Prenatal News and Research

RSS

Racial disparity in 'previable' preterm births linked to infant mortality problem

Black women are nearly four times more likely than white women to have a baby born between 16 and 22 weeks gestation, a time period in which the life of a baby outside the womb is not viable.

13 Jan 2016

American College of Cardiology to honor LA BioMed researcher with Distinguished Teacher Award

John Michael Criley, MD, a Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute researcher, will receive the 2016 Distinguished Teacher Award from the American College of Cardiology on April 4 at the organization's 65th Annual Scientific Session in Chicago, IL.

11 Jan 2016

Researchers find no evidence that prenatal exposure to antidepressants increases risk for autism, ADHD

An analysis of medical records data from three Massachusetts health care systems finds no evidence that prenatal exposure to antidepressants increases the risk for autism and related disorders or for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

6 Jan 2016

CAMH researchers identify 428 distinct disease conditions that co-occur in people with FASD

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have identified 428 distinct disease conditions that co-occur in people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), in the most comprehensive review of its kind.

6 Jan 2016

Parents could make a difference in reducing teen violence, study finds

Nearly one-fourth of all teens reported being involved in a physical fight in the past year, with higher rates of violent altercations among African American and Latino adolescents. In the first study of its kind, researchers conducted focus groups with African American and Latino parents regarding teen violence.

31 Dec 2015

Researchers suggest microorganisms in the womb set stage for health problems later in life

Researchers review importance of microorganisms that exist in the gut, suggesting perturbation of the environment during pregnancy, delivery and early infancy could impact the developing baby's early microbiome and set the stage for health problems later in life. The term "microbiome" refers to the trillions of organisms we harbor, on our skin and within our respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.

30 Dec 2015

Premature triplets released from Loyola University Medical Center in time for first Christmas

Triplets Finn, Kyle and Ava Santiago, who were born six weeks premature and underweight, went home from Loyola University Medical Center Dec. 24, just in time to celebrate their first Christmas.

28 Dec 2015

Medication holds promise for protecting fertility and the body's defense system during chemotherapy

While targeted cancer treatments have reduced side effects and improved efficacy, chemotherapy remains the backbone of combination therapies for many forms of cancer. Unfortunately, cancer patients may suffer from several side effects from chemotherapy, including infertility and a weakened defense system that makes them susceptible to life-threatening infections.

15 Dec 2015

New research sheds light on how gut damage can cause malnutrition, oral vaccine failure

It has been estimated that if every nutritional measure known to be helpful were applied to every child in the world, global malnutrition would be decreased by only a third. New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, the University of Vermont and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh sheds light on why: Damage to the gut from infection explains why food alone is not a solution to malnutrition.

15 Dec 2015

Researchers trace origins of early abnormal brain overgrowth in ASD

Further underscoring the prenatal origins of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe for the first time how abnormal gene activity in cell cycle networks that are known to control brain cell production may underlie abnormal early brain growth in the disorder.

14 Dec 2015

Earlier intervention can lead to better recovery in underweight children with multiple household risk factors

Young children who are underweight experienced greater weight recovery the earlier an intervention was started, and the recovery was more significant in children with multiple household risk factors, according to a study published this week in The Journal of Pediatrics.

12 Dec 2015

Gene mutations that cause congenital heart disease also lead to neurodevelopmental delays

Some of the same gene mutations that cause heart defects in children also lead to neurodevelopmental delays, including learning disabilities. A large study of congenital heart disease (CHD) reveals overlapping genetic influences during early childhood development.

9 Dec 2015

People with viral infections and identical gene mutations may be prone to hyperinflammatory disorder

A group of people with fatal H1N1 flu died after their viral infections triggered a deadly hyperinflammatory disorder in susceptible individuals with gene mutations linked to the overactive immune response, according to a study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

25 Nov 2015

Finding may lead to better understanding of male genital birth defects

University of Florida Health researchers have identified genes that are disrupted by abnormal hormone signaling at crucial points during development, a finding that may lead to a better understanding of how the most common male genital birth defects arise in humans.

24 Nov 2015

Breastfeeding may offer unique benefits to women, protect against type 2 diabetes after delivery

Women with gestational diabetes who consistently and continuously breastfeed from the time of giving birth are half as likely to develop type 2 diabetes within two years after delivery, according to a study from Kaiser Permanente published today in Annals of Internal Medicine.

24 Nov 2015

New UMD study explores why African American and Hispanic women have high rates of unintended pregnancy

A new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health examined why African American and Hispanic women have higher rates of unintended pregnancy than White women. Researchers found that there were unique factors explaining the differences in unintended pregnancy between African Americans and Whites (respondent's mother's age at first birth, income, and health insurance status) and the differences between Hispanics and Whites (U.S. born status and educational level).

23 Nov 2015

Prenatal smoking exposure can potentially affect someone's health for years after birth

New Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research finds that blood taken from children up to the age of five contains molecular evidence about whether their mothers smoked during pregnancy.

23 Nov 2015

Prenatal exposure to marijuana improves kids' visual ability

Children exposed to marijuana in the womb show a significant improvement in their ability to track moving objects at age four, according to new vision research. But researchers are warning that the results do not mean marijuana has a benefical effect on foetal development.

22 Nov 2015

Natera's total revenues decrease 2.9% to $44.9 million in third quarter 2015

Natera, Inc., a leader in non-invasive genetic testing and the analysis of circulating cell-free DNA, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2015 and provided an update on recent business progress.

From Natera 13 Nov 2015

New method may extend use of noninvasive prenatal testing to detect chromosomal abnormalities

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine developed a method to expand the types of chromosomal abnormalities that noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) can detect. The study, published November 9 by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses a semiconductor sequencing platform to identify small chromosomal deletions or duplications, such as occur in Cri du Chat Syndrome and DiGeorge Syndrome, with a simple blood test from the expectant mother.

10 Nov 2015