Higher risk of birth defects from assisted reproduction – Researchers identified the risk of major birth defects associated with different types of assisted reproductive technology. They have compared the risk of major birth defects for each of the reproductive therapies commonly available internationally, such as: IVF (in vitro fertilization), ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and ovulation induction.
Net advantage — Study finds use of bed nets by 75 percent of population could eradicate malaria – Malaria, the leading cause of death among children in Africa, could be eliminated if three-fourths of the population used insecticide-treated bed nets, according to a new study from the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS).
Increased risk of prematurity and low birth weight in babies born after 3 or more abortions – Women who have had three or more abortions have a higher risk of some adverse birth outcomes, such as delivering a baby prematurely and with a low birth weight, revealed by researchers in one of the largest studies to look at the effect of induced abortions on a subsequent first birth.
Knee pain common complaint in middle-aged and mature women — Study finds pain patterns vary over a 12-year period – 63% of women age 50 and older reported persistent, incident, or intermittent knee pain during a 12-year study period, revealed by researchers. Predictors for persistent pain included higher body mass index (BMI), previous knee injury, and radiographic osteoarthritis (OA).
Mosquitoes can’t spot a spermless mate – A female mosquito cannot tell if the male that she has mated with is fertile or ‘sperm less’ and unable to fertilize her eggs, according to a recent study from scientists at Imperial College London.
Children born after unplanned pregnancy are slower to develop – Pregnancy planning, fertility treatment and cognitive outcomes at age 3 and 5 – Children born after unplanned pregnancies tend to have a more limited vocabulary and poorer non-verbal and spatial abilities; however this is almost entirely explained by their disadvantaged circumstances, according to a new study. The same study reported no adverse effects of infertility treatment on the children.
Gene variation linked to infertility in women, study finds — Altered gene involved in both faulty cholesterol regulation and pregnancy hormone production – A variation in a gene involved in regulating cholesterol in the bloodstream also appears to affect progesterone production in women, making it a likely culprit in a substantial number of cases of their infertility, a new study from Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.
15 eggs is the perfect number needed to achieve a live birth after IVF – An analysis of over 400,000 IVF cycles in the UK has shown that doctors should aim to retrieve around 15 eggs from a woman’s ovaries in a single cycle in order to have the best chance of achieving a live birth after assisted reproduction technology.
How nutrition affects healthy aging — The correct combination of proteins is decisive for healthy aging, not reducing the calories in our diet. – A new study of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing could help to understand the positive effect of dietary restriction on healthy ageing.
Balancing protein intake, not cutting calories, may be key to long life – Getting the correct balance of proteins in our diet may be more important for healthy ageing than reducing calories, new research funded by the Wellcome Trust and Research into Ageing suggests.
