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Fetal heart rate monitoring is feasible, accurate for managing high-risk pregnancies

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, shows that heart rate monitoring is a feasible, accurate tool to check for heart rhythm abnormalities in the fetuses of pregnant women with anti-Ro/SSA antibodies.

2 Nov 2021

Researchers discover crucial role of glial cells in maintaining healthy gut immunity

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have uncovered a fundamental role of glial cells in the nervous system of the gut in maintaining a healthy intestine.

20 Oct 2021

Chewing gum after cardiac surgery may accelerate the return of gut function

Chewing gum after heart surgery may kickstart the digestive tract, helping patients feel better and potentially be discharged sooner than those who don't use this generally safe and simple intervention, according to research presented today at the 18th Annual Perioperative and Critical Care Conference from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

10 Sep 2021

Magnetic beads could offer much more precise control of prosthetic limbs

For people with amputation who have prosthetic limbs, one of the greatest challenges is controlling the prosthesis so that it moves the same way a natural limb would. Most prosthetic limbs are controlled using electromyography, a way of recording electrical activity from the muscles, but this approach provides only limited control of the prosthesis.

19 Aug 2021

15-minute web tutorial can help women develop healthy bladder control habits

If your bladder leaks when you cough, sneeze or laugh, or every time you come home--even if you left 10 minutes ago--you’re not alone.

18 Aug 2021

Study explains how the ‘first brain’ works in the gut

New research explains how the nervous system in the gut causes propulsion along the gut, highlighting similar behavior to other neural networks in the brain and spinal cord.

11 Aug 2021

Artificial stomach provides deeper understanding of how physical forces influence food digestion

In efforts to fight obesity and enhance drug absorption, scientists have extensively studied how gastric juices in the stomach break down ingested food and other substances. However, less is known about how the complex flow patterns and mechanical stresses produced in the stomach contribute to digestion.

3 Aug 2021

12,000 square miles without obstetrics? It’s a possibility in West Texas

The message from Big Bend Regional Medical Center was stark: The only hospital in a sparsely populated region of far West Texas notified local physicians last month that because of a nursing shortage its labor and delivery unit needed to temporarily close its doors and that women in labor should instead be sent to the next closest hospital — an hour's drive away.

2 Aug 2021

Study reports no link between coffee consumption and cardiac arrhythmia

In the largest study of its kind, an investigation by UC San Francisco has found no evidence that moderate coffee consumption can cause cardiac arrhythmia.

20 Jul 2021

Eggs and embryos go through a more dynamic and complex journey than previously thought

The journey of the egg and the embryo through the fallopian tube or oviduct toward the uterus is not well understood, mainly because it is inaccessible for direct imaging.

14 Jul 2021

Long-term exposure to air pollutants increases the risk of dysmenorrhea in women

Dysmenorrhea, that is, frequent severe and painful cramps during menstruation from abnormal contractions of the uterus, is the most common of all gynecological disorders. It affects between 16-91% of girls and women of reproductive age, of whom 2%-29% have symptoms severe enough to restrict their daily activity.

6 Jul 2021

Mother's gestational diabetes is an independent risk factor for fetal hypoxia during labor

In Finland, every fifth mother was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in 2019. The condition increases the mother's risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.

22 Jun 2021

New hydrogel-based electrodes snugly conform to the body’s myriad shapes

Arrays of metal electrodes are often used in medical procedures that require monitoring or delivering electrical impulses in the body, such as brain surgery and epilepsy mapping.

21 Jun 2021

Little-known illnesses turning up in Covid long-haulers

The day Dr. Elizabeth Dawson was diagnosed with covid-19 in October, she awoke feeling as if she had a bad hangover. Four months later she tested negative for the virus, but her symptoms have only worsened.

1 Jun 2021

Discontinuation of oxytocin stimulation may lead to a small increase in cesarean section

A study published by The BMJ today sheds more light on the use of oxytocin (a hormone that stimulates contractions) during induced labor.

15 Apr 2021

FDA approves new indication for drug to treat pediatric NDO patients

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new indication for Myrbetriq (mirabegron extended-release tablets) and Myrbetriq Granules (mirabegron for extended-release oral suspension) to treat neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO), a bladder dysfunction related to neurological impairment, in children ages three years and older.

25 Mar 2021

Study uncovers mechanism to help explain how maternal stress causes idiopathic preterm birth

Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant deaths and illness in the U.S. -- yet its underlying molecular causes remain largely unclear. About 40 to 50% of preterm births, defined as births before 37 weeks of pregnancy, are estimated to be "idiopathic," meaning they arise from unexplained or spontaneous labor.

9 Mar 2021