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On May 3, Joe Biden told reporters that the US Supreme Court should not interfere in a woman's judgement on whether 'to abort a child'. Another Biden gaffe, said critics: [...]

Since 1994, when the first fetal imaging boutique appeared in Texas, many sites have been established around the country for parents to receive nonmedical fetal imaging using three- and four-dimensional ultrasound machines. These businesses boast the benefits they offer to parental-fetal bonding, but the medical community objects to the use of ultrasound machines for nonmedical purposes. In this article, I present the statements released by the medical community, highlighting the alarmist strategies used to paint boutique ultrasounds as bad science and elevate the medical use of ultrasounds. Through a close reading of the statements, it is shown that the medical community's primary concern is not the health of the fetus or the woman but rather their place as the sole users of fetal ultrasounds. This detailed analysis reveals a medical community fearful that its authority is being usurped and is therefore responding with statements meant to denigrate boutique fetal ultrasounds Keywords: American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, fetal ultrasound, keepsake/boutique ultrasound

The effect of high multivitamin intake during pregnancy on the metabolic phenotype of rat offspring was investigated. Pregnant Wistar rats (n = 10 per group) were fed the AIN-93G diet with the recommended vitamin (RV) content or a 10-fold increase [high vitamin (HV) content]. In experiment 1, male and female offspring were followed for 12 wk after weaning; in experiment 2, only males were followed for 28 wk. Body weight (BW) was measured weekly. Every 4 wk, after an overnight fast, food intake over 1 h was measured 30 min after a gavage of glucose or water. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed every 3-5 wk. Postweaning fasting glucose, insulin, ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-l, and systolic blood pressure were measured. No difference in BW at birth or litter size was observed. Food intake was greater in males born to HV dams (P < 0.05), and at 28 wk after weaning, BW was 8% higher (P < 0.05) and fat pad mass was 27% higher (P < 0.05). Food intake reduction after the glucose preload was nearly twofold less in males born to HV dams at 12 wk after weaning (P < 0.05). Fasting glucose, insulin, and ghrelin were 11%, 62%, and 41% higher in males from HV dams at 14 wk after weaning (P < 0.05). Blood glucose response was 46% higher at 23 wk after weaning (P < 0.01), and systolic blood pressure was 16% higher at 28 wk after weaning (P < 0.05). In conclusion, high multivitamin intake during pregnancy programmed the male offspring for the development of the components of metabolic syndrome in adulthood, possibly by its effects on central mechanisms of food intake control. fetal programming; obesity; insulin resistance, satiety hormones

This letter addresses blind (semiblind) source extraction (BSE) problem when a desired source signal has temporal structures, such as linear or nonlinear autocorrelations. Using the temporal characteristics of sources, we develop objective functions based on the generalized autocorrelations of primary sources. Maximizing the objective functions, we propose simple fixed-point source extraction algorithms. We give the stability analysis and prove convergence properties of the algorithms as the generalized autocorrelation function is linear or nonlinear. Especially, as the generalized autocorrelation function is linear, the algorithm has interesting character of 'one-iteration' convergence under some conditions. Computer simulations and real-data application experiments show that the algorithms are appealing BSE methods for temporal signals of interest by capturing the linear or nonlinear autocorrelations of the desired sources. Index Terms--Blind source extraction (BSE), blind source separation (BSS), fetal electrocardiogram (FECG), independent component analysis (ICA).

Valproic acid (VPA) is a powerful teratogen causing birth defects in humans, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), if exposure occurs during the first trimester of embryogenesis. Learning and memory alterations are common symptoms of ASD, but underlying molecular and synaptic alterations remain unknown. We therefore studied plasticity-related mechanisms in the neocortex of 2-week-old rats prenatally exposed to VPA and tested for changes in glutamate-mediated transmission and plasticity in the neocortex. We found a selective overexpression of NR2A and NR2B subunits of NMDA receptors, as well as the commonly linked kinase calcium/ calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Synaptic plasticity experiments between pairs of pyramidal neurons revealed an augmented postsynaptic form of long-term potentiation. These results indicate that VPA significantly enhances NMDA receptor-mediated transmission and causes increased plasticity in the neocortex. Enhanced plasticity introduces a surprising perspective to the potential molecular and synaptic mechanisms involved in children prenatally exposed to VPA. autism | in vitro electrophysiology | plasticity | somatosensory cortex NMDA receptors

In recent decades, elderly Americans have enjoyed enormous gains in longevity and reductions in disability. The causes of this progress remain unclear, however. This paper investigates the role of fetal programming, exploring how economic progress early in the 20th century might be related to declining disability today. Specifically, we match sudden unexpected economic changes experienced in utero in America's Dust Bowl during the Great Depression to unusually detailed individual-level information about old-age disability and chronic disease. We are unable to detect any meaningful relationship between early life factors and outcomes in later life. We conclude that, if such a relationship exists in the United States, it is most likely not a quantitatively important explanation for declining disability today. disability | fetal programming | Great Depression

The hypothesis of fetal origins of adult disease posits that early developmental exposures involve epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, that influence adult disease susceptibility. In utero or neonatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a high-production-volume chemical used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic, is associated with higher body weight, increased breast and prostate cancer, and altered reproductive function. This study shows that maternal exposure to this endocrine-active compound shifted the coat color distribution of viable yellow agouti ([A.sup.vy]) mouse offspring toward yellow by decreasing CpG (cytosine-guanine dinucleotide) methylation in an intracisternal A particle retrotransposon upstream of the Agouti gene. CpG methylation also was decreased at another metastable locus, the CDK5 activator-binding protein ([Cabp.sup.IAP]). DNA methylation at the [A.sup.vy] locus was similar in tissues from the three germ layers, providing evidence that epigenetic patterning during early stem cell development is sensitive to BPA exposure. Moreover, maternal dietary supplementation, with either methyl donors like folic acid or the phytoestrogen genistein, negated the DNA hypomethylating effect of BPA. Thus, we present compelling evidence that early developmental exposure to BPA can change offspring phenotype by stably altering the epigenome, an effect that can be counteracted by maternal dietary supplements. DNA methylation | environmental epigenomics | viable yellow agouti | fetal origins of adult disease

BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking during pregnancy is known to adversely affect development of the central nervous system in babies of smoking mothers by restricting utero-placental blood flow and the amount of [...]

Methylmercury, the most biologically active mercury compound, is well known to cause serious health effects, particularly to the developing fetal nervous system. Effects can include attention deficits as well as [...]