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Discovery of new mechanism controlling neuronal migration

The molecular machinery that helps brain cells migrate to their correct place in the developing brain has been identified by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

15 Jul 2009

Expert suggests women should grin and bear the pain of childbirth

An expert in midwifery who has suggested that women should grin and bear the pain of childbirth has come in for a fair amount of flak.

15 Jul 2009

New research looks at the role of geography in human adaptation

New research indicates that natural selection may shape the human genome much more slowly than previously thought. Other factors -- the movements of humans within and among continents, the expansions and contractions of populations, and the vagaries of genetic chance - have heavily influenced the distribution of genetic variations in populations around the world.

5 Jun 2009

Good advice for a healthy pregnancy

Women can increase their chances for a healthy pregnancy by eating right, exercising, not smoking, and getting early medical care, says a podcast featuring a National Institutes of Health obstetrician who oversees research on pregnancy and birth.

20 May 2009

Chemical found in medical devices impairs heart function

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that a chemical commonly used in the production of such medical plastic devices as intravenous (IV) bags and catheters can impair heart function in rats.

3 May 2009

Women with epilepsy should avoid taking the drug valproate during pregnancy

New guidelines developed by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society show it's relatively safe for women with epilepsy to become pregnant, but caution must be taken, including avoiding one particular epilepsy drug that can cause birth defects.

27 Apr 2009

Food giant Unilever on a worthy mission to reduce salt in all products

The Anglo-Dutch food giant Unilever has announced plans to reduce the amount of salt in almost all its 22,000 food products - Unilever says its efforts to establish comprehensive salt reduction targets will help improve public health and are a first worldwide.

22 Apr 2009

Maternal positions and mobility during first stage of labor

Women who walk, sit, kneel or otherwise avoid lying in bed during early labor can shorten the first stage of labor by about an hour, according to a new Cochrane evidence review.

14 Apr 2009

Mother's dental hygiene may help reduce incidence of unknown complications in pregnancy

Bacteria from a mother's mouth can be transmitted through the blood and amniotic fluid in the womb to her unborn child.

30 Mar 2009

Recently identified genetic heart disorder often deadly for young patients

A study that included young patients with a recently recognized rare type of cardiomyopathy (a disorder of the heart muscle) linked to a genetic mutation finds that progression of this disease may be rapid and often results in early death, according to a study in the March 25 issue of JAMA.

24 Mar 2009

Scientists closer to understanding how to control high blood sugar

Scientists are closer to understanding which proteins help control blood sugar, or glucose, during and after exercise.

20 Mar 2009

Cause of severe pediatric epilepsy disorder discovered

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that convulsive seizures in a form of severe epilepsy are generated, not on the brain's surface as expected, but from within the memory-forming hippocampus.

16 Mar 2009

FDA approves new version of St. Jude Medical internet-based remote care system for implanted medical devices

St. Jude Medical, Inc. has announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the newest version of the Merlin.net Patient Care Network (PCN), a secure, Internet-based remote care system for patients with implanted medical devices.

16 Mar 2009

Possible new methods to enhance the success rate of fertility treatments

As hopeful moms-to-be learn, there are important considerations to the successful implantation of a fertilized human egg.

2 Mar 2009

FDA approves first ablation catheters for the treatment of atrial fibrillatio

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first ablation catheters for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (uncoordinated contractions of the upper heart chambers), one of the most common types of arrhythmias-or abnormal heart rhythms--affecting more than two million Americans.

8 Feb 2009

Discovery could lead to novel arrhythmia treatments

Abnormal heart rhythms - arrhythmias - are killers. They strike without warning, causing sudden cardiac death, which accounts for about 10 percent of all deaths in the United States.

21 Jan 2009

New Benzothiazepine test will catch sports cheats

Avoiding detection just got harder for drug cheats who try to use a particular range of untested, but potentially enhancing, compounds.

7 Jan 2009

First study showing how protein fine-tunes the heart

Dr Andrew Whitten, Dr Cy Jeffries and Professor Jill Trewhella, from the School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney, with Samantha Harris, from the University of California, USA, have the first data showing how a protein in heart muscle cells works to maintain regular heart function.

27 Nov 2008

Mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and cancer give clues to new therapies

Cardiovascular conditions leading to heart attacks and strokes are treated quite separately from common cancers of the prostate, breast or lung, but now turn out to involve some of the same critical mechanisms at the molecular level.

21 Nov 2008