Conception

Are dietary supplements working against you?

Are dietary supplements working against you? Do you belong to the one-half of the population that frequently uses dietary supplements with the hope that it might be good for you? – Well, according to a study published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, there seems to be an interesting asymmetrical relationship between the frequency of dietary supplement use and the health status of individuals.

Stem cells take cues from CSF fluid in brain

Stem cells take cues from cerebrospinal fluid in the brain – Proteins in fluids bathing the brain are essential for building the brain, revealed by researchers in the journal Neuron. The finding promises to advance research related to neurological disease, cancer and stem cells.

Women can get pregnant within six months of miscarriage

Women don’t need to delay getting pregnant after miscarriage — Research: Effect of interpregnancy interval on outcomes of pregnancy after miscarriage: Retrospective analysis of hospital episode statistics in Scotland – Women who conceive within six months of an initial miscarriage have the best chance of having a healthy pregnancy with the lowest complication rates, revealed researchers in BMJ.

Flame retardant exposure may lead to fertility problems

Study links reduced fertility to flame retardant exposure – Women with higher blood levels of PBDEs, a type of flame retardant commonly found in household consumer products, took longer to become pregnant compared with women who have lower PBDE levels.

Pregnant should gain a healthy weight before and during pregnancy

Report updates guidelines on how much weight women should gain during pregnancy – Calls on health care providers to help women achieve a healthy weight before and during pregnancy. – A growing amount of scientific evidence indicates that how much weight women gain during pregnancy and their starting weight at conception can affect their health and that of their babies, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.

Oldest evidence of leprosy found in India

The Indian skeleton represents both the earliest archaeological evidence for human infection with Mycobacterium leprae in the world and the first evidence for the disease in prehistoric India. – A biological anthropologist from Appalachian State University working with an undergraduate student from Appalachian, an evolutionary biologist from UNC Greensboro, and a team of archaeologists from Deccan College (Pune, India) recently reported analysis of a 4000-year-old skeleton from India bearing evidence of leprosy.

Fertility treatment twins face higher risk

2 studies: The first finds twins born after fertility treatment have a higher risk of problems. A second study study finds reassuring evidence on the outcome of children born after embryo freezing. – Twins born as a result of assisted reproductive technology (ART) are more likely to be admitted to neonatal intensive care and to be hospitalised in their first three years of life than spontaneously conceived twins, according to new research in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction.

Cognitive behavior therapy better for insomnia treatment

Combination Therapy Appears Helpful for Short-Term Treatment of Insomnia; Cognitive Behavior Therapy May Be Better for Long-Term – For patients with persistent insomnia, a combination of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and the medication zolpidem for 6 weeks was associated with modest improvement in sleep, although for a longer treatment period CBT alone was more beneficial, according to a study in the May 20 issue of JAMA.

Taking folic acid before pregnancy reduces preterm birth risk

Taking folic acid for a year before pregnancy may reduce risk of preterm birth. Findings reinforce March of Dimes message: Start taking a vitamin with folic acid before pregnancy. – Women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half, according to research published this week in the online journal, PLoS Medicine.

Teachers’ ignorance is putting children with asthma at risk

Teachers? ignorance is putting children with asthma at risk – Introduce clear guidelines for schools on their responsibilities for supporting children with asthma. – A disturbing three quarters of teachers are not completely confident about what to do if a child in their class has a potentially life-threatening asthma attack, yet asthma is the most common long-term condition affecting children in the UK and on average there are two children with asthma in every classroom.

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