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Majority of infant and toddler foods fail to meet nutritional standards

An Evaluation of the Nutritional and Promotional Profile of Commercial Foods for Infants and Toddlers in the United States

21 Aug 2024

Innovative light-activated shunt could reduce surgeries for children with heart defects

Children born with defects that impair the heart's lower chambers undergo a series of invasive surgeries early in life.

19 Aug 2024

ASTN2 gene knockout in mice reveals key autism-related behaviors

More than 70 genes have been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental condition in which differences in the brain lead to a host of altered behaviors, including issues with language, social communication, hyperactivity, and repetitive movements.

16 Aug 2024

Study finds minimal impact of cesarean antibiotics on infant gut microbiome

Cesarean section recipients are usually given prophylactic antibiotics just before the procedure to prevent later infections at the surgical site.

14 Aug 2024

Researchers discover a novel pathway to wake up dormant neural stem cells

Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a novel pathway to wake up dormant neural stem cells, offering potential new therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy.

13 Aug 2024

Survey: Most people unaware of cooling center locations despite increasing heat wave frequency

With NASA data showing that July 22, 2024, was the hottest day on record and indications that July may have been the hottest month, an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey conducted in mid-July found that most people know three of the symptoms of a heat-related illness but do not know the location of their nearest cooling center.

9 Aug 2024

Inflammation during pregnancy impacts child neurodevelopment

When a person experiences an injury or infection, the body's immune system responds with inflammation to start the healing process. However, inflammation can occur in much less helpful circumstances – for example, when a person experiences psychological stress or consistently eats a poor diet high in sugars, fats, and processed foods.

9 Aug 2024

Increased skin-to-skin time linked to better neurodevelopment

Skin-to-skin cuddling with a parent has lasting cognitive benefits for premature babies, according to a new Stanford Medicine study. Preemies who received more skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care, while hospitalized as newborns were less likely to be developmentally delayed at 1 year of age, the study found.

8 Aug 2024

Investigational drug shows promise in treating rare blood disease in fetuses

Data from a new investigational drug that could alter the standard treatment for a rare blood disease suggests it has the potential to delay or prevent anemia and the need for intrauterine blood transfusions in babies who are at high risk for the condition, known as Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN).

7 Aug 2024

Novel blood test could predict chronic lung disease in preterm babies within hours of birth

A blood test can help predict which preterm babies will go onto develop chronic lung disease, allowing for earlier diagnosis and more targeted treatments, according to a new study.

7 Aug 2024

The evolving nature of infant-caregiver communication

Compared to other mammals, human children are dependent on their caregivers for a remarkably long time. Throughout the ages, they have developed "psychological tactics" to endear themselves to adults and thus enhance their chances of survival. This prolonged dependency is believed to have driven the evolution of complex signaling mechanisms to help infants attract and maintain adult attention.

7 Aug 2024

Epilepsy and pregnancy: Evaluating increased risks and outcomes in a large Nordic dataset

But exactly how big the risks have been less clear. Randomized clinical trials are ruled out for ethical reasons and observational studies need a very large population base to quantify the relatively rare events.

6 Aug 2024

Study shows growing cancer burden in younger generations

A new large study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) suggests incidence rates continued to rise in successively younger generations in 17 of the 34 cancer types, including breast, pancreatic, and gastric cancers.

1 Aug 2024

Groundbreaking study shows safety of outpatient labor induction for first-time mothers

In the first study of its kind, researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin have shown that it is safe for first-time mothers to spend the first 24 hours of induced low-risk labor in the comfort of their own homes.

29 Jul 2024

Maternity care in rural areas is in crisis. Can more doulas help?

When Bristeria Clark went into labor with her son in 2015, her contractions were steady at first. Then, they stalled.

29 Jul 2024

Researchers to trial ground-breaking screening test for pre-eclampsia

Researchers are to trial a ground-breaking screening test for pre-eclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition affecting pregnant women and their unborn babies.

29 Jul 2024

Impact of evidence-based information on women's decisions about anti-Mullerian hormone testing

Researchers in Australia have found that when women are given accurate information about a test that indicates the number of eggs in their ovaries, they have less interest in taking the test compared to women who viewed information available online.

28 Jul 2024

Research highlights emotional benefits and challenges of breast milk donation

Research reveals that donating breast milk positively impacts maternal well-being, while those unable to donate often experience negative emotions such as frustration and rejection

28 Jul 2024

Rice360 celebrates expansion of newborn health program in Tanzania

Rice University President Reginald DesRoches joined Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies Co-Director Maria Oden and Rice360 supporters on a trip to Africa this summer marking significant milestones on the road to ending preventable newborn deaths in the sub-Saharan region.

25 Jul 2024

Cord blood banking industry faces scrutiny over unproven claims and high costs

Some private UK biobanks may be misleading expectant parents about the value of storing umbilical cord blood to treat life-threatening diseases that may arise in their child in the future, reveals an investigation by The BMJ, published today.

25 Jul 2024