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Non-invasive prenatal testing can detect maternal cancer at early stage

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for chromosomal foetal disorders is used increasingly to test for conditions such as Down's syndrome. NIPT examines DNA from the foetus in the mother's blood, and therefore does not carry the risk of miscarriage involved in invasive testing methods.

7 Jun 2015

New UT Arlington study finds that household items play significant role in infant's motor skill development

Toys, appliances, and even a sofa and coffee table can impact the way or when a baby first crawls, walks or achieves other growth milestones, but a new UT Arlington study finds that many parents are unaware of the significant role household items play in their infant's motor skill development.

5 Jun 2015

Exercise during pregnancy prevents diabetes risk, reduces excessive weight gain

Women who exercise during pregnancy are less likely to have gestational diabetes, and the exercise also helps to reduce maternal weight gain, finds a study published on 3 June 2015 in BJOG: an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

5 Jun 2015

Using technology to protect diabetics from foot amputations: an interview with Heleen Kist, HCi Viocare

When people don’t receive the body’s natural signals due to neuropathy, they can unknowingly be exposing their feet to conditions that are known to cause foot ulcers, such as repeated pressure and shear...

4 Jun 2015

Maternal obesity increases health risks for mothers and their babies

Women with obesity have a range of increased health risks in pregnancy, both for them and their babies, compared with those in the healthy weight category, according to a new systematic review of research by academics at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Gothenberg, and City University London.

4 Jun 2015

March of Dimes funds studies that explore factors, mechanisms involved in placental malaria

Malaria infection during pregnancy poses serious risks to women and infants. The March of Dimes Foundation, an American organization that works to improve pregnancy and baby health, has now funded Carlos Penha-Goncalves' laboratory, at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC, Portugal), for their studies on factors and mechanisms involved in placental malaria. This is the first time that this American Foundation funds research from a Portuguese Institution.

3 Jun 2015

Gaumard Scientific's installations of Victoria birthing simulator continue at rapid pace in the U.S.

Gaumard Scientific Company today announced that its U.S. installations of the Victoria birthing simulator continue at a rapid pace as more health care educators select what is the industry's most advanced maternal-fetal simulator for their teaching purposes. Victoria installations now span 24 states in all regions and reflect the demand for advanced fully tetherless and wireless technology that Gaumard offers.

2 Jun 2015

New UA research reveals factors that can impact aging adults' quality of life

As the world's population of older adults increases, so do conversations around successful aging -- including seniors' physical, mental and social well-being.

2 Jun 2015

New way to evaluate brainstorms in newborn very premature infants

Giant strides have been taken in the early care of very premature infants in postnatal intensive care units during the past two decades. Doctors can now support the function of especially the lungs, heart and the circulatory system so as to guarantee the survival of most of even extremely premature infants.

1 Jun 2015

Panorama SNP-based non-invasive prenatal test can detect complete molar pregnancy

Natera, Inc., a leader in non-invasive genetic testing, today announced a study published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology demonstrating that the Panorama single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) can identify a complete molar pregnancy in the first trimester.

From Natera 28 May 2015

Not feeling pain due to genetic mutation may not be a blessing

A rare congenital genetic mutation means that those affected do not feel pain. However, what seems, at first sight, to be a blessing, can have serious consequences. It means that injuries or diseases can go undetected for a long time. The affected gene was identified by an international research team from MedUni Vienna, the University of Munich and the University of Cambridge.

27 May 2015

Swedish researchers show link between delayed cord clamping and fine motor skills in children

The importance of the umbilical cord not only for the fetus but for newborn infants too was shown by Swedish researchers several years ago, in a study that received great international acclaim. In a follow-up study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics they have now been able to show an association between delayed cord clamping (DCC) and children's fine motor skills at the age of four years, especially in boys.

27 May 2015

Researchers create 'brainstorm barometer' to calculate the brain functions of very premature infants

University of Helsinki researchers have partnered with Swedish and Australian researchers to create a "brainstorm barometer", which allows computers to calculate the brain functions of very premature babies during their first hours of life.

25 May 2015

Goethe University researchers find endocrine disrupting chemicals in plastic baby teethers

In laboratory tests, two out of ten teethers, plastic toys used to sooth babies' teething ache, release endocrine disrupting chemicals. One product contains parabens, which are normally used as preservatives in cosmetics, while the second contains six so-far unidentified endocrine disruptors.

22 May 2015

Risk prediction model can help target hepatitis C treatment to patients with most urgent need

A team of researchers at the University of Michigan Health System has developed a risk prediction model that helps identify which hepatitis C patients have the most urgent need for new anti-viral drugs.

22 May 2015

Pre-pregnancy maternal weight has significant impact on baby's immune system

Almost 60 percent of women of childbearing age in the United States are overweight or obese. Obesity is a major public health issue, and has been linked to health problems like heart disease, cancer and hypertension. It can complicate pregnancy by increasing the mother's risk of having gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm birth or a baby with birth defects. Maternal obesity is also linked to several adverse health outcomes for the infant that can persist into adulthood, such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease and mortality.

19 May 2015

One-quarter of Americans over age 65 at risk to become elder orphans

With an aging Baby Boomer population and increasing numbers of childless and unmarried seniors, nearly one-quarter of Americans over age 65 are currently or at risk to become "elder orphans," a vulnerable group requiring greater awareness and advocacy efforts, according to new research by a North Shore-LIJ geriatrician and palliative care physician.

18 May 2015

Non-coding RNAs in maternal food can pass through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression

In a new study published in the Protein & Cell, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University reports that small non-coding RNAs in maternal food can transfer through placenta to regulate fetal gene expression.

14 May 2015

WHO Press Release: World Health Statistics reports on global health goals for 194 countries

Progress in child survival worldwide is one of the greatest success stories of international development. Since 1990, child deaths have almost halved – falling from an estimated 90 deaths per 1000 live births to 46 deaths per 1000 live births in 2013...

13 May 2015

Two physicians examine heart disease through a literary lens

Heart disease has topped mortality charts as the No. 1 killer of men and women for many decades, but a novel analysis of American literary fiction by two physicians finds the disorder’s presence in great novels has remained relatively modest.

12 May 2015