Dioxin levels in the breast milk of mothers residing near a contaminated former airbase in Vietnam remain much higher than in unsprayed areas, suggesting high perinatal dioxin exposure for their infants. The present study investigated the association of perinatal dioxin exposure with autistic traits in 153 3-year-old children living in a contaminated area in Vietnam. The children were followed up from birth using the neurodevelopmental battery Bayley-III. The high-2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposed groups (⩾3.5 pg per g fat) showed significantly higher Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS) scores for both boys and girls than the mild-TCDD exposed groups, without differences in neurodevelopmental scores. In contrast, the high total dioxin-exposed group, indicated by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDDs/Fs)-the toxic equivalents (TEQ) levels ⩾ 17.9 pg-TEQ per g fat, had significantly lower neurodevelopmental scores than the mild-exposed group in boys, but there was no difference in the ASRS scores. The present study demonstrates a specific impact of perinatal TCDD on autistic traits in childhood, which is different from the neurotoxicity of total dioxins (PCDDs/Fs).
Cytogenetic studies represent a critical component of prenatal genetic testing. Prenatal diagnostic testing of amniotic fluid, chorionic villus sampling, or more rarely, fetal cord blood, is recommended following a positive or unreportable NIPT, maternal serum screen, abnormal ultrasound or increased genetic risk based on family history. While chromosomal microarray is the recommended first-tier prenatal diagnostic test for the detection of sub-microscopic copy number variants, in practice, multiple assays are often assessed, in concert, to achieve a final diagnostic result. The use of multiple methodologies is costly, time consuming, and labor intensive. Optical genome mapping is an emerging technique with application for prenatal diagnosis because of its ability to detect and resolve, in a single assay, all classes of pathogenic cytogenetic aberrations detectable by karyotyping, FISH, and microarray. In an effort to characterize the potential of optical genome mapping as a novel alternative to conventional testing, a multi-site, multi-operator, multi-instrument clinical research study was conducted to demonstrate its analytic validity and clinical utility. In the first phase a total of 200 specimens representing 123 unique cases demonstrated 100% concordance with standard of care methods and 100% reproducibility between sites, operators, and instruments. Analysis and interpretation of cases with incidental findings of potential clinical significance also were performed.
Vascular parameters, as assessed noninvasively by photoplethysmography and heart rate variability, may have a role in screening women suspected of having preeclampsia, particularly in areas with limited resources.
Elevated midtrimester AFP conveyed significant risk of neonatal death, but was negatively associated with clinical or histopathologic inflammation in preterm infants.
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