Health News

Genes For Autism And Schizophrenia Only Active In Developing Brains

Date: Feb-13-2013
Genes linked to autism and schizophrenia are only switched on during the early stages of brain development, according to a study in mice led by researchers at the University of Oxford. This new study adds to the evidence that autism and schizophrenia are neurodevelopmental disorders, a term describing conditions that originate during early brain development. The researchers studied gene expression in the brains of mice throughout their development, from 15-day old embryos to adults, and their results are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...

The Effects Of Maternal Obesity On Fetal Gene Expression And Neurodevelopment

Date: Feb-13-2013
In a study to be presented on February 15 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in San Francisco, California, researchers from Tufts Medical Center will present findings showing the effects of maternal obesity on a fetus, specifically in the development of the brain. The study, conducted at the Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI) at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Mass...

Inflammatory Gene Expression Changes Are Consistent In Humans, No Matter The Injury, But Not Reflected In Mouse Models

Date: Feb-13-2013
Existing mouse models do not appear to accurately reproduce the human genomic response to serious traumatic injury, including major burns, according to an article appearing in PNAS Early Edition. The report from a national consortium investigating the role of inflammation in the body's response to injury finds little correlation between the human response to burns, trauma or a bacterial toxin and that of currently used mouse models for those conditions. The authors note that their results cannot be applied to the use of mouse models for other research purposes...

Improved Treatment Alternative For Lymphoid Leukemia Suggested By International Study

Date: Feb-13-2013
Discovering what they call the "Achilles' heel" for lymphoid leukemia, an international research team has tested a possible alternative treatment that eradicated the disease in mouse models. Reporting their results in the journal Cancer Cell, the scientists said the targeted molecular therapy described in their study could have direct implications for current treatment of Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL) in people...

Frozen Embryo Replacement (FER) Has Better Outcomes Compared To Fresh In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

Date: Feb-13-2013
In a study to be presented on February 14 between 1:15 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™, in San Francisco, California, researchers will present findings showing perinatal outcomes of frozen/thawed embryo replacement (FER) have better outcomes compared to fresh in vitro fertilization (IVF), but worse outcomes compared to the non-IVF general population. The study collected data from all IVF treatments in Denmark, Norway and Sweden from 1984 - 2007, then cross-linked with the Nordic Medical Birth Registries...

Successful Policy Changes In Elective Delivery

Date: Feb-13-2013
In a study to be presented on February 14 between 1:15 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in San Francisco, California, researchers will present data showing changes in elective delivery policy have been successful in reducing elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks. Due to the troubling trend of elective delivery and induction, significant attention has been paid to the neonatal benefits of reducing elective deliveries before 39 weeks, both on the national and institutional level...

In First Pregnancy, The Presence Of Intra-Amniotic Debris Increases Risk For Early Preterm Birth

Date: Feb-13-2013
In a study to be presented on February 14 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in San Francisco, California, researchers will report findings suggesting an increased risk of early (less than 35 weeks) preterm birth when intra-amniotic debris is present in nulliparous women with a short cervix. The babies born to women with debris had worse outcomes than those born to women without debris, likely due to the earlier delivery. The multicenter study, presented by Dr...

Progesterone Shots Not Found To Reduce Preterm Delivery In Twin Pregnancies

Date: Feb-13-2013
In a study to be presented on February 14 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's 33rd annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, researchers will report findings that suggest that 17P, a form of progesterone, is not effective in preventing preterm birth among women with twin pregnancies - and may possibly be harmful...

Global Human Health May Be Affected By Unchecked Antibiotic Use In Animals

Date: Feb-13-2013
The increasing production and use of antibiotics, about half of which are used in animal production, is mirrored by the growing number of antibiotic resistance genes, or ARGs, effectively reducing antibiotics' ability to fend off diseases - in animals and humans. A study in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that China - the world's largest producer and consumer of antibiotics - and many other countries don't monitor the powerful medicine's usage or impact on the environment...

Bed Bug Actions Study Offers Hope For New Management Tactics

Date: Feb-13-2013
Learning more about the behavior of bed bugs is one approach being used by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists to identify compounds to help control these pests. The resurgence of bed bugs over the last decade has caused problems in major U.S. cities where they infest homes, apartments, hotels, shelters and even places of work. The small, blood-feeding insects are not known to transmit diseases, but they can cause severe reactions in people who are allergic to them. Bed bugs usually go unnoticed until their numbers increase significantly, and getting rid of them can be costly...