Early life, or the neonatal period, is perhaps the most challenging time for ruminant livestock, as they adapt to the extra-uterine environment, undergo important physiological maturation, and navigate harsh ambient conditions. Maternal influences during gestation, especially energy and protein nutrition in late pregnancy, can alter many processes that affect the neonatal period. These processes include fetal growth and development, gestation length, difficulty of parturition, and maternal behavior, which interact to affect offspring vigor at birth. Moreover, colostrum and early milk production and composition are affected by gestational nutrition, and these along with the previous factors affect the neonate’s ability to obtain transfer of passive immunity, thermoregulate, perform basal metabolism, and ultimately survive to weaning. Often, the long-term effects of maternal nutrition during gestation on offspring are attributed solely to the prenatal environment, but it is critical to also consider influences of early life on later productivity and health. More research is needed to integrate these neonatal outcomes with prenatal and postnatal mechanisms as well as later ruminant livestock performance. Better understanding of the maternal environment’s effects on the neonatal period provides opportunity for improved management of ruminant livestock dams and offspring.

This study included postpartum women who survived the earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, with epicenters in Kahramanmaraş, and assessed their experiences, psychosocial needs using a qualitative research method. The findings were organized under 5 key themes: “psychological processes experienced during and after the earthquake,” “experiences related to pregnancy and childbirth,” “biopsychosocial problems experienced after the earthquake,” “experiences related to s workers,” and “expectations and needs of earthquake-affected mothers.” Codes were established for women that were specific to their emotional responses following the earthquake: fear, sorrow, anxiety, difficulty in controlling anger, hopelessness, exhaustion, and inability to experience the mourning process; concerning their emotional reactions at the moment of the earthquake: extreme fear, helplessness, shock, and grief response; and regarding the traumatic effects of the earthquake: post-traumatic growth and post-traumatic stress disorder. During and after an earthquake, pregnant and postpartum women have biopsychosocial needs such as shelter, food, clothing, hygiene, support, and care, and these needs should be prioritized. Early psychological interventions should be provided to help women deal with the negative traumatic experiences they encounter during this process. Relevant institutions should create individual care-focused support systems and early intervention to deliver comprehensive care following earthquake.

Iron deficiency anemia is a major health problem worldwide. Iron is an essential micronutrient in the human body; its demand increases with fetal growth and gestation. Although it has been reported that glucose metabolism is also affected by iron deficiency, only few studies have investigated the influence of iron deficiency during gestation and in offspring. In this study, glucose metabolism in newborns was investigated in terms of maternal iron deficiency prior to pregnancy in a rat model. Briefly, rats were divided into control (CL) and iron deficiency (ID) groups. The levels of serum glucose and insulin and the protein expression of liver GLUT2 in neonates born to dams in the ID group increased. In contrast, the mRNA and protein expression levels of GLUT2 and GLUT4 in the skeletal muscle tended to decrease. In addition, the expression of p-Akt (Thr308), which is involved in GLUT4 membrane translocation, decreased, suggesting that GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane may not have been sufficiently promoted. These results suggest that maternal iron deficiency may influence glucose metabolism in neonates and potentially increase the risk of developing metabolic abnormalities and lifestyle-related diseases later in life.

This pilot cross-sectional study, conducted in two public hospitals in Malawi, assessed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in pregnant women attending antenatal clinics and compared their dietary quality and food group consumption before and during pregnancy. The study targeted women aged 18 to 49 years within 24 to 28 weeks of gestation. GDM was diagnosed according to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group criteria and assessed dietary quality before and during pregnancy using a 30-day qualitative food frequency questionnaire. We compared changes in dietary quality and specific food group mean scores using paired t-tests at p < 0.05. Of the 508 women enrolled, 22.7% were diagnosed with GDM. The overall diet quality significantly decreased during pregnancy compared to before; a similar trend was observed in women diagnosed with GDM compared to those without GDM (p < 0.0001). Among women with GDM, the mean score of the following food groups significantly (p < 0.05) decreased during pregnancy: cruciferous vegetables, deep orange vegetables and tubers, citrus fruits, deep orange fruits, other fruits, nuts and seeds, poultry, fish, low fat dairy, whole grains, and liquid oils and significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the following food groups; red meat, processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets, sugary snacks and ice cream. In conclusion, GDM is prevalent in Malawian women enrolled in this study and is coupled with inadequate dietary quality, especially during pregnancy. Since dietary quality is pivotal to GDM management, more in-depth longitudinal dietary studies are needed to inform nutritional interventions to prevent and better manage GDM.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are key regulators of vascular homeostasis in both health and disease, playing a crucial role in regenerating the human vascular lining throughout life. These circulating cells can differentiate into mature endothelial cells and are increasingly recognized as important biological markers of vascular function and cumulative risk for various diseases, including cardiovascular conditions. In recent decades, the role of EPCs, particularly the endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) subtype, in pregnancy-related disorders and maternal and neonatal endothelial health has garnered significant attention. Evidence suggests that ECFCs may serve as predictor of future endothelial health in women and their offspring following pregnancy complications, making them particular relevant for research and therapeutic applications in adulthood, as well as potential indicators of vascular health. This review summarizes the evidence on EPCs, specifically ECFCs, as biomarkers of endothelial health in pregnancy, pregnancy-related diseases and ageing, with a focus on maternal and foetal endothelial abnormalities that may serve as prognostic factors for the development of future diseases.

Recently, the role of abortion access in the workplace and the field of I-O psychology has been highlighted, but little published research explicitly tackles the impacts of abortion care from an organizational psychology perspective. We examine the potential impacts of further restrictions on abortion access within the context of people’s relationships with employment and workplaces. We focus our discussion on three significant mechanisms that may further restrict access to abortion depending on the degree to which they are enforced or enacted: restriction of abortion medication and equipment shipping, limiting federal funding for organizations that facilitate abortion access, and fetal personhood laws. Further restriction of abortion access may create significant challenges for organizational decision makers, employees, and healthcare workers. Together, these changes to the experience of work necessitate shifts in research and practice within the field of I-O psychology. I-O researchers and practitioners must work together to facilitate organizational functioning and employee well-being through these changes by becoming and staying informed about organizational benefit policies and reproductive care-related practices and their impact on employees, employee career trajectories and distress related to unwanted pregnancy, and moral injury and other challenges faced by healthcare workers.

An adverse in utero experience negatively impacts perinatal growth in livestock. Maternal heat stress (HS) during gestation reduces placental growth and function. This progressive placental insufficiency ultimately leads to fetal growth restriction (FGR). Studies in chronically catheterized fetal sheep have shown that FGR fetuses exhibit hypoxemia, hypoglycemia, and lower anabolic hormone concentrations. Under hypoxic stress and nutrient deficiency, fetuses prioritize basal metabolic requirements over tissue accretion to support survival. Skeletal muscle is particularly vulnerable to HS-induced placental insufficiency due to its high energy demands and large contribution to total body mass. In FGR fetuses, skeletal muscle growth is reduced, evidenced by smaller myofiber size and mass, reduced satellite cell proliferation, and slower rate of protein synthesis. Disruptions in skeletal muscle growth are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, including reduced pyruvate flux into the mitochondrial matrix and lower complex I activity in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. This review summarizes current research on the mechanisms by which HS-induced placental insufficiency affects skeletal muscle growth in the fetus, with an emphasis on myogenesis, hypertrophy, protein synthesis, and energy metabolism. The evidence presented is primarily drawn from experiments using chronically catheterized fetal sheep exposed to maternal HS during mid-gestation. Additionally, we explore emerging nutritional strategies aimed at enhancing skeletal muscle growth in animals with FGR. These strategies hold promise not only for improving reproductive efficiency in livestock affected by prenatal stress but also for their translational relevance to human pregnancies complicated by placental insufficiency.

Using a behavioural intervention to target nutrition during pregnancy may be key in meeting recommendations for healthy eating. The aim was to assess the use of a short-term dietary intake measurement tool (3-day food intake record) to infer long-term habitual dietary intake during pregnancy (using a short-form FFQ). A convenience sample (n 90) between 12- and 18-weeks’ gestation was recruited from a larger randomised controlled trial for cross-sectional analysis. Participants completed a forty-four-item FFQ and 3-day food intake record. Using the participant food intake record, the investigator blindly completed a second frequency questionnaire. The frequency questionnaires were scored using dietary quality scores (DQS) and compared. Aggregate data were evaluated using a Wilcoxon signed rank test, and individual-level data were evaluated using a Bland–Altman plot. No significant difference was observed in the scores (Z = –1·88, P = 0·06), with small effect size (r= 0·19). The Bland–Altman plot showed that comparing the DQS derived from the two different dietary assessments underestimated scores by a mean difference of 0·4 points (95 % limits of agreement: −3·50 to 4·26). The data points were evenly spread suggesting no systematic variation for over- or underestimation of scores. Minimal difference was observed between the functionality of the two assessment instruments. However, the food intake record can be completed by pregnant individuals to estimate short-term nutrient intake and then scored by the investigator to estimate long-term dietary quality. Combining these two instruments may best capture the most accurate representation of dietary habits over time.

Acute infection with Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant people can lead to vertical transmission to the foetus and congenital toxoplasmosis. As part of risk assessment, the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis among pregnant people must be quantitatively elucidated. Herein, we investigated the risk of primary T. gondii infection during pregnancy in Japan, estimating the incidence of T. gondii infection among pregnant people as well as that of congenital toxoplasmosis. We used a compartment model that captured the infection dynamics in pregnant people, analysing prescription data for spiramycin in Japan, together with local serological testing results and the screening rate of primary T. gondii infection during pregnancy. The nationwide risk of T. gondii infection pregnant people in Japan was estimated to be 0.016% per month. Among prefectures investigated, the risk estimate was highest in Tokyo with 0.030% per month. Nationally, the number of T. gondii infections among pregnant people in the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 was estimated to be 1507, 1440, and 1388 infections, respectively. The nationwide number of cases of congenital toxoplasmosis in each year was estimated at 613, 588, and 567 cases, respectively. Our study indicated that T. gondii infection continues to place a substantial burden on public health in Japan.