Birth Weight News and Research

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Babies who weighed more at birth had higher rates of digestive and lymphatic cancers in adulthood

Medical experts have proposed associations between birth size and rates of adult cancer. To examine this hypothesis, researcher Valerie A. McCormack and colleagues at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Universities of Uppsala and Stockholm investigated overall and site-specific cancer incidence in relation to birth characteristics in a Swedish population-based cohort.

7 Feb 2005

Increase in small babies is major reason behind the increase in U.S. infant mortality

An increase in the birth of very small infants is the major reason behind the increase in U.S. infant mortality in 2002, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The increase in infant mortality, from 6.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2001 to 7.0 in 2002, was the first increase in the infant mortality rate since 1958 and was reported last year by CDC.

26 Jan 2005

New report on the health effects of perchlorate, found in many public drinking-water supplies

A new report by the National Academies' National Research Council on the health effects of perchlorate, a chemical that in high doses can decrease thyroid function in humans and that is present in many public drinking-water supplies

26 Jan 2005

First new guidelines in more than a decade for managing asthma during pregnancy

The report reflects new medications that have emerged and updates treatment recommendations for pregnant women with asthma based on a systematic review of data on the safety of asthma medications during pregnancy. An executive summary ("Quick Reference") of the guidelines is published in the January issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

12 Jan 2005

Gulf War report confirms link between lung cancer and combustion products

The available evidence is too sparse or of insufficient quality to determine whether the majority of health problems that may be experienced by Gulf War veterans could be associated with exposures to fuels for military vehicles, propellents in Scud missiles, or substances given off by combustion sources such as oil-well fires, exhausts, and tent heaters

21 Dec 2004

The regulation of physical activity in young children

The evidence at present suggests that neither better facilities, nor an increase in the amount of time allocated to PE to four hours a week, will improve physical activity levels in children as a whole and thereby impact on the rising tide of obesity.

16 Dec 2004

One embryo as good as two to maximize the chance of pregnancy

Nearly as many women who received only one embryo at a time gave birth as women who received two embryos. At the same time the risk of giving birth to twins is minimized. These are the findings of a major study from the Sahlgrenska Academy, at Göteborg University in Sweden.

3 Dec 2004

Early infection in low-birth-weight infants linked with poor neurodevelopmental

Extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants who have an infection during their hospitalization following birth are more likely to have adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes than those infants who do not have an infection, according to a study in the November 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Nov 2004

BMA Cymru Wales to petition parliament to ban smoking in public places unless Wales goes smoke free within 10 months

BMA Cymru Wales is seriously considering the possibility of petitioning Parliament for a ban in public places in Wales using the rarely used private bills procedure.

14 Nov 2004

Infants born to women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), no more likely to develop congenital malformations

Infants born to women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are no more likely to develop congenital malformations than infants born to healthy mothers, according to a study presented at the 69th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

1 Nov 2004

No change in UK perinatal death rate from infections and prematurity in 20 years

Despite overall falls in UK rates of stillbirth and neonatal deaths over the past 20 years, deaths caused by infections and prematurity in multiple births have remained unchanged, reveals research in the Fetal and Neonatal Edition of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

21 Oct 2004

Recommendations made for new research to settle questions on in vitro fertilization (IVF)

Twenty-five years after the birth of the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), there remain many unanswered questions about the health and well-being of babies born following IVF.

20 Oct 2004

Sedentary children at higher risk of chronic fatigue syndrome

Childhood predictors of self-reported chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis in adults: national birth cohort study BMJ Online First.

5 Oct 2004

Number of low birth weight infants born in America rose between 1990 and 2000

The number of low birth weight infants born in America’s 100 largest cities and their suburbs rose between 1990 and 2000, placing more babies at greater risk for critical health problems

5 Oct 2004

Boys generally at greater risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Boys, in general, and children born to parents who have low education levels, in particular, are at an increased risk for developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to girls and children born to parents with high levels of education, according to a study of 5,701 children in Olmsted County, Minn.

14 Sep 2004

Full-term infants born to nonsmoking women living within two miles of the WTC weighed significantly less

A new study examines the effect of exposure to the September 11, 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) on nonsmoking women who were pregnant at that time and delivered at three hospitals in lower Manhattan.

10 Sep 2004

Are nicotine patches safe for pregnant women?

A £1 million study, being led by a team of multidisciplinary researchers at The University of Nottingham, is to look at whether nicotine replacement skin patches could help pregnant mums to stop smoking.

26 Aug 2004

High stress during pregnancy may increase likelihood of behavior problems in child

Children may be more likely to develop behavior problems like attention deficit disorder if their mothers report high levels of stress and anxiety during the earlier half of their pregnancy, researchers report in the journal Child Development.

25 Aug 2004

Madeline Mann, the world's smallest surviving baby now 15

Medical progress of her 14-year follow up will be released in a letter published in the Aug. 19, 2004 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Aug 2004

Mother’s milk may not be best for preterm babies

The study by Lydia Furman, M.D., of Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and colleagues found that other influences, such as health problems at birth and social factors like the mother’s race, marriage and education were more important in predicting any mental and motor development problems among the infants.

17 Aug 2004