http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC), one type of "blue baby" syndrome, is a potentially deadly congenital disorder that occurs when pulmonary veins don't connect normally to the left atrium of the heart. This results in poorly oxygenated blood throughout the body, and TAPVC babies are born cyanotic - blue-colored - from lack of oxygen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-mutation-wrong-way-plumbing-blue-baby-syndrome.html Medical research Sun, 12 May 2013 13:00:14 EST news287573743 (HealthDay)—After five years of leveling off, the U.S. infant mortality rate is finally on the decline again, a new government report shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-infant-mortality.html Health Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:20:01 EST news285411553 The United Nations launched a plan Friday aimed at all but eradicating childhood deaths from diarrhoea and pneumonia by 2025, in a bid to save the lives of some two million children every year. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-aims-child-deaths-diarrhoea-pneumonia.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 12 Apr 2013 05:20:01 EST news284960667 (Medical Xpress)—A study by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers published April 1, 2013, in the journal Pediatrics showed that increasing numbers of premature and other low birth weight infants are the leading cause for the leveling off of infant mortality and neonatal mortality rates in the United States. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-prematurity-birth-weight-significantly-impact.html Pediatrics Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:35:05 EST news284038490 In a study published in the April 2013 edition of Pediatrics, Emory researchers suggest that late preterm birth and maternal education have a relative impact on standardized test performance—the most common measure of academic performance and principal determinate of grade retention in public schools. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-prematurity-maternal-affect-early-academic.html Pediatrics Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:20:01 EST news283586718 A new research technique, pioneered by Dr. Maria Angela Franceschini, will be published in JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) on March 14th. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School have developed a non-invasive optical measurement system to monitor neonatal brain activity via cerebral metabolism and blood flow. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-early-brain-babies-published.html Medical research Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:39:41 EST news282472773 Contrary to current belief, routine newborn screening improves the detection of the lethal form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in girls as well as boys, saving lives in both sexes, according to a unique study of CAH during the last 100 years published Online First in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. Babies are routinely screened for CAH in most developed countries, but this is not yet the case in all countries, including the UK and Australia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-unique-highlights-importance-universal-newborn.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:30:01 EST news281010233 The number of congenital anomalies, or birth defects arising from multiple births has almost doubled since the 1980s, suggests a new study published today (6 February) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-multiple-births-affected-congenital-anomalies.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:00:05 EST news279307146 (HealthDay)—The rate of premature births has declined to 11.7 percent, the lowest rate in a decade, according to the March of Dimes 2012 Premature Birth Report Card. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-states-premature-birth-decline.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:05:03 EST news278867087 A New York-based physician-researcher from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, best known for his research into fertility and twinning, has uncovered a potential connection between autism and a specific growth protein that could eventually be used as a way to predict an infant's propensity to later develop the disease. The protein, called insulin-like growth factor (IGF), is especially involved in the normal growth and development of babies' brain cells. Based on findings of prior published studies, Touro researcher Gary Steinman, MD, PhD, proposes that depressed levels of this protein in the blood of newborns could potentially serve as a biomarker for the later development of autism. However, this connection, described below in greater detail, has never been directly studied. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-uncovers-potential-biomarker-autism-theory.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:10:03 EST news278860131 Thyroid hormone resistance has been linked to mutations in the IGSF1 gene for the first time—surprising researchers who did not suspect it played a role in the maintenance of normal thyroid function. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-scientists-localise-genetic-mutations-responsible.html Genetics Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:32:56 EST news277554769 Congenital hyperinsulinism is a genetic condition where a baby's pancreas secretes too much insulin. It affects approximately one in 50,000 live births and in severe cases requires the surgical removal of all or part of the pancreas. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-genetic-sequencing-breakthrough-aid-treatment.html Genetics Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:15:56 EST news275836549 A detailed letter entitled "Methodological flaws in the estimation of abortion in Latin America: Author's reply to Singh and Bankole" was published today in Ginecología y Obstetricia de México (Ginecol Obstet Mex), a Mexican peer-reviewed journal specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The letter is a reply by researchers from the Institute of Molecular Epidemiology (MELISA) to researchers from the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) regarding methodological flaws that led to a significant overestimation of induced abortions figures in the Federal District of Mexico (Mexico DF) before an after abortion legalization at this state. "Our letter is part of an intense scientific debate in Ginecología y Obstetrica de México that addresses issues raised in a previous article by Susheela Singh and Akinrinola Bankole in representation of AGI regarding our evaluation of the methodology employed to estimate abortion figures; we provide additional information supporting conclusions of our multinational collaborative study published two weeks ago in the International Journal of Women's Health, showing that abortion figures and maternal mortality rates were largely overestimated in Mexico" said Elard Koch, the Chilean epidemiologist leading the research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-evidence-abortion-figures-overestimated-mexico.html Health Tue, 18 Dec 2012 09:22:57 EST news275044967 Measures of uncertainty should be taken into account when estimating progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4 (to reduce the mortality rate of children under 5 years by two thirds from the 1990 level by 2015) in order to give more accurate assessments of countries' progress, according to a study published in this week's PLOS Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-method-quantifies-uncertainty-child-mortality.html Health Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:00:08 EST news274465391 A collaborative study conducted in Mexico by researchers of the University of West Virginia-Charleston (USA), Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (Mexico), Universidad de Chile and the Institute of Molecular Epidemiology of the Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción (Chile), revealed that IPAS-Mexico overestimated rates of maternal and abortion mortality up to 35% over the last two decades. The research, recently published in the International Journal of Women's Health highlights that Mexico shows a 82.7% reduction in maternal mortality between 1957 and 2010, from 216.6 to 37.5 deaths per 100,000 live births; for the period between 1990 and 2010, there was a 30.6% decrease in maternal mortality. "These results directly contradict the figures recently reported by researchers from the IPAS-Mexico, who not only fail to detect a significant progress in maternal health since 1990, but also substantially overestimated maternal mortality rates in Mexico" said Elard Koch, the Chilean epidemiologist that led the research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-overestimation-abortion-deaths-mexico-hinders.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Thu, 06 Dec 2012 09:00:09 EST news274002446 A UK-based study team has determined that there is a correlation between childhood intelligence and chronic widespread pain (CWP) in adulthood, according to a new study published in the December issue of PAIN. About 10-15 percent of adults report CWP, a common musculoskeletal complaint that tends to occur more frequently among women and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. CWP is a core symptom of fibromyalgia and is one of the most common reasons for consulting a rheumatologist. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-children-higher-intelligence-chronic-widespread.html Health Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:46:16 EST news273415564 Children exposed to alcohol during fetal development exhibit changes in brain structure and metabolism that are visible using various imaging techniques, according to a new study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-fetal-alcohol-exposure-affects-brain.html Neuroscience Sun, 25 Nov 2012 00:00:04 EST news272811222 (Medical Xpress)—University of Washington scientists have succeeded in removing the extra copy of chromosome 21 in cell cultures derived from a person with Down syndrome, a condition in which the body's cells contain three copies of chromosome 21 rather than the usual pair. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-extra-chromosome-syndrome-cell-line.html Medical research Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:01:12 EST news271666821 Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, has bucked regional trends to achieve dramatic reductions in child mortality in recent years, according to a Countdown country case study published in The Lancet. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-child-mortality-niger-plummets.html Health Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:30:01 EST news267291227 A collaborative research effort by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Duke University, and University College of London in the UK, sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-mri-alcohol-related-birth-defects.html Medical research Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:00:02 EST news264872085 Conjoined 15-month-old twins attached at the pelvis and sharing three legs were successfully separated at a Malaysian hospital in a complex 24-hour operation, reports said Saturday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-malaysian-hospital-conjoined-twins.html Surgery Sat, 28 Jul 2012 05:38:47 EST news262672719 Lifestyle behaviour in adolescents may adversely affect blood pressure and cardiovascular risk in adulthood, according to results from a large pregnancy follow-up study in Australia. In particular, alcohol consumption among boys, use of the Pill among girls, and high salt intake and increasing body mass index (BMI) in both sexes were important factors linked to blood pressure levels in late adolescence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-oral-contraceptive-girls-alcohol-consumption.html Cardiology Wed, 11 Jul 2012 07:32:11 EST news261210718 (HealthDay) -- During assisted reproductive technology, increasing maternal age and number of cycles is linked to lower live-birth rates with the use of autologous oocytes, but not donor oocytes, according to a study published in the June 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-art-live-birth-approach-natural-fecundity.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Thu, 28 Jun 2012 04:40:02 EST news260075950 Among children born full term, those conceived with the help of fertility drugs are slightly shorter than naturally conceived children but overall are physically healthy, a new study finds. Results of the study will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-full-term-children-fertility-drugs-shorter.html Pediatrics Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:20:02 EST news259834077 (HealthDay) -- The teen pregnancy rate in the United States dipped to its lowest recorded level since 1976, a new government report shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-teen-pregnancy-fall.html Health Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:27:45 EST news259413947 New research by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine may have pinpointed an underlying cause of the seizures that affect 90 percent of people with Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-brain-cell-imbalance-account-seizure.html Neuroscience Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:10:01 EST news258215785 It's estimated that almost 23% of women enter pregnancy as smokers and more than half continue to smoke during pregnancy, leading to excess healthcare costs at delivery and beyond. In one of the first studies to assess smoking bans and taxes on cigarettes, along with the level of tobacco control spending, researchers have found that state tobacco control policies can be effective in curbing smoking during pregnancy, and in preventing a return to smoking within four months on average, after delivery. The results were published online today in advance of the July issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-higher-taxes-smoke-free-policies-moms-to-be.html Health Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:00:02 EST news258044893 Pre-birth exposure to the anti-HIV drug tenofovir does not adversely affect pregnancy outcomes and does not increase birth defects, growth abnormalities, or kidney problems in infants born to African women who are HIV positive, supporting the use of this drug during pregnancy, according to a study by a team of international researchers published in this week's PLoS Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-anti-hiv-drug-tenofovir-safe-pregnancy.html HIV & AIDS Tue, 15 May 2012 17:00:11 EST news256312370 Pregnant women in poor communities in Bangladesh who received multiple micronutrients, including iron and folic acid combined with early food supplementation, had substantially improved survival of their newborns, compared to women in a standard program that included usual food supplementation, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Global Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-prenatal-micronutrient-food-supplementation-intervention.html Health Tue, 15 May 2012 16:35:33 EST news256318526 Advanced high-speed gene-sequencing has been used in the clinical setting to find diagnoses for seven children out of a dozen who were experiencing developmental delays and congenital abnormalities for mysterious reasons. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-sequencing-clinical-diagnosis.html Pediatrics Tue, 08 May 2012 00:20:01 EST news255629098