Many vaccine-preventable diseases have serious consequences for the pregnant mother, the fetus, and the neonate. This article reviews the rationale and impact of including vaccinations as part of preconception care and provides recommendations for clinical care. Vaccinations that are recommended highly in preconception care include the hepatitis B and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. T...

We report a case of prenatally diagnosed Fetus-in-fetu (FIF) residing in the left retro-peritoneum in a 2-week-old neonate which was also associated with ipsilateral testicular atrophy. A comparison of features differentiating FIF from a retroperitoneal teratoma, and various theories of origin of FIF are described. The causal relationship of ipsilateral atrophic testis with FIF in this case is ...

Citrullinemia type 1 was diagnosed by tandem mass spectrometry in a full term male neonate who presented with an acute catastrophic collapse on the 3rd day of life. Both parents were identified to be carriers for the exon 15 p Gly390Arg mutation in the argininosuccinate synthetase gene located at chromosome 9q34.1. Chorionic villus sampling and prenatal genetic testing in the subsequent pregnan...

To get insight into the low density lipoprotein (LDL)-apoB flux in the rat fetus near term and in the early postnatal period, homologous apoE-free 125I-labeled LDL was injected into the umbilical vein of the rat fetus immediately after Caesarean section. Since the serum LDL-apoB spontaneously declined after birth, a time-dependent two-pool model was used to calculate the flux rates in the neona...

Introduction Autoimmune diseases frequently affect women of childbearing age. Gravidas with autoimmune diseases have a tendency to develop complications, such as pregnancy-induced hypertension in pregnancies complicated by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The activity of autoimmune diseases is often exacerbated during pregnancy. The transplacental passage of autoantibodies may have an effect...

Ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) of a fetus with severe bilateral hydrothorax is described. EXIT allows therapeutic interventions on the neonate while maintaining fetoplacental circulation. Thus it may be useful for fetuses presenting with severe pleural effusion towards the end of gestation and in whom in utero drainage is technically not possible or available and drainage post partum wou...

Benzodiazepines are one of the most frequently prescribed psychotropic drugs during pregnancy. Despite the fact that these drugs have been in use for a long time, there is still debate about the safety for the developing fetus and neonate. We present a case of a newborn with an apparent life-threatening event shortly after birth following maternal temazepam use during labour and advise to be re...

Achondrogenesis is a lethal congenital chondrodystrophy characterized by extreme micromelia, small thorax and polyhydramnios. We describe a case of achondrogenesis type II (Langer-Saldino achondrogenesis). Prenatal ultrasonography at 22-weeks gestation revealed a fetus with large head, short neck and chest, prominent abdomen and short limbs. Pregnancy was terminated. Radiologic examination of n...

Lissencephaly is a rare brain malformation characterized histologically by arrested neuronal migration such that the brain resembles that of a fetus before 23-24 weeks gestation. We studied a neonate with lissencephaly by using diffusion tensor imaging and suggest the dysplastic densely cellular layer IV is visible as a band of anisotropic diffusion. Fiber tracking showed lack of connectivity b...

Fetal growth restriction is an important pregnancy complication that has major consequences for the fetus and neonate as well as an increased risk of long-term morbidity extending into adulthood. The precise aetiology of most cases of fetal growth restriction is unknown although placental thrombosis is a common feature in many of these cases. This paper will outline the potential role of proteo...