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Background: Epigenetic aging is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality and may be a mechanistic link between early-life exposures, such as maternal dietary characteristics during pregnancy, and risk of adult disease., Objectives: We sought to determine the early-life risk factors for newborn epigenetic aging, specifically maternal dietary macronutrient intake, and whether epigenetic aging is associated with cardiovascular health markers in the newborn., Methods: Epigenetic age acceleration of 169 newborns was measured from saliva using the Horvath age calculator. Maternal diet during pregnancy was assessed using food-frequency questionnaires., Results: Newborns with positive age acceleration were more likely to be female and have greater body fatness. Maternal intakes of saturated fat [6.2 wk epigenetic age acceleration (95% CI: 1.0, 11.3) per 5% of energy; P = 0.02] and monounsaturated fat [12.4 wk (95% CI: 4.2, 20.5) per 5% of energy; P = 0.003] were associated with higher epigenetic age acceleration in the newborn. The strongest association of individual fatty acids were for palmitoleic acid (25.3 wk; 95% CI: 11.4, 39.2; P = 0.0004), oleic acid (2.2 wk; 95% CI: 0.8, 3.6; P = 0.002), and palmitic acid (2.9 wk; 95% CI: 1.0, 4.9; P = 0.004) per 1% of energy intake. Vitamin D supplementation was associated with lower epigenetic age acceleration (-8.1 wk; 95% CI: -14.5, -1.7; P = 0.01). Epigenetic age acceleration was associated with aortic intima-media thickness in preterm infants [1.0 µm (95% CI: 0.2, 1.8) per week of epigenetic age acceleration; P = 0.01], but not among those born at term (P = 0.78). Epigenetic age acceleration was not associated with heart rate variability in either preterm or term born infants (both P > 0.2)., Conclusions: This study provides evidence of maternal dietary characteristics that are associated with epigenetic aging in the offspring. Prospective intervention studies are required to determine whether such associations are causal., (Copyright © The Author(s) 2020.)

Objectives: Maternal hypertensive disorders (MHD), including pregnancy-induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia, are estimated to occur in 7-10% of pregnancies worldwide and have significant short- and long-term implications for both mother and fetus. This study aimed to determine the association of conventional and novel early first-trimester ultrasound measures with MHD and whether these ultrasound measures, combined with maternal characteristics and biochemistry, improve the prediction of MHD.Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of consecutive women with a singleton pregnancy, attending for an early (5 + 1 to 11 + 0 weeks' gestation) ultrasound examination at a private obstetric ultrasound practice between February 2016 and August 2018. Recorded ultrasound measurements included mean sac diameter, yolk sac diameter, crown-rump length, fetal heart rate (FHR), trophoblast thickness, trophoblast volume (TV) and mean uterine artery pulsatility index. Maternal biochemistry was assessed at 10-14 weeks and included beta-human chorionic gonadotropin, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), placental growth factor (PlGF) and maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein. Regression models were fitted for each ultrasound parameter and multiples of the median (MoM) were calculated. All measures were compared between women who had a normotensive outcome and those who subsequently developed MHD. Logistic regression analysis was used to create a prediction model for MHD based on maternal characteristics, ultrasound measurements at 5 + 1 to 11 + 0 weeks' gestation and maternal biochemistry at 10-14 weeks.Results: In total, 1141 women were included in the analysis, of whom 1086 (95.2%) were normotensive at delivery and 55 (4.8%) developed MHD. Women who developed MHD weighed significantly more than did normotensive women (P < 0.0001). Mean MoM values for TV (P = 0.006), PAPP-A (P = 0.031) and PlGF (P = 0.044) were decreased significantly in pregnancies that subsequently developed MHD. The proposed logistic regression model includes maternal weight and height and MoM values for TV, FHR and PlGF, resulting in an area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve of 0.80 (95% CI, 0.75-0.86).Conclusion: The combination of maternal weight and height, TV and FHR, measured prior to 11 weeks' gestation, and first-trimester PlGF appears to have good predictive value for development of MHD later in pregnancy. Copyright © 2020 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fetal heart rate, umbilical artery pulsatility index, end-diastolicflow, nuchal translucency thickness and placental thickness were recorded in 250 women with a viable singleton pregnancy undergoing chorionic villous sampling for fetal karyotyping at 11–14 weeks of gestation. The fetal karyotype was normal in 210 cases and abnormal in 40, including 21 with trisomy 21, 13 with trisomy 18, three with triploidy, two with monosomy X and one with trisomy 13. A total of 52 fetuses with a normal karyotype had a nuchal translucency ≥3 mm and were considered separately. There was a stable and significant increase in the mean fetal heart rate in trisomy 21 pregnancies compared to controls. No significant difference was found for the other variables between the groups. In chromosomally normal fetuses with an increased nuchal thickness, the development of fetal heart rate and compliance of the umbilico-placental circulation were within the normal ranges. Some fetuses with trisomy 18 or triploidy had an increased resistance to blood flow in the umbilical artery, which was probably due to abnormal placental development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

P13.04: A combination of ultrasound features and maternal biochemistry can predict pre-eclampsia prior to 11 weeks of gestation The aim of this research is to determine if trophoblast thickness (TT) and/or volume (TV) measured prior to 11 weeks gestation can predict PET either in isolation or in conjunction with maternal serum biochemistry. Comparison of MoM values for TV, PIGF and AFP demonstrated significant variation between pregnancies with normal outcomes (n = 971) compared to those that developed PET (n = 6). [Extracted from the article]

Mean uterine artery pulsatility index (UAPI) is commonly measured at 11-13 SP +6 sp weeks to predict adverse pregnancy outcomes including hypertensive disorders and small-for-gestational age. The aims of this study were to establish a population specific reference range for mean UAPI < 11 weeks, determine if an abnormal mean UAPI < 11 weeks was associated with adverse pregnancy outcome, and assess changes in mean UAPI between < 11 weeks and 11-13 SP +6 sp weeks. Based on these regression models mean UAPI Z-scores were compared between outcome groups using two-sample t-test. Longitudinal changes in the mean UAPI between < 11 and 11-13 SP +6 sp weeks were assessed by two-way mixed ANOVA. [Extracted from the article]

Workshops are an integral component of the annual International Federation of Placenta Association (IFPA) meeting, allowing for networking and focused discussion related to specialized topics on the placenta. At the 2015 IFPA meeting (Brisbane, Australia) twelve themed workshops were held, three of which are summarized in this report. These workshops focused on various aspects of placental function, particularly in cases of placenta-mediated disease. Collectively, these inter-connected workshops highlighted the role of the placenta in fetal programming, the use of various biomarkers to monitor placental function across pregnancy, and the clinical impact of novel diagnostic and surveillance modalities in instances of late onset fetal growth restriction (FGR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "3D volume assessment of the corpus callosum and cerebellar vermis using various volume acquisition and post-processing protocols," by V. Frisova and colleagues is presented.

An abstract of the article "PAPP-A at 5-11 weeks' gestation and the prediction of pregnancy outcome" by K. Black and others, is presented.

An abstract of the research paper "Teleconference Tutorials to Improve Individual Operator Distributions For Nuchal Translucency Measurement," by D. Nisbet and colleagues is presented.

An abstract of the article "Should cervical length be assessed by transabdominal or transvaginal ultrasound during pregnancy?," by S. C. Westerway, J. Hyett and L. Henning Pedersen is presented.