Risk of Bleed During Pregnancy in Women with Epilepsy Due to Cerebral Vascular Malformations.

Background: Cerebral vascular malformations are rare but important causes of epilepsy in young women. The risk of bleed during pregnancy and delivery as well as the fetal outcomes are important concerns for women with epilepsy (WWE) due to cerebral vascular malformations (EVM).

Objectives: We compared the maternal and fetal outcomes of a cohort of EVM with women with focal epilepsy due to other causes (ENVM).

Kir6.1, a component of an ATP-sensitive potassium channel, regulates natural killer cell development.

Introduction: Involved in immunity and reproduction, natural killer (NK) cells offer opportunities to develop new immunotherapies to treat infections and cancer or to alleviate pregnancy complications. Most current strategies use cytokines or antibodies to enhance NK-cell function, but none use ion channel modulators, which are widely used in clinical practice to treat hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy, and other conditions. Little is known about ion channels in NK cells.

The association between prenatal antibiotic exposure and adverse long-term health outcomes in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Antibiotics are the most commonly prescribed drugs during pregnancy. The long-term health risks to children associated with prenatal antibiotic exposure is unclear.

Objective: To identify the association between prenatal antibiotics and adverse long-term health outcomes in children.

Anti-Gamma Aminobutyric Acid B (GABA B) Antibody Receptor-Associated Autoimmune Encephalitis in Pregnancy: A Rare Condition.

We report a primigravida 31-year-old female patient hospitalized at 32 gestational weeks with status epilepticus. In due course of illness, she developed refractory status epilepticus managed with induced coma with propofol and emergency early lower section caesarean surgery (LSCS). A battery of initial laboratory and radiological tests did not lead to a definite diagnosis.

Neurotoxicity study of cenobamate-induced zebrafish early developmental stages.

Cenobamate (CNB) is a novel anti-seizure medication with significant efficacy in treating epilepsy. However, in clinical trials, the most common adverse reactions observed in patients are central nervous system (CNS) symptoms. In animal studies, administration of CNB during pregnancy or lactation has been associated with adverse effects on neurodevelopment in offspring.

Preeclampsia and the long term risk of developing neurological disorders requiring hospital admission.

Introduction: Preeclampsia is associated with acute neurological complications during pregnancy, but the subsequent risk of developing a neurological disorder is unclear. We determined if preeclampsia was associated with the long-term risk of neurological morbidity.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study of 1,460,098 pregnant women with and without preeclampsia in Quebec, Canada, between 1989 and 2023.

Postpartum depression and mother-infant bonding in women with epilepsy: A case-control study.

Background & Objectives: Postpartum depression is a debilitating mental health condition that consequently can negatively impact the mother/infant unit. This study aimed to screen for postpartum depression among women with epilepsy (WWE) versus healthy women and its consequences on establishing a proper mother-infant bonding.

Methods: A group of WWE (n = 102) and a control group of healthy women (n = 119) were evaluated 4-6 weeks postpartum.

Identification of a novel pathogenic gene, NDUFA3, in Leigh Syndrome through whole exome sequencing.

Background: Leigh syndrome is a common mitochondrial disorder caused by gene mutations in the nucleus and mitochondria. When building mitochondrial complex I, the main subunit ND1 combines with the Q module to form a 273 kDa complex, which then adds Ndufa3, Ndufa8, and Ndufa13 to create an intermediate product of about 283 kDa called Q/Pp-a. Although Ndufa8 and Ndufa13 have been linked to mitochondrial diseases, the role of Ndufa3 in disease development is still not fully understood.

Associations between maternal gestational diabetes mellitus and offspring cerebral palsy: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Observational studies on the association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy and pediatric neurological disorders (PNDs) such as cerebral palsy (CP), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and epilepsy (EP) in offspring have yielded mixed findings, creating ambiguity in causal interpretations. The direct link between GDM and these PNDs remains unclear. Elucidating this connection is vital for developing effective early intervention strategies during pregnancy to mitigate the risk of PNDs in the offspring.

Role for a video tool in educating youth with epilepsy about anticonvulsant and contraceptive drug interactions.

Purpose: Anti-seizure medications (ASM) can lower the efficacy of hormonal birth control (BC), while estrogen-containing BC can increase ASM metabolism, altering seizure frequency. Despite these adverse interactions, many youth with epilepsy demonstrate inadequate knowledge about this topic. Thus, there is a need to develop tools that empower youth with epilepsy to make more informed contraceptive decisions.

Selected chronic diseases in children and adolescents conceived with intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Purpose: Today about 12.5% of all children are conceived using assisted reproductive technology. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was introduced without knowledge of the possible long-term adverse consequences on the offspring health.

Pregnancy planning in women with epilepsy: A single center observational study with focus on epilepsy type.

Purpose: To explore various aspects of pregnancy planning in women with epilepsy and to identify factors needing particular attention in the counselling of these patients with focus on epilepsy type.

Methods: 285 pregnancies in 192 women were collected from the EURAP registry in Trondheim, Norway. Medical records were reviewed to validate diagnoses and types of epilepsy according to revised ILAE classifications.

Antiseizure medication use during pregnancy and children's neurodevelopmental outcomes.

The teratogenic potential of valproate in pregnancy is well established; however, evidence regarding the long-term safety of other antiseizure medications (ASMs) during pregnancy remains limited. Using routinely collected primary care data from the UK and nationwide Swedish registries to create a cohort of 3,182,773 children, of which 17,495 were exposed to ASMs in pregnancy, we show that those exposed to valproate were more likely to receive a diagnosis of autism, intellectual disability, and ADHD, when compared to children not exposed to ASMs. Additionally, children exposed to topiramate were 2.

Epilepsy-pregnancy registries: An update.

This report is the first comprehensive update on the activities of existing epilepsy-pregnancy registries since 2010. The primary aim of these registries, which were initiated by independent international research groups some 25 years ago, has been to assess the risk of major congenital malformations (MCMs) in offspring exposed in utero to different antiseizure medications (ASMs). Progress reports are provided here from the five original registries (the International Registry of Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy EURAP, the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry, the UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register, the Kerala Registry of Epilepsy and Pregnancy, and the Raoul Wallenberg Australian Pregnancy Register of Antiepileptic Drugs) plus the more recently initiated West China Registry.

The impact of maternal prenatal psychological distress on the development of epilepsy in offspring: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

The relationship between maternal prenatal psychological distress and epilepsy development in offspring has not yet been clarified. Herein, we used a dataset obtained from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide birth cohort study, to evaluate the association between six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) scores and epilepsy among 1-3 years old. The data of 97,484 children were retrospectively analyzed.