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Unborn babies can sow the seeds for rheumatoid arthritis in their mothers - and the dads might be to blame. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, meaning the body's immune system turns on itself. In this case, it causes painful, swollen joints. Women are three times as likely to develop the condition as men, and seem to be especially vulnerable soon after pregnancy. A mother exchanges cells with the fetus while it is in the womb. "For most women, shortly after you give birth, the fetal cells clear up," says Giovanna Cruz, an epidemiologist at the University of California at Berkeley. "But in a subset of women they actually persist for decades." In these women, the fetal cells are effectively incorporated into their bodies, a process known as microchimerism.

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that mutations that cause autism in children are connected to a pathway that regulates brain development.

The Visible Embryo is a visual guide through fetal development from fertilization through pregnancy to birth. As the most profound physiologic changes occur in the "first trimester" of pregnancy, these Carnegie stages are given prominence on the birth spiral.

This case study was inspired by the Zika virus outbreak that occurred around the time of the 2016 Olympic Games. Many athletes were fearful of attending because of the link between Zika virus infection and microcephaly in infants. This concern, however, ran contrary to reports suggesting that the risk of athletes and other travelers becoming infected was remarkably low. Jessica, a fictional Olympic equestrian and the main character of the case, was unfortunately very unlucky and contracted Zika virus near the time of the Games. She ended up enduring negative health complications likely as a consequence of the infection.  This case was designed to be implemented in the nervous system unit of a human biology or anatomy and physiology course. The case is also appropriate for microbiology and public health courses.   Students are expected to have foundational knowledge in viral life cycles, and will explore disruptions in neurotransmission as well as abnormal fetal brain development.

Children with obese fathers have different epigenetic markings on the gene for insulin-type growth factor 2 (IGF2)-which is important during fetal growth and development-than children with fathers of normal weight.

Scientists have created an "artificial womb" in the hopes of someday using the device to save babies born extremely prematurely. So far the device has only been tested on fetal lambs. A study published Tuesday involving eight animals found the device appears effective at enabling very premature fetuses to develop normally for about a month.

n this interrupted case study, students learn about the influence of early fetal nutritional conditions on the expression of genes related to metabolism and growth. Beginning with the true event of a food and fuel embargo that led to famine in the western Netherlands toward the end of World War II, students learn about the historical background of the Dutch Hunger Winter and its social impact. Using real data from the study conducted by Heijmans and coauthors (2008), students then compare the methylation level of a specific gene between individuals conceived during the famine and their unaffected siblings, and how changes in the expression of this metabolically important gene may impact the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Supported by other studies on mice and in humans, students conclude that in utero events may impact the health of individuals later in life through epigenetic mechanisms. The case is ideally suited for a molecular or cell biology course, but is also appropriate for an introductory biology course in which students have an understanding of descriptive statistics, interpretation of statistical test results, eukaryotic gene structure, and regulation of gene expression.

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