Pregnant women with COVID-19 appear to be at greater risk for common pregnancy complications — in addition to health risks from the virus — than pregnant women without COVID-19, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Newborn
Probiotic use linked to brain fogginess & bloating
Probiotic use can result in a significant accumulation of bacteria in the small intestine that can result in disorienting brain fogginess as well as rapid,
Microcephaly birth defect rate surged after Zika outbreak in Brazil
Brazilian health ministry reported a rise in the number of newborn babies with uncommonly small heads – microcephaly, and suspect that the surge is linked
Low birth weight African American women having higher incidence of type 2 diabetes
Low birth weight linked to higher incidence of type 2 diabetes in African American women – African American women born at a low or very low birth weight may be at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Nutrition during first 1000 days of every child’s life
Nutrition during first 1,000 days of life crucial for childhood and economic development – Over 3 million children die every year of malnutrition-accounting for nearly half of all child deaths under 5, revealed by researchers in Lancet series on maternal and childhood nutrition.
Early baby formula use helps mothers breastfeed longer
Early formula use helps some mothers breastfeed longer – Giving small amounts of formula in the first few days of life to infants experiencing high levels of early weight loss actually can increase the length of time their mothers end up breastfeeding, revealed by researchers at UC San Francisco, US.
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.
Preterm birth can be prevented – Lancet
Preterm birth can be prevented with a few proven treatments, Lancet article say – Lowering preterm birth rates by an average of 5 percent across 39 high-resource countries, including the United States, by 2015 would prevent prematurity for 58,000 babies a year. In the Lancet, the expert group says prevention of preterm birth could save billions in economic costs.
Pregnancy related infections caused by four treatable conditions
Most pregnancy-related infections are caused by four treatable conditions – In low-and-middle income countries, pregnancy-related infections are a major cause of maternal death, can also be fatal to unborn and newborn babies, and are mostly caused by four types of conditions that are treatable and preventable, according to a review by US researchers published in this week’s PLOS Medicine.
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.