BACKGROUND Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen widely prescribed to pregnant women during the 1940s70s, has been shown to cause reproductive problems in the daughters. Studies of prenatally-exposed males have yielded conflicting results. METHODS In data from a collaborative follow-up of three U.S. cohorts of DES-exposed sons, we examined the relation of prenatal DES exposure to occ...

Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is the leading infectious cause of mental retardation and sensorineural deafness. Intrauterine transmission and adverse outcome are mainly related to primary maternal infection. Mechanisms of intrauterine transmission are slowly being unraveled and compelling evidence of the importance of using HCMV clinical strains rather than laboratory-adapte...

The diagnostic value of RT-PCR of amniotic fluid (AF) for prenatal diagnosis of congenital rubella virus infection in 45 pregnant women with confirmed primary infection was assessed. Specificity of RT-PCR was 100% and sensitivity ranged between 83 and 95%.

OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of Group B Streptococcus genital tract infection in pregnant women and to determine the risk factors for its colonisation. METHODS The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi and Sobhraj Hospital, Karachi, from May to August 2007. Pregnant women at 35-37 weeks gestation attending antenatal clinic at these hospital...

We reported previously that residents of Greater Helsinki, Finland, whose mothers were exposed to the 1957 influenza epidemic during their second trimester of gestation had a significantly elevated risk of developing adult schizophrenia. The majority of the replication studies to date have not determined whether the mothers actually contracted an infection or the stage of gestation based on mot...

Aim. To improve epidemiological surveillance in the neonatal intensive care unit. Materials and Methods. We retrospectively examine case histories of 646 newborns delivered Tyumen Perinatal Center admitted to unit (310 with intrauterine infection 336 without infection). Predictors (odds ratio 95% confidence interval) were determined by means multivariate analysis logistic regression analysis. R...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Fetal hydronephrosis is the most common anomaly detected on antenatal ultrasound examination, and its significance and management remain controversial. This review aims to address the early postnatal evaluation of the child with prenatally diagnosed hydronephrosis. RECENT FINDINGS The risk of significant urological pathology increases with the severity of prenatal hydronephr...

Prenatal exposure to infection has been linked to increased risk of neurodevelopmental brain disorders, and recent evidence implicates altered dopaminergic development in this association. However, since the relative risk size of prenatal infection appears relatively small with respect to long-term neuropsychiatric outcomes, it is likely that this prenatal insult interacts with other factors in...

UNLABELLED Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common intrauterine infection and the leading infectious cause of sensorineural hearing loss and mental retardation. This article reviews the issues that relate to the diagnosis and management of this disease, detailing the points that led to the recent published guidelines by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. A ME...

background: the aim of this perspective study was to assess the frequency of hemoglobinopathy mutational genes among voluntary hemoglobinopathy carrier couples-to-be referred to thalassemia center, shafa hospital, affiliated to ahvaz jondidishapur university of medical sciences (ajuoms), during their first trimester of pregnancy for genetic screening and counseling for prenatal diagnosis (pnd)....