Neural crest derivatives and neuroendocrine cells in the gut of anencephalic and fetuses without congenital defects.

Background: The enteric nervous system (ENS), a component of the peripheral nervous system in the intestinal walls, regulates motility, secretion, absorption, and blood flow. Neural crest (NC) migration, fundamental for ENS development, may be altered by central nervous system development alterations, such as neural tube defects (NTD). Intestinal innervation anomalies have been correlated to NTD.

Prepregnancy Obesity, Maternal Dietary Intake, and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in the Fetomaternal Unit.

Background: Obesity and pregnancy increase levels of maternal oxidative stress (OS). However, little is known about the maternal, placental, and neonatal OS status.

Objective: To analyze the relation between prepregnancy obesity and the expression of OS markers and antioxidant capacity in the fetomaternal unit and their association with dietary intake.

Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes Among Adolescents and Mature Women: A Hospital-Based Study in the North of Mexico.

Study Objective: To compare maternal and newborn pregnancy outcomes from adolescents and mature women.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a public hospital, including women with singleton pregnancies, who were classified according to their age, as follows: group 1: younger than 16 years old (n = 37), group 2: 16-19 years old (n = 288), and group 3: 20-34 years old (n = 632).

Interventions And Main Outcome Measures: Information on clinical characteristics, gynecological and obstetric history, pregnancy complications, and perinatal outcomes was obtained through interviews and from clinical records.

Placental maturity, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and birth weight.

Objectives: To compare maturity of placentas from women with hypertensive disorders with those from normotensive pregnancies and to determine the relationship between placental maturity (PM) and the diagnosis of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) in the newborns.

Materials And Methods: We examined placental stained specimens from women with normotensive pregnancies (n = 100), diagnosis of gestational hypertension (n = 38), mild (n = 10), or severe preeclampsia (n = 34) in an optical microscope. Placental Maturity Index (PMI) was calculated as the number of vasculo-syncytial membranes (VSM) in 1 mm(2) divided by VSM thickness (µm).

Body composition and newborn birthweight in pregnancies of adolescent and mature women.

Teenage pregnancy has been associated with adverse effects for the mother and the newborn (NB). In order to compare body composition (BC) between adolescents (Ad) and mature women (MW) during pregnancy and to determine the difference in birthweight and perinatal morbidity, pregnant Ad (n=40) and MW (n=227) were studied. BC changes between the second and third trimesters were determined by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, and birthweight and NB morbidity were evaluated.

[Sirenomelia apus. Case report].

We report a case of Sirenomelia. The mother began prenatal care in the second trimester. Transabdominal ultrasound was determined anhydramnios, cardiac abnormalities and lumbosacral spine.

Birth weight in children with birth defects.

Background: Birth defects (BDs) are a serious public health problem in Mexico. The objective of this paper was to identify the frequency of newborns (NBs) that are born small for gestational age with a birth defect.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study of NBs from hospitals part of the Mexican Institute of Social Security in Chihuahua, Mexico, was conducted.