Maternal Plasma miRNAs as Early Biomarkers of Moderate-to-Late-Preterm Birth.

Globally, preterm birth (PTB) is a primary cause of mortality and morbidity in infants, with PTB rates increasing worldwide over the last two decades. Biomarkers for accurate early prediction of PTB before the clinical event do not currently exist. Given their roles in the development and progression of many disease states, there has been increasing interest in the utility of microRNAs (miRNAs) as early biomarkers for pregnancy-related disorders, including PTB.

Development and validation of a prognostic model to predict birth weight: individual participant data meta-analysis.

Objective: To predict birth weight at various potential gestational ages of delivery based on data routinely available at the first antenatal visit.

Design: Individual participant data meta-analysis.

Data Sources: Individual participant data of four cohorts (237 228 pregnancies) from the International Prediction of Pregnancy Complications (IPPIC) network dataset.

The impact of CREBRF rs373863828 Pacific-variant on infant body composition.

In Māori and Pacific adults, the CREBRF rs373863828 minor (A) allele is associated with increased body mass index (BMI) but reduced incidence of type-2 and gestational diabetes mellitus. In this prospective cohort study of Māori and Pacific infants, nested within a nutritional intervention trial for pregnant women with obesity and without pregestational diabetes, we investigated whether the rs373863828 A allele is associated with differences in growth and body composition from birth to 12-18 months' corrected age. Infants with and without the variant allele were compared using generalised linear models adjusted for potential confounding by gestation length, sex, ethnicity and parity, and in a secondary analysis, additionally adjusted for gestational diabetes.

A validation of placental pathology reports by ethnicity in New Zealand, through systematic analysis of histological slides.

Introduction: Reliability studies of placental examination have shown differing interobserver agreement for certain pathological features, a lack of uniform reporting criteria and variable experience among pathologists. In previous analyses we have shown that placental pathology differs by ethnicity. This validation study was performed to investigate whether bias related to ethnicity is a feature of placental pathology reporting in New Zealand (NZ).

Impact of Gestational Diabetes Detection Thresholds on Infant Growth and Body Composition: A Prospective Cohort Study Within a Randomized Trial.

Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with offspring metabolic disease, including childhood obesity, but causal mediators remain to be established. We assessed the impact of lower versus higher thresholds for detection and treatment of GDM on infant risk factors for obesity, including body composition, growth, nutrition, and appetite.

Research Design And Methods: In this prospective cohort study within the Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Trial of Diagnostic Detection Thresholds (GEMS), pregnant women were randomly allocated to detection of GDM using the lower criteria of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups or higher New Zealand criteria (ACTRN12615000290594).