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Anthropologist's studies of childbirth bring new focus on women in evolution

Contrary to the TV sitcom where the wife experiencing strong labor pains screams at her husband to stay away from her, women rarely give birth alone.

18 Feb 2009

Magnesium sulfate decreases preterm infants' risk for cerebral palsy

Preterm infants born to mothers receiving intravenous magnesium sulfate - a common treatment to delay labor - are less likely to develop cerebral palsy than are preterm infants whose mothers do not receive it, report researchers in a large National Institutes of Health research network.

28 Aug 2008

Many pregnant women do not feel well informed by their gynaecologist

A survey carried out among 250 pregnant women showed that 24% of them do not feel adequately informed by their gynaecologist, and almost half do not take part in any prenatal course. The study, prepared by the Head of the Obstetrics Department at the Hospital Clinico San Carlos in Madrid, Miguel Angel Herraiz, also showed that 80% of those surveyed prefer a "medicalised" birth, with epidural anaesthesia, to a natural birth.

17 Jul 2008

Subtle but detectable neurological abnormalities appear to predict risk of death in older individuals

Subtle but clinically detectable neurological abnormalities, such as reduced reflexes and an unstable posture, may be associated with the risk of death and stroke in otherwise healthy older adults, according to a report in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

24 Jun 2008

Flow of potassium ions in brain cells is key to sexual arousal

When it comes to sex, a female rat knows how to avoid a communication breakdown. To announce her sexual readiness, she will automatically arch her back, deflect her tail and stand rigid to allow an aroused male to mount.

3 Jun 2008

Sitting position can influence risk of whiplash

Women run a three times greater risk than men of incurring a debilitating injury in a rear-end collision. This is partly due to differences between the sexes regarding sitting position. This has been shown by Bertil Jonsson at Umea University in Sweden.

15 May 2008

Infant carrying ruled out as reason why humans walk upright

Scientists investigating the reasons why early humans - the so-called hominins - began walking upright say it's unlikely that the need to carry children was a factor, as has previously been suggested.

From The University of Manchester 23 Apr 2008

Trichloroethylene chemical - widely used in industry - is a risk factor for parkinsonism

Parkinson's disease, the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder caused by aging, can also be caused by pesticides and other neurotoxins.

8 Jan 2008

Female lower back has evolved to accommodate the weight of pregnancy

When a pregnant woman leans back, and shifts her weight to stand more comfortably, she is performing a motion that for millions of years has helped to compensate for the strain and weight of childbearing on the body.

13 Dec 2007

Chikungunya in La Reunion - new findings

Researchers have discovered the key to how a mysterious mosquito-borne viral outbreak swept over the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion in 2005 and 2006, infecting about 266,000 people and causing at least 260 deaths — the first fatalities to be reported in connection with the virus, known as chikungunya.

10 Dec 2007

Hands and knees posture in late pregnancy or labor for fetal malposition

Going through labor in the right posture can make it shorter, less intense and less prone to complication, according to many midwives, who say that when mothers use the posture known as “hands and knees,” it helps the baby shift into a position that eases delivery.

17 Oct 2007

Insoles for prevention and treatment of back pain

The advertisements are vague but alluring: Wear insoles and you will be relaxed and stand with proper posture.

17 Oct 2007

Body-mind meditation helps reduce stress

A team of researchers from China and the University of Oregon have developed an approach for neuroscientists to study how meditation might provide improvements in a person's attention and response to stress.

9 Oct 2007

Scientists produce equivalent of test-tube inner ear hair cells

Birds, fish and amphibians can do something that humans and other mammals generally cannot: re-grow damaged or lost inner ear hair cells.

27 Sep 2007

Ethnic identity forms prior to adolescence

A study of more than 400 children of first-generation immigrants is among the first longitudinal studies to demonstrate that one's ethnic identity forms prior to adolescence.

25 Sep 2007

Legal proceedings can be calming and supportive

It may seem that therapy and law do not share a common bond, but one University of Arizona law professor is making that connection by developing a body of knowledge to prove that legal proceedings can be calming and supportive.

21 Sep 2007

Muscle patterns in women may be linked to at risk positioning for ACL tears

Research suggests that training programs for females to restore balance between hamstring and quadriceps muscles to better support knee joints could help reduce the disproportionately high number of ACL tears in female athletes.

18 Sep 2007

New techniques for measuring blood volume

The July issue of The American Journal of Medical Sciences presents a special symposium on the measurement and clinical implications of blood volume and its measurement.

16 Aug 2007

Neck muscles could play a crucial role in controlling blood pressure, heart rate and breathing

A chance discovery in the lab has helped University of Leeds scientists to show how the treatment for a stiff neck could do wonders for your blood pressure.

3 Aug 2007

Warning on Chikungunya virus

Fever, arthritis, and other symptoms occurring in people to who have recently traveled to islands in the Indian Ocean may signal infection with an imported virus called "chikungunya," reports a study in the May/June issue of the journal Medicine, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

9 Jul 2007