The response of the placenta to infections with malaria, toxoplasmosis and listeria has been mapped in high resolution, potentially paving the way for new treatment options. For the first time, a panoramic picture of infection pathways in the human placenta has been created that could reveal potential targets for the development of pregnancy-safe therapies against malaria, toxoplasmosis and listeria, all diseases that can cause serious pregnancy complications. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Cambridge, the University of Dundee and collaborators have used novel ..read more

Researchers altered the composition of the gut microbiota in male mice by common antibiotics, leading to a condition called dysbiosis, and found that mouse pups sired by a dysbiotic father had significantly lower birth weights and an increased risk of growth failure and postnatal mortality. Gut Microbiota and Offspring Health The gut microbiota is the microbial community that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract. It is responsible for the production of enzymes, metabolites and other molecules that are critical to the host’s metabolism and response to the environment. Consequently, a balanced gu ..read more

Pregnancy disorders are usually diagnosed in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, when they often already have a serious impact on the health of mother and child. Current methods of diagnosing pregnancy disorders are not sensitive or reliable enough to detect all high-risk pregnancies. However, scientists have found a way to test hormone levels in the placenta to predict which women will experience severe pregnancy complications. Pregnancy disorders affect around one in 10 pregnant women. Almost all organ systems of the mother’s body have to change their function during pregnancy so tha ..read more

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered in a preclinical model that cytokines – proteins that control immune response – circulating in maternal blood during pregnancy may reduce the offspring’s risk of psychiatric disorders. The results are surprising because circulating maternal cytokines are so low that they have not previously been linked to fetal brain development and offspring behavior. Brain Development and Maternal Cytokine Levels The study, published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, reports that the cytokine XCL1 produced by maternal immune cells may function ..read more

A new study from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health shows that pregnancy can come at a price. The research, conducted among 1735 young people in the Philippines, shows that women who reported having been pregnant looked biologically older than women who had never been hopeful, and that women who had been pregnant more often looked biologically older than those who reported fewer pregnancies. Notably, the number of pregnancies conceived was not associated with biological aging in men of the same age cohort, suggesting that it has something to do with pregnancy or breastfeedin ..read more

When do humans acquire consciousness in the course of their development? When French philosopher René Descartes was questioned by his critics in the 17th century about the consciousness of infants, he eventually suggested that infants could have thoughts, albeit simpler ones than those of adults. Hundreds of years later, the question of when humans gain consciousness remains a challenge for psychologists and philosophers alike. Scientists at the University of Birmingham are now proposing a new and improved method for researchers to find out when consciousness emerges in human infancy. Determin ..read more

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine discovered that unique bacteria colonize the gut shortly after birth and produce the neurotransmitter serotonin to train the gut’s immune cells. This prevents allergic reactions to food and the bacteria themselves during early development. The preclinical study, published in Science Immunology, shows that bacteria abundant in the gut of newborns produce serotonin, which promotes the development of immune cells called T-regulatory cells or Tregs. These cells suppress inappropriate immune responses, helping to prevent autoimmune diseases and dangerous allerg ..read more

A woman’s wellbeing before conception and during pregnancy has a direct impact on her child’s health, lifelong physical development and ability to learn. However, research has found that pregnant women who eat a modern diet are missing out on key nutrients that they and their babies need, and this could be exacerbated with the switch to plant-based foods. Scientists at the University of Southampton, working with experts from around the world, surveyed more than 1,700 women and found that most of them lacked vitamins normally found in meat and dairy products, including B12, B6 and D, folic acid ..read more

More and more women are seeking help to get pregnant, and in recent years the number of pregnancies made possible with the help of assisted reproductive techniques has increased. In most cases, these pregnancies have a happy outcome with a healthy baby. However, previous studies show that IVF pregnancies are associated with an increased risk of low birth weight, premature birth and birth defects. VUB Professor Claudia Spits of the Reproduction and Genetics Research Group has identified a genetic cause for the increased risk of low birth weight in babies born after assisted reproductive technol ..read more

According to a study, a snippet of hair can reveal a pregnant person’s stress levels and warn of unexpected birth problems one day. Researchers measured the stress hormone cortisol in hair samples from 53 women in their third trimester. Of this group, 13 women whose cortisol levels were elevated later suffered unforeseen birth complications such as premature birth or bleeding. While further research is needed in larger groups, this preliminary finding could eventually lead to a non-invasive method of identifying those at risk of such complications. The researchers reported their findings in th ..read more