Cot Death News and Research

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Cot death or crib death is sudden and unexpected death of a baby within 1 year of age. In most cases the reasons for death after a post-mortem examination remain unexplained and the death may be registered as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sudden infant death, or sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUID).

Multi-unit dwellings contribute to children's exposure to tobacco smoke

Children living in apartments are exposed to secondhand smoke even when no one smokes inside their own unit. This study, released online today by the journal Pediatrics, strongly suggests that housing type contributes to children's exposure to tobacco smoke, despite the best intentions of parents.

13 Dec 2010

Exposure to tobacco smoke causes immediate damage leading to serious illness or death

Exposure to tobacco smoke - even occasional smoking or secondhand smoke - causes immediate damage to your body that can lead to serious illness or death, according to a report released today by U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin. The comprehensive scientific report - Benjamin's first Surgeon General's report and the 30th tobacco-related Surgeon General's report issued since 1964 - describes specific pathways by which tobacco smoke damages the human body and leads to disease and death.

10 Dec 2010

Article shows link between maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy, SIDS

The link between maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may relate to the negative effects of nicotine on the development of brain centers that regulate breathing, according to an article in the recent issue of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

10 Nov 2010

South Dakota passes strong smoke-free law

The people of South Dakota delivered a historic victory for health and the right to breathe clean air by overwhelmingly approving Referred Question 12 that makes almost all workplaces, including restaurants, bars and gaming facilities, smoke-free. With bipartisan support, South Dakota is the 29th state to pass a strong smoke-free law that includes all restaurants and bars.

3 Nov 2010

Potential SIDS cause found

A baffling condition Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) that leads to the unexplained deaths of many infants worldwide may have been explained in new Australian research. The researchers monitored babies as they slept on their bellies and found that they have reduced blood pressure and an increased heart rates, compared with when they slept on their backs as recommended. This effect is seen more in babies aged two to three months, the age when babies are most at risk of SIDS.

21 Oct 2010

Sleeping with baby raises SIDS risk

South Australian Coroner Mark Johns ruled against parents sleeping with their babies as he was conducting an inquest into the deaths of five babies in 2007 and 2008 who had slept with a parent or grandparent.

30 Sep 2010

Reports on smoking rates among Americans reveal dramatic progress in fight against tobacco

Two new reports released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that while the United States has made dramatic progress in the fight against tobacco, too many Americans still smoke and too many non-smokers including more than half of all young children are still exposed to secondhand smoke.

8 Sep 2010

Exmovere to release vital sign monitoring infant sleepwear

Exmovere Holdings, Inc., a biomedical engineering company, today announced plans to release vital sign monitoring infant sleepwear. Exmovere is in the advanced stages of taking to market a washable, conductive fabric-based biosensor pajama called "Exmobaby." Exmobaby is the first-ever baby garment developed for remote monitoring of heart rate, emotional state and behavior.

27 Aug 2010

Decline in SIDS rate contributes to overall infant mortality reduction in New Jersey

The rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), a leading cause of infant mortality, declined in New Jersey by 45 percent between 2000 and 2006, the most recent year for which final SIDS data are available, report Barbara M. Ostfeld, PhD, and Thomas Hegyi, MD, professors in the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and program director and medical director, respectively, for the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Center of New Jersey.

19 Aug 2010

Study shows increased rate of SIDS in male infant

A study in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that at 2 to 4 weeks of age male infants are easier to arouse than females during quiet sleep, and by 2 to 3 months of age there are no significant gender differences in arousability. The results suggest that the increased rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in males may not reflect a pre-existing vulnerability involving arousal responses.

2 Aug 2010

Gene essential for respiration and survival at birth identified

How do mammals prepare themselves in utero for a radical modification to their respiration at the time of birth, when they move abruptly from an aquatic medium to air? CNRS researchers, working in collaboration with teams from the Universities of the Méditerranée, Paris-Sud 11 and Paul Cézanne have identified a gene in the mouse that is essential to respiration and consequently to survival at birth.

21 Jul 2010

Guidance on ways to protect protect unborn babies from secondhand smoke exposure

New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) suggests that testing pregnant mothers would help to ensure they receive appropriate support they need to quit for good or reduce their exposure to secondhand smoke.

30 Jun 2010

Researchers study risks and consequences of cigarette smoking in people living in multiple-unit housing

In an effort to protect children from harmful tobacco smoke exposure, health and medical professionals are pushing for a ban on smoking in public housing in a report appearing in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Jun 2010

Researchers establish link between air pollution and SDB

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health have established the first link between air pollution and sleep-disordered breathing, a known cause of cardiovascular diseases.

15 Jun 2010

Women who quit smoking during pregnancy will prevent infant deaths

If more women quit smoking before they became pregnant, it would save infant lives, concludes a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

8 Jun 2010

Smoke-free laws protect both children and adults from exposure to secondhand smoke

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that children and adolescents living in non-smoking homes in counties with laws promoting smoke-free public places have significantly lower levels of a common biomarker of secondhand smoke exposure than those living in counties with no smoke-free laws.

7 Jun 2010

Toddler dies after seasonal flu shot – health authorities on alert

Last Friday, Australia's Chief Medical Officer Professor Jim Bishop had announced his decision to suspend free seasonal flu vaccinations after more than 20 under-five kids mainly in Western Australia developed reactions to the shots. They developed fever, vomiting and convulsions. One of the children was reported to be severely ill.

25 Apr 2010

Racial disparity in infant sleep-related deaths

A study conducted by Children's Memorial Research Center reveals that African American infants are far more likely to die from sleep-related causes than any other ethnic group in Illinois.

30 Mar 2010

New report urges government to ban smoking in cars to limit children's exposure to passive smoke

A new report released by the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians urges the government to ban smoking in cars and other public vehicles to limit children's exposure to passive smoke.

26 Mar 2010

Philadelphia FRESH project: Door to door smoking cessation treatment for smokers with young children

In underserved areas like North Philadelphia, existing research shows a nearly 10 percent higher smoking rate than in the general population, with a lower quit rate to boot. The consequences of this public health problem are magnified for new mothers that smoke, as they also expose their babies to the ill effects of second-hand smoke.

4 Mar 2010