Newborn News and Research

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Findings may yield new treatments for COPD

A genetic mutation found in four children born with multiple abnormalities may provide insight into potential treatments for newborn lung distress and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

19 Oct 2009

SCID infants who receive early bone marrow transplants are likely to have fewer complications

Mention the words "bubble boy" and many will recall David Vetter, the kid with big eyes and a thick thatch of dark hair who died 25 years ago after spending almost the entire 12 years of his life in a germ-free, plastic bubble. David was born with severe combined immune deficiency, or SCID, a condition that robbed him of an immune system.

14 Oct 2009

NIH funds the University of California's consortium for immune disorder research

The University of California, San Francisco has been designated to lead a new consortium that will study a group of severe immune disorders known as primary immunodeficiencies and aims to improve treatment for these often life-threatening diseases. The Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium comprises 13 centers throughout the United States and has a $6.25 million funding commitment over five years from the National Institutes of Health.

13 Oct 2009

INVO Bioscience announce the birth of the first baby conceived by the INVO procedure and INVOcell device

INVO Bioscience, Inc., a medical device company focused on treatment options for patients diagnosed with infertility, announced that on September 29, 2009 the birth of the first baby conceived by the INVO procedure and INVOcell device. The mother is a 40 year old Pakistan woman who had suffered from infertility for 16 years.

9 Oct 2009

Study raises concerns on long-term consequences of neonatal caffeine administration on brain development

An F1000 evaluation looks at a Canadian study on how giving caffeine to newborn rats has a long-lasting and detrimental effect on sleep and breathing in adulthood

9 Oct 2009

More than 2m infants, women die from childbirth annually, study says

Each year, more than 2 million infants and women around the world die from childbirth-related complications, according to a study released Tuesday at the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics world congress in Cape Town, South Africa, the Associated Press reports.

8 Oct 2009

$4.8 million grant from CDC to establish Indiana Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics

Researchers from Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute, with its world-renowned medical informatics research group and regional health information exchange, have been awarded a $4.8 million grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create the Indiana Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics, one of only four such centers in the nation.

7 Oct 2009

$40B needed to 'dramatically' reduce millions of child deaths annually, report says

Two million infants die within 24 hours of birth each year and almost nine million children died before the age of 5 in 2008, according to a report by Save the Children, which says it would take $40 billion annually to "dramatically" cut these numbers, Agence France-Presse reports (Mohiuddin, 10/5).

5 Oct 2009

Preterm birth rate continues to rise

More than one million infants die each year because they are born too early, according to the just released White Paper, The Global and Regional Toll of Preterm Birth.

5 Oct 2009

Breast milk should not be stored and fed later

The levels of the components in breast milk change every 24 hours in response to the needs of the baby. A new study published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience shows, for example, how this milk could help newborn babies to sleep.

3 Oct 2009

New study underscores lack of appropriate government action to ensure safety of vaccines

A new study in the leading scientific journal NeuroToxicology lends further credence to parents and scientists concerned about an increasingly aggressive childhood vaccine schedule and toxic vaccine components.

2 Oct 2009

Treatment of gestational diabetes benefits both infant and mother

A National Institutes of Health network study provided the first conclusive evidence that treating pregnant women who have even the mildest form of gestational diabetes can reduce the risk of common birth complications among infants, as well as blood pressure disorders among mothers.

1 Oct 2009

University scientists achieve breakthrough in brain research

Chaos brews in the brains of newborns: the nerve cells are still bound only loosely to each other. Under the leadership of Academy Research Fellow Sari Lauri, a team of researchers at the University of Helsinki has been studying for years how a neural network capable of processing information effectively is created out of chaos. The team has now found a new kind of mechanism that adjusts the functional development of nerve cell contacts.

30 Sep 2009

NECBB reports cord blood banking is on the rise

New England Cord Blood Bank, Inc. (NECBB), a global cord blood processing and storage facility, announced today that the company has seen a consistent and robust increase in the cord blood units being used for transplants within the past few years.

29 Sep 2009

Universal bilirubin screening can reduce jaundice incidence in newborns

Screening all newborns for excessive bilirubin in the blood can significantly decrease the incidence of severe jaundice which, in extreme cases, can lead to seizures and brain damage, according to researchers at UCSF Children's Hospital and Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, CA.

28 Sep 2009

Research study sheds light on mechanisms of pain alteration in infancy and adolescence

Scientists at Georgia State University have uncovered the mechanisms of how pain in infancy alters how the brain processes pain in adulthood.

26 Sep 2009

Web-based education system improves awareness on cord blood preservation options

Despite significant efforts by government agencies, consumer advocacy groups and industry to educate expecting parents about the medical significance of cord blood stem cells and the options for preserving them, three out of every four pregnant women still consider themselves only "minimally informed." However, data presented at an international meeting on stem cell science and policy found that a proprietary, web-based education system developed by Cord Blood Registry could be an effective and efficient method for improving awareness about all cord blood preservation options.

24 Sep 2009

ASADI to focus on maternal and child healthcare this year

The fifth annual international conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI) will be held Nov. 9-11 in Accra, Ghana, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. The theme of this year's conference will be improving maternal, newborn, and child health in Africa, which will be discussed by top experts from around the world.

23 Sep 2009

March of Dimes to re-launch Healthy Baby program for military families

Military moms whose babies were born too soon or too sick were treated to a very special baby shower today at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) courtesy of the March of Dimes and Operation Shower.

21 Sep 2009

SHP-2 protein molecule encourages placenta growth

Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have shown that a common biological protein molecule called SHP-2 is crucial for encouraging placenta growth. The research is published today in Endocrinology.