BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To determine whether there is a delay or reversal in switch mechanisms from embryonic (e and z) to fetal (g) hemoglobins accompanying the erythroblastosis of anemic fetuses and whether an increased erythroblast count in fetal blood is associated with an increase in feto-maternal cell trafficking. DESIGN AND METHODS Fetal and maternal blood samples were obtained from ...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this work was to assess the effect of severe maternal iron-deficiency anemia and nutritional status on cord blood and breast milk iron status. METHODS We conducted a prospective observational study over a 6-month period in a teaching hospital in central India. The study population consisted of 55 anemic (hemoglobin: < 110 g/L) and 20 healthy nonanemic (hemoglobin: > ...

Although epidemiological studies suggest that offspring of women with preeclampsia are at increased risk to higher blood pressures and cardiovascular disease, little is known about the nature of blood pressures between the mother and her offspring. As blood pressures comprise of both pulsatile (systolic blood pressure [SBP] and pulse pressure [PP]) and stable (diastolic blood pressure [DBP]) co...

Studies that have investigated ascorbic acid (AA) concentrations in cord blood have pointed to significant associations with maternal blood AA concentrations, smoking, age, diet, type of delivery, duration of gestation, fetal distress and birth weight. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between cord blood AA concentrations in newborns and maternal characteristics. A ...

Growing evidence suggests that maternal exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals during pregnancy may lead to poor pregnancy outcomes and increased fetal susceptibility to adult diseases. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are ubiquitously used flame-retardants, could leach into the environment; and become persistent organic pollutants via bioaccumulation. In the United States, bl...

BACKGROUND The impact of prenatal lead exposure on neurodevelopment remains unclear in terms of consistency, the trimester of greatest vulnerability, and the best method for estimating fetal lead exposure. OBJECTIVE We studied prenatal lead exposure's impact on neurodevelopment using repeated measures of fetal dose as reflected by maternal whole blood and plasma lead levels. METHODS We meas...

An experiment was designed to examine a mechanism to improve embryonic survival following maternal thyroid hormone manipulation. Commercial turkey breeder hens were fed diets containing supplemental iodide to mimic changes in the maternal thyroid output during an egg production cycle (32 to 48 wk of age). Dietary iodide treatment depressed maternal blood thyroxine (T4) concentrations in a time-...

The relation between parental history of hypertension and blood pressure response to potassium intake is unknown. A 7-day high-sodium followed by a 7-day high-sodium plus potassium dietary-feeding study was conducted from 2003 to 2005 among 1,871 Chinese participants. Those with a maternal history of hypertension had larger systolic blood pressure responses to potassium compared with those with...

Manganese (Mn) is an essential nutrient but at high exposure levels is a neurotoxicant. There is no well-validated biomarker to assess perinatal Mn exposure. A total of 75 mother-child pairs provided blood, urine, and/or deciduous tooth samples. We analyzed Mn in dentin and enamel of shed teeth; maternal, cord, and child blood; and maternal and child urine and examined the interrelationships of...