All Our Babies Cohort Study: recruitment of a cohort to predict women at risk of preterm birth through the examination of gene expression profiles and the environment.

Background: Preterm birth is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Risk factors for preterm birth include a personal or familial history of preterm delivery, ethnicity and low socioeconomic status yet the ability to predict preterm delivery before the onset of preterm labour evades clinical practice. Evidence suggests that genetics may play a role in the multi-factorial pathophysiology of preterm birth.

Thirty new loci for age at menarche identified by a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies.

To identify loci for age at menarche, we performed a meta-analysis of 32 genome-wide association studies in 87,802 women of European descent, with replication in up to 14,731 women. In addition to the known loci at LIN28B (P = 5.4 × 10⁻⁶⁰) and 9q31.

Benefits of introducing universal umbilical cord blood gas and lactate analysis into an obstetric unit.

Background: Current evidence suggests that umbilical arterial pH analysis provides the most sensitive reflection of birth asphyxia. However, there's debate whether umbilical cord blood gas analysis (UC-BGA) should be conducted on some or all deliveries.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of introducing universal UC-BGA at delivery on perinatal outcome.

Maternal life events during pregnancy and offspring language ability in middle childhood: The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study.

Background: There is accumulating evidence for a link between maternal stress during pregnancy and later behavioural and emotional problems in children. Little research has examined other developmental outcomes.

Aim: To determine the effect of maternal stress during pregnancy on offspring language ability in middle childhood.

Brief report: a preliminary study of fetal head circumference growth in autism spectrum disorder.

Fetal head circumference (HC) growth was examined prospectively in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD participants (N = 14) were each matched with four control participants (N = 56) on a range of parameters known to influence fetal growth. HC was measured using ultrasonography at approximately 18 weeks gestation and again at birth using a paper tape-measure.

Variants in ADCY5 and near CCNL1 are associated with fetal growth and birth weight.

To identify genetic variants associated with birth weight, we meta-analyzed six genome-wide association (GWA) studies (n = 10,623 Europeans from pregnancy/birth cohorts) and followed up two lead signals in 13 replication studies (n = 27,591). rs900400 near LEKR1 and CCNL1 (P = 2 x 10(-35)) and rs9883204 in ADCY5 (P = 7 x 10(-15)) were robustly associated with birth weight. Correlated SNPs in ADCY5 were recently implicated in regulation of glucose levels and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, providing evidence that the well-described association between lower birth weight and subsequent type 2 diabetes has a genetic component, distinct from the proposed role of programming by maternal nutrition.

Prenatal Maternal Stress Associated with ADHD and Autistic Traits in early Childhood.

Research suggests that offspring of mothers who experience high levels of stress during pregnancy are more likely to have problems in neurobehavioral development. There is preliminary evidence that prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is a risk factor for both autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), however most studies do not control for confounding factors and no study has investigated PNMS as a risk factor for behaviors characteristic of these disorders in early childhood. A population cohort of 2900 pregnant women were recruited before their 18th week of pregnancy and investigated prospectively.

Treatment of periodontal disease during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate whether treating periodontal disease prevents preterm birth and other major complications of pregnancy.

Methods: This single-center trial was conducted across six obstetric sites in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. Pregnant women identified by history to be at risk (n=3,737) were examined for periodontal disease.

Developmental regulation of cardiovascular function is dependent on both genotype and environment.

Adverse developmental environments can increase the risk of adult cardiovascular disease, but not all individuals are affected, suggesting the importance of genotype. Genetically distinct mouse strains allow the genetic dissection of complex traits; however, they have not been used to evaluate the developmental origins of adult cardiovascular disease. Our objective was to determine the effect of prenatal nutrient restriction (R) on adult cardiovascular function in A/J (AJ) and C57BL/6J (B6) mice and whether a postnatal high-fat (HF) diet exacerbates these effects.

Early life origins of obesity.

There is increasing evidence that obesity has its origins in early life. Predisposition is based on interactions between the genome and environmental influences acting through epigenetic modifications. Individuals most at risk are those whose ancestral line has made a rapid transition from a traditional to a Westernized style of life.

Strain differences in the impact of dietary restriction on fetal growth and pregnancy in mice.

The association between suboptimal intrauterine environment and developmental origins of adult health and disease is variable, suggesting that genotype may contribute to eventual outcome. The objective of this study was to characterize maternal and fetal responses to maternal dietary restriction during pregnancy in 2 phylogenetically distant strains of mice. Pregnant A/J (n=35) and C57BL/6J (B6) (n=36) mice underwent either a 30% dietary restriction (DR) from day 6.

The impact of murine strain and sex on postnatal development after maternal dietary restriction during pregnancy.

The objective of this study was to characterize offspring responses to maternal dietary restriction (DR) in two phylogenetically distant strains of mice: A/J and C57BL/6J (B6). Pregnant mice were fed 100% or 70% of ad libitum between 6.5 and 17.

Genetic epidemiologic studies of preterm birth: guidelines for research.

Over the last decade, it has become increasingly apparent that the cause of preterm birth is multifactorial, involving both genetic and environmental factors. With the development of new technologies capable of probing the genome, exciting possibilities now present themselves to gain new insight into the mechanisms leading to preterm birth. This review aims to develop research guidelines for the conduct of genetic epidemiology studies of preterm birth with the expectation that this will ultimately facilitate the comparison of data sets between study cohorts, both nationally and internationally.

Age at menarche: Influences of prenatal and postnatal growth.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the influence of birth weight and postnatal weight gain on age at menarche.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a prospective cohort study where girls from the West Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Cohort Study were followed prospectively from fetal life (18 wk of pregnancy) to adolescence (12-14 yr).

Main Outcome Measure: Age at menarche was the main outcome measure.