Birth Weight News and Research

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Maternal malaria and gravidity interact to modify infant susceptibility to malaria

Every year at least 30 million women in malaria-endemic areas of Africa become pregnant. Many of them develop placental malaria, a pregnancy-specific form of the disease, which frequently results in low birth weight of the child.

13 Nov 2005

Antisocial behavior in children associated with gene variant and environmental risk factors

For children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), possessing a variant of a gene involved in brain signaling may predict antisocial behavior and increase susceptibility to the effects of lower birth weight, according to a study in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Nov 2005

Specific bacterial markers for bacterial vaginosis discovered

Findings reported in this week's New England Journal of Medicine (November 3 issue) highlight promising findings from two Seattle-based researchers on the origins of bacterial vaginosis (BV).

7 Nov 2005

Error found in standard guidelines on fetal varicella syndrome

The UK’s Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB), published by Which?, has identified an important error in standard guidelines on fetal varicella syndrome. This finding has major implications worldwide for advice given to women with chickenpox in late pregnancy.

7 Nov 2005

Hormonal clue to higher asthma rates in women

According to experts hormone fluctuations resulting from life cycle changes are a factor in higher rates of asthma, more frequent emergency department visits, and higher hospital admission rates in women than in men.

7 Nov 2005

First study to investigate regional low birth weight rates on a national scale

Low birth weight, an important risk factor of infant mortality and childhood developmental disorders, varies more than 3-fold in regions across the U.S., according to national research conducted at Dartmouth Medical School. The study offers promise for health care experts in an area of prenatal health where progress has been elusive.

7 Nov 2005

Hypertension and uric acid contributes to premature delivery

Pregnant women with hypertension who also have elevated blood uric acid levels may face an increased risk of complications that could be fatal for mother and baby, University of Pittsburgh researchers have found.

30 Oct 2005

Rate of weight gain, not the degree of fatness at any one time, which is the main predictor of future problems

Research published today indicates that the risk of heart disease in adulthood is more strongly related to how quickly children gain weight between the ages of two and eleven than their actual body weight at any particular age. Scientists believe this is linked to differences in insulin processing in later life.

27 Oct 2005

Hormone responsible for types of high blood pressure could also cause preeclampsia

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Academic Health Center have found evidence of a hormone they say is responsible for certain types of high blood pressure (hypertension), and could also cause preeclampsia, a potentially dangerous condition that occurs during pregnancy.

17 Oct 2005

Key neural system at risk from prenatal exposure to alcohol

In a study of adult monkeys who were exposed to moderate amounts of alcohol in utero, scientists have found that prenatal exposure to alcohol - even in small doses - has pronounced effects on the development and function later in life of the brain's dopamine system, a critical component of the central nervous system that regulates many regions of the brain.

21 Sep 2005

Exposure to secondhand smoke kills as many women in China as does smoking

The study estimated that in 2002, 48,400 women in China died from lung cancer and ischemic heart disease attributed to passive smoking compared with 47,300 lung cancer and heart disease deaths from "active" smoking.

6 Sep 2005

Australian Medical Association highlights dangers of alcohol during pregnancy

Australian Medical Association President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said recently that the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) should revise its guidelines on alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

6 Sep 2005

Women may not be accurately reporting how many cigarettes they smoke daily during pregnancy

Studies that report lower smoking rates during pregnancy may be flawed by the social stigma attached to mothers-to-be who light up but don’t admit it, suggests a new analysis.

1 Sep 2005

U.S. company wants to commercialise breast milk

It has long been acknowledged that breast milk, with its minerals, digestive enzymes and antibodies, keeps babies healthy and boosts their intelligence.

7 Aug 2005

Low levels of folate linked to lower birth rates

Mothers-to-be with lower levels of the vitamin folate in their body during early pregnancy are more likely to have babies with lower, or less healthy, birth weights, a study has revealed.

4 Aug 2005

Single hit of meth damages fetal development in mice

Canadian scientists have found from animal experiments, that just one single exposure to methamphetamine during fetal development induces DNA damage in the brain and increases the risk of long-term abnormal motor development.

2 Aug 2005

IVF treatment to restrict women to one embryo only each time

In order to avoid the dangers of multiple births, women having in vitro fertilisation may be limited to having just one embryo implanted at a time.

29 Jul 2005

Opiates themselves are superior to sedatives for treating infants born to women who used heroin or methadone while pregnant

Opiates appear to better "ameliorate the withdrawal, facilitate feeding and potentially reduce the likelihood of seizures," according to two new systematic reviews done by David Osborn, a neonatologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues.

26 Jul 2005

Single prenatal dose of methamphetamine enough to cause long-term neurodevelopmental problems in babies

In research published in the August issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine, U of T pharmacy and pharmacology professor Peter Wells and his colleagues determined that exposing pregnant mice only once to methamphetamine led to delivery of offspring with long-term neurodevelopmental problems, including reduced motor co-ordination.

26 Jul 2005

Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can be just as detrimental to a developing fetus as primary exposure through maternal smoking

In a study published in the online journal BMC Pediatrics, Stephen G. Grant, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and occupational health, reports that both active maternal smoking and secondary maternal exposure result in similarly increased rates of genetic mutation that are basically indistinguishable.

26 Jul 2005

Birth Weight News and Research

Maternal malaria and gravidity interact to modify infant susceptibility to malaria

Antisocial behavior in children associated with gene variant and environmental risk factors

Specific bacterial markers for bacterial vaginosis discovered

Error found in standard guidelines on fetal varicella syndrome

Hormonal clue to higher asthma rates in women

First study to investigate regional low birth weight rates on a national scale

Hypertension and uric acid contributes to premature delivery

Rate of weight gain, not the degree of fatness at any one time, which is the main predictor of future problems

Hormone responsible for types of high blood pressure could also cause preeclampsia

Key neural system at risk from prenatal exposure to alcohol

Exposure to secondhand smoke kills as many women in China as does smoking

Australian Medical Association highlights dangers of alcohol during pregnancy

Women may not be accurately reporting how many cigarettes they smoke daily during pregnancy

U.S. company wants to commercialise breast milk

Low levels of folate linked to lower birth rates

Single hit of meth damages fetal development in mice

IVF treatment to restrict women to one embryo only each time

Opiates themselves are superior to sedatives for treating infants born to women who used heroin or methadone while pregnant

Single prenatal dose of methamphetamine enough to cause long-term neurodevelopmental problems in babies

Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can be just as detrimental to a developing fetus as primary exposure through maternal smoking

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