Environment and complications during pregnancy
Research Program
Leaders
Where we are
SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital
Related websites
SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital 
Our research group conducts research aimed at studying pre-natal exposure to substance abuse (tobacco, alcohol and drugs) and environmental toxicants (air, water and chemicals) in foetal growth restriction groups compared with exposure in foetuses with normal weight for gestational age.
Together with the Hospital Clínic Barcelona and the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital, we form part of the Barcelona Centre for Maternal and Neonatal Medicine (BCNatal), conducting research in collaboration with the Fetal Medicine Barcelona Foundation (Fetal R + D). Our group is also part of the Maternal and Child Health and Development Network (SAMID Network) (ref RD12/0026/0007).
In 2016, we commenced our collaboration with ISGlobal, with shared funding from the Health Research Fund (FIS), and a HEI Research Committee project (Health Effects Institute. USA): RFA 17-1 (November 2, 2017) "Traffic-related air pollution and birth weight: the role of noise, placental function, green space, diet, physical activity and socio-economic status (FRONTIER)". Then, in 2018, we started another project titled "AIR-NB. Pre-natal exposure to urban AIR pollution and pre- and post-Natal Brain development" following the call for ERC Advanced Grant.
Dr Gómez Roig has formed part of the Work Group on Reproductive and Environmental Health organised by FIGO (International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2016 - 2019) since 2016. She is also currently a member of the FIGO Committ
Research lines
- Correlation of the different toxic agents (substances of abuse and environmental toxicants) existing in the foetal environment with placental insufficiency parameters (foetal percentile <3, cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and uterine artery Doppler abnormality).
- The incidence of alcohol and tobacco consumption in pregnant women in our environment and to evaluate the results of an intervention (motivational interview) aimed at decreasing or cessation of consumption during pregnancy.
- The relationship between pre-natal (neurodevelopment: foetal neurosonogram), cardiac function (echocardiogram), perinatal (neonatal morbidity) and post-natal (neurological development) effects of exposure to toxicants.
Scientific objectives
- To demonstrate the efficacy of low molecular weight heparin for the treatment of early onset intrauterine foetal growth restriction, demonstrating prolonged gestation in such cases.
- To demonstrate the effectiveness of a motivational interview (MI) intervention on decreasing alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy and to transfer these results to public health programmes.
- To further advance the field of experimental research into therapeutic measures to decrease the effects of alcohol consumption on the foetus.
- To validate pre-natal markers predictive of post-natal neurodevelopment (neurosonogram and neurophysiological analysis using frequency-following response [FFR]).
- To establish a cohort of low-risk pregnant women for the pre-natal and post-natal study of the influence of the environment (environmental pollution, noise pollution, green spaces, stress and physical activity) on the foetus, the newborn infant or the child.
Area/Field of expertise
Our research forms part of the study of pre-natal exposure to substances of abuse and environmental toxicants.
To accomplish this, we measure toxic substances, alcohol (fatty acid ethyl esters [FAEE], and ethyl glucuronide [ETG]) using metabolomics techniques in the mother's hair (liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry [LC/MS/MS] and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry). We have also carried out phosphatidylethanol (PEth) measurements in umbilical cord blood and have initiated a MI technique as an intervention aimed at reducing the use of toxic substances during pregnancy.
We carry out pre-natal assessment of the effects of pre-natal exposure to a contaminated environment using neurosonogram and pre-natal echocardiogram (to study cardiac anatomy and function). This enables us to measure with remarkable accuracy the depth and degree of maturation of specific cortical fissures, sulci and the development of specific structures such as the corpus callosum and lateral ventricles.
In post-natal follow-up, we assess the FFR in infants as a marker of neurodevelopment using neurophysiological analysis.
Group members
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Jefe de Grupo Senior
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Silvia - Irena Ferrero Martínez
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Last Publications
- Cobo T, Aldecoa V, Bartha JL, Bugatto F, Paz Carrillo-Badillo M, Comas C, Diago-Almeda V, Ferrero-Martinez SI, Goya M, Herraiz I, Martí-Malgosa L, Olivella A, Paulés C, Vives À, Figueras F, Palacio M, Gratacós E and OPTIM-PTL group Assessment of an intervention to optimise antenatal management of women admitted with preterm labour and intact membranes using amniocentesis-based predictive risk models: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (OPTIM-PTL Study). BMJ Open . 11(9): e054711.
- Deyà-Martinez A, García-García A, Gonzalez-Navarro EA, Yiyi L, Vlagea A, Jordán-García I, Fumadó Victoria, Fortuny-Guasch C, Español M, Launes-Montana C, Esteve-Sole A, Manel Juan Otero, Pascal M and Alsina L COVID-19 in children and young adults with moderate/severe inborn errors of immunity in a high burden area in pre-vaccine era CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY . 230: 108821-108821.
- Gonzalez-Bosquet E, Grau L, Ferrero-Martinez SI, Hernandez-Saborit A, Rebollo M, Marta Gómez Chiari, Martínez Crespo JM and Gómez-Roig MD Pessary for Management of Cervical Varices Complicating Pregnancy. OBSTET GYNECOL . 138(3): 482-486.
Projects
- Project name:
- Impacto de un programa de intervención prenatal estructurado, de disminución de consumo de alcohol, en los resultados perinatales y de neurodesarrollo.
- Leader
- Maria Dolores Gómez Roig
- Funding entities:
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
- Code
- PI20/00490
- Starting - finishing date:
- 2021 - 2023
- Project name:
- ATHLETE_Advancing Tools for Human Early Lifecourse Exposome research and Translation
- Leader
- Maria Dolores Gómez Roig
- Funding entities:
- European Commission
- Code
- 874583
- Starting - finishing date:
- 2020 - 2024
- Project name:
- Respuesta de seguimiento de frecuencia (RSD) como biomarcador de desarrollo neurocognitivo en recién nacidos con exposición prenatal al alcohol.
- Leader
- Maria Dolores Gómez Roig
- Funding entities:
- Hospital Sant Joan de Déu - Esplugues HSJD
- Code
- BR201902
- Starting - finishing date:
- 2020 - 2023
Theses
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Modelo de síndrome alcohólico fetal en ratón según dos patrones de consumo humano y el papel de la epigalocatequina galato en su prevención. estudio de biodisponibilidad de la epigalocatequina galato en humanos
- Author
- Almeida Toledano, Laura
- Institution
- UNIVERSIDAD DE BARCELONA
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Estudio genético de trombofilias en pacientes con antecedentes obstétricos desfavorables
- Author
- Fernández Arias, Mireia
- Institution
- UNIVERSIDAD DE BARCELONA
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Valoración de la exposición prenatal a antidepresivos y ansiolíticos mediante su determinación en matrices biológicas alternativas
- Institution
- UNIVERSIDAD DE BARCELONA
News
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Human milk from women infected and vaccinated for coronavirus has antibodies against COVID-19
Human milk from infected women and vaccinated for coronavirus has antibodies against COVID-19, according to two published studies in the medRxiv repository and launched by the scientific consortium MilkCorona,
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Can a newborn’s brain discriminate speech sounds?
A study by the Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu shows newborns do not fully distinguish different vocal sounds. Researchers created a new methodology to record the neural encoding for these sounds, published in the Nature's open-access journal Scientific Reports.