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Immediate kangaroo mother care boosts survival for premature infants

Preterm birth and low birth weight remain major contributors to neonatal death and long-term developmental challenges.

29 May 2026

Low-cost training for frontline health workers can reduce medical supply shortages

A recent study from The University of Texas at San Antonio reveals that low-cost training for frontline health workers can significantly reduce medical supply shortages, potentially saving thousands of lives in developing nations.

28 May 2026

Prenatal forever chemical exposure may affect puberty timing in children

An EHU-University of the Basque Country and Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute study has linked certain chemicals measured during the first trimester of pregnancy to the subsequent onset of puberty in the children.

27 May 2026

Ongoing nausea in pregnancy may flag anxiety and depression risk

Persistent or severe nausea during pregnancy was linked to higher maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms across gestation. The study found little consistent evidence that nausea worsened most perinatal outcomes, suggesting it may serve mainly as a clinical warning sign for psychological burden.

25 May 2026

Early protein and calorie supplements lead to fewer high-risk newborns

In parts of the world where daily nutrition is unstable, pregnancy and newborn health are more precarious. A new study led by epidemiologist Dongqing Wang of the George Mason University College of Public Health adds to the evidence that improving maternal nutrition during pregnancy may be a key intervention to improve birth outcomes.

19 May 2026

Endometriosis increases risk of some birth defects in infants

Research indicates women with endometriosis may face a higher risk of congenital anomalies in infants, emphasizing the need for further investigation.

13 May 2026

New method matures lab-grown heart cells for better research

Researchers at the University of Toronto's Institute of Biomedical Engineering have developed a new method to mature lab-grown heart cells, so they more closely resemble adult human heart tissue.

5 May 2026

Sickle cell disease care is unevenly distributed across regions in New York State

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States. Approximately 10 percent of people with SCD in the US live in New York State, with the majority residing in New York City.

4 May 2026

Modeling the synergy of maternal screening and newborn HBV vaccination

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection acquired at birth or during early infancy can lead to lifelong health complications, including chronic liver disease. Despite longstanding recommendations for prenatal screening, an estimated 12% to 16% of pregnant individuals in the US are not screened for hepatitis B. This gap leaves a portion of newborns at risk for undetected exposure.

28 Apr 2026

Early life exposure to PFAS associated with common childhood leukemia

Early exposure to PFAS, a group of widely used compounds known as "forever chemicals," was associated with a higher risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, according to University of California, Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health researchers.

27 Apr 2026

WHO-recommended antibiotics ineffective for many neonatal sepsis cases

A major multi-country study has found that WHO-recommended first-line antibiotics for neonatal sepsis are likely to be effective in only one quarter of infections in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

20 Apr 2026

What the Health? From KFF Health News: A new CDC nominee, again

President Donald Trump this week nominated a former deputy surgeon general who has expressed support for vaccines to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

17 Apr 2026

Sunlight exposure via windows risks infant dehydration and skin damage

Researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Francesc de Borja University Hospital in Gandia and the La Ribera University Hospital, through the Fisabio Foundation, have found that sunlight passing through windows in homes is neither a safe nor a recommended alternative for preventing or treating neonatal jaundice, a condition affecting more than half of all newborns.

16 Apr 2026

Declining booster uptake after vaccine schedule change in England

The change to a 1+1 pneumococcal vaccine schedule in England highlights rising inequalities in booster uptake, threatening protection for at-risk children.

7 Apr 2026

This Northern Cheyenne doula was about to start getting paid — then Medicaid cuts hit

Misty Pipe had about an hour before her shift began at the post office. She used that time to check in on a new mom who lives a few miles outside this town at the heart of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.

7 Apr 2026

Trial tests fast-acting brain stimulation for postpartum depression treatment

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai today announced the enrollment of its first patient in a U.S. Department of Defense-funded pivotal clinical trial to evaluate whether a fast-acting, drug-free brain stimulation therapy can safely and quickly relieve symptoms of postpartum depression.

1 Apr 2026

How vitamin D in the first 1,000 days may shape lifelong health

This narrative review argues that vitamin D is clearly important for skeletal health during the first 1,000 days of life and may also shape immune, metabolic, and selected neurodevelopmental pathways during early development. However, the authors stress that human evidence for most non-skeletal outcomes remains heterogeneous, with benefits appearing most consistent in populations with baseline deficiency.

31 Mar 2026

Novel compound clears harmful protein, protects neurons in frontotemporal dementia models

New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis adds to growing evidence that helping brain cells break down and eliminate their own cellular waste is a promising treatment strategy for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.

31 Mar 2026

New stem cell therapy offers permanent cure for Hirschsprung disease

Scientists are developing a revolutionary new stem cell therapy to treat a rare and life-threatening disease that leaves newborn babies unable to function without invasive surgery, thanks to a collaboration between UCL, the University of Sheffield and Queen's University Belfast.

31 Mar 2026

Plastic chemicals linked to nearly two million premature births

Exposure to a chemical commonly used to make plastic more flexible may have contributed to about 1.97 million preterm births in 2018 alone, or more than 8 percent of the world's total, a new analysis of population surveys shows.

31 Mar 2026