Stress in life may increase stillbirth risk

Stressful life events may increase stillbirth risk, NIH network study finds – Pregnant women who experienced financial, emotional, or other personal stress in the year before their delivery had an increased chance of having a stillbirth, say researchers. Stillbirth is the death of a fetus at 20 or more weeks of pregnancy. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2006, there was one stillbirth for every 167 births External Web Site Policy.

HIV infected child appears to have been cured of HIV infection

Toddler ‘functionally cured’ of HIV infection, NIH-supported investigators report — Discovery provides clues for potentially eliminating HIV infection in other children – This is the first well-documented case of an HIV-infected child who appears to have been functionally cured of HIV infection. A two-year-old child born with HIV infection and treated with antiretroviral drugs beginning in the first days of life no longer has detectable levels of virus using conventional testing despite not taking HIV medication for 10 months.

Option B+ prevents mother to child transmission of HIV

Innovative policy to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV shows positive impact — New approach in Malawi dramatically increases the number of mothers on treatment – The number of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Malawi with HIV who started life-saving antiretroviral treatment increased by more than 700 percent in one year. The new treatment option, called Option B+, offers all pregnant or breastfeeding women infected with HIV lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART), regardless of the stage of their HIV infection.

Folic acid in pregnancy lowers autism risk in baby

Folic acid supplements early in pregnancy may reduce child’s risk of autism by 40 percent — Large study in Norway finds early timing of folic acid supplements is critical – Prenatal folic acid supplements appear to reduce the risk for autistic spectrum disorders. It is estimated that about 1 in 88 children in the U.S. have been identified with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Mercury exposure in pregnant women connected to ADHD in children

Low-level mercury exposure in pregnant women connected to ADHD risk in children — Researchers advise women to consider both benefits and risks of eating fish while pregnant – ADHD or Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder affects approximately ten percent of children worldwide, yet its causes are not well understood. Now, a study led by Susan Korrick, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), and Sharon Sagiv, PhD, MPH, of Boston University School of Public Health, and published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, links low-level prenatal mercury exposure with a greater risk of ADHD-related behaviors.

High blood pressure in pregnancy may affect child’s IQ

Mom’s high blood pressure in pregnancy could affect child’s IQ in old age – New research suggests that a mother’s high blood pressure during pregnancy may have an effect on her child’s thinking skills all the way into old age. The study is published in the Neurology.

PEPFAR HIV AIDS programs and maternal health services

PEPFAR HIV/AIDS programs linked to uptick in babies born at health facilities in sub-saharan Africa – While HIV programs provide lifesaving care and treatment to millions of people in lower-income countries, there have been concerns that as these programs expand, they divert investments from other health priorities such as maternal health. Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health assessed the effect of HIV programs supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on access to maternal health care in sub-Saharan Africa for women who are not infected with HIV.

Gestational diabetes and poverty increased ADHD risk in offspring

Gestational diabetes and low socioeconomic status raise risk of ADHD in children – Low socioeconomic status (SES) and maternal gestational diabetes together may cause a 14-fold increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in six year olds, revealed by researchers.

Le Bonheur surgeons separated rare conjoined pygopagus twins

Le Bonheur Surgeons Successfully Separate Rare Conjoined Twins — Most complex surgery in hospital history – Doctors at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital successfully separated conjoined twins, Joshua and Jacob Spates, on Monday, Aug_29. The Spates family is from Memphis. Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies do not fully separate in utero. A rare phenomenon, conjoined twins occurs in approximately one in 100,000 births.

New blood test can detect fetus gender in early pregnancy

Tests that use DNA from mother?s blood to determine sex of fetus often effective – A boy or a girl baby. Parents-to-be wishing to know the gender of their unborn baby can usually find out during a routine ultrasound performed around 20 weeks of pregnancy. Now, new technology can tell pregnant women whether they are having a boy or a girl as early as seven weeks into a pregnancy. Scientists have been making rapid progress in identifying foetal DNA in the mother’s blood to predict fetus gender.

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