ArticleBirth defects research2020
Preconception telomere length as a novel maternal biomarker to assess the risk of spina bifida in the offspring.
Article in Birth defects research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mediating role of telomere shortening in dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls associated cognitive decline in children.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
- Review
- A silent malformation: Closed spinal dysraphism in a boy with urinary incontinence.Radiology case reports · 2025Article
- Association between shortened maternal and fetal telomere length and abnormal fetal development.PloS one · 2025Article
- Association Between Prenatal Exposure to Organochlorine Pesticides and Telomere Length in Neonatal Cord Blood.Toxics · 2024Article
- Relationship between aging and control of metabolic syndrome with telomere shortening: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- MR Protocols for Paediatric Neurosurgical Common Conditions: An Update Guide for Neurosurgeons.Advances and technical standards in neurosurgery · 2023Article
- Effect of advanced parental age on pregnancy outcome and offspring health.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2022Review
- Shorter periconception maternal telomere length and the risk of congenital cardiac outflow defects in the offspring.European journal of clinical investigation · 2022Article
- Article
- Preconception telomere length as a novel maternal biomarker to assess the risk of spina bifida in the offspring.Birth defects research · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPericonception interactions between maternal conditions and environmental and genetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis and prevention of neural tube defects (NTD), such as spina bifida. These factors have in common that they can impair the oxidative pathway, resulting in excessive (chronic) oxidative stress and inflammation.
methodsReview of the literature concerning underlying mechanisms and biomarkers of aging particularly during reproduction. A number of molecular markers for biological aging have been identified, including telomere length (TL). Excessive telomere shortening is an index of senescence, causes genomic instability and is associated with a higher risk of age-related diseases. Furthermore, TL shortening is associated with the similar environmental and lifestyle exposures associated with NTD risk.
resultsEmbryonic mice deficient in the telomerase gene show shorter TL and failure of closure of the neural tube as the main defect, suggesting that this developmental process is among the most sensitive to telomere loss and chromosomal instability.
conclusionsFrom this background, we hypothesize that preconceptional long term exposure to harmful environmental and lifestyle risk factors accelerates a woman's aging process, which can be measured by TL, and thereby her underlying risk of NTD offspring. Alternatively, it might be that women with an increased NTD risk already exhibit a more advanced biological age before the onset of pregnancy compared to women of identical calendar age.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.