Prenatal News and Research

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Stable home can lower the risk for problems arising from prenatal exposure to alcohol

A stable home and an early diagnosis can lower the risk for problems arising from prenatal exposure to alcohol, a new study says.

20 Aug 2004

Stem cell research may one day help cerebral palsy

Natural chemicals that assist healing may one day help transplanted adult stem cells integrate into an injured brain, helping children with cerebral palsy recover lost function, according to researchers at the Medical College of Georgia.

18 Aug 2004

The world's population in 2050 will be 9.276 billion, currently 6.396 in 2004

The Population Reference Bureau has released the 2004 World Population Data Sheet. The new data is now the most up-to-date world demographic information and makes estimates for all countries and regions of the world. It also highlights key world demographic shifts between now and 2050.

18 Aug 2004

Agreement on terminology for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

"There is so much confusion around what to call the broader effects of prenatal alcohol exposure when a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome cannot be made"

17 Aug 2004

Boys exposed to cocaine in the womb are more likely to have behavioral problems than girls

While no specific cause of the gender-specific findings was identified, the researchers note that the study confirms animal studies that also suggest gender plays a role in the effects of cocaine exposure.

13 Aug 2004

Research provides new hope for people with fetal alcohol syndrome

New research by Professor Ann Streissguth of the University of Washington shows that people diagnosed with either fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or fetal alcohol effect (FAE) are more likely to escape social and relationship problems if they are diagnosed early in life and raised in a stable and nurturing environment.

12 Aug 2004

Mothers who catch a flu during pregnancy may increase the risk of their child developing schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease. Approximately 1 percent of the population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime — more than 2 million Americans suffer from the illness in a given year.

3 Aug 2004

Women with epilepsy should not let their condition stop them from planning a family

Generally speaking, women with epilepsy should not let their condition stop them from planning a family, according to doctors and epilepsy researchers.

27 Jul 2004

Finding helps explain how nerves connect to their targets and stop growing once there

Johns Hopkins researchers report that once a growing nerve "tastes" a certain protein, it loses its "appetite" for other proteins and follows the tasty crumbs to reach its final destination.

26 Jul 2004

Study suggests that "kin" caregivers of cocaine-exposed infants and toddlers may also need support and help with parenting

Ever since the epidemic of cocaine and crack use that began in the 1980s, researchers and doctors have been concerned about the development of children born to women who used cocaine during their pregnancy.

16 Jul 2004

Widespread prenatal HIV screening and use of antiretroviral drugs in pregnant HIV-infected women is needed

Rapid testing during labor can enable pregnant women with undocumented HIV status to learn their HIV infection status so they can receive antiretroviral prophylaxis and be referred for comprehensive medical care and follow-up according to a report in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

11 Jul 2004

HHS approves Arkansas plan to expand prenatal care to low-income pregnant women and their unborn children

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved a request by the state of Arkansas to expand prenatal care to low-income pregnant women and their unborn children under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

1 Jul 2004

A Center for Human Genetics/Genomics has been established at the University of California

Established in UCSD Health Sciences, which includes the School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Center brings together UCSD faculty from multiple campus departments and schools including medicine, pharmacy, biology, biostatistics and mathematics.

30 Jun 2004

Gene chip technology can detect one of the commonest cystic fibrosis (CF) genetic mutations with 100% accuracy

A single genetic test that is capable of detecting all mutations involved in the development of cystic fibrosis could be just a few years away, the 20th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard today (Monday 28 June).

28 Jun 2004

Current legislation on preimplantation genetic diagnosis in Germany does not reflect the views of the general public

At present PGD is forbidden in Germany, but in one of the first large study of attitudes to PGD amongst the general population and infertile couples in Germany, the researchers found that the majority of Germans think the technique should be permitted.

28 Jun 2004

New York study reveals that babies in the womb are more sensitive than their mothers to DNA damage from pollution

A new study of the effects of combustion-related air pollutants in New York City reveals that babies in the womb are more sensitive than their mothers to DNA damage from such pollution.

26 Jun 2004

Newborns are more susceptible to DNA damage from pollution than their mothers

New Study of New York City Residents Shows That Newborns are More Susceptible to DNA Damage from Pollution than Their Mothers.

24 Jun 2004

Doctors failing to identify smoking in adolescents

Doctors are failing to identify smoking status in about half of the adolescent patients seen, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison study.

24 Jun 2004

Lawsuit against 3 largest U.S. canned tuna companies for failing to warn about exposure to mercury

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer today filed a lawsuit against the nation's three largest canned tuna companies for failing to warn consumers that albacore and light tuna contain mercury, known by the state to cause reproductive harm and cancer.

22 Jun 2004

Cornelia de Lange syndrome gene discovered

An international team of researchers has discovered the gene for Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a disabling, multisystem genetic disease that affects an estimated one in 10,000 children.

20 Jun 2004