Premature Birth News and Research

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Pre-term births are leading cause of health problems in infants and cost the U.S. over $26 billion annually

The Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) based at the University of Michigan today released its Prematurity Issue Brief that shows pre-term births --- births at less than 37 weeks of gestation --- are the leading cause of health problems in infants and estimated to cost the U.S. more than $26 billion annually. In addition, the report shows that a black infant in Michigan is 70% more likely to be born prematurely than an infant of any other race.

17 Nov 2010

RNA-based drugs may prevent premature birth: Research

Tiny molecules called microRNAs act together with hormones to control the onset of labor, raising the prospect that RNA-based drugs might be able to prevent premature labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in a preclinical study.

15 Nov 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

Education can help prevent preterm birth

Doctors and patients should discuss a pregnant woman's risk of preterm birth by the twelfth week of pregnancy, according to a commentary published in the November issue of Ob.Gyn. News.

10 Nov 2010

March of Dimes honors professor who linked fetal malnutrition to chronic adult disease

The world-renowned physician and professor who pioneered the theory linking fetal malnutrition to chronic adult disease will receive the March of Dimes Agnes Higgins Award for outstanding achievement in the field of maternal-fetal nutrition.

9 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

Depressed pregnant women at increased risk of delivering preterm birth and low-birth weight infants

Clinical depression puts pregnant women at increased risk of delivering prematurely and of giving birth to below-normal weight infants, according to a report published Oct. 4 in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

5 Oct 2010

Scientists to identify microbial risk predictors for preterm birth

A team of scientists from Mayo Clinic, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the J. Craig Venter Institute are leveraging a long-standing research relationship to apply results from the Human Microbiome Project to help identify microbial risk predictors for preterm birth.

29 Sep 2010

Researchers find daycare increases chronic lung disease in children

Exposure to common viruses in daycare puts children with a chronic lung condition caused by premature birth at risk for serious respiratory infections, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Children's Center published in the October issue of Pediatrics.

27 Sep 2010

Pregnant women should get immunized against flu

There will be only one flu shot needed this year and pregnant women should make sure they're at the front of the line to get it.

15 Sep 2010

March of Dimes listed on 2010 Working Mother Media's 100 Best Companies

Although it's only been on Working Mother Media's 100 Best Companies for two years, the March of Dimes has a long history of influencing women's ability to balance work and life.

14 Sep 2010

Health law rollout effects: Delivering 'accountable' care, device tax, nursing mothers

Today's updates on the continuing implementation of the health law include Medicare chief Don Berwick's behind the scenes push for 'accountable care organizations,' tax anxiety in the medical device industry, and the promise of new help for pregnant women.

8 Sep 2010

March of Dimes supports Congressional Briefing on infant mortality

Very low birthweight and very preterm infants are more likely to die if they are not born at hospitals with neonatal intensive care units specially equipped to care for seriously ill newborns, in contrast to similar babies born at those specialized facilities.

2 Sep 2010

Be a Hero For Babies Day raises more than $2.65M to support March of Dimes programs

With local telethons, carwashes, golf outings, pancake breakfasts, pie-throwing contests and a television partnership, Farmers Insurance Group and its agents nationwide led their communities to raise more than $2.65 million in a one-day fundraiser, Be a Hero for Babies Day, on July 22 to support March of Dimes programs to give every baby a healthy start in life.

31 Jul 2010

K-V announces resubmission to FDA's Complete Response action letter for Gestiva

K-V Pharmaceutical Company, a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that it has been informed by Hologic, Inc. that a resubmission to the FDA's Complete Response action letter received in January 2009 has been submitted for Gestiva™ (hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection), 250 mg/mL.

14 Jul 2010

New and expectant moms do not discuss preterm birth with healthcare providers, shows survey

A new survey shows a majority of new and expectant moms have not discussed preterm birth with their healthcare providers, despite the fact that early prenatal care, including discussion about lifestyle habits and medical history, may give babies a better chance of a healthy, full-term birth. This new survey, titled SPEAKing About Preterm Birth, was conducted among moms and healthcare providers including obstetricians/gynecologists and maternal fetal medicine specialists, by the March of Dimes and BabyCenter, and sponsored by Ther-Rx Corporation.

1 Jul 2010

Advanced 3D/4D ultrasound to guide embryo transfer during IVF reduces risk of ectopic pregnancy

Using advanced 3D/4D ultrasound to guide embryo transfer during in vitro fertilization (IVF) significantly reduces a woman's risk of ectopic pregnancy and its associated complications, Robert Gergely, M.D., medical director, 3D Sonography Center of Beverly Hills, reported today.

30 Jun 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

Psychotropic medications associated with adverse drug reactions in Danish children: Researchers

Between 1998 and 2007, psychotropic medications were associated with 429 adverse drug reactions in Danish children under the age of 17. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Studies have published an article in the open access journal BMC Research Notes concluding that more than half of the 429 cases were serious and several involved birth defects, such as birth deformities and severe withdrawal syndromes.

25 Jun 2010

Florida obstetricians collaborate to lower premature and Cesarean birth rates

Much has been published of late, in medical journals as well as in the general media, concerning the national rise in both the Cesarean section and premature birth rates. While not directly connected, the two medical concerns have many interrelated variables. Nationally, the Cesarean section rate has risen to 32 percent of all births, while the rate of premature birth has climbed to just over 12 percent.

24 Jun 2010