Obstetrics News and Research

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Gynecology and obstetrics are twin subjects that deal with the female reproductive system. While obstetrics deals with pregnancy and its associated procedures and complications, gynaecology involves treating women who are not pregnant.

Researchers identify markers to predict preeclampsia risk in early pregnancy

Researchers identified 14 new markers that could identify in early pregnancy who may be at risk of developing preeclampsia in later pregnancy. An international team of scientists and physicians used a combination of sophisticated emerging technologies and data analysis to detect 14 simple metabolites with high accuracy to predict in early pregnancy which women are at risk of developing preeclampsia in later pregnancy.

14 Sep 2010

C-section rates on the rise

According to a California Watch analysis, profit making hospitals across the state are performing Cesarean sections at higher rates than non-profit hospitals. The analysis compiled a database of state birthing records and showed that women were at least 17 percent more likely to have a Cesarean section at a for-profit hospital than at a non-profit or public hospital from 2005 to 2007.

12 Sep 2010

Texas Children's Hospital implants FDA approved transcatheter pulmonary heart valve

Using a newly FDA approved pulmonary valve, Dr. Frank Ing, director of the catheterization laboratory at Texas Children's Hospital and his team of pediatric interventional cardiologists implanted a transcatheter pulmonary heart valve into the heart of a 13-year-old girl, which spared her from having her chest opened for a third heart surgery.

9 Sep 2010

ARID1A gene links ovarian cancer to endometriosis

Researchers with the Ovarian Cancer Research Program of BC (OvCaRe) reveal a major new cancer gene-ARID1A. Mutations are frequent in this gene and link two types of ovarian cancer to endometriosis.

9 Sep 2010

NIH expands funding for Baylor College of Medicine Human Microbiome Project

The National Institutes of Health today announced expanded funding of the Baylor College of Medicine Human Microbiome Project clinical program initiated last year at Texas Children Hospital.

8 Sep 2010

Bariatric surgery before pregnancy reduces odds of developing gestational diabetes

Obese women who have bariatric surgical procedures before pregnancy were three times less likely to develop gestational diabetes (GDM) than women who have bariatric operations after delivery, according to new research findings published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The retrospective study also found that delivery after bariatric procedures was associated with reduced odds of cesarean section-an outcome associated with GDM.

8 Sep 2010

Penn receives $12M NIH grant to study pharmacogenetics of nicotine addiction treatment

A variety of smoking cessation treatments are currently available for the more than 18 million adult Americans try to quit smoking each year, but success rates vary widely. Despite the importance of quitting smoking, more personalized approaches to smoking cessation treatment are needed to help smokers pick the right method that will work best for them. A major new personalized medicine clinical trial, led by addiction researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, will study how a smokers' genetic make-up influences their quitting success.

8 Sep 2010

Further evidence on adverse effects of smoking on fertility

Two new studies have shed more light on how smoking may damage fertility, and give further weight to advice that mothers and fathers-to-be should stop smoking before attempting to conceive. The research is published online in the reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction today (Wednesday 8 September).

8 Sep 2010

Study links community violence with asthma hospitalizations, emergency department visits

Patients with asthma who are exposed to violence in their community are at an increased risk for an asthma-related hospitalization and emergency room visits for asthma or any cause, according to new research from the University Of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Exposure to community violence has been linked to more symptoms in pediatric asthma patients; however the new research adds to this finding with a longitudinal study showing a connection in an adult population and more than symptoms - actual emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

2 Sep 2010

Infants born by early elective C-section likely to have health problems: Study

Medical experts point to a disturbing trend of expectant mothers who are choosing to deliver their babies for non-medical reasons before 39 weeks of pregnancy.

31 Aug 2010

'Neural inertia' may explain brain's resistance to changes in consciousness

Despite the fact that an estimated 25 million patients per year in the U.S. undergo surgeries using general anesthesia, scientists have only been able to hypothesize exactly how anesthetics interact with the central nervous system. They previously thought that the processes of "going under" and waking up from anesthesia affected the brain in the same way.

27 Aug 2010

Women who breastfeed are at lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Mothers who did not breastfeed their children have significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes later in life than moms who breastfed, report University of Pittsburgh researchers in a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

27 Aug 2010

Study finds sexual problem common among diabetic patients

Many middle-aged and older adults with diabetes are sexually active according to a study of nearly 2,000 people aged 57 to 85 presented in the September 2010 issue of the journal Diabetes Care. Almost 70 percent of partnered men with diabetes and 62 percent of partnered women with diabetes engaged in sexual activity two or three times a month, comparable to those without diabetes, the study showed.

27 Aug 2010

TomTec Imaging Systems introduces 4D MV- Assessment software for Mitral Valve measurement

TomTec Imaging Systems GmbH today announced the introduction of its new 4D MV-Assessment 2.0 software. The 4D MV- Assessment software combines the strength of 2D with the advantages of 3D echocardiography to provide the doctor with important and partly unprecedented diagnostic information and measurements for the Mitral Valve.

26 Aug 2010

USN and St. Rose introduce new accelerated bachelor's degree in nursing

The University of Southern Nevada and St. Rose Dominican Hospitals have partnered to help shape Nevada's workforce by preparing qualified registered nurses to meet the state's future healthcare demand. As a result, career seekers and career changers who already have a bachelor's degree can become a registered nurse in 14 months through a new accelerated bachelor's degree in nursing (ABSN).

25 Aug 2010

Many ED patients could have been treated in an urgent care center: Study

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) National Health Statistics Reports shows continued use of the nation's emergency rooms for conditions that could be treated in an urgent care setting.

20 Aug 2010

UT Southwestern pediatric urologist pioneers surgical procedure for girls with rare vaginal defects

A pediatric urologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center has pioneered a successful surgical procedure for young girls who have absent or malformed vaginas, a condition that affects about one in 4,000 females.

19 Aug 2010

FACES receives grant to expand care for HIV/AIDS people in Kenya

A joint project of UCSF and the Kenya Medical Research Institute has received $7 million-the first award of a five year grant that will total about $35 million to expand its care and support of people affected by HIV/AIDS in Kenya.The project is named Family AIDS Care and Education Services, known as FACES, and it provides a comprehensive program of HIV treatment, care, prevention and support. The grant is awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from funding provided through the President's Emergency Plan for HIV and AIDS Relief.

18 Aug 2010

Study finds black patients receive fewer opoid medications than whites

Black patients are prescribed fewer pain medications than whites and few women receive medications strong enough to manage their chronic pain, according to a study in the August issue of Journal of Pain.University of Michigan Health System researchers studied nearly 200 patients with chronic pain who sought help from a specialty pain center. Researchers analyzed the number and potency of medicines they were already taking and the adequacy of pain management.

18 Aug 2010

Scientists experiment with three proteins that impact preadipocytes contribute to fat cell determination

Just what causes the birth of a human fat cell is a mystery, but scientists using mathematics to tackle the question have come up with a few predictions about the proteins that influence this process.The research is intended to increase understanding of how and why preadipocytes, or pre-fat cells, either lie dormant, copy themselves or turn into fat. But the findings eventually could lead to a way to freeze these early cells in their current state before they can ever become the basis of fat tissue, according to Ohio State University researchers.

17 Aug 2010