FoxH1 (Fast1) was first characterized as the transcriptional partner for Smad proteins. Together with Smad2/4, it forms the activin response factor (ARF) that binds to the Mix.2 promoter in Xenopus embryos. Foxh1 is expressed maternally in Xenopus. Depletion of maternal Foxh1 mRNA results in abnormalities of head and dorsal axis formation. We show that FoxH1 is required, together with XTcf3/bet...

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of maternal group B Streptococcal (GBS) colonization and compare risk factor data related to GBS colonization. A prospective surveillance study of 598 pregnant women was conducted in two socioeconomically diverse maternity hospitals in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil between June and October 1999. Swabs from the lower vagina were obtained betwe...

The frequently observed link between maternal depressive symptoms and heightened maternal reporting of adolescent externalizing behavior was examined from an integrative, systems perspective using a community sample of 180 adolescents, their mothers, fathers, and close peers, assessed twice over a 3-year period. Consistent with this perspective, the maternal depression-adolescent externalizing ...

OBJECTIVES Evaluate the factor structure of youth and maternal involvement ratings on the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Family Responsibility Questionnaire, a measure of family allocation of condition management responsibilities in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. METHODS Participants included 251 youth aged 11-18 years with inflammatory bowel disease and their mothers. Item-level descripti...

background: fetal growth in diabetic pregnancies is a complex process and probably abnormalities in other metabolic pathways such as protein and lipid, as well as carbohydrate are responsible for delivering of macrosomic newborn. objective: the purpose of this study was to investigate the association between fetal growth and different maternal metabolic parameters in women with gestational diab...

Preeclampsia is a life-threatening disorder characterized by maternal gestational hypertension and proteinuria that results from placental dysfunction. Placental abnormalities include abnormal syncytiotrophoblast and a 50% reduction in placental expression of the transcription factor Gcm1. In mice, homozygous deletion of Gcm1 prevents syncytiotrophoblast differentiation and is embryonic lethal....

BACKGROUND Several chemical UV filters/absorbers ('UV filters' hereafter) have endocrine-disrupting properties in vitro and in vivo. Exposure to these chemicals, especially during prenatal development, is of concern. OBJECTIVES To examine maternal exposure to UV filters, associations with maternal thyroid hormone, with growth factor concentrations as well as to birth outcomes. METHODS Prosp...

BACKGROUND In general, mothers with depression experience more environmental and family risk factors, and lead riskier lifestyles, than mothers who are not depressed. AIMS To test whether the exposure of a child to risk factors associated with mental health adds to the prediction of child psychopathology beyond exposure to maternal depression. METHOD In 7429 mother-offspring pairs participa...

Intrauterine infection is a major detriment for maternal-child health and occurs despite local mechanisms that protect the maternal-fetal interface from a wide variety of pathogens. The bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes causes spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and preterm labor in humans and serves as a model for placental pathogenesis. Given the unique immunological environment of the ...

This study aimed to investigate whether maternal cigarette smoke exposure can disrupt fetal kidney development by changing the expression of growth and transcription factors essential for renal development, and thereafter predispose the offspring to chronic kidney disease later in life. Female Balb/c mice (6 weeks) were exposed either to cigarette smoke or air under identical conditions, 6 week...