Prenatal News and Research

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Ethnic minorities may be more willing than was previously thought to take part in clinical research

The study, published in the Aug. 29 issue of BMC Public Health , contradicts previous research suggesting that ethnic minorities are less likely to volunteer for clinical research, possibly due to infamous breaches of medical ethics such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

27 Sep 2007

Experts discuss pioneering non-invasive test to determine the blood type of unborn babies

Experts from across the world will meet to discuss the implementation of a pioneering non-invasive test to determine the blood type of unborn babies at an event hosted by the University of Warwick.

25 Sep 2007

Genetic risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder identified

New research in primates suggests that infants and children who carry a certain gene variant may be more vulnerable to the ill effects of fetal alcohol exposure.

24 Sep 2007

Noninvasive prenatal testing by analyzing mother's blood

Currently, prenatal diagnosis of genetic diseases and genetic monitoring of fetal development require invasive procedures.

21 Sep 2007

Secondhand smoke exposure could interfere with academic test performance

Teens exposed to secondhand smoke at home are at increased risk of test failure in school, suggests a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

20 Sep 2007

Rapid testing for pre-natal detection of Down syndrome

Scientists in California are reporting an advance toward rapid testing for pre-natal detection of Down syndrome and other birth defects that involve an abnormal number of chromosomes.

18 Sep 2007

Study examines implications of genetic screening for disease that can be less serious, treatable

Some couples in Israel whose fetus screened positive for Gaucher disease, which can range from being mild and treatable to being a severe disease, decided to have the pregnancy terminated, raising questions concerning the appropriateness of certain types of genetic screenings, according to a study in the September 19 issue of JAMA.

18 Sep 2007

Zebrafish shed light on human mitochondrial diseases

Zebrafish can now be used to study COX deficiencies in humans, a discovery that gives scientists an unprecedented window to view the earliest stages of mitochondrial impairments that lead to potentially fatal metabolic disorders, according to researchers at the University of Oregon.

13 Sep 2007

World's longest-running study of the health effects of low levels of mercury exposure

The presence of mercury in dental amalgams, or fillings, is relatively common knowledge; however, whether its presence affects the neurological system is a debate that has been ongoing for 150 years.

13 Sep 2007

Child's IQ could be affected by mother's epilepsy

A history of maternal epilepsy and its associated treatment may be linked to impaired intelligence later in life, says a new study published in Epilepsia.

12 Sep 2007

Pregnancy may open a window of vulnerability for developing binge eating disorder

Especially for women from lower socio-economic situations, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers and colleagues in Norway.

10 Sep 2007

Link found between a lack of vitamin D and pre-eclampsia

Researchers in the United States have found an association between vitamin D levels in pregnant women and the risk of pre-eclampsia; they say women who have a vitamin D deficiency early in their pregnancy are at risk from pre-eclampsia.

9 Sep 2007

20 percent of overweight toddlers found to be iron-deficient

A study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has found that overweight toddlers and those not enrolled in day care are at high risk for iron deficiency.

5 Sep 2007

Detailed picture of prevalence of ADHD in U.S.

Most children in the United States who meet the medically accepted definition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have not been diagnosed by a physician, and are not consistently treated with medications, according to the first national ADHD prevalence study in children based on the "gold standard" of diagnostic criteria, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

4 Sep 2007

Cigarette packets in Britain to carry horror pics

Cigarettes smokers in Britain will in future be pressurised even further to kick the bad habit by graphic health warnings on cigarette packets.

30 Aug 2007

All children adopted from outside North America should be screened for TB

University of Alberta researchers stress that all children adopted from outside North America should be screened for tuberculosis.

11 Aug 2007

Life around newborn discharge

A landmark nationwide study, published in the journal Pediatrics, is the first ever to prospectively examine the decision-making process of over 4,000 mothers and their physicians around the readiness of mothers and their infants to leave the hospital after childbirth.

6 Aug 2007

Determinants of inadequate prenatal care utilization by African American women

Fewer African-American women living in urban communities are likely to get adequate prenatal care during their pregnancy than white women are, a new study finds, and the main reason could be their negative views about the need for such care.

6 Aug 2007

Xenomics issued European patent for Transrenal Nucleic Acid Technology for Prenatal Diagnostics

Xenomics, Inc. has announced the issuance of its first European patent "Methods for detection of nucleic acid sequences in urine", EP 1634966 A2 that covers use of its proprietary transrenal nucleic acid technology in the area of prenatal diagnostics and genetic testing.

1 Aug 2007

Prenatal alcohol exposure alters brain activity in the frontal-striatal areas

Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure does not always lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS); sometimes it can lead to cognitive and behavioral deficits in the absence of craniofacial features needed to make an FAS diagnosis.

25 Jul 2007