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Genetic mutations and cellular modifications may provide clues to the associations between slight genetic abnormalities and often fatal diseases

Modern research is delving deep into the human genome to find the answers to medical mysteries and, hopefully, cures for the most deadly diseases. According to four new studies presented during the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology

5 Dec 2004

Study provides reassurance to the safety of repeated ultrasound examination during pregnancy

Results of a study from Australia in this week’s issue of THE LANCET provide reassurance to the safety of repeated ultrasound examination during pregnancy.

4 Dec 2004

Indoprofen may lead to new treatments for spinal muscular atrophy

A drug withdrawn from pharmacy shelves over 20 years ago may point the way to a new treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, a muscle-wasting and often life-threatening childhood disease.

29 Nov 2004

Postpartum depression: Beyond the 'Baby Blues'

In a culture where giving birth is often believed to be the most joyful moment in life, many women instead feel tired, sad, anxious, distracted and depressed after the baby is born.

18 Nov 2004

70% of cases of spina bifida are preventable by folic-acid supplementation

A seminar in this week’s issue of THE LANCET discusses the causes, symptoms, and treatments relating to spina bifida, and reinforces an important public-health message for women about to become pregnant

18 Nov 2004

Sister study that examines causes of breast cancer opens

A new study that will look at 50,000 sisters of women diagnosed with breast cancer opened today for enrollment across the United States. The Sister Study, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), will investigate environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer.

18 Oct 2004

Antiretroviral treatment may provide protection against HIV transmission during breast-feeding

Women who take combination AIDS drugs not only have benefits for their own health but also may pass along high levels of the medication through breast-feeding, potentially protecting their infants from HIV infection

30 Sep 2004

50,000 women whose sisters had breast cancer needed for nationwide study

Women who know the angry, helpless feeling of watching a sister face breast cancer have gained a new, active, and personal way to fight the disease with the nationwide launch of The Sister Study.

26 Sep 2004

Protein sources, such as beef and beans beneficial in lowering childhood leukemia risk

A new study suggests that eating more vegetables, fruit and protein before pregnancy may lower the risk of having a child who develops leukemia, the most common childhood cancer in the United States.

8 Sep 2004

Evidence of radiation risk in childhood leukaemia

Delegates at a conference in London yesterday heard how ground-breaking research is now providing evidence that the children of men exposed to radiation may also be at increased risk of developing leukaemia.

8 Sep 2004

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder high among Chernobyl children

In an extensive study of children exposed to varying levels of fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, Israeli researchers have found that Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) scores are higher among those who were in-utero at the time of the accident -- regardless of their actual level of radiation exposure.

26 Aug 2004

Fruit and vegetables eaten before pregnancy lowers risk of leukemia

A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that women who eat more vegetables, fruit and foods containing protein before pregnancy may have a lower risk of having a child who develops leukemia, the most common childhood cancer in the United States.

20 Aug 2004

Delaying delivery by a few days is as effective as immediate delivery for babies who have experienced fetal trauma

Results of a European study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that delaying delivery by a few days is as effective as immediate delivery for babies who have experienced fetal trauma. The study also showed that fetuses delivered without delay at 30 weeks or younger had an increased risk of infant disability compared with delayed delivery.

6 Aug 2004

Drug to fight virus from the herpes family in transplant patients moves forward in trials

A drug once considered for cancer chemotherapy is advancing in clinical trials to test its effectiveness in fighting a virus from the herpes family that threatens transplant patients.

29 Jul 2004

Study suggests that "kin" caregivers of cocaine-exposed infants and toddlers may also need support and help with parenting

Ever since the epidemic of cocaine and crack use that began in the 1980s, researchers and doctors have been concerned about the development of children born to women who used cocaine during their pregnancy.

16 Jul 2004

High levels of anxiety during a woman's pregnancy increases child risk of disease and disorder

The idea that a woman's emotional state during pregnancy affects her unborn child has persisted for centuries and has, in recent years, been supported by science.

16 Jul 2004

Cheap AIDS drugs may help prevent HIV in babies in Thailand

Aids is one of the principal causes of infant mortality in many developing countries. Viral transmission takes place during pregnancy (in utero), at the moment of childbirth or even during breastfeeding.

10 Jul 2004

Eleven states oppose mercury emissions proposal

Attorneys General and top environmental officials from eleven states joined today in formally opposing a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal that would allow coal-fired power plants to escape Clean Air Act mandates that require them to reduce mercury emissions that threaten public health – particularly the health of children and pregnant women.

29 Jun 2004

Eating fish during pregnancy produces children with better language and communication skills

A new study of children in Bristol has shown that women who ate fish regularly during pregnancy had children with better language and communication skills by the age of 18 months.

24 Jun 2004

Postnatal exposure to a mercury preservative commonly used in a number of childhood vaccines can lead to the development of autism-like damage

A new study published online June 8 in the Nature publication, Molecular Psychiatry, indicates that postnatal exposure to thimerosal, a mercury preservative commonly used in a number of childhood vaccines, can lead to the development of autism-like damage in autoimmune disease susceptible mice

11 Jun 2004