Aurora magazine

A team from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) studied the link between seafood and level of attention. From what has emerged, eating lots of seafood in the first months of gestation could increase the level of attention of children.

The researchers studied 1,641 couples of mothers and children. The mothers filled out numerous questionnaires during gestation, answering over a hundred questions related to nutrition. Among these, there were several concerning fish and seafood. Once the children were born, they also answered questions about feeding their children at 1, 5 and 8 years of age. Finally, the scientists assessed the level of attention of children at 8 years. The data shows a correlation between seafood consumption and attention span.

The most significant effects appear to be connected to consumption in the first quarter of gestation. Eating them later in gestation would have less effects, as well as making them eat the child in his first five years of life. Furthermore, it would be good to vary and not just focus on fat-rich fish. The merit of these benefits would be found in the formation processes of neurons. In fact, seafood contains a series of substances essential for development, including the famous omega-3. Consuming seafood in large quantities would therefore provide a surplus of these substances, stimulating fetal brain development.

Source: isglobal.org

Women who give birth before the term and suffer from pre-eclampsia are twice as likely to suffer from hypertension later in life. In some cases, the phenomenon occurs even less than three years after gestation. This was stated by a study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), conducted on more than 4,000 women.

The discovery could help prevent the risks of cardiovascular problems later in life. Previous studies have already shown that some complications are associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. However, the studies in question focused on data collected in retrospect, often with stories reported by the patients themselves.

The study in question, instead, is based on the clinical history of women 2-7 years before gestation. In this way, the doctors verified whether there was a connection between cardiovascular health and the outcome of gestation. The researchers involved 4,484 women. About 31% of those who had complications during pregnancy had chronic hypertension problems in later years. The percentage drops to 17% in the case of women who had no complications.

There is therefore a connection between complications, especially if during the first pregnancy, and hypertension going on with age. According to the author of the study, this should prompt doctors to investigate patients' medical backgrounds. This would allow many women to improve their lifestyle, with positive effects on their health and that of the child.

Source: nhlbi.nih.gov

A woman's bone marrow could determine her chances of conceiving and carrying on a gestation. This was stated by a study by Yale University. When the oocyte is fertilized, some marrow stem cells move into the uterus. Here they help to create the environment suitable for implantation and embryo development. As a result, a bone marrow analysis could reveal any obstacles to the process.

Previous studies have already shown the involvement of bone marrow in the uterus. The stem cells from here in fact influence the uterus in the different phases of the cycle. However, it was unclear whether and how these cells influence the organ even during gestation.

The study in question aimed precisely at answering this question. The researchers analyzed two animal models with a Hoxa11 gene defect, which causes problems in the endometrium. After bone marrow transplantation of healthy guinea pigs, endometrial conditions have improved. This has increased the chances of conceiving and completing a pregnancy.

The approach proved effective even on a guinea pig with two defective copies of the gene, completely infertile. To make the transplant possible, the researchers used a particular chemotherapy drug that does not affect the ovaries. Now all that remains is to expand the study and, later, to understand how to translate what was discovered in human beings.

Source: news.yale.edu

Research published in the journal Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology examines the effects of paracetamol in pregnancy. The researchers analyzed the behavior, memory and cognitive abilities of a group of children between 6 months and 17 years old. From what has emerged, exposure to the drug would be related to behavioral problems.

The researchers started from questionnaires and school information gathered from a study of the 1990s by Bristol's Children. The data covered approximately 14,000 children, 43% of whom were exposed to paracetamol during pregnancy. Their mothers had in fact declared that they had "sometimes" the drug, especially to alleviate minor joint pains during the nine months.

Paracetamol is considered a safe drug to take during pregnancy. Nevertheless, scientists have highlighted a link between her intake during pregnancy and some developmental problems. Children exposed to paracetamol are more prone to hyperactivity and attention problems.

The rate of behavioral problems is also higher than the average. Yet this imbalance seems to disappear in the first years of elementary school. The study does not give clear and unambiguous answers, but raises a problem: is paracetamol really safe? Professor Jean Golding, head of the study, fears that the drug may have many more negative effects than is currently known. At present there is no evidence of a causal link between drug intake and behavioral problems. It is however worth paying attention to what is taken during pregnancy.

Source: bristol.ac.uk