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Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is common and concerning, but few therapeutic options exist for pregnant mothers who receive this diagnosis. IUGR is a condition in which a baby in the womb is measuring small for its gestational age, often because of issues with the placenta, resulting in compromised or insufficient transfer of oxygen and nutrients to the growing fetus. The developing fetal brain is particularly vulnerable to these effects. One out of every 10 babies is diagnosed with IUGR, and infants with IUGR are at increased risk of death and neurodevelopmental impairment. Recent research on polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice has suggested that it may help protect the brain from injury. In an exploratory, randomized, controlled clinical trial, supported by philanthropic funding and a gift from POM Wonderful, the largest grower and producer of fresh pomegranates and pomegranate juice in the United States, investigators at Brigham and Women s Hospital enrolled pregna
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ST. LOUIS, MO, March 11, 2021 - Two Danforth Center Principal Investigators were recently recognized with early career awards for outstanding achievement and leadership.
Andrea Eveland, Ph.D., associate member, received the Marcus Rhoades Early Career Award at the 63rd Maize Genetics Conference (MGC) for her research that mixes genomics, developmental biology, and advanced bioinformatics. The MGC Marcus Rhoades Early Career award recognizes an individual who has made significant research contributions through genetic studies of maize or related species, and has been in a permanent position for eight or fewer years.
Eveland has been an active member of the MGC community for 18 years, the last six of which have been at the Danforth Center. Her research is focused on genetic control of plant architecture and regulation of abiotic stress response. Eveland leads a $3.4M National Science Foundation-funded project that leverages developmental biology, genomics, and quantitative
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New research by the National Institutes of Health found that unbalanced progesterone signals may cause some pregnant women to experience preterm labor or prolonged labor. The study in mice published online in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides novel insights for developing treatments.
During pregnancy, the hormone progesterone helps to prevent the uterus from contracting and going into labor prematurely. This occurs through molecular signaling involving progesterone receptor types A and B, referred to as PGR-A and PGR-B. In this first-of-its-kind study, the scientists showed how unbalanced PGR-A and PGR-B signaling can affect pregnancy duration.
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Black women have 80% higher risk of preterm birth between 32 and 33 weeks of pregnancy if a Black person who lives in their neighborhood is killed by police during the pregnancy, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley.
The study by scientists at the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBI-CA) and UC Berkeley School of Public Health, studied the records of 3.8 million pregnant women to assess whether fatal police violence occurring in their neighborhood during pregnancy was associated with extremely early, early, moderate or late preterm delivery. Our findings suggest that deaths due to police violence, which already differentially affect Black and Brown communities, adversely affect the health of mothers and babies during pregnancy, said first author Dana Goin, PhD, post-doctoral scholar in the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences. In addition, we observed the strongest associations with preterm b