Coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide, and there is an increasing concern of the health risk of coffee consumption in pregnancy. Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious pregnancy disease that causes elevated blood pressure and proteinuria in pregnant women and growth restriction of fetuses due to poorly developed placental vasculature. The aim of our study is to investigate the possible effect of coffee intake during pregnancy in rats with potential underlying vasculature conditions. The endothelial nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(gamma)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) at a high dose (125 mg/kg/d) was used to induce PE in pregnant rats, which were used as the positive control group. In addition, low-dose L-NAME (10 mg/kg/d) was used to simulate the compromised placental vasculature function in pregnant rats. Coffee was given together with low-dose L-NAME to the pregnant rats from gestational day 10.5–18.5. Our results show that the pregnant rats treated with low-dose L-NAME + coffee, but not low-dose L-NAME alone, developed PE symptoms such as prominent fetal growth restriction, hypertension, and proteinuria. Therefore, our findings suggest that coffee intake during pregnancy may cause an increased risk of PE in susceptible women.

Myxomatous degeneration of one or more cardiac valves has been reported in trisomy 18, Noonan, Marfan, and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. 6q25.1 (TAB2) deletion is one of the notable causes for myxomatous degeneration of cardiac valves. Whole exome sequencing must be considered in these subsets of cases for effective prenatal counselling. A 23-week fetus presented with cardiomegaly, redundant myxomatous tricuspid, mitral valve leaflets, thickened pulmonary valve, and bicuspid aortic valves detected to have 6q25.1 (TAB2) deletion was presented with literature review.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a critical fetal growth hormone that has been proposed as a therapy for intrauterine growth restriction. We previously demonstrated that a 1-week IGF-1 LR3 infusion into fetal sheep reduces in vivo and in vitro insulin secretion suggesting an intrinsic islet defect. Our objective herein was to determine whether this intrinsic islet defect was related to chronicity of exposure. We therefore tested the effects of a 90-min IGF-1 LR3 infusion on fetal glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and insulin secretion from isolated fetal islets. We first infused late gestation fetal sheep (n = 10) with either IGF-1 LR3 (IGF-1) or vehicle control (CON) and measured basal insulin secretion and in vivo GSIS utilizing a hyperglycemic clamp. We then isolated fetal islets immediately following a 90-min IGF-1 or CON in vivo infusion and exposed them to glucose or potassium chloride to measure in vitro insulin secretion (IGF-1, n = 6; CON, n = 6). Fetal plasma insulin concentrations decreased with IGF-1 LR3 infusion (P < 0.05), and insulin concentrations during the hyperglycemic clamp were 66% lower with IGF-1 LR3 infusion compared to CON (P < 0.0001). Insulin secretion in isolated fetal islets was not different based on infusion at the time of islet collection. Therefore, we speculate that while acute IGF-1 LR3 infusion may directly suppress insulin secretion, the fetal β-cell in vitro retains the ability to recover GSIS. This may have important implications when considering the long-term effects of treatment modalities for fetal growth restriction.

Cell phones operate with a wide range of frequency bands and emit radiofrequency-electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR). Concern on the possible health hazards of RF-EMR has been growing in many countries because these RF-EMR pulses may be absorbed into the body cells, directly affecting them. There are some in vitro and in vivo animal studies related to the consequences of RF-EMR exposure from cell phones on embryo development and offspring. In addition, some studies have revealed that RF-EMR from cellular phone may lead to decrease in the rates of fertilization and embryo development, as well as the risk of the developmental anomalies, other studies have reported that it does not interfere with in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection success rates, or the chromosomal aberration rate. Of course, it is unethical to study the effect of waves generated from cell phones on the forming human embryos. Conversely, other mammals have many similarities to humans in terms of anatomy, physiology and genetics. Therefore, in this review we focused on the existing literature evaluating the potential effects of RF-EMR on mammalian embryonic and fetal development.

Transformation of the maternal–fetal relationship into the mother–infant relationship remains an enigmatic process. This progression is considered using a Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) informed approach centered on domains of Arousal/Regulation, Positive/Negative Valence, and Social Processes. One hundred and fifty-eight maternal–fetal dyads began participation during pregnancy, maternal–infant dyads were followed at 6 months postpartum. Women exhibited stability in feelings of attachment to the fetus and infant, and in positive/negative appraisal of pregnancy and motherhood. Elicited maternal physiological arousal to emotionally evocative videos generated fetal heart rate variability and motor activity responses. Parasympathetic (i.e., heart rate variability) suppression in the fetus was associated with more positive and regulated infant social communication in the Face-to-Face Still Face protocol; suppression of maternal respiratory sinus arrhythmia was related to infant affect but in the opposite direction. Maternal ratings of infant temperament aligned with maternal antenatal affective valence. Attachment trajectories characterized by stability from antenatal to postnatal periods were most associated with maternal affective appraisal of pregnancy; shifts were influenced by infant characteristics and maternal sympathetic responsivity. Results illustrate how variation in arousal and regulatory systems of the pregnant woman and fetus operate within the context of maternal positive and negative valence systems to separately and jointly shape affiliation and temperament in early infancy.

We described a very rare case of aorto-pulmonary communication with right aortic arch and crossed pulmonary artery that cannot be placed in the typical anatomic classification of aortopulmonary window. At 23 weeks gestation, fetal echocardiography revealed a large tunnel-like communication connecting the great vessels proximal to the main pulmonary artery bifurcation, rather than a classic aortopulmonary window between the ascending aorta and the main pulmonary artery.

Stress during pregnancy has been widely studied and associated to different variables, usually with negative results for the health of the mother and the newborn, such as having a higher risk of suffering postpartum depression, premature birth, obstetrics complications or low birthweight, among others. However, there are not many lines of research that study the role that the sex of the baby plays on this specific stress and vice versa. Thus, the main objective was to analyse the relationship between the sex of the offspring and the stress of the mothers in the first trimester of pregnancy. In order to achieve this, 108 women had their biological stress measured (trough hair cortisol levels) and psychological stress evaluated (the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PSS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PDQ) and the Stress Vulnerability Inventory (IVE)). The results revealed significant differences in maternal hair cortisol levels in the first trimester based on the sex of the baby they had given birth to (t = −2.04; P < 0.05): the concentration of the hormone was higher if the baby was a girl (164.36:54.45-284.87 pg/mg) than if it was a boy (101.13:37.95-193.56 pg/mg). These findings show that the sex of the future baby could be conditioned, among many other variables, by the mother´s stress levels during conception and first weeks of pregnancy. Further research is needed in this area to support our findings.

Many accounts of the morality of abortion assume that early fetuses must all have or lack moral status in virtue of developmental features that they share. Our actual attitudes toward early fetuses don’t reflect this all-or-nothing assumption. If we start with the assumption that our attitudes toward fetuses are accurately tracking their value, then we need an account of fetal moral status that can explain why it is appropriate to love some fetuses but not others. I argue that a fetus can come to have moral claims on persons who have taken up the activity of person-creation.

Globally, the availability and formulations for the administration of cannabis are changing with decriminalization or legalization of recreational use in some jurisdictions, and the prescription of cannabis also occurring. These changes are likely to affect the prevalence of use, including by women of childbearing age. The effects of in utero and infant alcohol and tobacco exposure are well-documented, but the outcomes of cannabis exposure are less certain. The content of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis has progressively increased over several decades. This review explores the limited knowledge surrounding the epidemiology of gestational and postnatal cannabis exposure and implications for the mother–placenta–fetus/neonate triad. We examine cannabis’ effects from antenatal and lactation exposure on (a) pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, (b) placental health, and (c) longer term cardiometabolic and neurodevelopmental risks and outcomes. Though definitive outcomes are lacking, gestational cannabis has been associated with increased risk of other substance use during pregnancy; impaired placental blood flow; increased risk of small for gestational age births; and associated complications. Childhood and adolescent outcomes are sparsely assessed, with suggested outcomes including increased risk of depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Cardiometabolic implications of gestational cannabis use may include maternal fatty liver, obesity, insulin resistance, and increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), with potential consequences for the fetus. Clinical implications for pediatric practice were explored in a bid to understand any potential risk or impact on child health and development.

Advanced imaging techniques are enhancing research capacity focussed on the developmental origins of adult health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis, and consequently increasing awareness of future health risks across various subareas of DOHaD research themes. Understanding how these advanced imaging techniques in animal models and human population studies can be both additively and synergistically used alongside traditional techniques in DOHaD-focussed laboratories is therefore of great interest. Global experts in advanced imaging techniques congregated at the advanced imaging workshop at the 2019 DOHaD World Congress in Melbourne, Australia. This review summarizes the presentations of new imaging modalities and novel applications to DOHaD research and discussions had by DOHaD researchers that are currently utilizing advanced imaging techniques including MRI, hyperpolarized MRI, ultrasound, and synchrotron-based techniques to aid their DOHaD research focus.

The soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase factor 1 (sFlt-1) is a major contributor to antiangiogenesis during preeclampsia. However, little is known about the effects of sFlt-1 on fetal health. In this study we aim to evaluate the effects of the sFlt-1 concentration during pregnancy on fetal liver physiology. We used adenoviral gene delivery in Sprague-Dawley dams (seven females, 10 weeks old) during mid-gestation (gestational day 8) with adenovirus overexpressing sFlt-1, and age-matched controls (six females, 10 weeks old) with empty adenoviral virus in order to quantify the sFlt-1 concentrations in pregnant dams. Dams exposed to adenoviral sFlt-1 delivery were subdivided into a low (n=4) and high sFlt-1 (n=3) group based on host response to the virus. One-way analysis of variance showed that fetuses (five per dam) exposed to high sFlt-1 concentrations in utero show fetal growth restriction (1.84±0.043 g high sFlt-1 v. 2.32±0.036 g control; mean (M)±s.e.m.; P<0.001), without hypertension or proteinuria in the dams. In continuation, the microarray analysis of the fetal liver of the high sFlt-1 group showed significant enrichment of key genes for fatty acid metabolism and Ppara targets. In addition, using pyrosequencing, we found that the Ppara enrichment in the high sFlt-1 group is accompanied by decreased methylation of its promoter (1.89±0.097 mean % methylation in high sFlt-1 v. 2.26±0.095 mean % methylation in control, M±s.e.m., P<0.02). Our data show that high sFlt-1 concentrations during pregnancy have detrimental effects on the fatty acid metabolism genes and the Ppara targets in the fetal liver.

The ‘DOHaD’ literature argues that stressors encountered at age t ‘program’ individual health at age t+n, and that this programming appears strongest when t defines critical developmental periods including gestation. Accordingly, children of ill-nourished pregnant women suffer greater later life morbidity than do offspring of well-nourished mothers. The possibility that circumstances other than access to nutritious food drive both a mother’s diet and fetal development remains, however, a threat to the inference of programming in utero. Attempts to rule out this threat include tests of the hypothesis that birth cohorts in gestation during famines exhibit shorter life spans than other cohorts. The tests produce conflicting results attributed to confounding by autocorrelation, selective migration and introduction of modern medicine. We offer a test in which neither medicine nor migration nor autocorrelation could obscure the presumed effect. We apply time-series regression methods to the life span of Swedes born between 1751 and 1800 to test the hypothesis that cohorts exposed in utero to the Swedish Famine of 1773 lived shorter lives than expected from trends and other forms of autocorrelation. We use these 50 birth cohorts not only because they included those exposed to severe famine but also because they may well be the only human birth cohorts that completed life unaffected by selective migration and unaided by modern medicine and for which we know life span. We find that the cohort born in 1773 live 4.2 years longer than expected from trends over the last half of the 18th century.

Adverse intrauterine environment could serve as an important stimulus for postnatal altered health status and for increased susceptibility to long-term non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The notion is now recognized as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), which was first proposed by Sir David Barker. Since then, several scientific disciplines have strived to measure the magnitude of the early fetal programming and later risk of diseases. Pakistan, with striking figures of morbidity and mortality from NCDs, is currently tackling with double burden of diseases and requires planned efforts to counteract the threat of NCDs. Considering the growing needs and available evidences, Pakistan DOHaD Society was officially instigated in September 2016. The Society aims to explicitly address the association of life in utero with future health and disease and to endorse early screening and interventions to reduce the burden of NCDs, mental health issues and learning disorders along the life course. It has shown significant progress toward investigating the influence of adverse in utero environment such as diabetes, maternal under-nutrition and pre-eclampsia on fetal programming under two major research lines, that is, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular programming. The Society has been successful in disseminating its research findings through several esteemed international scientific conferences. Pakistan DOHaD Society encourages scientific community for collaborative research aimed at improving the quality of life during early childhood, adolescence and adulthood through provision of appropriate pre-pregnancy and antenatal interventions targeted to address at-risk in utero conditions.