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Altered dietary behaviour during pregnancy impacts systemic metabolic phenotypes

Evidence suggests consumption of a Mediterranean diet (MD) can positively impact both maternal and offspring health, potentially mediated by a beneficial effect on inflammatory pathways. We aimed to apply metabolic profiling of serum and urine samples to assess differences between women who were stratified into high and low alignment to a MD throughout pregnancy and investigate the relationship of the diet to inflammatory markers.  

Maternal serum unmetabolized folic acid concentration following multivitamin and mineral supplementation with or without folic acid after 12 weeks gestation: A randomized controlled trial

Pregnant women are advised to take folic acid (FA) supplements before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy. Many women continue FA supplementation throughout pregnancy, and concerns have been raised about associations between excessive FA intake and adverse maternal and child health outcomes.

Specific IgA, but Not IgG, in Human Milk from COVID-19-Infected Mothers Neutralizes SARS-CoV-2

This study highlights the importance of human milk in providing anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 immunity to newborns. The highest protective activity of human milk against COVID-19 was found in colostrum from infected mothers.

Risk of otitis media in offspring following maternal prenatal stress exposure

There is limited but consistent evidence that suggests prenatal factors, including maternal stress, may contribute to susceptibility for otitis media. We aimed to determine the effect of multiple life stress events during pregnancy on risk of acute and recurrent otitis media in offspring at three and five years of age. 

Using Aboriginal participatory action research within a mixed methods study exploring COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Aboriginal women: a methodological framework for co-design

The COVID-19 pandemic evidenced the critical role of vaccination in reducing the severity of illness and the risk of infection. Despite the policies and efforts of governments to increase vaccination uptake, COVID-19 immunization among Australian Aboriginal pregnant women is lower compared to vaccine uptake of non-Indigenous pregnant women.

Absence of association between maternal adverse events and long-term gut microbiome outcomes in the Australian autism biobank

Maternal immune activation and prenatal maternal stress are well-studied risk factors for psychiatric conditions such as autism and schizophrenia. Animal studies have proposed the gut microbiome as a mechanism underlying this association and have found that risk factor-related gut microbiome alterations persist in the adult offspring.

Sex-Specific Effects of Birth Weight on Longitudinal Behavioral Outcomes: A Mendelian Randomization Approach Using Polygenic Scores

It is unclear whether sex differences in behavior arising from birth weight (BW) are genuine because of the cross-sectional nature and potential confounding in previous studies. We aimed to test whether sex differences associated with BW phenotype were reproducible using a Mendelian randomization approach, i.e., association between polygenic score (PGS) for BW and behavior outcomes across childhood and adolescence.