinamese village near the French Guianan border. METHODS From the end of December 2003 through the middle of January 2004, 5 adult patients in Patam, including 2 pregnant women, were initially hospita...

OBJECTIVE Despite the widespread use of benzodiazepines during pregnancy and lactation, little information is available about their effect on the developing fetus and on nursing infants. The authors review what is currently known about the effects of benzodiazepine therapy on the fetus and on nursing infants. METHODS A MEDLINE search of the literature between 1966 and 2000 was conducted with ...

It is well known that the innate immunity system, involving the contribution of monocytes and macrophages, may dysfunction in fetuses and preterm neonates. Monocytes are capable of differentiating into dendritic cells (DCs) or into mucosal macrophages during certain infections and of producing inflammatory mediators such as TNF- α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha), nitric oxide, and reactive oxygen...

Resting heart rate (HR) and HR responses of fetal and neonatal rats are described before and after intraoral infusion of isotonic saline or lemon solution. Stable measurements of resting HR were obtained for fetuses over the last three days of gestation (E19, E20, E21) and pups on the day of birth (P0) and four subsequent postnatal ages (P1, P3, P5, P7). Resting HR decreased significantly on P0...

Early evidence that long-term effects of an adverse environment in fetal life and infancy may be determinants of CVD in humans came from geographical studies. The large geographical differences in death rates from CVD in England and Wales remain largely unexplained. Variations in adult diet and cigarette smoking do not explain why the highest rates are in industrial areas in the north and west ...

Background In the UK, simulation in midwifery education mostly relates to developing clinical skills such as managing obstetric emergencies. However, there is minimal use of neonate simulators educating student midwives on impact teratogens fetal development. There also limited research using neonatal a creative pedagogical tool undergraduate education. Objectives The two main objectives this s...

In general, at most institutions pregnancy has been a contraindication for giving gadolinium-containing contrast media based the principle of not exposing the fetus to drugs and the unknown teratogen risk to the fetus. However, when reviewing the literature there is no evidence that gadolinium agents cause chromosomal damage or teratogen effect (1-4). There are no reports in the literature on n...

There remains a general misconception that the immune status of fetus and neonate is immature or insufficient. However, emerging research in ontogeny prompts reconsideration this orthodoxy, reframing period instead as one unique opportunity. Vaccine responses (qualitative quantitative) vary between individuals, across demographic cohorts. Elements baseline function predict vaccine response – so...

The concentration of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) in the fetal brain increases dramatically from the third trimester until 18 months of life. Several studies have shown an association between the percentage of maternal plasma docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) during gestation and development of cognitive functions in the neonate. Since only very low levels of LCPUFA are synthesized i...