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PubMed1993

Plasma progesterone, estradiol-17 beta and testosterone in maternal and cord blood, and maternal human chorionic gonadotropin at parturition.

To understand the endocrine control of normal parturition in man and interactions of foetal and maternal hormones involved, it is desirable to estimate the hormone levels in the maternal and foetal blood around parturition time. Blood was obtained from the umbilical vessels of 22 male and 30 female neonates and the antecubital veins of their mothers during labour at term. The maternal and neonatal plasma levels of progesterone (P), testosterone (T) and estradiol-17 beta (E2) and maternal plasma levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The effect of the foetal sex on the maternal hormones at term was also evaluated. Mean values, with the standard errors of means, of plasma, P, T and E2 in cord blood were 5.3 +/- 0.3, 8.4 +/- 1.2 and 5.0 +/- 0.3 ng/ml, respectively; in the maternal plasma the values were 18.2 +/- 1.2, 1.2 +/- 0.1 and 4.3 +/- 0.4 ng/ml, respectively. The mean T level was significantly higher in cord than in maternal blood, while P was significantly higher in the maternal than in cord blood. The plasma concentrations of P, T and E2 in the mothers delivering male babies were 16.9 +/- 2.2, 1.2 +/- 0.4 and 4.5 +/- 0.7 ng/ml, respectively; in those delivering female babies, the levels were 16.1 +/- 2.4, 1.1 +/- 0.1 and 4.3 +/- 0.4 ng/ml, respectively. Mean plasma levels of hCG in the women was 0.9 +/- 0.1 microgram/ml with no significant difference between the values in the mothers of male and female babies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Birth Weight↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Weight of the newborn in relation to maternal weight gains in 513 normal pregnancies: analysis of different stages of the maternal weight at the onset of pregnancy].

The average weight of the newborns (3,293 g; SD = 460) was studied in 513 normal pregnancies (free of clinical and obstetrical intercorrencies) and it was correlated to: a) maternal average weight gain (12,355 g; SD - 4,067) and b) maternal average weight at the onset of pregnancy, both with positive linear relation. It was noted too that the relation between maternal weight gain and weight of newborns gradually decreased as the comparison involved higher initial weight of the mothers. Actually, in the group of average initial weight above 79 kg no relation was found between maternal weight gain and the weight of the newborn. Results were compared to those in the literature and it was concluded that the influence of maternal weight gain upon that of the newborn varies with the maternal initial weight: 1) in the group of lower and normal initial average maternal weight there is an important influence on the average weight of the newborn; 2) in the group of initially overweight mothers (above 70 kg) the average weight of the newborn was high, but independent of maternal weight gain. Thus, caloric restriction in the latter group should be revised.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Brief vs. long maternal separations in infancy: contrasting relationships with adult maternal behavior and lactation levels of aggression and anxiety.

We compared the effects of daily long (3 h), brief (15 min) or no maternal separation (LMS, BMS, NMS) on postnatal days 2-14 on maternal behavior, aggression and anxiety levels during lactation in adulthood. Animals subjected to LMS received less maternal grooming than animals subjected to BMS. Maternal behaviors, including nursing, pup-grooming (PG) frequency and proportion of total grooming (PG+self-grooming) and nest-building during the immediate postpartum period and on postpartum days 2 and 5 were lower in dams with LMS experience compared to dams with BMS experience. LMS dams attacked male rats placed in their home cages less quickly and less often than did BMS or NMS dams. LMS dams also exhibited more anxiety than BMS dams in the elevated plus maze test. Thus, maternal separation during the postnatal period (or associated changes in the amount of maternal grooming received) affected subsequent adult maternal behavior, aggression and anxiety. The mechanism for this remains to be discovered, however, it seems likely to involve alteration of the development of oxytocin receptors in the brain.

Aggression↗
PubMed1998

Effects of pregnancy hormones on maternal responsiveness, responsiveness to estrogen stimulation of maternal behavior, and the lordosis response to estrogen stimulation.

The aim of the study was to determine whether there is an increase in responsiveness to estrogen stimulation of maternal behavior and lordosis responsiveness during pregnancy. Using separate groups of pregnancy-terminated females, we measured the initial maternal responsiveness of hysterectomized-ovariectomized (HO) females and their responsiveness to estrogen stimulation. Maternal behavior latencies were studied in females HO on the 8th, 10th, 13th, 16th, or 19th day of pregnancy (8HO-19HO) and in nonpregnant HO (NPHO) females. Groups were injected sc with estradiol benzoate (EB) in doses ranging from 0 to 200 microgram(s)/kg and tested for maternal behavior (retrieving, crouching, and licking pups). In addition, we investigated whether there is an increase during pregnancy (following HO) in lordosis responsiveness to estrogen stimulation. Lordosis behavior was studied in pregnant HO females (days 8, 16, and 22) and NPHO females given 0 to 200 microgram(s)/kg EB. There was an increase in maternal responsiveness in oil-treated HO females starting around midpregnancy. From early pregnancy on there was also an increase in maternal responsiveness to 20 microgram(s)/kg EB. In late pregnant females (16HO) there was a further increase with 50 microgram(s)/kg EB. There was no increase in lordosis responsiveness to EB stimulation during pregnancy; pregnant and nonpregnant HO females had the same EB threshold for stimulating lordosis behavior. The results of both studies were related to increases during the latter half of pregnancy in nuclear estrogen receptor concentrations in the MPOA, an area that mediates estrogen stimulation of maternal behavior, and the absence of such increases during pregnancy in the VMH, an area that mediates estrogen stimulation of lordosis behavior.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of maternal and cord blood glucose levels in diabetic and non-diabetic Nigerians in relation to birth weight and maternal body mass index.

Maternal and cord blood glucose levels in diabetic multiparous Nigerian women were compared in relation to variable parameters such as birth weight, maternal body mass index (BMI), age and number of births, in order to ascertain the effect of diabetes on parity among women of pure Negro race. Pregnant women of pure Negro origin who were native to Nigeria or other African countries were selected for the study. The subjects were age-matched into three age groups of 20-24, 25-35, and 36 or over years, respectively and then were further divided into diabetics and non-diabetics following a 75 g OGTT. Umbilical cord blood and maternal blood samples were collected immediately after each delivery. The amount of glucose in blood was determined by means of Dextrostix reagent strips read in a glucometer. Birth weight, umbilical cord blood glucose and maternal blood glucose increased slightly with increasing age in the diabetics. There was no effect of age on umbilical cord and maternal blood glucose levels in non-diabetics. Maternal BMI also increased with age in the diabetics whereas it increased only slightly but not significantly at the age of 36 years and over in the non-diabetics. However, there was a slight increase in birth weight with increasing age among the non-diabetics. The correlation coefficients (r) of the relationship between maternal blood glucose and baby weight were +0.905 for the diabetic and +0.155 for non-diabetic groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Psychological stressors as a model of maternal adversity: diurnal modulation of corticosterone responses and changes in maternal behavior.

Maternal adversity is associated with long-lasting consequences on cognitive development, behavior and physiological responses in rat offspring. Few studies have examined whether repeated maternal stress produces repeated activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in mothers and whether it modifies maternal behavior. Here, we tested a novel model of perinatal stress using repeated exposure to "purely" psychological stressors throughout the gestation and lactation periods in rats. We first tested the diurnal influences of repeated 1-h strobe light exposure on maternal corticosterone secretion. Despite the hyporesponsiveness to stress documented in late pregnant and lactating mothers, we observed an enhanced response to strobe light in the afternoon compared to the morning in stressed mothers during lactation. Next, dams were exposed to 24-h forced foraging followed by 10-h wet bedding during the diurnal peak of corticosterone secretion. Although no corticosterone responses to forced foraging and wet bedding were observed, the combination of both stressors had a significant effect on maternal behavior. Mother-pup interactions were significantly altered during the first 8 days of lactation. Taken together, these findings suggest that lactating mothers maintain responsiveness to specific and repeated psychological stressors, in particular at the time of the diurnal peak in corticosterone secretion. Depending on the stressor applied, either neuroendocrine activation or changes in maternal behavior might be important determinants of the long-term consequences in the offspring. The combination of forced foraging, wet bedding and strobe light might represent a novel model of mild maternal adversity using "purely" psychological stressors.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Effects of septal-forebrain lesions on maternal aggression and maternal care.

Septal-forebrain lesions significantly increased the defensive reactions of lactating Long-Evans rats (n = 13) relative to nonlesioned control females. The lesions greatly enhanced defensive behaviors on a number of standard tests (e.g., responsiveness to humans and anesthetized conspecifics) while abolishing aggression toward intruding male conspecifics. The lesions also produced a striking disruption in maternal behavior as evidenced by absence of nest building, reduced litter weights, failure to retrieve, lick, or nurse pups, and increased cannibalization. While these results cannot be interpreted as indicating that maternal aggression is equivalent to offense, they are congruent with such a view. Certainly they are not supportive of a view that maternal aggression is primarily defensive. The lesion-induced abolition of maternal attack may have resulted from an inhibition of offensive tendencies by heightened defensiveness and/or reduced pup stimulation. There was no evidence that the lesion-induced impairment in maternal behavior resulted from a failure to sequence the individual behavioral acts comprising maternal behavior. Rather, all features of maternal care seemed to be greatly attenuated.

Aggression↗
PubMed2004

The course of maternal depressive symptoms and maternal sensitivity as predictors of attachment security at 36 months.

We examined the course of maternal depressive symptoms and children's attachment security at 36 months in a large sample of mother-child pairs from 10 sites across the country participating in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (N = 1077). Maternal depressive symptoms predicted higher rates of insecure attachment. Women who reported intermittent symptoms across the first 36 months had preschoolers who were more likely to be classified as insecure C or D; women with chronic symptoms were more likely to have preschoolers who were classified as insecure D. Symptoms reported only during the first 15 months were not associated with elevated rates of later insecurity. After controlling for potentially confounding demographic variables, maternal sensitivity (observed at 6, 15, 24, and 36 months) did not meaningfully account for links between attachment security and patterns of depressive symptoms. However, the course and timing of maternal depressive symptoms interacted with maternal sensitivity to predict insecurity. Women with late, intermittent, or chronic symptoms who were also low in sensitivity were more likely to have preschoolers who were insecure, in contrast to symptomatic women who were high in sensitivity. These data have implications for understanding the combined impact of maternal depressive symptoms and maternal sensitivity on children's socioemotional development.

Child of Impaired Parents↗
PubMed2006

Conceptual model for maternal behavior among polydrug cocaine-using mothers: the role of postnatal cocaine use and maternal depression.

This study examined the association between maternal cocaine use and maternal behavior and tested a conceptual model predicting maternal insensitivity during mother-infant interactions. Participants included 130 mother-infant dyads (68 cocaine-exposed and 62 non-cocaine-exposed) who were recruited after birth and assessed at 4-8 weeks of infant age. Results of model testing indicated that when the effects of prenatal cocaine use were examined in the context of polydrug use, maternal psychopathology, maternal childhood history, and infant birth weight, only postnatal cocaine use and maternal depression/anxiety were unique predictors of maternal insensitivity during mother-infant interactions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Maternal copper supplementation protects the neonatal rat lung against the adverse effects of maternal nicotine exposure.

Maternal nicotine exposure interferes with the extracellular formation of the connective tissue framework of the neonatal lung, a process that is dependent on copper-dependent lysyl oxidase. It has been shown that, during the phase of lung development associated with alveolarization, maternal nicotine exposure resulted in a reduction in the copper content and thus conceivably in the activity of lysyl oxidase of the neonatal lung. Therefore the aims of this study were (a) to determine the effects of maternal nicotine exposure during gestation and lactation on neonatal lung development, and (b) to establish whether maternal copper supplementation during gestation and lactation prevented the effect of maternal nicotine exposure on neonatal lung development. Pregnant rats were randomly divided into four groups: the control group received saline; the second group received 1 mg nicotine (kg bodyweight)(-1) day(-1) subcutaneously; the third group received 1 mg copper (kg bodyweight)(-1) day(-1); and the fourth group received both nicotine and copper in the same quantities as the previous two groups. Lung tissue of 14- and 42-day-old rat pups were processed for light microscopy. Maternal nicotine exposure during gestation and lactation resulted in (a) decreased alveolar number, (b) reduced internal surface area and (c) increased alveolar volume. Copper supplementation during gestation and lactation prevented the adverse effects of maternal nicotine exposure during gestation and lactation on the development of the alveolar region of the rat lung.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Is maternal copper supplementation during alveolarization protecting the developing rat lung against the adverse effects of maternal nicotine exposure? A morphometric study.

In a previous study, it was shown that maternal nicotine exposure during gestation and lactation interfered with alveolarization and resulted in gradual deterioration of the lung parenchyma, resulting in microscopic emphysema. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the long-term effects of maternal nicotine exposure (1 mg/kg body weight/day, subcutaneous [sc] from the onset of the phase of rapid alveolarization, which occur from postnatal day 4 in rats, on (1) the development of the gas-exchange area of the lungs of the offspring and, (2) whether maternal copper supplementation (1 mg/kg body weight/day, SC) during the same period of time will prevent the effect of maternal nicotine exposure on the development of the neonatal rat lung. Nicotine administration lasted until weaning on postnatal day 21. The day of birth was designated day 0. The offspring were exposed to nicotine via the mother's milk only. The experimental animals received no nicotine or copper after postnatal day 21. The lung tissue of the neonates was collected on postnatal days 14, 21, and 42 and prepared for morphometry. The results obtained show that maternal nicotine exposure had no influence on body weight, chest circumference, crown-rump length, and lung volume, but resulted in bigger alveolar volumes and suppressed alveolarization in the lungs of the offspring. Copper supplementation during this period of lung development reduced the adverse effect of maternal nicotine exposure on neonatal lung development. Even though copper reduced the adverse effects of maternal nicotine exposure during this phase of lung development, it did not prevent the induction of microscopic emphysema.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Maternal Tuberculosis and Infant Gut and Immune Development: Implications for Maternal-Child Health.

BACKGROUND: Maternal tuberculosis (TB) during pregnancy involves chronic infection, immune activation, and antimicrobial therapy, which may alter the maternal gut, vaginal, and breast milk microbiomes and influence neonatal immune development. METHODS: We conducted a narrative review of studies identified through PubMed and GoogleScholar addressing the maternal TB-microbiome-infant immunity axis. Where evidence from pregnant women with TB was limited, findings were extrapolated from non-pregnant TB populations, antibiotic exposure studies, and broader maternal-infant microbiome research. RESULTS: Maternal TB and its treatment may alter gut, vaginal, and breast milk microbiomes and the immune-metabolic composition of milk. These changes could influence perinatal microbial transmission, mucosal maturation, and infant immune responses, including vaccine responsiveness, BCG immunogenicity, and IGRA conversion. Treatment timing, antibiotic exposure, and maternal nutrition may modify these effects. CONCLUSION: Understanding the maternal TB-microbiome-immune axis may help optimize infant immune outcomes. Longitudinal mother-infant studies, multi-omic analyses, and mechanistic models are needed to clarify these interactions and evaluate microbiome informed strategies, including nutritional optimization, targeted probiotics/prebiotics, and antibiotic stewardship.

Infant gut colonization↗
PubMed1999

Effects of dietary mixtures of amino acids on fetal growth and maternal and fetal amino acid pools in experimental maternal phenylketonuria.

BACKGROUND: Branched-chain amino acids have been reported to improve fetal brain development in a rat model in which maternal phenylketonuria (PKU) is induced by the inclusion of an inhibitor of phenylalanine hydroxylase, DL-p-chlorophenylalanine, and L-phenylalanine in the diet. OBJECTIVE: We studied whether a dietary mixture of several large neutral amino acids (LNAAs) would improve fetal brain growth and normalize the fetal brain amino acid profile in a rat model of maternal PKU induced by DL-alpha-methylphenylalanine (AMPhe). DESIGN: Long-Evans rats were fed a basal diet or a similar diet containing 0.5% AMPhe + 3.0% L-phenylalanine (AMPhe + Phe diet) from day 11 until day 20 of gestation in experiments to test various mixtures of LNAAs. Maternal weight gains and food intakes to day 20, fetal body and brain weights at day 20, and fetal brain and fetal and maternal plasma amino acid concentrations at day 20 were measured. RESULTS: Concentrations of phenylalanine and tyrosine in fetal brain and in maternal and fetal plasma were higher and fetal brain weights were lower in rats fed the AMPhe + Phe diet than in rats fed the basal diet. However, fetal brain growth was higher and concentrations of phenylalanine and tyrosine in fetal brain and in maternal and fetal plasma were lower in rats fed the AMPhe + Phe diet plus LNAAs than in rats fed the diet containing AMPhe + Phe alone. CONCLUSION: LNAA supplementation of the diet improved fetal amino acid profiles and alleviated most, but not all, of the depression in fetal brain growth observed in this model of maternal PKU.

Amino Acids, Branched-Chain↗
PubMed2003

Effects of infant risk status and maternal psychological distress on maternal-infant interactions during the first year of life.

The associations of infant medical risk, prematurity, and maternal psychological distress with the quality of maternal-infant interactions during the first year of life were evaluated in a prospective, longitudinal follow-up from birth. A total of 103 high-risk very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, 68 low-risk VLBW infants without bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and 117 healthy term infants were seen at 1, 8, and 12 months of age. Videotaped feedings at each age were rated using the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale, and mothers completed the Brief Symptom Inventory as a measure of psychological distress. VLBW infant status was related to both maternal and infant behaviors as well as to maternal distress, and these relationships varied with infant age. Overall, VLBW infants displayed fewer responsive, clear interactions, with differences from term infants increasing over time. Maternal distress was related to less cognitive growth fostering for all mothers. Because maternal distress is more prevalent in mothers of VLBW infants postpartum, intervention efforts should focus on assessment of maternal distress and the challenges posed by the interactive behaviors of VLBW infants.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The correlation of prolonged survival of maternal skin grafts with the presence of naturally transferred maternal T cells.

Hypoimmune responses towards noninherited maternal MHC antigens (NIMA) have been observed on both the humoral and cellular level in humans. The mechanism involved is not known but is thought to involve transfer of material from mother to child. Here we use a mouse model to test this hypothesis. Mice exposed to NIMA either in utero and/or via breast milk showed enhanced survival of maternal skin grafts and also had maternal lymphocytes in their lymph nodes. Survival of the maternal skin graft correlated with the number of maternal T cells present and was not correlated with the number of maternal B cells. We propose that the transferred maternal T cells selectively inactivate host T cells capable of recognizing them.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Fetal cytotoxic antibodies to maternal T-lymphocytes: a possible mechanisms for maternal tolerance of the fetal allograft.

The absolute numbers of B lymphocytes and of total and "active" T lymphocytes in peripheral venous blood (Mv) from 15 females at the time of normal term deliveries were found to be significantly less (p less than 0.001) than in the fetal umbilical vein (Uv) or artery (Ua) or in the peripheral blood of 75 normal nonpregnant controls (Cv), suggesting that maternal cellular immunity at term is lowered. In 19 umbilical artery samples, titers of lymphocytotoxic antibodies (Cyt), expressed as the mean log of reciprocal titer values, were significantly higher (p less than 0.01 in each case)( than in matched maternal samples, against the following cell types: Maternal T cells (7.1 in Ua vs 1.21 in Mv sera); maternal B cells (3.23 vs 1.58); T cells (4.41 vs 1.38) but not B cells from other females at delivery; autologous T cells (2.9 vs 1.0); autologous B cells (1.88 vs 0.69); T (5.39 vs 0.81) and B (2.80 vs 1.25) cells from the paired Uv; T (3.78 vs 0.62) and B (2.64 vs 0.77) cells from the Uv of other newborn infants; and T (4.19 vs 2.0) but not B cells from controls (Cv). The highest Cyt titers in the umbilical artery samples were against maternal T lymphocytes. Immunofluorescence studies indicated that the Cyt antibodies were primarily IgG. Absorption of 13 other Ua sera with maternal T cells eliminated with Cyt activity against both Mv and Cv T cells; absorption with Cv T cells eliminated the reaction against Cv T while reducing cyt titres to Mv T lymphocytes. We conclude that the fetus produces lymphocytotoxic antibody specifically directed against maternal T lymphocytes, in addition to antibody against T lymphocytes of other adults.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Psychobiology of maternal behavior: contribution to the clinical understanding of maternal behavior among humans.

Psychobiological studies of maternal behavior among non-primate mammals have arrived at several general conclusions that may aid in our understanding of human maternal behavior and in the clinical treatment of parenting disorders. The hormonal basis of maternal behavior arises during pregnancy and consists of a hormonal priming phase, extending over most of pregnancy, and a hormonal triggering phase at the end of pregnancy. Hormonal priming in several species depends upon estrogen, progesterone and prolactin, and hormonal triggering depends upon a decline in progesterone and an increase in estrogen, prolactin and oxytocin in different species. The onset of maternal behavior is hormonally based but postpartum maternal behavior in several species is based upon the stimulation that the mother receives from her young (i.e. is non-hormonally based). There is a transition period between these two phases soon after parturition during which contact with the young plays a crucial role in the maintenance of maternal behavior. The onset of maternal behavior may be viewed as the resolution of conflict between approach and withdrawal responses of females to their offspring.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Analysis of data routinely collected in the maternity ward of Rutshuru in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1980 and 1998. I. Maternal mortality and obstetrical interventions].

UNLABELLED: This report is the first of 2 papers that analyse data routinely collected in the maternity ward of Rutshuru (democratic Republic of Congo). The present work describes the evolution of caesarean section, maternal deaths and the associated risk factors. MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGY: Between 1980 and 1998, data on 13,042 deliveries were collected. Characteristics, mortality, morbidity of mothers and new-borns and obstetrical interventions were recorded. The statistical analyses applied included khi2, t-test, simple linear and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Fifteen percent had a caesarean section and 1.9% of women died. When referred to the expected births during the period, these numbers led to a ratio of 150 maternal deaths for 100,000 expected births and a ratio of caesarean section of 1.2%. At admission, 35% of the women presented at least one of the four risk factors used for reference. The proportion of women with at least one of the 4 risk factors went up from 26.1% to 39.5%. The proportion of caesarean sections went up from 1.9% to 34.1%. The proportion of maternal deaths remained constant except in 1988, 1994, 1995 and 1997. Three of the four reference factors, the Baudeloque diameter, parity and height were associated with caesarean section. Age only was associated with maternal death. Education and marital status were both associated with caesarean section and maternal death. CONCLUSION: This analysis shows high levels of maternal mortality and caesarean section. The authors recommend to analyse on a larger scale the value of the reference factors used in antenatal services and to standardise indications for the different obstetrical interventions.

Adolescent↗