in utero

Pups born to mice whose mothers had been fed a high-fat diet showed social deficits, a study shows. 

After a handful of cases in Ireland, clinicians there are warning that the virus might infect the placenta in very rare instances and cause fetal distress, but a rise in stillbirths has not been seen in epidemiological studies.

The virus rarely spreads from mother to child before birth, but it can—and researchers are starting to investigate the path it takes.

The animals lived longer and showed milder symptoms than untreated mice, although they didn’t survive as long as wildtype mice.

A number of epidemiological studies support a link between air quality and poor health outcomes, and researchers are searching for explanations in the lab.

The authors of the study that found the association say more research is needed on maternal fluoride and child IQ.

CRISPR reagents injected into the amniotic fluid inactivated a gene in the fetuses that would normally cause lung disease and kill the mice a few hours after birth.

Rodent and human studies have revealed a multitude of effects starting during gestation and lasting into adulthood.

Doctors treated the fetus, who has alpha thalassemia major, with cells from her mother’s bone marrow.

The disorder, called X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, leaves patients unable to produce sweat, which can be life-threatening.

The lungs of extremely premature lambs supported in a closed, sterile environment that enables fluid-based gas exchange grow and develop normally, researchers report.

An upcoming clinical trial aims to correct for a disease of fragile bones in affected babies before they are born.

A study documents boys with autism who were exposed to elevated levels of testosterone, cortisol, and other hormones in utero.