prenatal care Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Prenatal Stress Impacts Babies, Especially Girls, Later On

The AHA! Team — Fri, 30 May 2025 05:24:33 +0000

John Jeffay via Israel21c – Study finds that even before babies take their first breath, the stress their mothers experience can shape how their own bodies will manage stress. Experts believe mothers who report high stress levels during pregnancy are more likely to have babies who will suffer neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions in later life. A team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem says perceived prenatal stress (PPS) actually reprograms key molecular pathways in the baby’s body – and has a far more significant effect on girls than boys. PPS alters the expression of RNA – the tiny molecules that helps make proteins — in the blood of newborn babies, especially girls. That, in turn, affects key enzymes in the brain’s stress-regulation system. “We found that even before babies take their first breath, the stress their mothers experience can shape how their bodies manage stress themselves,” said Prof. Hermona Soreq, who jointly led the study with PhD student Shani Vaknine Treidel at the university’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center of Brain Science. The research team says these changes may explain why some children are more vulnerable to developmental or psychiatric challenges – and point to new possibilities for early diagnosis and interventions targeting stress-related health risks. “This study provides a powerful glimpse into how the maternal environment can leave a lasting biological imprint on the next generation,” said Vaknine Treidel. “It also underscores the importance of recognizing and supporting mental health during pregnancy — not just for the mother, but for the lifelong health of the child.” The team used a standard questionnaire to measure perceived stress among women in their third trimester at Klinikum Rechts der Isar Hospital, part of the Technical University of Munich, Germany. They then analyzed blood from the umbilical of babies born to 120 mothers aged 28 to 45 who recorded some of the highest scores. The changes they detected in the RNA molecules were sex-specific, they said, and showed more dramatic shifts among newborn girls than boys — which could explain why children exposed to high maternal stress during pregnancy may be more vulnerable to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions later in life. Using machine learning techniques, the researchers were also able to accurately determine whether or not newborn girls had been exposed to maternal stress based on profiles of small RNA molecules (or tRNA fragments) that govern a neurotransmitter essential for brain function. This opens the door to new diagnostic tools for detecting prenatal stress effects and possibly even early interventions, the team said. The research paper was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. To read the original article click here.

The post Prenatal Stress Impacts Babies, Especially Girls, Later On appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

Breakthrough Prenatal Test Detects 250 Diseases at 9 Weeks

The AHA! Team — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 06:36:28 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – Israeli startup Identifai develops first maternal blood test to identify risk of 250 genetic diseases as early as 9th week of pregnancy, matching the results of riskier and later amniocentesis. Of the 140 million babies born worldwide each year, 6-8% are at risk for hereditary genetic diseases. Amniocentesis is considered the gold standard for detecting fetal genetic risks with high accuracy, but it is invasive, has some risks for mother and baby, and cannot be done until at least 15 weeks into the pregnancy. The only alternative until now has been non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), but it can assess risk for only about 10 percent of known genetic disorders, including Tay-Sachs, cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy. A breakthrough blood test developed in Israel is poised to make prenatal genetic testing available earlier, noninvasively and comprehensively: It can detect the risk of 250 diseases with high accuracy. Identifai was founded in 2021 based on the research of Tel Aviv University Prof. Noam Shomron, a world expert in genetics and bioinformatics. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, Identifai’s technology requires nothing more than a maternal blood sample. After isolating fetal DNA from maternal DNA, it does a full, rapid fetal genetic sequencing starting from just nine weeks’ gestation. The technology can detect mutations even in a single DNA base among billions, making it capable of identifying a wide range of hereditary genetic conditions. “This is a tremendous step forward,” Identifai CEO Eyal Miller tells ISRAEL21c. “If the mother is a carrier [of a genetic disease], we can do the whole genome sequencing for the fetus and provide a clinical report with a negative predictive value of more than 99%,” he explains. “This means that if results are negative, the likelihood of the fetus having [a genetic disease] is close to zero. And that gives immediate relief to the parents. On the other hand, if the results are positive, the parents know exactly what they’re dealing with,” Miller adds. “That dramatically changes the whole ecosystem from the point of view of parents, clinicians and genetic counselors. This is why we shine.” Gamechanger The Israeli technology, expected to be commercialized in the second half of 2025 following additional clinical trials in Israel and the United States, has already gained international recognition through the publication of a study conducted at Israel’s Beilinson and Meir hospitals. Chosen as the cover story of the global journal Prenatal Diagnosis last August, the study involved 18 cases where both parents were carriers of genetic diseases. Identifai’s system analyzed the mothers’ blood samples and predicted fetal risks with 100% accuracy, matching the results from amniocentesis. Identifai will soon release results from a larger study at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. “At Columbia, we came across parents who carry a rare genetic disease and they were amazed that we can provide a very simple solution very early in the process in order to give them certainty about the status of the fetus as soon as possible,” Miller says. The couple wrote to Identifai: “Our reproductive journey has been hugely impacted by the knowledge of being carriers and we hope that this kind of non-invasive testing becomes available one day in the future for families like us.” The benefits of knowing Identifai generates a report for parents and their healthcare provider, detailing the probability of the fetus carrying or developing specific genetic conditions and how they might manifest if the pregnancy continues. “Couples are aware very early if the fetus has some type of disease, which means they can make a decision about what lies ahead,” says Miller. “If you’ve decided to maintain the pregnancy, there are specific hospitals in the United States that can treat the newborn immediately once a clear diagnosis is in place.” Furthermore, Identifai needs only maternal blood for analysis, which is helpful in the many cases where the father is unavailable or unknown. “If the mother is a carrier and you can’t find the father, the only thing to do until now has been to keep your fingers crossed and pray and then do invasive amnio,” says Miller. In addition to the medical advantages of the test, Miller adds, there’s an emotional and psychological advantage because amniocentesis “causes enormous anxiety and stress” and many expectant couples don’t want it. A $6 billion market Miller says the prenatal testing market is currently valued at $6 billion annually, with NIPT tests making up half of that amount. This market is expected to grow to $19 billion by 2030. “Our ability to detect fetal risk for hundreds of genetic conditions will expand this market to hundreds of billions, including early in-utero surgeries and detection of late-stage conditions where amniocentesis is no longer an option,” he says. “Furthermore, this solution, which does not require FDA approval, will be accessible, convenient, and effective for populations worldwide who avoid amniocentesis for cultural reasons, for millions of pregnancies where the father’s identity is unknown, and in response to new US legislation limiting abortions and amniocentesis tests that might justify terminations.” Identifai has received grants from the Israel Innovation Authority and raised $6.5 million from investors including Shizim as well as eHealth Ventures, which supports early-stage digital health companies from the initial stages of R&D through capital raising, business development, commercialization, and market entry. Identifai employs 15 people in its Tel Aviv offices. Miller says a US office will be established to support clinical, marketing and operational activities in that target market. For more information, click here. To read the original article click here.

The post Breakthrough Prenatal Test Detects 250 Diseases at 9 Weeks appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

Low-Income Preschoolers Exposed to Nurturing Care Have Higher IQ Scores Later On

AHA Publisher — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 08:00:30 +0000

University of Maryland School of Medicine via EurekAlert – Preschoolers living in impoverished communities who have access to a nurturing home environment have significantly higher intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in adolescence compared to those raised without nurturing care. That is the finding of a new international study conducted by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, which examined data from more than 1600 children from Brazil and South Africa who were followed from birth through their teenage years. Results were published this week in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Healthjournal. The researchers analyzed data from long-running studies conducted in Brazil and South Africa to assess whether children exposed to early adversities (such as extreme poverty, low birth weight, or pre-term birth) could reach their full learning potential by experiencing responsive caregiving and opportunities to learn in their home. They found that prenatal and early life adversities matter throughout life. Adolescents who had been exposed to multiple adversities early in life had lower IQ scores, were more likely to have difficulties adjusting socially and psychologically, and achieved a lower physical height compared to adolescents exposed to fewer adversities. They also found that being raised in a nurturing environment could significantly counteract the detrimental effect of early adversities on IQ and help children achieve their full intellectual potential. “We found that adolescents who were raised in nurturing environments had IQ scores that were on average 6 points higher than those who were not. This is a striking difference that has profound implications by increasing the intelligence of entire communities,” said study corresponding author Maureen Black, PhD, the John A Scholl and Mary Louise Scholl Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at UMSOM. “A nurturing environment also led to better growth and fewer psycho-social difficulties in adolescence, but it did not mitigate the effects of early adversities on growth and psycho-social difficulties.” Globally, more than 250 million children younger than 5 years are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential because of adversities that co-occur early in life and accumulate with age. In the U.S, almost one in five children are raised in poverty and 15 percent do not complete high school, with higher rates for children in Black and Hispanic families. Exposing these children to a nurturing environment, whether at home or in daycare or pre-school settings, can lead to cognitive benefits that last into adolescence and beyond. “I think our findings could apply to communities here in the U.S. where children are hungry, living in poverty or lacking in access to medical care,” Dr. Black said. Added study lead author Angela Trude, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in the UMSOM Department of Pediatrics, “Parents want to provide nurturing environments and we need to help them.” She said this includes interacting with young children in a positive way such as reading children’s books from the library, singing songs together, and playing games with numbers and letters. Children who engage in age-appropriate chores with adult supervision like picking up toys and clearing the table gain skills and feel good about helping. “Get children involved in friendly activities as much as possible rather than parking them in front of a screen,” Dr. Black said. “Children love to learn and in a nurturing environment they can grow into adolescents and adults with the abilities to care for themselves, their families, and their communities.”

The post Low-Income Preschoolers Exposed to Nurturing Care Have Higher IQ Scores Later On appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.