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Association Between Fetal Abdominal Growth Trajectories, Maternal Metabolite Signatures Early In Pregnancy, And Childhood Growth And Adiposity: Prospective Observational Multinational Interbio-21st Fetal Study, Jose Villar, Roseline Ochieng, Robert B. Gunier, Aris T. Papageorghiou, Stephen Rauch, Rose Mcgready, Julia M. Gauglitz, Fernando C. Barros, Manu Vatish, Shama Munim

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Background: Obesity predominantly affects populations in high-income countries and those countries facing epidemiological transition. The risk of childhood obesity is increased among infants who had overweight or obesity at birth, but in low-resource settings one in five infants are born small for gestational age. We aimed to study the relationships between: (1) maternal metabolite signatures; (2) fetal abdominal growth; and (3) postnatal growth, adiposity, and neurodevelopment.
Methods: In the prospective, multinational, observational INTERBIO-21st fetal study, conducted in maternity units in Pelotas (Brazil), Nairobi (Kenya), Karachi (Pakistan), Soweto (South Africa), Mae Sot (Thailand), and Oxford (UK), we enrolled women (≥18 years, …

Prenatal Allostatic Load And Preterm Birth: A Systematic Review, Shahirose Sadrudin Premji, Gianella Santos Pana, Alexander Cuncannon, Paul E. Ronksley, Aliyah Dosani, K. Alix Hayden, Sharifa Bashir Lalani, Wangira Musana, Kiran Shaikh, Ilona S. Yim

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Objective: Allostatic load refers to cumulative neuroendocrine burden and has been postulated to mediate and moderate physiological and psychological stress-related responses. This may have important implications for the risk of preterm birth. This systematic review examines the evidence on the association between prenatal allostatic load and preterm birth.

Data sources: A comprehensive search of seven electronic databases was conducted from inception to August 23, 2022 to identify all English-language observational and mixed methods studies examining allostatic load and preterm birth with no year or geographic restrictions.

Study eligibility criteria: Studies were included if they measured allostatic load, evaluated as the …

Crucial Nuances In Understanding (Mis)Associations Between The Neonatal Microbiome And Cesarean Delivery, Alexa M Sassin, Grace J Johnson, Alison N Goulding, Kjersti M Aagaard

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

As rates of Cesarean delivery and common non-communicable disorders (NCDs), such as obesity, metabolic disease, and atopy/asthma, have concomitantly increased in recent decades, investigators have attempted to discern a causal link. One line of research has led to a hypothesis that Cesarean birth disrupts the presumed normal process of colonization of the neonatal microbiome with vaginal microbes, yielding NCDs later in life. However, a direct link between a disrupted microbiota transfer at time of delivery and acute and/or chronic illness in infants born via Cesarean has not been causally established. Microbiota seeding from maternal vaginal or stool sources has been …

Adherence To Screening And Management Guidelines Of Maternal Group B Streptococcus Colonization In Pregnancy, Sabine Pangerl, Deborah Sundin, Sadie Geraghty

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aims: To investigate Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonization in pregnancy; adherence to antenatal GBS screening and adherence to the intrapartum antibiotics protocol within two models of care (midwifery and non-midwifery led). Design: This retrospective quantitative study has employed a descriptive design using administrative health data. Methods: Data from five maternity hospitals in metropolitan and regional Western Australia that included 22,417 pregnant women who gave birth between 2015 and 2019 were examined, applying descriptive statistics using secondary data analysis. Results: The study revealed an overall GBS colonization rate of 21.7% with similar rates in the different cohorts. A lower adherence to …

Maternal And Neonatal Vitamin D Binding Protein Polymorphisms And 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Cutoffs As Determinants Of Neonatal Birth Anthropometry, Spyridon N. Karras, Erdinç Dursun, Merve Alaylıoğlu, Duygu Gezen-Ak, Stefan Pilz, Cedric Annweiler, Fatme Al Anouti

All Works

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) is a vital regulator of optimal vitamin D homeostasis and bioavailability. Apart from its well-documented role as a key component in vitamin D dynamic transfer and circulation, it has a myriad of immunoregulatory functions related to innate immunity, which becomes particularly critical in states of increased immunological tolerance including pregnancy. In this regard, VDBP dyshomeostasis is considered to contribute to the development of several fetal, maternal, and neonatal adverse outcomes. However, precise physiological pathways, including the contribution of specific VDBP polymorphisms behind such phenomena, are yet to be fully deciphered. Our aim was to assess …

Pre-Pregnancy Excess Weight Association With Maternal Sociodemographic, Anthropometric And Lifestyle Factors And Maternal Perinatal Outcomes, Dimitrios Papandreou, Maria Mantzorou, Stefanos Tyrovolas, Eleni Pavlidou, Georgios Antasouras, Evmorfia Psara, Efthymios Poulios, Georgios K. Vasios, Constantinos Giaginis

All Works

BACKGROUND: Pre-pregnancy excess weight is an important factor for adverse maternal perinatal outcomes; however, data for Greek women remain limited. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the relation between pre-pregnant weight status and sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle factors and maternal perinatal outcomes. METHODS: In the present cross-sectional study, 5133 healthy women were enrolled from nine different Greek regions after applying specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Validated questionnaires were used to assess the sociodemographic characteristics and certain lifestyle factors of the study population. Anthropometric and clinical data were retrieved from medical history files of the women, including …

Motherhood Together: Effects Of An Adapted Prenatal Curriculum On Mother And Infant Outcomes, Rebecca Lovan, Clare Brown, Keneshia Bryant-Moore, Leslie Mccormack, Nicole Ward, Shannon Kalkwarf, Beverly English, Elizabeth Riley

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Research shows that pregnant women experiencing housing insecurity are more likely to face barriers to prenatal care that can lead to negative health outcomes for both mother and infant. Previous studies have also shown that prenatal education programs provide pregnant mothers with the knowledge and resources that increase the likelihood of positive health outcomes. An interprofessional healthcare team in Central Arkansas modified an existing prenatal education program to create Motherhood Together, a program specifically tailored for pregnant women facing house insecurity.

Methods: The purpose of this initial evaluation of the Motherhood Together program was to identify the feasibility of …

Association Of Antenatal Steroid Exposure At 21 To 22 Weeks Of Gestation With Neonatal Survival And Survival Without Morbidities, Sanjay Chawla, Myra H Wyckoff, Matthew A Rysavy, Ravi Mangal Patel, Dhuly Chowdhury, Girija Natarajan, Abbot R Laptook, Satyan Lakshminrusimha, Edward F Bell, Seetha Shankaran, Krisa P Van Meurs, Namasivayam Ambalavanan, Rachel G Greenberg, Noelle Younge, Erika F Werner, Abhik Das, Waldemar A Carlo, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health And Human Development Neonatal Research Network

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: The provision of antenatal corticosteroids to pregnant patients at gestational age (GA) 22 6/7 weeks or less remains controversial and lacks support from randomized clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: To compare rates of survival and survival without major morbidities among infants born at GA 22 0/7 to 23 6/7 weeks after exposure to antenatal steroids at 22 6/7 weeks' gestation or less vs no exposure to antenatal steroids.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study enrolled infants born at GA 22 0/7 to 23 6/7 weeks between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019, at centers in the National Institute of …

Phase 2 Of Extracellular Rna Communication Consortium Charts Next-Generation Approaches For Extracellular Rna Research, Bogdan Mateescu, Jennifer C Jones, Roger P Alexander, Eric Alsop, Ji Yeong An, Mohammad Asghari, Alex Boomgarden, Laura Bouchareychas, Alfonso Cayota, Hsueh-Chia Chang, Al Charest, Daniel T Chiu, Robert J Coffey, Saumya Das, Peter De Hoff, Andrew Demello, Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey, David Elashoff, Kiarash R Eliato, Jeffrey L Franklin, David J Galas, Mark B Gerstein, Ionita H Ghiran, David B Go, Stephen Gould, Tristan R Grogan, James N Higginbotham, Florian Hladik, Tony Jun Huang, Xiaoye Huo, Elizabeth Hutchins, Dennis K Jeppesen, Tijana Jovanovic-Talisman, Betty Y S Kim, Sung Kim, Kyoung-Mee Kim, Yong Kim, Robert R Kitchen, Vaughan Knouse, Emily L Laplante, Carlito B Lebrilla, L James Lee, Kathleen M Lennon, Guoping Li, Feng Li, Tieyi Li, Tao Liu, Zirui Liu, Adam L Maddox, Kyle Mccarthy, Bessie Meechoovet, Nalin Maniya, Yingchao Meng, Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Byoung-Hoon Min, Amber Morey, Martin Ng, John Nolan, Getulio P De Oliveira Junior, Michael E Paulaitis, Tuan Anh Phu, Robert L Raffai, Eduardo Reátegui, Matthew E Roth, David A Routenberg, Joel Rozowsky, Joseph Rufo, Satyajyoti Senapati, Sigal Shachar, Himani Sharma, Anil K Sood, Stavros Stavrakis, Alessandra Stürchler, Muneesh Tewari, Juan P Tosar, Alexander K Tucker-Schwartz, Andrey Turchinovich, Nedyalka Valkov, Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, Kasey C Vickers, Lucia Vojtech, Wyatt N Vreeland, Ceming Wang, Kai Wang, Zeyu Wang, Joshua A Welsh, Kenneth W Witwer, David T W Wong, Jianping Xia, Ya-Hong Xie, Kaichun Yang, Mikołaj P Zaborowski, Chenguang Zhang, Qin Zhang, Angela M Zivkovic, Louise C Laurent

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The extracellular RNA communication consortium (ERCC) is an NIH-funded program aiming to promote the development of new technologies, resources, and knowledge about exRNAs and their carriers. After Phase 1 (2013-2018), Phase 2 of the program (ERCC2, 2019-2023) aims to fill critical gaps in knowledge and technology to enable rigorous and reproducible methods for separation and characterization of both bulk populations of exRNA carriers and single EVs. ERCC2 investigators are also developing new bioinformatic pipelines to promote data integration through the exRNA atlas database. ERCC2 has established several Working Groups (Resource Sharing, Reagent Development, Data Analysis and Coordination, Technology Development, nomenclature, …

Heritable Vaginal Bacteria Influence Immune Tolerance And Relate To Early-Life Markers Of Allergic Sensitization In Infancy, Kathryn E. Mccauley, Elze Rackaityte, Brandon Lamere, Douglas W. Fadrosh, Kei E. Fujimura, Ariane R. Panzer, Din L. Lin, Kole V. Lynch, Joanna Halkias, Ventura F. Mendoza, Trevor D. Burt, Casper Bendixsen, Kathrine Barnes, Haejin Kim, Kyra Jones, Dennis R. Ownby, Christine C. Johnson, Christine M. Seroogy, James E. Gern, Homer A. Boushey, Susan V. Lynch

Allergy & Immunology Articles

Maternal asthma status, prenatal exposures, and infant gut microbiota perturbation are associated with heightened risk of atopy and asthma risk in childhood, observations hypothetically linked by intergenerational microbial transmission. Using maternal vaginal (n = 184) and paired infant stool (n = 172) samples, we identify four compositionally and functionally distinct Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiota clusters (VCs) that relate to prenatal maternal health and exposures and infant serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) status at 1 year. Variance in bacteria shared between mother and infant pairs relate to VCs, maternal allergy/asthma status, and infant IgE levels. Heritable bacterial gene pathways associated with infant IgE …

The Global Network Socioeconomic Status Index As A Predictor Of Stillbirths, Perinatal Mortality, And Neonatal Mortality In Rural Communities In Low And Lower Middle Income Country Sites Of The Global Network For Women's And Children's Health Research, Archana B. Patel, Carla M. Bann, Cherryl S. Kolhe, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu, Melissa Bauserman, Lester Figueroa, Nancy F. Krebs, Fabian Esamai, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

Background: Globally, socioeconomic status (SES) is an important health determinant across a range of health conditions and diseases. However, measuring SES within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can be particularly challenging given the variation and diversity of LMIC populations.
Objective: The current study investigates whether maternal SES as assessed by the newly developed Global Network-SES Index is associated with pregnancy outcomes (stillbirths, perinatal mortality, and neonatal mortality) in six LMICs: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan, and Zambia.
Methods: The analysis included data from 87,923 women enrolled in the Maternal and Newborn Health Registry of the NICHD-funded …

The Global Network Socioeconomic Status Index As A Predictor Of Stillbirths, Perinatal Mortality, And Neonatal Mortality In Rural Communities In Low And Lower Middle Income Country Sites Of The Global Network For Women's And Children's Health Research, Archana B Patel, Carla M Bann, Cherryl S Kolhe, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu, Melissa Bauserman, Lester Figueroa, Nancy F Krebs, Fabian Esamai, Sherri Bucher, Sarah Saleem, Robert L Goldenberg, Elwyn Chomba, Waldemar A Carlo, Shivaprasad Goudar, Richard J Derman, Marion Koso-Thomas, Elizabeth M Mcclure, Patricia L Hibberd

Global Health Articles

BACKGROUND: Globally, socioeconomic status (SES) is an important health determinant across a range of health conditions and diseases. However, measuring SES within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can be particularly challenging given the variation and diversity of LMIC populations.

OBJECTIVE: The current study investigates whether maternal SES as assessed by the newly developed Global Network-SES Index is associated with pregnancy outcomes (stillbirths, perinatal mortality, and neonatal mortality) in six LMICs: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan, and Zambia.

METHODS: The analysis included data from 87,923 women enrolled in the Maternal and Newborn Health Registry of the NICHD-funded …

The Eat Sleep Console Approach: An Evaluation Of Impact, Outcomes And Continuation Of Care, Stefanie Disilvio

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS), a subgroup of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), is a constellation of postnatal symptoms that occurs due to the abrupt cessation of intrauterine opioid exposure. Historically, these infants have been evaluated and treated by the Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool (FNAST) (Appendix A). Recent evidence supports the use of the Eat Sleep Console Approach (ESC) (Appendix B) as an alternative to the FNAST. The ESC model focuses on the comfort and care of these infants by maximizing nonpharmacologic methods and increasing family involvement in the treatment of their infant. The purpose of this project was to …

Enhancing Interprofessional Collaboration And Interprofessional Education In Women's Health, Laura Baecher-Lind, Angela C Fleming, Rashmi Bhargava, Susan M Cox, Elise N Everett, David A Forstein, Shireen Madani Sims, Helen K Morgan, Christopher M Morosky, Celeste S Royce, Tammy S Sonn, Jill M Sutton, Scott C Graziano

2020-Current year OA Pubs

This article is from the 'To The Point' series from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Undergraduate Medical Education Committee. The purpose of this review is to provide an understanding of the differing yet complementary nature of interprofessional collaboration and interprofessional education as well as their importance to the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology. We provide a historical perspective of how interprofessional collaboration and interprofessional education have become key aspects of clinical and educational programs, enhancing both patient care and learner development. Opportunities to incorporate interprofessional education within women's health educational programs across organizations are suggested. This is …

Online Randomised Factorial Trial Of Electronic Screening And Brief Intervention For Alcohol Use In Pregnancy: A Study Protocol, Steven J. Ondersma, Lisa Todd, Samantha Jablonski, Chaarushi Ahuja, Kathryn Gilstad-Hayden, Gregory Goyert, Amy M. Loree, Jaimee Heffner, Kimberly A. Yonkers

Center for Health Policy and Health Services Research Articles

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 1 in 7 pregnant women in the USA report past-month alcohol use. Strong evidence connects prenatal alcohol exposure with a range of adverse perinatal outcomes, including the spectrum of conditions known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) has been recommended for pregnant women but has proven difficult to implement. This study will test the efficacy of single-session technology-delivered SBI (electronic SBI) for alcohol use in pregnancy, while simultaneously evaluating the possible additional benefit of tailored text messages and/or booster sessions in a 3×2 factorial trial.

METHOD AND ANALYSIS: This full factorial trial will use …

Longitudinal Reduction In Diversity Of Maternal Gut Microbiota During Pregnancy Is Observed In Multiple Low-Resource Settings: Results From The Women First Trial, Minghua Tang, Nicholas E. Weaver, Daniel N. Frank, Diana Ir, Charles E. Robertson, Jennifer F. Kemp, Jamie Westcott, Kartik Shankar, Sumera Aziz Ali, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

Objective: To characterize the changes in gut microbiota during pregnancy and determine the effects of nutritional intervention on gut microbiota in women from sub-Saharan Africa (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC), South Asia (India and Pakistan), and Central America (Guatemala).
Methods: Pregnant women in the Women First (WF) Preconception Maternal Nutrition Trial were included in this analysis. Participants were randomized to receive a lipid-based micronutrient supplement either ≥3 months before pregnancy (Arm 1); started the same intervention late in the first trimester (Arm 2); or received no nutrition supplements besides those self-administered or prescribed through local health services (Arm …

A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis On Prevalence Of And Risk Factors Associated With Depression, Anxiety And Insomnia In Infectious Diseases, Including Covid-19: A Call To Action, Kai Yuan, Yong-Bo Zheng, Yi-Jie Wang, Yan-Kun Sun, Yi-Miao Gong, Yue-Tong Huang, Xuan Chen, Xiao-Xing Liu, Yi Zhong, Si-Zhen Su, Nan Gao, Yi-Long Lu, Zhe Wang, Wei-Jian Liu, Jian-Yu Que, Ying-Bo Yang, An-Yi Zhang, Meng-Ni Jing, Chen-Wei Yuan, Na Zeng, Michael V Vitiello, Vikram Patel, Seena Fazel, Harry Minas, Graham Thornicroft, Teng-Teng Fan, Xiao Lin, Wei Yan, Le Shi, Jie Shi, Thomas Kosten, Yan-Ping Bao, Lin Lu

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Infectious disease epidemics have become more frequent and more complex during the 21st century, posing a health threat to the general public and leading to psychological symptoms. The current study was designed to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors associated with depression, anxiety and insomnia symptoms during epidemic outbreaks, including COVID-19. We systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, OVID, Medline, Cochrane databases, bioRxiv and medRxiv to identify studies that reported the prevalence of depression, anxiety or insomnia during infectious disease epidemics, up to August 14th, 2020. Prevalence of mental symptoms among different populations including the general public, …

Fetal Loss In Pregnant Rhesus Macaques Infected With High-Dose African-Lineage Zika Virus, Lauren E. Raasch, Kevin K. Noguchi, Nicole A. Fuhler, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Countermeasures against Zika virus (ZIKV), including vaccines, are frequently tested in nonhuman primates (NHP). Macaque models are important for understanding how ZIKV infections impact human pregnancy due to similarities in placental development. The lack of consistent adverse pregnancy outcomes in ZIKV-affected pregnancies poses a challenge in macaque studies where group sizes are often small (4-8 animals). Studies in small animal models suggest that African-lineage Zika viruses can cause more frequent and severe fetal outcomes. No adverse outcomes were observed in macaques exposed to 1x104 PFU (low dose) of African-lineage ZIKV at gestational day (GD) 45. Here, we exposed eight pregnant …

Evaluation Of Noninvasive Methods For Determining Pregnancy, Diet, Nutrition, And Stress Among Pronghorn Antelope: Implications For Population Monitoring, Cole Bleke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to increase our understanding of the influence of adult female pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) physiology on fawn summer survival. Pronghorn are a valued big game animal in Idaho, but are particularly sensitive to capture; therefore, we designed a noninvasive fecal sampling study to measure pregnancy (progesterone and estrogen), diet, nutrition (fecal nitrogen and DAPA), and stress (cortisol), during metabolically-demanding female life history stages (late gestation, early lactation, and breeding season). We also compared survey results between ground and aerial methods within mountain valley landscapes.

Pregnancy determination, via progesterone, is possible for pronghorn, but sample collection …

The Significance Of Trimester-Specific Thyroid Hormones Reference Intervals In Iraqi Pregnant Women, Hani Moslem Ahmad, Moayad Aziz Alabdaly, Khairaldeen Mohammed Sulaiman

Kesmas

In Iraq, there is no obvious considerable data regarding trimester-specific reference intervals of thyroid hormones despite documented multiple physiological hormonal changes during pregnancy. Thus, this study aimed to determine trimester-specific reference intervals for serum TSH, FT3, and FT4 and assess the incidence of thyroid function test misinterpretation and misdiagnosis among pregnant women using non-pregnant reference intervals. A thyroid function test was performed for 774 enrolled pregnant women. Reference intervals of TSH, FT3, and FT4 were ascertained in each pregnancy trimester. It was then compared to the adult non-pregnant values, and the incidence of misinterpretation was later calculated. TSH and FT4 …

Maternal Iron Deficiency Programs Rat Offspring Hypertension In Relation To Renin-Angiotensin System And Oxidative Stress, Ya-Hui Chang, Wan-Hsuan Chen, Chung-Hao Su, Hong-Ren Yu, You-Lin Tain, Li-Tung Huang, Jiunn-Ming Sheen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hypertension is an important public health challenge, affecting up to 30-50% of adults worldwide. Several epidemiological studies indicate that high blood pressure originates in fetal life-the so-called programming effect or developmental origin of hypertension. Iron-deficiency anemia has become one of the most prevalent nutritional problems globally. Previous animal experiments have shown that prenatal iron-deficiency anemia adversely affects offspring hypertension. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We used a maternal low-iron diet Sprague Dawley rat model to study changes in blood pressure, the renal renin-angiotensin system, oxidative stress, inflammation, and sodium transporters in adult male offspring. Our study revealed that 16-week-old …

An Assessment Of Pregnant Women's Value And Utilization Of Oral Health Care During Pregnancy, Angelica M. Sanchez

Dental Hygiene ETDs

The intention of this survey was to examine the value and utilization of dental services during pregnancy, to identify the value being placed on oral health and dental services during pregnancy. Also, to assess if the women received oral health education from obstetric providers. Pregnancy temporarily increases the risk of periodontal diseases, the prevalence of periodontal diseases is very high during pregnancy, 60-75% of women can be affected. Previous literature suggests that poor oral health is linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-term births, low birth weights, and pre-eclampsia. Data was obtained and collected using REDCap. Utilizing the collected …

Birth Length Is The Strongest Predictor Of Linear Growth Status And Stunting In The First 2 Years Of Life After A Preconception Maternal Nutrition Intervention: The Children Of The Women First Trial, Nancy F Krebs, K Michael Hambidge, Jamie L Westcott, Ana L Garcés, Lester Figueroa, Antoinette K Tshefu, Adrien L Lokangaka, Shivaprasad S Goudar, Sangappa M Dhaded, Sarah Saleem, Sumera Aziz Ali, Melissa S Bauserman, Richard J Derman, Robert L Goldenberg, Abhik Das, Dhuly Chowdhury

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The multicountry Women First trial demonstrated that nutritional supplementation initiated prior to conception (arm 1) or early pregnancy (arm 2) and continued until delivery resulted in significantly greater length at birth and 6 mo compared with infants in the control arm (arm 3).

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated intervention effects on infants' longitudinal growth trajectory from birth through 24 mo and identified predictors of length status and stunting at 24 mo.

METHODS: Infants' anthropometry was obtained at 6, 12, 18, and 24 mo after the Women First trial (registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01883193), which was conducted in low-resource settings: Democratic Republic …

Inspire : Vol 5, Issue 7, Department Of Medicine

INSPIRE – Department of Medicine Archives

Content

• Message from the Chair
• Medicine at National and International Forums
• Neurology Connect week
• In-depth- featuring Prof. Dr Ali Zubair
• Featured Faculty – Salma Tajuddin – Senior Instructor – Research section “…love what you do and equally important is denoising in life so you can do what you love!”
• Poem Section
• Publications
• What are Academics Around the World Reading This Month?

Maternal Obesity, Pregnancy Weight Gain, And Birth Weight And Risk Of Colorectal Cancer, Caitlin C Murphy, Piera M Cirillo, Nickilou Y Krigbaum, Amit G Singal, Minjae Lee, Timothy Zaki, Ezra Burstein, Barbara A Cohn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Obesity is a well-established risk factor for CRC, and fetal or developmental origins of obesity may underlie its effect on cancer in adulthood. We examined associations of maternal obesity, pregnancy weight gain, and birth weight and CRC in adult offspring.

Design: The Child Health and Development Studies is a prospective cohort of women receiving prenatal care between 1959 and 1966 in Oakland, California (N=18 751 live births among 14 507 mothers). Clinical information was abstracted from mothers' medical records 6 months prior to pregnancy through delivery. Diagnoses of …

The Epidemiology Of Biliary Atresia: Exploring The Role Of Developmental Factors On Birth Prevalence, Laurel Cavallo, Erin M Kovar, Amal Aqul, Lucille Mcloughlin, Naveen K Mittal, Norberto Rodriguez-Baez, Benjamin L Shneider, Robert J Zwiener, Tiffany M Chambers, Peter H Langlois, Mark A Canfield, A J Agopian, Philip J Lupo, Sanjiv Harpavat

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: To identify key epidemiologic factors relevant to fetal development that are associated with biliary atresia.

STUDY DESIGN: This population-based registry study examined infants born in Texas between 1999 and 2014. Epidemiologic data relevant to fetal development were compared between cases of biliary atresia identified in the Texas Birth Defects Registry (n = 305) vs all live births (n = 4 689 920), and Poisson regression was used to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% CIs.

RESULTS: The prevalence of biliary atresia over the study period was 0.65 per 10 000 live births. Biliary atresia was positively associated with female …

Associations Of Maternal Lipoprotein Particle Distribution In Mid-Pregnancy With Birth Outcomes: A Pilot Study., Todd C. Rideout, Xiaozhong Wen, Divya Choudhary, Marissa Catanzaro, Richard W. Browne, Vanessa M. Barnabei, Kai Ling Kong

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: An excessive rise in maternal lipids during pregnancy may have detrimental impacts on maternal and fetal health leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, knowledge gaps exist with respect to the association between lipid biomarkers and birth outcomes.

METHODS: We conducted a secondary data analysis of healthy pregnant women (N = 25) with mid-pregnancy fasting serum samples collected at 22-28 weeks of gestation and birth outcome data. Serum was analyzed for conventional lipid profile (total-C, HDL-C, LDL-C, and triglycerides) and lipoprotein subclass distribution, including particle number (nM) and size (nm), for very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)/chylomicron (CM), low density lipoprotein (LDL), …

Maternal And Fetal Bile Acid Homeostasis Regulated By Sulfated Progesterone Metabolites Through Fxr Signaling Pathway In A Pregnant Sow Model, Peng Wang, Peiqiang Yuan, Sen Lin, Heju Zhong, Xiaoling Zhang, Yong Zhuo, Jian Li, Lianqiang Che, Bin Feng, Yan Lin, Shengyu Xu, De Wu, Douglas G Burrin, Zhengfeng Fang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Abnormally elevated circulating bile acids (BA) during pregnancy endanger fetal survival and offspring health; however, the pathology and underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. A total of nineteen pregnant sows were randomly assigned to day 60 of gestation, day 90 of gestation (G60, G90), and the farrowing day (L0), to investigate the intercorrelation of reproductive hormone, including estradiol, progesterone and sulfated progesterone metabolites (PMSs), and BA in the peripheral blood of mother and fetuses during pregnancy. All data were analyzed by Student’s t-test or one-way ANOVA of GraphPad Prism and further compared by using the Student–Newman–Keuls test. Correlation analysis was …

Protocol For A Sequential, Prospective Meta-Analysis To Describe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) In The Pregnancy And Postpartum Periods, Emily R. Smith, Erin Oakley, Siran He, Rebecca Zavala, Kacey Ferguson, Gargi Wable Grandner, Ibukun-Oluwa Omolade Abejirinde, Yalda Afshar, Homa Ahmadzia, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

We urgently need answers to basic epidemiological questions regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant and postpartum women and its effect on their newborns. While many national registries, health facilities, and research groups are collecting relevant data, we need a collaborative and methodologically rigorous approach to better combine these data and address knowledge gaps, especially those related to rare outcomes. We propose that using a sequential, prospective meta-analysis (PMA) is the best approach to generate data for policy- and practice-oriented guidelines. As the pandemic evolves, additional studies identified retrospectively by the steering committee or through living systematic reviews will be invited to …

The Life Cycle Of Polyploid Giant Cancer Cells And Dormancy In Cancer: Opportunities For Novel Therapeutic Interventions, Jinsong Liu, Na Niu, Xiaoran Li, Xudong Zhang, Anil K Sood

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent data suggest that most genotoxic agents in cancer therapy can lead to shock of genome and increase in cell size, which leads whole genome duplication or multiplication, formation of polyploid giant cancer cells, activation of an early embryonic program, and dedifferentiation of somatic cells. This process is achieved via the giant cell life cycle, a recently proposed mechanism for malignant transformation of somatic cells. Increase in both cell size and ploidy allows cells to completely or partially restructures the genome and develop into a blastocyst-like structure, similar to that observed in blastomere-stage embryogenesis. Although blastocyst-like structures with reprogrammed genome …