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First investigational treatment for infantile-onset SMA shows promising results in clinical trial

A major milestone was reached when nusinersen, an investigational treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), was shown to significantly improve achievement of motor milestones in babies with infantile-onset SMA, according to an interim analysis of the double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled Phase 3 clinical trial called ENDEAR.

11 Aug 2016

Research finds differences in breast milk of women who gave birth to pre-term infants

About 7 percent of all Danish children are born prematurely. This is of significant im-portance not only to the child's development, but it also affects the mother's body that - unexpectedly - has to produce the necessary nutrition for the newborn baby.

9 Aug 2016

Review provides new insights into diagnosis, treatment for PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) afflicts over 14 million women in the United States. The disorder increases the risk of endometrial cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, asthma, obesity, depression and anxiety, as well as infertility and a variety of reproductive disorders.

4 Aug 2016

Researchers report promising vaccine strategy for immunizing against herpes viruses

Oral and genital herpes are caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which both cause lifelong infection. HSV-2 infection is associated with increased risk for HIV infection.

4 Aug 2016

Biologists discover male-harming mtDNA mutant that substantiates mother's curse hypothesis

There is new evidence that the "mother's curse" - the possibility that moms may transmit genes to their children that harm their sons but not their daughters - holds true in animals.

3 Aug 2016

Pre-term infants fed with breast milk have better IQs, working memory and motor function, study shows

A new study, which followed 180 pre-term infants from birth to age seven, found that babies who were fed more breast milk within the first 28 days of life had had larger volumes of certain regions of the brain at term equivalent and had better IQs, academic achievement, working memory, and motor function.

29 Jul 2016

Moderately high TSH concentrations in infants linked to neurodevelopmental outcomes at school age

Babies born with moderately high concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone have a higher risk of poor educational and development outcomes at school age, a world-first University of Sydney study reveals.

28 Jul 2016

New series of treatments may provide another option for families of unborn babies with CPAM

A medical team at Osaka University Hospital, Japan, has conducted successful treatment for the fetal lung disorder Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformattion (CPAM), also known as Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation (CCAM).

28 Jul 2016

Adding DNA sequencing to newborn screenings may increase early diagnosis of cystic fibrosis

A study by researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the California Department of Public Health suggests that all babies with a known mutation for cystic fibrosis (CF) and second mutation called the 5T allele should receive additional screening in order to better predict the risk of developing CF later in life.

26 Jul 2016

Care4Moms study to identify, address health care needs of mothers with medically fragile infants

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has received nearly $900,000 in federal funding to identify and address the needs of mothers with medically fragile infants, a vastly understudied group.

26 Jul 2016

Rat study finds maternal intake of oxidised fish oil causes high newborn mortality

Nearly 30 percent of newborn pups born to pregnant rats fed highly oxidized ("off") fish oil died within two days after birth a new study by researchers at the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland in New Zealand finds.

22 Jul 2016

Advances in NIRS technologies offer reduced health-care costs, better patient comfort

The latest advances in near-infrared spectroscopy technologies are enabling development of new capabilities in diagnosis and treatment of disease, offering reduced health-care costs, portability, increased sensitivity, higher patient comfort, and better quality of life.

21 Jul 2016

WHO urges countries to take rapid action to reduce new infections, deaths from viral hepatitis

Ahead of World Hepatitis Day, 28 July 2016, WHO is urging countries to take rapid action to improve knowledge about the disease, and to increase access to testing and treatment services.

21 Jul 2016

Study offers new hope for preventing chronic lung disease in premature infants

By triggering a process called autophagy -- in which cells literally engulf their own insides --researchers from Drexel University and Yale University were able to decrease lung injury in mice that were exposed to high concentrations of oxygen.

20 Jul 2016

Preventing sudden unexpected deaths of babies and children: an interview with Professor Peter Fleming

SIDS is the sudden and unexpected death of a baby, which usually occurs during sleep. The great majority of the babies are aged between about two weeks and seven or eight months.

18 Jul 2016

Selfish mutant mtDNA exploits cellular defenses to cause many diseases

Mitochondrial disorders are a chameleon-like set of diseases that take many different forms and vary widely from individual to individual.

12 Jul 2016

Boy babies more likely to experience complications at birth than girls

New research led by the University of Adelaide has confirmed that boy babies are much more likely to experience potentially life-threatening outcomes at birth than girls.

11 Jul 2016

Non-drug solutions for postpartum depression: an interview with Dr David Brock & Christopher Thatcher

Postpartum depression (PPD) is reported to occur in 10-15% of delivering women with an estimated 400,000 women affected annually in the US. It is the most common complication of childbirth and is a significant public health concern.

11 Jul 2016

New book provides more insight into diagnosis and research of hereditary hearing loss

Genetics of Deafness offers a journey through areas crucial for understanding the causes and effects of hearing loss.

7 Jul 2016

New method could help detect unconjugated bilirubin in newborn infants

A research group led by Project Professor Morioka Ichiro and Assistant Professor Iwatani Sota in collaboration with Doctor Miyawaki Atsushi have clinically proven that a fluorescent protein sourced from Japanese eel muscles can be used to accurately detect unconjugated bilirubin in newborns.

5 Jul 2016