Cincinnati, OH, March 3, 2011 — Cerebral palsy is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects motor function, more often in children born prematurely. Because cerebral palsy is a result of brain injury received shortly before, during, or soon afte…
Tag Archives | birth
Women who miscarry continue to have mental health problems
The depression and anxiety experienced by many women after a miscarriage can continue for years, even after the birth of a healthy child, according to a study led by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers and published online today by th…
Compound useful for studying birth defects may also have anti-tumor properties
In an interesting bit of scientific serendipity, researchers at North Carolina State University have found that a chemical compound useful for studying the origins of intestinal birth defects may also inhibit the growth and spread of cancerous tumor…
Multiple childbirth linked to increased risk of rare, aggressive ‘triple-negative’ breast cancer
SEATTLE — Full-term pregnancy has long been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer, but a new study finds that the more times a woman gives birth, the higher her risk of “triple-negative” breast cancer, a relatively uncommon but particula…
A glove to prevent premature birth
Changes to the microbiological equilibrium in the female genital tract can lead to obstetric complications. In the current issue of the Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 108[6]: 81), the working group around Eva-Ma…
Brain function linked to birth size in groundbreaking new study
Scientists have discovered the first evidence linking brain function variations between the left and right sides of the brain to size at birth and the weight of the placenta. The finding could shed new light on the causes of mental health problems i…
Use of alcohol-free antibacterial mouth-rinse is associated with decrease in preterm birth
SAN FRANCISCO (February 11, 2011) — In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting , in San Francisco, researchers will present findings that show that use of non alcoh…
Study finds preterm birth clinic attendence leads to major reduction in infant disability
SAN FRANCISCO (February 11, 2011) — In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting , in San Francisco, researchers will present findings that show that when women at hi…
New research helps explain how progesterone preventspreterm birth
SAN FRANCISCO, FEB. 10, 2011 — Research presented today at the 31st Annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) — The Pregnancy Meeting has found that three proteins known as XIAP, BID, and Bcl-2 are responsible in part for …
Teens with HIV at high risk for pregnancy, complications
Teenage girls and young women infected with HIV get pregnant more often and suffer pregnancy complications more frequently than their HIV-negative peers, according to new research led by Johns Hopkins investigators.
A report on the multi-center s…
High birth weight in First Nations babies linked to a higher risk of postneonatal death
High birth weight in First Nations (North American Indian) babies are linked to a higher risk of postneonatal death (infant deaths that occur from 4 weeks to 1 year of age), according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journa…
Mother’s milk improves the physical condition of future adolescents
Enrique García Artero, the principal author of the study and researcher at the University of Granada pointed out that, “Our objective was to analyse the relationship between the duration of breastfeeding babies and their physical condition in adole…
Care of late-preterm preemies may be insufficient
MAYWOOD, Ill. — In the last 15 years the U.S has seen a sharp increase in the number of babies born as late-preterm infants, between 34 and 37 weeks’ gestation. This is approximately 400,000 children each year, comprising over 70 percent of all pr…
Researchers track the impacts of depression during pregnancy
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The cocktail of hormones cascading through depressed mothers’ bodies may play an important role in the development of their unborn children’s brains.
A higher level of depression in mothers during pregnancy was associated wit…
Preterm birth rates improve in most states
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 17, 2010 ¬ — Eight states earned a better grade on the 2010 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card and 32 others and the District of Columbia saw their preterm birth rates improve.
Following three decades of incr…
Tiny RNA molecules control labor, may be key to blocking premature birth
DALLAS — Nov. 15, 2010 — Tiny molecules called microRNAs act together with hormones to control the onset of labor, raising the prospect that RNA-based drugs might be able to prevent premature labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center …
Citywide smoking ban contributes to significant decrease in maternal smoking, pre-term births
AURORA, Colo. (Nov. 10, 2010) — New research released today takes a look at birth outcomes and maternal smoking, building urgency for more states and cities to join the nationwide smoke-free trend that has accelerated in recent years. According to…
Growth defects in cystic fibrosis may start before birth
A new study using a pig model of cystic fibrosis (CF) suggests that low levels of a growth promoting hormone at or before birth may contribute to growth defects in patients with CF.
The study, led by University of Iowa researchers and published…
Genetics work could lead to advances in fertility for women
Princeton scientists have identified genes responsible for controlling reproductive life span in worms and found they may control genes regulating similar functions in humans.
The work suggests that someday researchers may be able to develop ways …
CRN responds to JAMA fish oil study
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 19, 2010 — In response to a study regarding fish oil use during pregnancy published in the October 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading…
Shock tactics: Bioelectrical therapy for cancer and birth defects?
Stem cell therapies hold increasing promise as a cure for multiple diseases. But the massive potential of a healthy stem cell has a flip side, as faulty regulation of stem cells leads to a huge range of human diseases. Even before birth, mistakes ma…
2 studies present new data on effects of alcohol during pregnancy
Scientific data continue to indicate that higher intake of alcohol during pregnancy adversely affects the fetus, and could lead to very severe developmental or other problems in the child. However, most recent publications show little or no effec…
Depression during pregnancy increases risk for preterm birth and low birth weight
Clinical depression puts pregnant women at increased risk of delivering prematurely and of giving birth to below-normal weight infants, according to a report published Oct. 4 in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Being born too [...]
Successful periodontal therapy may reduce the risk of preterm birth, according to Penn dental study
PHILADELPHIA — – A collaboration led by a periodontal researcher from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine has found a possible link between the success of gum-disease treatment and the likelihood of giving birth prematurely, a…
Neonatal intensive care units critical to infant survival
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2010 — Very low birthweight and very preterm infants are more likely to die if they are not born at hospitals with neonatal intensive care units specially equipped to care for seriously ill newborns, in contrast to sim…
BUSPH study observes link between decongestant use in pregnant women and lower risk of preterm birth
A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) epidemiologists has found that women who took over-the-counter decongestants during their pregnancies are less likely to give birth prematurely.
Preterm birth — deliveries at le…
Oxytocin: It’s a mom and pop thing
Philadelphia, PA, 20 August, 2010 – The hormone oxytocin has come under intensive study in light of emerging evidence that its release contributes to the social bonding that occurs between lovers, friends, and colleagues. Oxytocin also plays an impo…
Surrogate mothers have no doubts about handing over the baby
Surrogate mothers do not suffer major emotional problems during or after their pregnancy, or when they hand over the baby to the commissioning parents, researchers told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today. The latest results from a long-running study into surrogacy by researchers from City University, UK, led by Professor Susan Golombok, found that, contrary to anecdotal reports in the media, none of the 34 surrogate mothers interviewed for the study reported any misgivings about handing over the baby. Any emotional problems that the women did experience after the birth appeared to lessen with time. The majority of surrogate mothers enjoyed good relations with their commissioning couples and did not suffer adverse reactions from their own friends and family.
Prematurity, infections most likely causes of brain damage among infants
The most likely causes of brain damage among low birthweight infants are prematurity and infections, not oxygen starvation, a Johns Hopkins study has found. Studying 213 babies born weighing less than 3 pounds, 5 ounces, the researchers noted that the smaller the infants were at birth and the less time they spent in the womb, the more likely they were to have some form of brain damage. Babies born with infections were more likely than those without infections to have brain complications. The report is published in the June issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Key to baby-soft skin could be cheesy
For nine months before birth, infants soak in a watery, urine-filled environment. Just hours after birth, however, they have near-perfect skin. How is it that nature enables infants to develop ideal skin in such seemingly unsuitable surroundings? A new study by researchers at the Skin Sciences Institute of Cincinnati Children?s Hospital Medical Center shows that the answer may be vernix — the white, cheesy substance that coats infants for weeks before they are born, then is wiped off and discarded immediately after birth. If they?re right, the healthcare implications for newborns and adults could be remarkable.