Food insecurity increases risk of weight gain and complications during pregnancy – A recent research study has shown that food insecurity, a person’s inability to obtain adequate amounts of food due to resource constraints, can lead to greater weight gain and increased complications during a woman’s pregnancy.
Study finds Alzheimer’s disease link in eyes of children with Down syndrome — Findings may lead to eye tests for brain disease in Alzheimer’s and Down syndrome – Researchers are going to develop an innovative eye test for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome. As they discovered the protein that forms plaques in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease also accumulates in the eyes of people with Down syndrome.
Vitamin C and E supplements do not reduce risk for blood pressure disorders of pregnancy – Taking vitamin C and E supplements starting in early pregnancy does not reduce the risk for the hypertensive disorders and their complications that occur during pregnancy, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research network.
Teen Birth Rates Drop in 2008 Following a Two-Year Increase – a new report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – The teen birth rate in the United States fell 2 percent between 2007 and 2008, after rising the previous two years, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.
Panel questions ‘VBAC bans,’ advocates expanded delivery options for women — Parents’ preferences and risk factors should be weighed when choosing whether to pursue a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) or plan a repeat cesarean delivery – An independent panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health confronted a troubling fact that pregnant women currently have limited access to clinicians and facilities able and willing to offer a trial of labor after previous cesarean delivery because of so-called VBAC bans.
Autism’s earliest symptoms not evident in children under 6 months — Condition is characterized by a slow decline rather than an abrupt loss of skills, study says – A study of the development of autism in infants, comparing the behavior of the siblings of children diagnosed with autism to that of babies developing normally, has found that the nascent symptoms of the condition – a lack of shared eye contact, smiling and communicative babbling – are not present at 6 months, but emerge gradually and only become apparent during the latter part of the first year of life.
Common antidepressant drugs linked to lactation difficulties in moms – Women taking commonly used forms of antidepressant drugs may experience delayed lactation after giving birth and may need additional support to achieve their breastfeeding goals.
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.
Quantifying the number of pregnancies at risk of malaria in 2007: A demographic study – Research published this week in PLoS Medicine concludes that at least 125.2 million women at risk of malaria become pregnant each year.
The effect of maternal child marriage on morbidity and mortality of children under 5 in India. – Infants born to child brides in India (married before the age of 18) have a higher risk of malnutrition than children born to older mothers, revealed in a new study.
UC Davis researchers identify autism clusters in California — Clusters are associated with areas of greater parental education – Researchers at UC Davis have identified 10 locations in California where the incidence of autism is higher than surrounding areas in the same region. Most of the areas, or clusters, are in locations where parents have higher-than-average levels of educational attainment.
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.
