Baby News and Research

RSS

Babies born a few weeks too soon six times more likely to die

Researchers in the United States say babies born just a few weeks too soon are six times more likely to die in their first week of life than full-term babies and are also three times more likely to die before their first birthday.

14 Nov 2007

Telemedicine may play in the diagnosis of eye diseases

Two studies being presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2007 Annual Meeting suggest that telemedicine may have a significant role to play in the diagnosis of eye diseases, increased patient compliance and patient access to quality care.

13 Nov 2007

What's in a name? Labels like 'normal' and 'abnormal' on test results can affect patients' medical decisions

Patients whose physicians place labels on their test results - such as normal or abnormal, positive or negative - are inclined to make different decisions about their health care than those who receive the same results solely in terms of numbers and other quantifiable measures, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

5 Nov 2007

Heart plays a losing game of catch-up as people age

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have evidence to explain why the supposedly natural act of aging is by itself a very potent risk factor for life-threatening heart failure.

5 Nov 2007

Prediabetes is a wake up call and a chance for lifestyle changes

New data suggests that 54 million Americans may be on track to develop diabetes within the next 10 years.

2 Nov 2007

Immune cell age plays role in retinal damage in age-related macular degeneration

Studying a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older Americans, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found age is key in determining whether damaging blood vessels will form beneath the retina and contribute to vision loss.

2 Nov 2007

Indomethacin drug for stopping preterm labor may be harmful for babies

A drug commonly used to halt premature labor may be associated with brain damage and intestinal issues in premature babies, according to a new analysis of studies on the issue published today in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

2 Nov 2007

Elective Caesareans put mums and babes at risk of death

According to a new British study women who opt for non-emergency Caesareans double their risk of dying or developing severe complications following the procedure.

31 Oct 2007

The risks linked to caesarean births

Women having a non-emergency caesarean birth have double the risk of illness or even death compared to a vaginal birth, according to a study from Latin America published on bmj.com.

31 Oct 2007

Efforts needed to address financial stability of entitlement programs

The "demands imposed by the retirement of millions of baby boomers will consume the federal budget and blight the prospects of the next generations" without efforts to address problems with the long-term financial stability of Medicare and other entitlement programs, columnist David Broder writes in the Washington Post.

30 Oct 2007

Fetal surgery saves baby's life

Surgery performed on a baby while it was still in the womb has saved the child's life.

30 Oct 2007

Early autism detection

In an attempt to spot autism earlier, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recently recommended that all children be screened for autism twice by age 2 - advice that many St. Louis families already heed thanks to a partnership between Saint Louis University and Parents as Teachers.

29 Oct 2007

New and safer infertility treatment produces healthy twins

The treatment known as in-vitro maturation or IVM, enables infertile couples to conceive without the need for the woman to take powerful hormonal drugs to stimulate her ovaries.

28 Oct 2007

The cost of having a baby

The cost of having a baby, from the first prenatal visit to the baby's delivery, averaged roughly $7,600 for an uncomplicated birth, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

25 Oct 2007

The financial burdens of overweight and obesity among elderly Americans

What many Americans eat and how little they exercise could wind up costing them - and American taxpayers - some serious money. Moreover, the overweight and obese may lose months from their lifespans.

24 Oct 2007

How Rhesus Macaques and Humans have conquered the world

When it comes to their social behavior, people sometimes act like monkeys, or more specifically, like rhesus macaques, a type of monkey that shares with humans strong tendencies for nepotism and political maneuvering, according to research by Dario Maestripieri, an expert on primate behavior and an Associate Professor in Comparative Human Development and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago.

24 Oct 2007

Scientists find predisposition to bronchiolitis in some babies

Scientists have found that a large proportion of infants who suffer from bronchiolitis have an inherent pre-disposition to the disease.

22 Oct 2007

Hands and knees posture in late pregnancy or labor for fetal malposition

Going through labor in the right posture can make it shorter, less intense and less prone to complication, according to many midwives, who say that when mothers use the posture known as “hands and knees,” it helps the baby shift into a position that eases delivery.

17 Oct 2007

Psychosocial and psychological interventions for treating postpartum depression

For the estimated 13 percent of new mothers who experience postpartum depression, counseling and peer support groups appear to offer symptom relief without medication, a new review of research suggests.

17 Oct 2007