Birth Weight News and Research

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Researchers suggest potential method of screening for jaundice in preterm infants

A research group led by Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine Project Professor MORIOKA Ichirou and Professor IIJIMA Kazumoto (Department of Pediatrics) has suggested a potential method of screening for jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia), a cause of cerebral palsy and loss of hearing in preterm infants with kyperbilirubinemia, using painless dermal monitoring.

29 Sep 2015

Low birth weight associated with low levels of social trust in adulthood

How much does your baby weigh? All new parents are familiar with that question. Perhaps their reply is more important than we realize. Birth weight affects how much trust an individual will have in other people in his adult life. Trust, in turn, is the glue that prevents society from falling apart. This phenomenon is at the center of new research from Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences (Aarhus BSS) at Aarhus University, Denmark.

29 Sep 2015

Delayed umbilical cord clamping may benefit extremely preterm infants

Clamping and cutting of the umbilical cord happens within 10 seconds after birth in most cases, in part so members of a medical team can more quickly begin caring for a newborn. But research from Nationwide Children's Hospital shows that waiting 30 to 45 seconds to clamp could have advantages for extremely preterm infants.

25 Sep 2015

Higher doses of hydrocortisone not linked to neurodevelopmental impairments in low birth weight infants

Hydrocortisone is one of the 15 most frequently prescribed medications in extremely low birth weight (?1000 g) infants in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU).

21 Sep 2015

New study finds link between maternal protein deficiency during pregnancy and metabolic diseases in offspring

A new study has uncovered the genetic processes that link insufficient protein consumption during pregnancy with the development of muscle problems in mothers and their male offspring.

19 Sep 2015

UN reports that more needs to be done so all children are born HIV and syphilis free in Asia-Pacific region

The Asia–Pacific region has made significant progress in efforts to eliminate HIV and syphilis, but thousands of mothers and children have yet to feel the benefits.

14 Sep 2015

Interpregnancy intervals may increase autism risk, shows Kaiser Permanente study

Second-born children who are conceived sooner than two years or later than six years after the arrival of their older sibling have a substantially increased risk of autism spectrum disorders, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in the journal Pediatrics.

14 Sep 2015

Daily iron supplementation during pregnancy does not increase malaria risk in malaria-endemic region

Among women in a malaria-endemic region in Kenya, daily iron supplementation during pregnancy did not result in an increased risk of malaria, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA. Iron supplementation did result in increased birth weight, gestational duration, neonatal length, and a decreased risk of low birth weight and prematurity.

9 Sep 2015

Survival and health outcomes for extremely preterm infants improve over 20 years

Over the last 20 years, complications have decreased and survival has improved for extremely preterm infants, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

9 Sep 2015

Preterm birth associated with lower academic abilities in childhood, less wealth in adulthood

People who are born premature tend to accumulate less wealth as adults, and a new study suggests that this may be due to lower mathematics abilities. The findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, show that preterm birth is associated with lower academic abilities in childhood, and lower educational attainment and less wealth in adulthood.

2 Sep 2015

Women's health, marital status and education may put children, grandchildren at higher risk of low birth weight

A woman's weight at birth, education level and marital status pre-pregnancy can have repercussions for two generations, putting her children and grandchildren at higher risk of low birth weight, according to a new study by Jennifer B. Kane, assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine. The findings are the first to tie social and biological factors together using population data in determining causes for low birth weight.

18 Aug 2015

Anti-smoking laws lead to decrease in stillbirths

Stillbirths have dropped by almost eight per cent in England since the smoking ban was introduced, research shows.

14 Aug 2015

Low birth weight, preterm birth increase schizophrenia risk in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Low birth weight and preterm birth appear to increase the risk of schizophrenia among individuals with a genetic condition called the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, a new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows.

14 Aug 2015

Adult IQ of children with very low birth weight can be predicted by age two

Research from the University of Warwick indicates that the IQ of adults born very premature or of very low birth weight can be predicted when they are just a toddler.

13 Aug 2015

Study looks at attention abilities of babies born through caesarean sections

Being delivered through a caesarean section influences at least one form of babies' ability to concentrate. It slows their spatial attention, which plays a role in how well they are able to prioritize and focus on a particular area or object that is of interest. These are the findings of Scott Adler and Audrey Wong-Kee-You of York University in Canada, published in Springer's journal Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics.

12 Aug 2015

Single incidence of abortion or miscarriage may impact subsequent pregnancies in women's lives

It has been well established that women who have had several abortions or miscarriages are likely to face a slightly higher risk of complications in subsequent pregnancies. They may experience vaginal bleeding during early pregnancy, preterm birth, low fetal birth weight, and placenta-related complications. Women with a medical history of several interrupted pregnancies are usually advised to take extra precautions to ensure healthy full-term pregnancies later in life.

12 Aug 2015

Dartmouth study finds NICU admission rates are increasing for newborns of all weights

Neonatal intensive care units were originally created for newborns who are extremely ill and/or underweight, but a Dartmouth study finds that NICU admission rates are increasing for newborns of all weights.

3 Aug 2015

Girls are born with weaker spines compared to boys, study finds

Looking at measurements of the vertebrae - the series of small bones that make up the spinal column - in newborn children, investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles found that differences between the sexes are present at birth. Results of the study, now online in advance of publication in the August issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, suggest that this difference is evolutionary, allowing the female spine to adapt to the fetal load during pregnancy.

25 Jul 2015

Adults born very premature display socially withdrawn personality

New research indicates that adults born very premature are more likely to be socially withdrawn and display signs of autism.

24 Jul 2015

Teen birth, mental illness increase hospitalization of children in Texas

From 2004 to 2010 in Texas, mental illness was the most common reason for the hospitalization of children ages 10-14 while pregnancy/birth was the most common reason for the hospitalization of adolescents ages 15-17, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School.

15 Jul 2015