Each pound at birth lowers risk of developing TB — Just one more pound may help a newborn avoid tuberculosis later in life. – Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at how much protection additional birth weight added against developing the disease years later. They found that every 1.1 pounds of birth weight decreases the risk of developing tuberculosis later by 46 percent among identical twins.
Cooling may benefit children after cardiac arrest — Multicenter study evaluates effectiveness of therapeutic hypothermia in extending survival and reducing brain injury. – When the heart is stopped and restarted, the patient’s life may be saved but their brain is often permanently damaged. Therapeutic hypothermia, a treatment in which the patient’s body temperature is lowered and maintained several degrees below normal for a period of time, has been shown to mitigate these harmful effects and improve survival in adults.
Babies’ language learning starts from the womb – Newborns’ cries bear the mark of the language their parents speak, revealed by researchers. Infants begin picking up elements of what will be their first language in the womb, and certainly long before their first babble or coo.
Daylight could help control our weight – Exciting research into Brown adipose tissue (BAT) – brown fat, which is found in abundance in hibernating animals and newborn babies – could lead to new ways of preventing obesity.
Scientists create energy-burning brown fat in mice — Suggests novel strategy for treating obesity in people. – Researchers have shown that they can produce brown fat, a natural energy-burning type of fat that counteracts obesity. If such a strategy can be developed for use in people, it could open a novel approach to treating obesity and diabetes.
A new Australian study has found that the number of newborns suffering serious drug withdrawal symptoms is now more than 40 times higher than in 1980. – The number of newborns suffering serious drug withdrawal symptoms (Neonatal Withdrawal Syndrome – NWS) is now more than 40 times higher than in 1980, revealed by a A new Australian study.
Low levels of vitamin B12 may increase risk for neural tube defects; Vegans, vegetarians may be at risk. – Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have an increased risk of a neural tube defect, according to an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Trinity College Dublin, and the Health Research Board of Ireland.
US expand newborn screening for life-threatening disorders. New March of Dimes report finds state-by-state gaps nearly eliminated. – Regardless of where they are born in the United States, nearly all newborns now receive mandated screening for many life-threatening disorders, a remarkable public health advance of the last four years, according to a new report issued today by the March of Dimes.
Home pregnancy tests can lead to better prenatal care, revealed by researchers. – The simple intervention of providing women who are having unprotected sex with a home pregnancy test could have a substantial impact on the health of potential newborns, according to a Michigan State University study.
Maternal obesity is associated with an increased risk of a range of structural anomalies, although the absolute increase is likely to be small. – For women who are obese during pregnancy there is an associated increased risk of certain birth defects, such as spina bifida and neural tube defects, although the absolute increase in risk is likely to be small.
Intake of certain fatty acid appears to improve neurodevelopment for preterm girls, but not boys – Preterm infant girls who received a high amount of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; an omega-3 fatty acid) had higher measures of neurodevelopment than preterm girls who received a standard amount of DHA, but this effect was not seen among preterm boys, according to a study in the January 14 issue of JAMA.
Babies delivered by C-section before 39 weeks more likely to have serious health problems – A new study has found that babies delivered by elective Caesarean section before 39 weeks of pregnancy, to mothers who previously had an elective C-section, are much more likely to have serious health problems than newborns delivered under the same circumstances at 39 weeks.
