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Children living in two-parent married household are less likely to be obese

Children living in households where the parents are married are less likely to be obese, according to new research from Rice University and the University of Houston. [More]
Study finds link between bigger birth weight babies and risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study finds link between bigger birth weight babies and risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder

The biggest study of fetal growth and autism to date has reported that babies whose growth is at either extreme in the womb, either very big or very small, are at greater risk of developing autism. [More]

Phase III clinical trial data of Milprosa vaginal ring presented at PCRS annual meeting

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today presented data from a sub-analysis of a Phase III clinical trial of Milprosa (progesterone) vaginal ring, an investigational, once-weekly therapy for luteal phase support in women undergoing in vitro fertilization. [More]

State roundup: NYC firms will be required to offer sick leave; Fla. government part-timers to get health coverage

New York is poised to mandate that companies with 15 or more employees provide paid time off for them when they are sick. A compromise agreement reached Thursday night resulted from a raw display of political muscle by a coalition of labor unions and liberal activists who overcame fierce objections from New York's business-minded mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, and his allies in the corporate world (Barbaro and Grynbaum, 3/28). [More]
Genes play a significant role in children's eating behavior

Genes play a significant role in children's eating behavior

Parents may plead, cajole or entice their children to try new foods, but some kids just won't budge. Now, new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reveals that the reason these kids fear new foods has less to do with what's on their plate and more to do with their genes. [More]

Researchers turn concepts about head injuries in sports upside down

In the British Medical Journal, concepts about head injuries in sports are now being turned upside down by a group of researchers at Umeå University: Impaired brain function is rather a risk factor for incurring such injuries than a result of them. [More]
Human Connectome Project releases brain imaging and behavioral data to scientific community

Human Connectome Project releases brain imaging and behavioral data to scientific community

The Human Connectome Project, a five-year endeavor to link brain connectivity to human behavior, has released a set of high-quality imaging and behavioral data to the scientific community. The project has two major goals: to collect vast amounts of data using advanced brain imaging methods on a large population of healthy adults, and to make the data freely available so that scientists worldwide can make further discoveries about brain circuitry. [More]
Signaling pathway might determine genetic susceptibility for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Signaling pathway might determine genetic susceptibility for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Fetal alcohol syndrome is the leading preventable cause of developmental disorders in developed countries. And fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a range of alcohol-related birth defects that includes fetal alcohol syndrome, is thought to affect as many as 1 in 100 children born in the United States. [More]
Vaccine prices and availability: an interview with Kate Elder, Vaccines Policy Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières's Access Campaign

Vaccine prices and availability: an interview with Kate Elder, Vaccines Policy Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières's Access Campaign

One of the key reasons why children are missed by immunization programs, particularly in developing countries where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) works, is that the products that we currently have in their present formulation are not well-suited to the places that have the most un-immunized children. These are the most challenging contexts to work in. [More]
Study: 17P not effective in preventing preterm birth among women with twin pregnancies

Study: 17P not effective in preventing preterm birth among women with twin pregnancies

In a study to be presented on February 14 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's 33rd annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, researchers will report findings that suggest that 17P, a form of progesterone, is not effective in preventing preterm birth among women with twin pregnancies - and may possibly be harmful. [More]

Research reveals no advantage in choosing cesarean births for twin pregnancies

In a study to be presented on February 14 between 8 a.m., and 10 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in San Francisco, researchers will report findings that suggest that planned birthing of twins at 32-38 weeks by cesarean section does not decrease perinatal or neonatal death compared to planned vaginal birth. [More]

Catholic hospital says its argument on fetuses was 'morally wrong'

A Catholic hospital is backtracking on its claim in court that two fetuses that died under its care were not human beings -- saying now that that argument was "morally wrong." [More]
Study shows how gut microbes conspire with poor diets to trigger childhood malnutrition

Study shows how gut microbes conspire with poor diets to trigger childhood malnutrition

A study of young twins in Malawi, in sub-Saharan Africa, finds that bacteria living in the intestine are an underlying cause of a form of severe acute childhood malnutrition. [More]
Genome sequencing data gives important clues on cancer

Genome sequencing data gives important clues on cancer

Genome sequencing data once regarded as junk is now being used to gain important clues to help understand disease. [More]

Multiple birth hip dysplasia screening questioned

Ultrasound screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip is unnecessary in twins and triplets without signs of the condition, say UK researchers. [More]

Heart transplant patient becomes unexpected ambassador for organ donation

Kevin Riepl arrived at Cedars-Sinai in October 2010, suffering from sudden heart failure that left him fighting for his life. Surgeons swiftly installed a heart pump and later transplanted a new heart, saving his life and turning him into an unexpected ambassador for organ donation. [More]

Autism genome not shy about tinkering with important genes

An international team, led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has discovered that "random" mutations in the genome are not quite so random after all. Their study, to be published in the journal Cell on December 21, shows that the DNA sequence in some regions of the human genome is quite volatile and can mutate ten times more frequently than the rest of the genome. Genes that are linked to autism and a variety of other disorders have a particularly strong tendency to mutate. [More]
Bullying among children may be a threat to their future mental health

Bullying among children may be a threat to their future mental health

A recent study by a researcher at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress (CSHS) at the H-pital Louis-H. Lafontaine and professor at the Universit- de Montr-al suggests that bullying by peers changes the structure surrounding a gene involved in regulating mood, making victims more vulnerable to mental health problems as they age. [More]

American Red Cross introduces new storytellers ad campaign

The American Red Cross today launched a new storytellers ad campaign featuring unscripted stories created and filmed by real people helped by the charity. [More]
Nature, nurture appear to be significant factors in early antisocial behaviors of adopted children

Nature, nurture appear to be significant factors in early antisocial behaviors of adopted children

Both nature and nurture appear to be significant factors in early antisocial behaviors of adopted children, a Wayne State University researcher believes. [More]