Objective Maternal exposure to various contaminants has been reported to be correlated with congetinal heart defects (CHDs). In this study, the effect of maternal exposure to organic and inorganic environmental factors upon the incidence of CHDs was investigated. We conducted a retrospective birth cohort study of infants born in the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Panyu District in Guangz...

Objective: There is evidence that gestational exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in fetal zinc deficiency, and eventually neurodevelopmental abnormalities. In this study, we utilized a rat model of maternal immune activation (MIA) to investigate the possible neuroprotective effect of zinc supplementation throughout pregnancy on hippocampal astrocytes activation as well as inflammatory...

Gestational diabetes mellitus is a major complication of human pregnancy. The oral clearance (CL) of glyburide, an oral antidiabetic drug, increases 2-fold in pregnant women during late gestation versus nonpregnant controls. In this study, we examined gestational age–dependent changes in maternal-fetal pharmacokinetics (PK) of glyburide and metabolites in a pregnant mouse model. Nonpregnant and...

BACKGROUND Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) occurs in many occupational settings. There is evidence in animal models that maternal exposure to PAHs during pregnancy is associated with gastroschisis in offspring; however, to our knowledge, no human studies examining this association have been conducted. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to conduct a case-control study assessing the ass...

We examine the effect of alcohol exposure in utero on child academic achievement. As well as studying the effect of any alcohol exposure, we investigate the effect of the dose, pattern, and duration of exposure. We use a genetic variant in the maternal alcohol-metabolism gene ADH1B as an instrument for alcohol exposure, whilst controlling for the child's genotype on the same variant. We show th...

BACKGROUND Exposure to cigarette smoking during foetal and early postnatal life may have implications for lung health. The aim of this study was to assess the possible effects of such exposure in utero on lower respiratory disease in children up to two years of age. METHODS A birth cohort of 4089 newborn infants was followed for two years using parental questionnaires. When the infant was two...

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular risk factors are transmitted from parents to offspring; however, the relative contributions of fathers and mothers remain unclear. If maternal exposures during pregnancy influence offspring through the intrauterine environment, associations between mothers and offspring are expected to be stronger than between fathers and offspring. In this family linkage study we comp...

Prenatal life is the most sensitive stage of human development to environmental pollutants. Early exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may increase the risk of adverse health effects during childhood. The mechanisms of transference of POPs during pregnancy are still not well understood. The present study is aimed to investigate the transfer of POPs between mother and fetus. The conc...

BACKGROUND Temperament is a psychological construct that reflects both personality and an infant's reaction to social stimuli. It can be assessed early in life and is stable over time Temperament predicts many later life behaviors and illnesses, including impulsivity, emotional regulation and obesity. Early life exposure to neurotoxicants often results in developmental deficits in attention, so...

The effects of ethanolic extract from the seeds of Annona squamosa were studied in gestating ICR mice subcutaneously treated with 4 mg/kg BW mercuric chloride (MA) and their fetuses in utero starting GD 14 16. Effects of solo exposure of A. squamosa at 25 mg/kg BW or its combinatorial exposure at 25 mg/kg BW and 75 mg/kg BW with MA in the maternal mice and their fetuses were evaluated at GD 19....