http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Women with a short cervix should be treated with vaginal progesterone to prevent preterm birth, according to a landmark study by leading obstetricians around the world. Vaginal progesterone decreased the rate of preterm birth by 42%, and significantly reduced the rate of respiratory distress syndrome and the need for mechanical ventilation, as well as a composite of several complications of premature newborns (e.g. infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, intracranial hemorrhage, etc.). An early online version of the study was published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AJOG). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-vaginal-progesterone-preterm-birth-neonatal.html Other Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:50:01 EST news243081633 The nation's preterm birth rate slipped under 12 percent for the first time in nearly a decade, the fourth consecutive year it declined, potentially sparing tens of thousands of babies the serious health consequences of an early birth. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-preterm-birth-percent-lowest-decade.html Health Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:16:21 EST news240765375 Preterm birth rates improved in almost every state between 2006 and 2009, and in several states the change was more than 10 percent, according to the March of Dimes 2011 Premature Birth Report Card. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-preterm-birth-year-states.html Health Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:49:33 EST news239341764 Poor sleep quality in both early and late pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of delivering preterm. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-poor-quality-trimesters-linked-preterm.html Health Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:29:09 EST news239340531 (Medical Xpress) -- Research from the University of Pennsylvania has shown that rinsing with mouthwash isn’t just good for oral health, it may be associated with a reduction in the incidence of preterm birth in pregnant women with periodontal disease. In the study, pregnant women with periodontal disease who adhered to an antimicrobial mouthwash routine had less than half the incidence of premature births than members of a control group. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-mouthwash-routine-preterm-birth.html Health Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:54:03 EST news239007223 Scientists who developed a novel mouse model mimicking human preterm labor have described a molecular signaling pathway underlying preterm birth and targeted it to stop the problem. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-therapeutic-strategy-combat-premature-birth.html Medical research Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:00:31 EST news238685082 Being born prematurely may increase your risk of developing epilepsy as an adult, according to a new study published in the October 4, 2011, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-premature-birth-epilepsy-life.html Neuroscience Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:11:39 EST news236880689 A University of Birmingham fetal medicine expert has helped to shape new advice from NICE on antenatal care for women pregnant with twins or triplets. Professor Mark Kilby says the new guideline, published today (September 28), charts the way forward for managing multiple pregnancy in the NHS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-nice-guideline-antenatal-women-pregnant.html Health Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:18:45 EST news236427518 In a study that included more than 600,000 individuals born in Sweden between 1973-1979, those born preterm (less than 37 weeks gestation) had a higher risk of death during early childhood and young adulthood than persons born at term, according to a study in the September 21 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-preterm-birth-higher-death-early.html Health Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:45:36 EST news235755885 Cervical ripening that instigates preterm labor is distinct from what happens at the onset of normal term labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-cervical-ripening-differs-term-preterm.html Health Tue, 21 Jun 2011 03:51:22 EST news227847062 Sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, suggests a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 13, in Minneapolis, Minn., at SLEEP 2011, the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-apnea-adverse-pregnancy-outcomes.html Sleep apnea Mon, 13 Jun 2011 09:26:25 EST news227175965 Adalimumab (ADA), a drug often prescribed for women with Crohn's disease, actively crosses the placenta during the final trimester of pregnancy and remains in a newborn's bloodstream for at least three months, researchers at the University of California San Francisco have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-adalimumab-cord-blood-infants-exposed.html Medications Sun, 08 May 2011 06:26:03 EST news224054725 After cleaning your mouth, plaque begins forming before your brush even hits the cup. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-mouth-gateway-body.html Other Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:07:47 EST news223042050 (Medical Xpress) -- Every day, 1,500 babies in the United States are born too early, according to the March of Dimes. Even babies born just a few weeks too soon can face serious health problems and are at risk of lifelong disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, blindness and hearing loss. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-silent-infections-role-preterm-birth.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:28:14 EST news223021670 Though more than one in 10 American babies are born prematurely, there have been few clues to predict whether a particular baby is going to arrive too early – until now. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-premature-birth-markers-mother-blood.html Medical research Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:00:02 EST news222348703 Evolutionary changes that make us uniquely human – such as our large heads and narrow pelvises – may have "pushed" human birth timing earlier and can be used to identify genes associated with preterm birth, a new study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-evolution-genes-involved-birth.html Genetics Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:30:53 EST news222021036 A National Institutes of Health study has found that progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone, reduced the rate of preterm birth before the 33rd week of pregnancy by 45 percent among one category of at risk women. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-progesterone-early-preterm-birth-at-risk.html Health Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:38:06 EST news221312270