Birth Weight News and Research

RSS

Training birth attendants in essential newborn-care techniques can reduce perinatal deaths

New findings in a study led by the director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Neonatology show that that training birth attendants in essential newborn-care techniques reduced stillbirths by more than 30 percent - and potentially could save as many as 1 million lives worldwide each year.

18 Feb 2010

Researcher receives $2.4M grant from NIH to study preeclampsia and diabetes in pregnant women

The link between obesity and high-risk pregnancies caused by preeclampsia and diabetes will be the focus of a $2.4 million National Institutes of Health research grant received by Sean Blackwell, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

15 Feb 2010

Restricted fetal growth during first trimester linked to maternal high blood pressure and hematocrit levels

Factors such as maternal high blood pressure and high hematocrit levels (the proportion of blood that consists of red blood cells) are associated with a greater likelihood of restricted fetal growth during the first trimester, with restricted growth linked to an increased risk of preterm birth and low birth weight, according to a study in the February 10 issue of JAMA.

10 Feb 2010

Advanced paternal age increases autism risk only when the mother is younger

Advanced maternal age is linked to a significantly elevated risk of having a child with autism, regardless of the father's age, according to an exhaustive study of all births in California during the 1990s by UC Davis Health System researchers. Advanced paternal age is associated with elevated autism risk only when the father is older and the mother is under 30, the study found.

9 Feb 2010

EuroHOPE study: Performance evaluation of the European healthcare system

The performance of the European healthcare system will be evaluated in the EuroHOPE study (European Health Care Outcomes, Performance and Effectiveness) coordinated by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and funded by the EU.

6 Feb 2010

Prehistoric data suggests link between tooth enamel defects and early mortality

Ancient human teeth are telling secrets that may relate to modern-day health: Some stressful events that occurred early in development are linked to shorter life spans.

5 Feb 2010

Waiting for birth as effective as inducing labor for intrauterine growth restriction

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will unveil findings that show that waiting for birth is as effective as inducing labor in cases of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).

4 Feb 2010

How to recognize heart attack symptoms in younger women

The risk for heart-related death is increasing in young adults ages 35 to 54, and the numbers are even more alarming for younger women. It is the number-one cause of death for both men and women in the United States, yet every year since 1984 more women have died of cardiovascular health problems than men, according to the American Heart Association.

29 Jan 2010

Centering Healthcare Institute receives the Cares Award for its CenteringPregnancy Group Prenatal Care program

Centering Healthcare Institute has been honored by the Premier healthcare alliance with the 18th Annual Monroe E. Trout Premier Cares Award for its CenteringPregnancy Group Prenatal Care program, which provides an innovative prenatal group care model now present in more than 300 sites across America. Centering Healthcare Institute last night received the Cares Award and $70,000 for the work it has done to provide care to mothers and babies nationwide.

28 Jan 2010

Over 125M pregnant women worldwide exposed to malaria annually, study finds

More than 125 million pregnant women worldwide are exposed to malaria each year, according to a study published Tuesday in PLoS Medicine, ANI/oneindia reports. Previously, such estimates were limited to malaria risk in Africa. "Most malarial deaths are among young children in sub-Saharan Africa but pregnant women and their unborn babies are at high risk," the news service writes, adding that "[n]early 10,000 women and 200,000 babies die every year because of malaria in pregnancy, which often leads to miscarriages, pre-term births, and low-birth-weight births" (1/26).

27 Jan 2010

Infants born to child brides have higher risk of malnutrition than children born to older mothers

Infants born to child brides in India (married before the age of 18) have a higher risk of malnutrition than children born to older mothers, according to research published on bmj.com today.

22 Jan 2010

Impact of life style factors on natural and medically assisted reproduction

The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has published a position statement on the impact of the life style factors obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption on natural and medically assisted reproduction.

20 Jan 2010

Human-milk diet nourishes very low-birth-weight preterm infants in NICU

Prolacta Bioscience, the first and only company to offer human milk fortifier (HMF) made from 100% human breast milk for premature and critically ill infants, has announced the results of a groundbreaking study that will have long-term benefits for the nutritional care of very low-birth-weight preterm infants (less than 2 pounds, 12 ounces or 1250 grams) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

20 Jan 2010

Effects of obesity, smoking and drinking on natural and medically assisted reproduction

19 Jan 2010

Additional birth weight decreases risk of developing tuberculosis later in life

Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at how much protection additional birth weight added against developing the disease years later. They found that every 1.1 pounds of birth weight decreases the risk of developing tuberculosis later by 46 percent among identical twins.

7 Jan 2010

New research shows breast milk is not as important for mother or child's health

Feeling guilty that you didn't breastfeed your children enough - or at all? Relax. New research shows that breast milk is not as important for either the mother or the child's health.

6 Jan 2010

January issue of Chest presents new studies on COPD

A new study shows that poor lung function during adolescence and through midlife may be influenced by several factors, including birth weight, height, and gender.

5 Jan 2010

North Carolina takes historic step for health with the implementation of smoke-free law

North Carolina on January 2 will take an historic step for health when it becomes the first major tobacco-growing state to implement a statewide smoke-free law that includes all restaurants and bars. This new law will protect the right of North Carolinians to breathe clean air.

4 Jan 2010

CLSI and APHL announce 2010 educational teleconferences

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) recently announced the January–June 2010 schedule of educational teleconferences for clinical, public health, and veterinary laboratories.

30 Dec 2009

Embryo biopsy safe for singleton pregnancies

The largest and longest running study of children born after preimplantation genetic diagnosis and screening has shown that embryo biopsy does not adversely affect the health of babies born as the result of a subsequent singleton pregnancy.

23 Dec 2009