The incidence of gestational diabetes is increasing worldwide, exposing large numbers of infants to hyperglycaemia whilst in utero. This exposure may have a long-term negative impact on the cardiovascular health of the offspring. Novel methods to assess cardiovascular status in the neonatal period are now available-including measuring arterial intima-media thickness and retinal photography. The...

Studies involving endocrine effects in humans and experimental animals resulting from the exposure to dioxin-like (non-ortho-substituted PCBs, PCDDs/PCDFs) and nondioxin-like (PCBs, OC pesticides) compounds (DLCs and NDLCs) were presented. A variety of reproductive and hormonal parameters, including androgen status, sexual differentiation, and thyroid functionality, were discussed. As in utero ...

Motion during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans routinely results in undesirable image artifact or blurring. Since high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) imaging of the mouse requires long scan times for satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and image quality, motion-related artifacts are likely over much of the body and limit applications of mouse MRI. In this investigation, we explor...

Appropriate in utero growth is essential for offspring development and is a critical contributor to long-term health. Fetal growth is largely dictated by the availability of nutrients in maternal circulation and the ability of these nutrients to be transported into fetal circulation via the placenta. Substrate flux across placental gradients is dependent on the accessibility and activity of nut...

The ultimate goal of the quality post-natal care of premature infants is to provide an extra-uterine environment with high resemblance to intra-uterine life and primed for an undisrupted growth and development. Ideally, neonatal intensive care shall provide premature infants with equal chances in all aspects of development compared to as their counterparts in utero until they reach term age. Ho...

The term “environmental estrogen” refers to chemical substances that exhibit some degree of estrogen-like activity. The primary emphasis for potential adverse effects resulting from exposure to environmental estrogens is on in utero exposure because such exposure can occur during critical periods of organogenesis. Assessment of biological plausibility can be based, in part, on the extensive dat...

Objectives: Prenatal inflammation is a major factor associated with altered brain development in the newborn leading to neurodevelopmental diseases and enhanced susceptibility to brain damage occurring at a later stage. There is currently no treatment to alleviate the impact of prenatal inflammation on the development of the newborn. This is mainly due to the lack of non-invasive tools to detec...