Epigenetics and environmental factors identified in preterm birth.

Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant mortality that can lead to poor life-long health and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The physiologic mechanisms that precede preterm labor remain elusive, and the role that epigenetic phenomena play is largely unstudied with recent data showing that increased levels of microRNA (miRNA) were directly related to shortened gestational periods.  Now, a study from researchers at the Mount Sinai … Continue reading Epigenetics and environmental factors identified in preterm birth.