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Glue produced by sandcastle worm solves premature births that result from fetal surgery

In creating an adhesive patterned after glue produced by the lowly underwater sandcastle worm, researchers are reporting today that they may have solved the problem of premature births that sometimes result from fetal surgery.

12 Aug 2014

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders show weaker brain activation

In the first study of its kind, Prapti Gautam, PhD, and colleagues from The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles found that children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) showed weaker brain activation during specific cognitive tasks than their unaffected counterparts.

5 Aug 2014

Research: Tumor-suppressing protein linked with CHARGE syndrome

CHARGE, which affects 1 in 10,000 babies, is an acronym whose letters stand for some of the more common symptoms of the condition: coloboma of the eye, heart defects, atresia of the choanae, retardation of growth and/or development, genital and/or urinary abnormalities, and ear abnormalities and deafness.

4 Aug 2014

Marmoset's unique rapid reproductive system sheds new light on evolution and primate biology

A team of scientists from around the world led by Baylor College of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis has completed the genome sequence of the common marmoset - the first sequence of a New World Monkey - providing new information about the marmoset's unique rapid reproductive system, physiology and growth, shedding new light on primate biology and evolution.

21 Jul 2014

Researcher finds genetic identifier that may allow clinicians to determine babies at risk for autism

A researcher at Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Institute has found a genetic identifier for autism that includes physical features that may eventually allow clinicians to identify babies who are at risk for autism before they are born.

17 Jul 2014

Surprising suggestion for why divorce is more common among families with girls

In the U.S., couples with daughters are somewhat more likely to divorce than couples with sons. Many scholars have read those numbers as evidence that daughters cause divorce.

16 Jul 2014

Study: Infant toenails reliable way to estimate arsenic exposure before birth

Infant toenails are a reliable way to estimate arsenic exposure before birth, a Dartmouth College study shows. The findings appear in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. A PDF of the study is available on request.

8 Jul 2014

CHOP launches Fetal Neuroprotection and Neuroplasticity Program

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia today launched the Fetal Neuroprotection and Neuroplasticity Program. Building on growing evidence of the interaction of heart disease and brain development in the fetus, this Program will systematically investigate innovative therapies to protect brain development and to prevent brain injury as early as possible before birth.

26 Jun 2014

Agricultural pesticides raise risk of autism in unborn children

Pregnant women who lived in close proximity to fields and farms where chemical pesticides were applied experienced a two-thirds increased risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delay, a study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute has found. The associations were stronger when the exposures occurred during the second and third trimesters of the women's pregnancies.

23 Jun 2014

Steroid injections can provide pain relief for mom without affecting baby

From weird cravings to swollen feet, pregnant women deal with a lot during those nine months Some women even suffer from hand pain when there are simple, baby-safe options to treat the symptoms.

13 Jun 2014

Children's Hospital Los Angeles ranked among nation's top 5 again

For the third straight year, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is ranked among the top five children's hospitals in the country, a distinction that recognizes the hospital's clinical expertise and the quality and breadth of its patient care.

11 Jun 2014

MRI shows signs of brain injury in moderate and late preterm babies

Babies born 32 to 36 weeks into gestation may have smaller brains and other brain abnormalities that could lead to long-term developmental problems, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

10 Jun 2014

Common antidepressant use during pregnancy may contribute to higher risk of ASD in children

A new study from researchers at Drexel University adds evidence that using common antidepressant medications during pregnancy may contribute to a higher risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children, although this risk is still very small.

4 Jun 2014

Despite worsening economic conditions, infant health improves among poor Americans

Despite worsening economic conditions for those at the bottom, infant health has steadily improved among the most disadvantaged Americans, according to a review published in Science by Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

23 May 2014

Study: Children's asthma linked to air pollution in 2nd trimester of pregnency

Children who are exposed in utero to high levels of particulate air pollution during the second trimester of pregnancy may be at greater risk of developing asthma in early childhood, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

20 May 2014

Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy can increase asthma risk in children

19 May 2014

Supplemental vitamin C taken by pregnant smokers improves measures of lung function for newborns

Supplemental vitamin C taken by pregnant smokers improved measures of lung function for newborns and decreased the incidence of wheezing for infants through 1 year, according to a study published by JAMA.

19 May 2014

Study: Pravastatin slows down growth of kidney cysts in children, young adults with ADPKD

Results from a study by University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers show that pravastatin, a medicine widely used for treatment of high cholesterol, also slows down the growth of kidney cysts in children and young adults with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

9 May 2014

Rat pups exposed to tobacco smoke are at higher risk of developing metabolic disease

While many parents-to-be are aware that the health of their baby starts before they've actually arrived into the world, recent research reveals that "harm" (i.e., tobacco smoke, dirty air, poor nutrition, even preeclampsia) may not present itself disease-wise until well into adulthood or when a second harmful "hit" triggers the individual's susceptibility.

6 May 2014

Sea lions exposed to toxin in algae develop form of epilepsy that is similar to humans

California sea lions exposed to a toxin in algae develop a form of epilepsy that is similar to one in humans, according to a new study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers.

19 Mar 2014