Birth Weight News and Research

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Findings shed light on the genetic origins of diabetes

Pediatric researchers have found that a gene already implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes in adults also raises the risk of being overweight during childhood. The finding sheds light on the genetic origins of diabetes and may present an avenue for developing drugs to counteract the disease, which has been on the upswing in childhood and adolescence.

8 Dec 2009

New research finding sheds light on the genetic origins of diabetes

8 Dec 2009

Controlling NTDs can improve reproductive health and rights of women in poor countries

Controlling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in developing countries would help improve the reproductive health and rights of girls and women in the poorest countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, according to a new editorial published November 24 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

2 Dec 2009

Dr. Gail Harrison to receive the March of Dimes Agnes Higgins Award

A nutritionist whose research was instrumental in adding fruits and vegetables to the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food subsidy will receive the March of Dimes Agnes Higgins Award for outstanding achievement in the field of maternal-fetal nutrition.

27 Nov 2009

Baby's sleep position can predict misshapen skull condition

A baby's sleep position is the best predictor of a misshapen skull condition known as deformational plagiocephaly - or the development of flat spots on an infant's head - according to findings reported by Arizona State University scientists in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics.

18 Nov 2009

Almost 200m undernourished children worldwide, report says

In developing countries, almost 200 million children under the age of 5 "suffer from stunted growth and health problems due to poor nutrition in their early years," according to a UNICEF report released on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

12 Nov 2009

Gene variants which influence insulin metabolism can also affect birth weight

Low birth weight increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Until recently scientists had attributed this to maternal malnutrition during pregnancy. However, now it seems that genetic background may also play a major role. A research team of Technische Universität München and Helmholtz Zentrum München has now demonstrated, that gene variants which influence insulin metabolism can also affect birth weight.

12 Nov 2009

Guideline for newborn screening of preterm, low birth weight, sick and at-risk newborns published

Infants in special care baby units or neonatal intensive care units are at greater risk for missed or incomplete newborn screening than normal newborns. To minimize the risk of missing or delaying a diagnosis, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recently published a new document, "Newborn Screening for Preterm, Low Birth Weight, and Sick Newborns; Approved Guideline" (I/LA31-A).

4 Nov 2009

Half of American children including 90% black children will use food stamps, says study

Nearly half of American children - including 90 percent of black children and 90 percent of children who spend their childhoods in single-parent households - will eat meals paid for by food stamps at some point during childhood, reports a Cornell researcher.

3 Nov 2009

Exposure to mercury-based preservative in vaccines is minimal, says researchers

The injectable, multi-dose H1N1 vaccine contains the mercury-based preservative thimerosol to reduce risks of bacterial contamination. The presence of thimerosol has once again raised concerns whether there are risks posed to children when the tiny amount of mercury contained in thimerosol is included in a vaccine.

31 Oct 2009

Michigan residents sue State over denied access to dental healthcare

In a move aimed at forcing the State of Michigan and the Legislature to protect the rights of Michigan's most vulnerable population, including the developmentally disabled and those with minimal financial resources, a lawsuit was filed in federal court against the Granholm Administration. A class of more than 400,000 at-risk Michigan residents is suing the State for failing to uphold its legal obligations with regard to funding certain dental care services under the federal Medicaid program.

30 Oct 2009

Initiative to help families face the challenges of parental depression and early childhood developmental delays

A Pittsburgh-based maternal and child health care collaborative will undertake a unique and innovative initiative to help families face the challenges of parental depression and early childhood developmental delays.

29 Oct 2009

Iron-folic acid supplements during pregnancy can reduce offspring’s mortality rate

Offspring whose mothers had been supplemented with iron-folic acid during pregnancy had dramatically reduced mortality through age 7, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

29 Oct 2009

Maternal smoking may increase the level of distress of newborns, says study

A new research study being published in the October 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry suggests that maternal smoking may increase the level of distress of newborns.

21 Oct 2009

Elected officials have no excuse for failing to enact comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws: IOM

A landmark report released today by the Institute of Medicine provides powerful new evidence that elected officials have no excuse for failing to enact comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws. The IOM report concludes smoke-free laws reduce the number of heart attacks and save lives. The report also confirms that there is conclusive scientific evidence that secondhand smoke causes heart disease, including heart attacks, and finds there is compelling evidence that even relatively brief exposure to secondhand smoke can lead to a heart attack.

19 Oct 2009

Children with low birth weight are at a higher risk of developing asthma later in life, says study

A new study from the medical university Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm shows that children born with low birth weight are at a higher risk of developing asthma later in life. The study, which is published in the journal Pediatrics, is based on data on the incidence of asthma in 10,918 twins from the Swedish Twin Registry.

14 Oct 2009

Increasing number of pre-term infants experience eye disorders

As more extremely pre-term infants survive in Sweden, an increasing number of babies are experiencing vision problems caused by abnormalities involving the retina, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 Oct 2009

Low birth weight children face higher risk of developing asthma later in life

A new study from the medical university Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm shows that children born with low birth weight are at a higher risk of developing asthma later in life.

12 Oct 2009

United Concordia Dental helps to provide $400,000 in free dental services to nearly 2,800 people in need

United Concordia Dental, one of the nation's largest dental insurers, has helped provide more than $400,000 in free dental services to nearly 2,800 people in need since the beginning of the year.

9 Oct 2009

Researchers reveal that H2 Blocker drugs pose no significant risks for the fetus

H2 Blocker drugs, such as Famotidine, Cimetidine and Ranitidine, approved in the U.S. for acid reflux (heartburn), pose no significant risks for the fetus according to a large collaborative cohort study by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

8 Oct 2009