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Current arguments for reform of UK Abortion Act

The 40th anniversary in October this year of the passing of the UK Abortion Act is certain to be marked by attempts to reopen the debate about lowering the upper limit for legal terminations. In a special report in this week's British Medical Journal, journalist Jonathan Gornall examines current arguments for reform.

11 Feb 2007

Spring births increase likelihood of preterm birth

Women who become pregnant in spring are more vulnerable to preterm birth than those who conceive in other seasons, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.

5 Feb 2007

Can non-medical use of ultrasound be justified?

Expectant parent' desire to see images of their unborn children has given rise to commercial companies offering keepsake ultrasound scans without medical supervision, often referred to as "boutique ultrasonography."

5 Feb 2007

Natural fibre may help overweight achieve a healthy body weight

It sounds almost too good to be true, but Dr. Raylene Reimer, a researcher at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Kinesiology, believes she may have found an important weapon in the war against obesity.

31 Jan 2007

One in four normal births cause brain hemorrhages in babies

Researchers in the United States have found that many babies who were delivered vaginally, experience bleeding in and around the brain shortly after birth.

30 Jan 2007

Giving birth to a child naturally increases risk of hemorrhage in newborns

The first researchers to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the brains of a large group of babies soon after birth found a small amount of bleeding in and around the brains of one in four babies who were delivered vaginally.

30 Jan 2007

Sequenom and Lenetix to develop Rhesus D prenatal diagnostic

Sequenom, Inc. and Lenetix Medical Screening Laboratory, Inc., a provider of rapid genetic screening and diagnostic testing for clinicians worldwide, today announced that they have entered into a collaboration and license agreement to develop and commercialize a proprietary non-invasive prenatal Rhesus D (RhD) incompatibility test based on Sequenom patent rights and RT PCR methodology.

29 Jan 2007

Medicare, social security obligations could harm future U.S. economy

Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke on Thursday at a Senate Budget Committee hearing said that if "early and meaningful action is not taken" by Congress to address the rising costs of retirement and medical services for baby boomers, "the U.S. economy could be seriously weakened, with future generations bearing much of the cost," the AP/Bergen Record reports.

23 Jan 2007

Seniors turn to credit cards to pay medical bills

An increased number of seniors have "turned to credit cards and home equity to pay medical bills" at a time when "more employers are cutting back on retiree medical and pension benefits," USA Today reports.

23 Jan 2007

Effect of vitamin supplementation on neonatal morbidity and mortality

Undernourished women who take a vitamin and mineral supplement while pregnant may be less likely than women taking only iron and folic acid supplements to have babies weighing less than 2,500 grams, and their newborns may be less likely to have morbidity in the first seven days of life.

2 Jan 2007

Contaminated U.S. spinach causes food scare in Canada

In the latest food scare to hit North America Canadians are being warned against eating an American brand of fresh spinach.

12 Dec 2006

Epidurals affect how successful breastfeeding will be

According to researchers in Australia having an epidural to relieve labour pains may affect how successful breastfeeding will be.

12 Dec 2006

New technology tracks down intensive care cots for babies

Doctors in Britain will soon be able to use new technology to quickly find intensive care cots for premature or sick babies.

29 Nov 2006

No good reason to invest in new fetal oxygen monitor

New technology for measuring blood oxygen levels of a baby during labor which was intended to provide information useful for preventing birth complications, apparently offers no apparent benefit.

23 Nov 2006

Salmonella traced to tomatoes

Health officials in the U.S. say that the recent outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning there probably came tomatoes which were served in restaurants.

6 Nov 2006

New evidence says SIDS caused by abnormality in the brainstem

According to a new study by researchers in the U.S. some babies who die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) do so because of an abnormality in the serotonin system in their brains.

1 Nov 2006

Tomatoes likely culprit in latest food scare

In yet another food scare in the U.S. an outbreak of salmonella which has sickened at least 172 people in 18 states and caused 11 people to be hospitalized, has yet to be narrowed down to one particular source.

1 Nov 2006

Conjoined Canadian twins doing well

Canadian conjoined twins born in a complicated c-section procedure are apparently doing well.

26 Oct 2006

Veggies best to fight mental decline in old age

Researchers in the United States say it is vegetables rather than fruit that protect those over 65 from a decline in cognitive ability.

24 Oct 2006

Older mothers cope just as well with a new baby

Californian scientists have found that women who become mothers after age 50 are physically and mentally as capable of fulfilling the role of a good mother as women who are much younger.

23 Oct 2006