MedWorm: Babies Heart Conditions

Intrapartum fetal scalp lactate sampling for fetal assessment in the presence of a non-reassuring fetal heart rate trace.

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 06:22:03 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: When further testing to assess fetal well-being in labour is indicated, fetal scalp blood lactate estimation is more likely to be successfully undertaken than pH estimation. Action cut-off lactate values need to consider the lactate meter used. Further studies may consider sub-group analysis by gestational age, the stage of labour and sampling within a prolonged second stage of labour. Additionally, future studies may address longer-term neonatal outcomes, maternal satisfaction with intrapartum fetal monitoring and an economic analysis. PMID: 20238343 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Acute mercury poisoning: a case report

BMC Emergency Medicine — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Public education on poisoning and the potential hazards of mercury are of vital importance for community health. (Source: BMC Emergency Medicine)

Newborn Heart Surgery May Lead to Motor, Cognitive Delays

Modern Medicine — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Babies who undergo heart surgery in early infancy are more likely to experience cognitive and motor delays as very young children, according to a review published online March 15 in Pediatrics. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Dr. Arnall Patz dies at 89; helped eliminate major cause of blindness

Los Angeles Times - Science — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:35:00 +0100

In one of the first clinical studies, Patz found that excess oxygen given to premature babies in incubators led to a disease that causes blindness; he later received a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr. Arnall Patz, a Johns Hopkins University physician who discovered and eliminated a major cause of blindness in children, died Thursday of heart disease at his home in Pikesville, Md. He was 89. (Source: Los Angeles Times - Science)

Raison d'entre: A parable about the origins of beauty

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:03:27 +0100

I think I’ve finally figured out why the older we get the harder it is to start new lasting relationships. I can explain it by way of an old joke and a new parable.An old joke:A little girl, sitting on her grandpa’s lap asked “Did God make me?” “Yes,” said her grandpa.“And did God make you too?,” she asked.“Yes,” said her Grandpa.She reflected and said, “He’s getting better isn’t he?”A new parable:God was experimenting. She had made many fine creatures. Her first were fully programmed at birth. They were like robots. She made large numbers of them because, being preprogrammed, they couldn’t adapt. If they wandered into an environment where their programmed behavior didn’t work, they would die. As long as there were lots of them though...

Monogamy: are we - can we be - monogamous?

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:50:02 +0100

When I ask this question, people look at me with surprise and answer derisively. My friend mutters, "It's about time we gave up on that one! It's a myth." A colleague from Europe tells me, "Oh, no-one is getting married these days. They are just so discouraged. What is the point? Monogamy is unrealistic, impossible." So when I am asked this very question by a television host, I take a very deep breath before I answer, "YES. I think we are naturally monogamous." You can hear jaws dropping everywhere. Cynicism wins hands down. And yet we still glory in the ideal of monogamy. We spend fortunes on whiter than white weddings and act much of the time like the 90% of teenagers in a recent study, who affirm that they hope to marry and remain with the same partner till death do them part! Are we de...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Second hand smoke has deadly consequences

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:00:25 +0100

If your adolescent child has been exposed to secondhand smoke, he may already have heart disease. That’s the message of a new study published this month. Researchers in Finland followed around 500 children from age 8 to 13. Every year they did a blood test that measured their exposure to tobacco smoke in the previous few days. At age 13, they looked at the arteries of the children using ultrasound, to measure their thickness and health, and measured their levels of Apolipoprotein B, which gives a direct measure of the lipoproteins that can cause heart disease. They found that healthy 13-year-olds with exposure to tobacco smoke between 8 and 13 had thickening of the major arteries and higher levels of Apolipoprotein B. While the effects were worse in the kids with the highest exposure to ...

Birth Weight and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in the Maternal Grandparents

American Journal of Epidemiology — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100

Pregnancy complications and cardiovascular disease share some common determinants. It has previously been hypothesized that family history of cardiovascular disease would be associated with low birth weight. Records from 120,317 Scottish births, 1992–2006, were linked to hospital admission and death certificate data for 71,681 pairs of maternal grandparents. There was a negative relation between the birth weight of the baby and the risk of either grandparent's experiencing ischemic heart disease (for a 1-kg increase in birth weight, hazard ratio = 0.86, 95% confidence interval: 0.83, 0.89) or cerebrovascular disease (hazard ratio = 0.82, 95% confidence interval: 0.77, 0.87). Further analysis demonstrated that the associations were explained by increased risks of both delivering a sma...

The Plight of the Pretty Girl

Psychology Today Personality Center — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:13:47 +0100

"Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time."-- Albert Camus"People think if you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I only care about acting, I think beauty can be a great handicap."-- Vivien LeighWhile at lunch with friends, one of my future broadcast buddies brought up how being too beautiful might be detrimental for a woman. She cited Lara Logan, CBS Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, who laments that her beauty has been somewhat of an obstacle in her career. In a 2005 New York Times article, Logan said, "being really attractive can hurt you." Had she not exhibited tenacity, fearlessness and compassion on her way up the news ladder, she would not be in the...

Ebstein's anomaly in pregnancy: Maternal and neonatal outcomes

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: When a woman with Ebstein's anomaly reaches childbearing age, fertility is not affected, even in cyanotic women. Under close supervision by the woman's obstetrician and cardiologist, the pregnancy outcome is usually favorable. (Source: Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research)

The rubber band and tiny motor that could save a newborn's life

the Mail online | Health — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:00:29 +0100

An implantable remote-controlled device consisting of a rubber band attached to a tiny motor is set to transform the treatment of babies born with life-threatening heart defects. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Health headlines: Binge drinking, Wii workout games and CPR

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:00:37 +0100

Other stories we’ve been reading: Read one father’s story on how he became an advocate for safer teen driving. Check out these safe driving tips for your teen. [Read about the dangers of drowsy driving.] Advertising guilt doesn’t curb binge drinking. Teen alcohol and marijuana use is on the rise. [A recent teen drug survey predicted this.] Young people who smoke marijuana for long periods of time are more likely to risk psychosis. Despite studies proving otherwise, some parents still believe that vaccines cause autism. Gene therapy is closer to restoring eyesight to blind patients. [Read about how a novel surgery saves one baby’s vision.] A blood test can help sort out milk allergies. [Watch Brett go through a milk exposure desensitization trial.] Screening athletes could prevent s...

Mother's fury as her baby girl dies at 23 days after 'common' heart surgery in crisis-hit hospital

the Mail online | Health — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:20:42 +0100

Aida Lo told of her shock at learning that a further three babies had died at the same John Radcliffe Hospital in the ten weeks since her daughter Nathalie lost her life. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Irregular heartbeat may cause cot death

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:12:00 +0100

French scientists claim some babies could have fault in regulation of heartbeat that makes it slow down and stopFrench scientists are claiming to have identified an anomaly in the hearts of victims of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) that could pinpoint newborn babies at risk with a simple blood test.The research team at the University of Strasbourg believes so-called cot death babies have a fault in the regulation of the heartbeat causing it to slow down to the point where it stops altogether.This fault is caused by the heart absorbing too much of a chemical produced by the cardiac nerve, which controls the heart rate, it says. It believes the anomaly can be identified by an enzyme in white blood cells.Professor Pascal Bousquet, of the Faculty of Medicine at Strasbourg University Hospi...

One-in-a-million baby Ashleigh dies

IOL: Health — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:05:01 +0100

The clinical manager at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital has confirmed the death of Ashleigh Louw, who was born with her heart outside her chest three months ago. [PIC] (Source: IOL: Health)

Baby Ashleigh dies - report

IOL: Health — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:14:14 +0100

Ashleigh Louw, the baby who was born with her heart outside her chest, has reportedly died. (Source: IOL: Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

New surgeon investigated over hospital heart unit baby deaths

the Mail online | Health — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:25:55 +0100

Caner Salih, 39, started work at the John Radcliffe in Oxford three months ago and four of the infants he operated on there have died. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Timeline: NHS manager scandals

HSJ — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

1999 Robert Francis QC acts as counsel for United Bristol Healthcare Trust chief executive Dr John Roylance after he is struck off by the GMC, following the Bristol babies heart scandal. Mr Francis stresses Dr Roylance was not criticised for his work as a practising doctor, but as a manager.October 2007 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust chief executive Rose Gibb stands down, days before a report into a C difficile outbreak. Health secretary Alan John (Source: HSJ)

Glaxo Birth Defect Litigation Reveals Paxil Promoters on Speed Dial

NaturalNews.com — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) In the first Paxil birth defect trial against GlaxoSmithKline, much of evidence focused on the doctors on Glaxo's payroll involved in the corruption of the medical literature and seminars given to promote the off label use of Paxil with pregnant and nursing mothers.On October 13, 2009, the trial of Kilker v Glaxo ended with a Philadelphia jury awarding $2.5 million in compensatory damages to the family of Lyam Kilker, after finding that Glaxo "negligently failed to warn" the doctor treating Lyam's mother about the risks of Paxil and the drug was a "factual cause" of the child's heart defects.Glaxo's lead attorney at trial was King and Spalding partner Chilton Varner, and the family's lead attorney was Sean Tracey from Houston.During his opening statement on September 15, 2009...

Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

New England Journal of Medicine — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A baby girl was delivered prematurely, at 30 weeks' gestation, by emergency cesarean section owing to deceleration and no acceleration on fetal heart-rate monitoring. In addition, she had severe intrauterine ... (Source: New England Journal of Medicine)

Paxil Birth Defect Trial: Battle of the Experts

NaturalNews.com — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) In the first Paxil birth defect trial that resulted in a $2.5 million verdict against GlaxoSmithKline in October 2009, the infant, Lyam Kilker, was born with three heart defects; an atrial septal defect, a ventricular septal defect, and an interrupted aortic arch, after his mother took Paxil while pregnant. Pregnant women cannot participate in clinical trials on drugs due to the risk of harm to the fetus. But after a drug has been on the market for a while, epidemiology studies can review the medical records of women who have taken a new drug while pregnant and the records of women who were not exposed to the drug while pregnant and compare the outcomes of the infants.The plaintiff's experts, Doctors Ra-id Abdulla, David Healy, Shira Kramer and Suzanne Parisian, all testified...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

One mother’s story: Cleft lip & palate

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:00:23 +0100

One of the hardest things to hear when you are pregnant is that there is something wrong with your baby. When he finished the ultrasound, he said he’d back in a minute to talk about “some things.” I’ll never forget the way my heart dropped out of my chest at that moment. For Meera Oliva, learning that her son, Elan, would be born with a cleft lip and palate was devastating. I could barely speak. All that came out was crying. I tried to pull it together enough to just get out the words “cleft lip.” On The New York Times’ Motherlode blog, Meera shares her story, from learning about cleft lip and palate to all the surgeries – performed by Children’s John Mulliken, MD – Elan, has had to “cure” his cleft lip. (Source: Thrive, Children'...

Clinical Assessment of Extremely Premature Infants in the Delivery Room Is a Poor Predictor of Survival

PEDIATRICS — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:02:28 +0100

CONCLUSION: Neonatologists' reliance on initial appearance and early response to resuscitation in predicting survival for extremely premature infants is misplaced. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

Measuring waist circumference: do not "throw the baby out with the bath water"!

Heart — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:21:17 +0100

(Source: Heart)

Uganda: Hwan Sung Sponsors 15 Babies for Heart Surgery

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:33:02 +0100

Hwan Sung Medical Charity Services has sponsored 15 children to undergo heart operations at the Uganda Heart Institute in Mulago Hospital. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

2010 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures

Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This report provides information to increase understanding of the public health effect of AD, including incidence and prevalence, mortality, costs of care, and effect on caregivers and society in general. This report also sets the stage for better understanding the relationship between race and ethnicity and the development of AD and other dementias. (Source: Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Mad about You: Simple and Complex Jealousy

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:24:26 +0100

Simple jealousy starts as a feeling of discomfort at the prospect of losing reward or affection to someone else. In complex jealousy, the prospect of loss feels like unjustifiable self-diminishment; you become smaller and less valuable, because someone is manipulating or betraying you.Simple jealousy motivates reward/affection-seeking behavior - you try to be more cooperative, helpful, or loving, and that usually gets a positive response sufficient to alleviate the discomfort. Complex jealousy motivates attack, either overtly or in your head. It makes you devalue and try to control others, which invariably makes things worse.Simple jealousy first emerges in toddlerhood, typically when the child witnesses parents showing affection to each other or to another child. The toddler at first sque...

Life is a rat race

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:24:47 +0100

Carole Jahme shines the cold light of evolutionary psychology on reader's problems. This week: competitionUnder pressureFrom an anonymous teenDear Carole, I'm in 6th form and ever since GCSE revision I feel I have been on a treadmill. I have to compete in sport against other schools, I've got A-level revision now and college or university is ahead of me, and thus more and more exams to pass, then job-hunting in a recession and more competition. Where is the fun in all this? Who decided this is the way society should be run? Do I have an alternative? I just want to enjoy my life without all this pressure.Carole replies:I hear you. Primates are hierarchical and the higher up the hierarchy you are the better your chances of survival. We compete with each other over access to food, access to m...

Simon Singh and the silencing of the scientists

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:00:01 +0100

The science writer Simon Singh is fighting to defend his right to freedom of speech. And he's far from alone as companies from around the world are increasingly trying to use England's libel laws to quash academic criticsEarlier this week, a mild-mannered freelance science writer stood on the steps of London's imposing Royal Courts of Justice and declared his determination, come what may, to stand up for free speech against what he and an ever-swelling contingent of scientists, public figures and celebrities believe is the oppressive burden of the UK's libel laws.Simon Singh, science writer and co-author of a book about alternative medicine, provoked a libel suit from the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) after a piece was published in the Guardian's comment pages. He may now make h...

Mom Discusses Raising Child With Heart Ailment

WDSU.com - Health — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:36:02 +0100

Erica Sanchez thought she was having a normal pregnancy until her instincts told her something was wrong. In the months that followed her delivery, Erica endured watching as her baby, Jesiah, underwent open-heart surgery and willed himself to recovery. (Source: WDSU.com - Health)

'My baby is going to live a normal life'

IOL: Health — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:16:00 +0100

When her one-month-old baby was diagnosed with a congenital heart disorder, Akhona Nogogo was devastated. But as she would soon discover, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. (Source: IOL: Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Heal Yourself in 15 Days by Cleaning Up Your Skin Exposure (Part Ten)

NaturalNews.com — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) Continuing with our 15-day self healing series, today we focus on cleaning up your skin exposures. By "skin exposures," I mean all the things your skin comes into contact with... and the sheer quantity of those things will probably surprise you.But first, let's get something out of the way that's crucial to all this. The consumer products industry wants you to believe their "Big Lie". The Big Lie is that chemicals you put on your skin don't get absorbed into your bloodstream. So there's no need to make sure consumer products are actually safe.The FDA and most members of the conventional medical community also believe this lie: They don't acknowledge the absorption properties of the skin, so they tend to say that all the things you put on your skin are perfectly safe for your ...

IVF and risk of stillbirth

NHS News Feed — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:39:00 +0100

Conclusion This well-designed prospective study collected a lot of data routinely and followed women through pregnancy until delivery. The researchers note several points of caution: In support of the argument that the increased risk of stillbirth is due to the ART technique and not explained by infertility, the researchers say they found that couples with a waiting time to pregnancy of one year or more and women who conceived after non-IVF ART had a risk of stillbirth similar to that of fertile couples. This may indicate that the increased risk of stillbirth is not explained by infertility. For some confounding factors, the researchers used categories (such as smoking no/yes) instead of counting the number of cigarettes smoked. This may mean that these factors were not fully adjuste...

The Music Instinct by Philip Ball

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:08:18 +0100

Science can't explain why we value music so highly, says Guy Dammann. But it's part of what makes us humanIn How the Mind Works, Steven Pinker laid down the evolutionary-psychological law about music. "Music," he put it, "is auditory cheesecake." For those who avoid cheesecake, whether administered orally or aurally, he added: music is "a cocktail of recreational drugs that we ingest … to stimulate a mass of pleasure circuits at once".Understandably, some people took against this remark. Humanity accords cheesecake (and even recreational drugs) a certain respect, but to equate them with music? A universal element of human culture that is at the same time unknown in animal societies, music seems to reach to the very core of what it means to be human. The sense of communal identity in many...

Faith makes regulating herbal medicine difficult

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:01 +0100

A judge this week called for traditional medicine to be regulated, but it's not easy when practitioners make claims based on faithYou may have read about Ying Wu this week: a traditional Chinese medicine doctor operating out of a shop in Chelmsford, Essex, who for several years prescribed pills with high doses of a dangerous substance to treat the acne of senior civil servant Patricia Booth, 58. Following this, her patient lost both kidneys, developed urinary tract cancer, had a heart attack, and is on dialysis three times a week. Judge Jeremy Roberts gave Ying a two-year conditional discharge, saying she could not be blamed, because she did not know the pills were harmful and the practice of traditional Chinese medicine is unregulated in Britain, a situation that he suggests should be rem...

Faith clouds herbal medicine regulation

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:01 +0100

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Cat food used in fight against cane toads

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:35:03 +0100

Researchers find that cat food attracts meat ants which attack baby cane toads in attempt to curb toxic amphibiansForget cricket bats, golf clubs and carbon dioxide. Australia has found a new weapon in its war on the dreaded cane toad: cat food.Researchers at the University of Sydney found that a few tablespoons of cat food left next to ponds in the Northern Territory attract fierce meat ants, which then attack baby cane toads as they emerge from the water. The results of the study were published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology this week.It is the latest idea in Australia's seemingly endless battle against the cane toad, which was introduced from Hawaii in 1935 in an unsuccessful attempt to control beetles on sugarcane plantations. The toads bred rapidly, and...

Health Tip: When Baby Is Born with a Heart Murmur

MedlinePlus Health News — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0100

Usually, it's nothing to worry about Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Topic: Congenital Heart Defects (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Heart Conditions Can Threaten Pediatric Patients

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

While heart disease is traditionally associated with adults, pediatric patients face a number of cardiac conditions that can impact their health. "The most common pediatric cardiac condition is a congenital heart defect - a structural problem in the heart that can range from small holes between heart chambers to the absence of entire chambers or valves in the heart," said Robert Mangano, M.D., Director, Pediatric Cardiology, Geisinger Health System. According to the American Heart Association, approximately 36,000 babies are born each year with congenital heart defects... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Paxil Birth Defect Litigation - First Trial A Bust for Glaxo

NaturalNews.com — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) GlaxoSmithKline has paid out close to $1 billion to resolve lawsuits involving Paxil since the drug came on the market in1992, according to a December 14, 2009 Bloomberg report. But the billion dollars does not cover the more than 600 Paxil birth defect cases currently pending in multi-litigation in Pennsylvania.Glaxo has settled about 10 birth defect cases, according to Sean Tracey, a Houston attorney who represented the family of a child victim in the first jury trial that decided in favor of the plaintiff on October 13, 2009, Bloomberg reports. The settlements in those lawsuits averaged about $4 million, people familiar with the cases told the new service. First Trial A Bust for GlaxoThe first trial, in the case of Kilker v Glaxo, ended with a jury in Philadelphia finding ...

GE's Vscan, World's Smallest Portable Ultrasound, Now Available Worldwide

Medgadget Anesthesiology — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:56:00 +0100

GE Healthcare is finally releasing the much awaited Vscan pocket sized ultrasound. Many in the industry hope that this device offers a chance for physicians to make a move from stethoscopes to portable imaging devices, bringing advanced visualization to any examination room. The unit weighs one pound and is only 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide and 5.3 inches (13.5 cm) long, offering both standard black and white imaging, as well as colored blood flow doppler. GE is touting Vscan's size and capabilities for cardiologists to transthoracically view myocardium, pericardium, and heart valves, and for primary care physicians, as well as OB, ER, and others, to scan the liver, kidney, aorta and peripheral vessels, babies in the womb, and anything else the transducer can penetrate. Features from the produc...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Protective effect of periconceptional folic acid supplements on the risk of congenital heart defects: a registry-based case-control study in the northern Netherlands

European Heart Journal — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 08:06:03 +0100

Conclusion Our results support the hypothesis that additional periconceptional folic acid use reduces CHD risk in infants. Use of periconceptional folic acid supplements was related to ~20% reduction in the prevalence of any CHD. Given the relatively high prevalence of CHD worldwide, our findings are important for public health. (Source: European Heart Journal)

Health headlines: Food labels, alcholosim & teen obesity surgery

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:00:24 +0100

Other stories we’ve been reading: There’s more bad news for soda – a new study links it to pancreas cancer. [Read what Children’s obesity expert has to say about artificially sweetened beverages.] There are federal efforts to ban junk food from schools. [Read about junk food advertisements on kids’ websites.] The FDA wants nutrition information labels on the front of food packages. Junk food is getting the spot light in many movies. Children born early in the year are more likely to be athletes. Obese children are more likely to die young. There’s a link between children with a super sweet tooth and alcoholism. Can you really tell if you’re child will be obese by age 2? Depression during pregnancy could result in an antisocial teen. A pregnant woman can decrease her baby̵...

Health headlines: Food labels, alcoholism & teen obesity surgery

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:00:24 +0100

Are Antidepressants Safe for Pregnant Women?

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0100

Americans take more antidepressants than they do any other type of prescription drug, and pregnant women are no exception. One out of every eight pregnant women in the U.S. takes selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to treat depression or other mood disorders. A handful of recent studies suggest that these drugs could have adverse effects on infant health: they may increase the risk for rare heart defects, premature delivery, low birth weight and withdrawal symptoms. Nevertheless, some doctors argue that the benefits these drugs provide still outweigh the potential risks.Worries over the use of SSRIs during pregnancy first surfaced in journal articles published in the 1980s, but it was not until 2005 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conceded that babies born ...

Are Antidepressants Safe for Pregnant Women?

Scientific American Topic - Biotechnology — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0100

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Are Antidepressants Safe for Pregnant Women?

Scientific American Topic - Medical Technology — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0100

From cure to kill | David Wilson

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 +0100

The claims that two 18th-century doctors were murderers raise some uncomfortable questions for the medical professionThe claim made in the Observer that the 18th-century obstetricians William Hunter and William Smellie were probably serial killers, given that they obtained the corpses of the pregnant women that they experimented upon through "burking" – having people murdered to order – came as a shock to many medics. Anthony Kenny, for example, curator of the museum of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, described the claim as "absolutely staggering".Yet, why the surprise? The medical profession has regularly been mired in ignominy as far as serial killers are concerned – whether we are discussing GPs from our own time such as Harold Shipman (who murdered at least...

Uncomfortable questions for doctors

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 +0100

The corrected QT interval in 24 h ECGs in neonates

Clinical Research in Cardiology — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:42:30 +0100

Conclusion Changes of the corrected QT interval in neonates seems to be dependent on the lead position of ambulatory ECGs, and could be found only in one lead. Guide values for the sleeping and awake neonate are provided. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original PaperDOI 10.1007/s00392-010-0120-3Authors Thomas Krasemann, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Evelina Children’s Hospital Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7EH UKKatrin Bente, St. Franziskus-Hospital Muenster Department of Pediatrics Hohenzollernring 72 48145 Münster GermanyGerhard Burkhardtsmaier, Westfalian Wilhelms-University Muenster Institute of Medical Informatics and Biomathematics Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 33 48149 Münster Germany Journal C...

Children’s doctors closing in on likely cause of SIDS

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:32:27 +0100

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which is the leading cause of death for infants between 1 and 12 months old in the United States, has long mystified doctors and researchers. Now, after more than 20 years of research, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston are taking the next step and have linked SIDS with low production of serotonin in the brainstem. The findings, published in the Feb. 3 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, may give a concrete approach to identifying babies at risk for SIDS. In the brainstem, serotonin helps regulate some of the body’s involuntary actions, such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure during sleep. The researchers, led by Children’s neuropatholo...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

U.S. researchers find new clue to infant deaths

Reuters: Health — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:56:17 +0100

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Babies who die from sudden infant death syndrome make low amounts of the message-carrying brain chemical serotonin needed to regulate sleep, breathing and heart rate, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. (Source: Reuters: Health)

Low level of brain chemical linked to babies' cot deaths

Scotsman.com News - Health — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

COT-DEATH babies lack a key brain chemical that regulates breathing, heart rate and sleep, according to new research. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

U.S. researchers find new clue to infant deaths

Reuters: Health — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:07:36 +0100

Haiti: New life amid destruction

MSF News — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:07:00 +0100

After the earthquake, eighteen-year old Djenny was one of the first women to deliver in Isaie Jeanty hospital in the Chancerelle area of Port-Au-Prince. Assisted by the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team, Djenny gave birth to a healthy little boy that she named Mike. Many others have since joined them in the now bustling maternity ward. Before the earthquake, Isaie Jeanty hospital specialized in obstetric and maternity care. However, in order to meet the enormous surgical needs, MSF, working together with staff from the Ministry of Health, began to offer a wider range of services, including orthopedic surgery, post-operative care, physiotherapy and mental health support. Yet, Isaie Jeanty continued to remain a referral centre for maternal care, with MSF helping to deliver an aver...

Baby Ashleigh can now 'move her fingers'

IOL: Health — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:09:08 +0100

Baby Ashleigh Louw, who was born with her heart outside her chest, is reportedly showing small signs of improvement. (Source: IOL: Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

The cost of heart surgery

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Since 2004, hospitals have been required to send data to the state regarding their number of patients and charges for each diagnostic related group for the previous year. These numbers paint a picture of what hospitals charge for procedures from delivering a baby to having a coronary bypass operation. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Health headlines: Fitness supplements, ecstasy use and tongue-powered wheelchairs

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:00:55 +0100

Other stories we’ve been reading: More high school athletes are using fitness supplements with knowledge of their harmful effects. Parents don’t have to be fit in order for their kids to be fit – supporting your kids’ physical activity is what motivates them to be physically fit. Scheduling recess before lunch is helping students and teacher alike. Menus with calorie listings have parents picking healthier options for their kids but not necessarily for themselves. Parents who feel burned out at work are more likely to have kids who feel burned out at school. If parents use complementary or alternative therapies, their children are more likely to use them too. [Read our blog post on insurance coverage for alternative therapies.] Did you know that your child is more likely to have a ...

Calling all baby boomers: here's how to let the good times roll

Telegraph Health — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:43:14 +0100

Baby boomers have had it all, but they could risk losing it all if they don't start looking after their health. (Source: Telegraph Health)

Homeopathy: At 10:23 tomorrow we will prove there really is nothing in it

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:41:37 +0100

Hundreds of homeopathy sceptics around the UK are stocking up on pills ready to take overdoses at 10:23 tomorrow. Martin Robbins explains why he is one of themTomorrow, I plan to travel to the centre of London where I will take a huge overdose – in public – consuming an entire bottle of pills. I will not be alone. I'll be joined by several hundred others in London and around the world who will also be overdosing. No harm will come to us because the pills will be homeopathic, and therefore contain no active ingredient – just sugar. This is the 10:23 campaign and our aim is to demonstrate to the public in the strongest way possible that these pills, sold to poorly customers by companies like Boots have, literally, nothing in them.Boots for one sells homeopathic remedies even though it ...

Homeopathy: At 10:23 we will prove there really is nothing in it

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:41:37 +0100

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Surrogacy: Some Words of Caution

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:16:19 +0100

Surrogacy has been in the news for a number of years. I well remember how early media coverage focused on heart-wrenching problems, such as a surrogate mother who chose to retain custody of the baby rather than to honor the agreement she had with prospective parents. Gradually I have seen the media focus becoming more positive, with recent stories of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick welcoming their second child who was born to a gestational surrogate. Given the desperation felt by many infertile couples, I believe surrogacy has become highly appealing to couples who can afford it. And with the demand increasing, a number of fertility physicians have been responsive to couples' efforts to pursue this option. However, the legal issues involved in surrogacy ...

Three reasons why mindfulness meditation helps relationships

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:58:15 +0100

In my work as a psychologist, I see a lot of very bright, insightful people who still struggle with relationships, and when I suggest that they start practicing mindfulness meditation, they want to know why and how sitting and meditating can help their love lives. They may know that they "should" meditate because it's good for them, but how is it going to make things better between them and their [fill in the blank: Wife/Husband/Boyfriend/Girlfriend/Partner...]?Here are three of the many reasons I give to them, with some examples we can all relate to.1. Mindfulness meditation turns down the volume on stress. One of the most widely known benefits of meditation is reduced stress. "Stress" in this case doesn't mean that meditating will reduce the number of urgent e-mails in your inbox, but ra...

Why giving birth caused my strokes

Daily Express - Health — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:49:46 +0100

FINDING out that she was expecting her second baby should have been a wonderful surprise for Lisa Moore but unfortunately it couldn't have come at a worse time. The dance teacher had just been told she had suffered two strokes and had a hole in her heart. (Source: Daily Express - Health)

'Please give our baby a home to come to'

IOL: Health — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:04:24 +0100

Anastacia Louw dreams of bringing her baby, born with a one-in-a-million congenital heart defect, from hospital to a real home - and not the cramped shack her family are forced to live in. (Source: IOL: Health)

A pragmatic fight for animal rights | Ingrid Newkirk

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:00:01 +0100

Despite criticism, we at Peta believe compromises and funny antics are necessary to the real work of animal protectionIn recent years, there has been a controversy swirling in animal rights circles, as some people such as Victor Schonfeld object to the work of groups such as Peta, which, while abolitionist and determined to get animals off the dinner plate and out of the fur farms, circuses and laboratories, have nevertheless been working with corporations to achieve animal welfare reforms within their industries. A few outspoken critics of such "half measures" or "baby steps" have gone so far as to argue against Peta's campaigns for improved slaughter practices for chickens, better living conditions for hens and larger cages for animals in laboratories. We find this attitude unhelpful to ...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Ten Elements of Effective Relationships

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:25:49 +0100

The other day, a friend pointed out that I very often write from the perspective of what people are doing wrong, as opposed to what they are doing right. Well, here are some things that I have found to be effective elements in a successful relationship; the right stuff.TransparencyPartners who are aware of what the other is doing get to feel safe and develop a sense of security and consistency about their relationship. It's a simple thing to pick up the phone, shoot a text or an email and say, "I'm on my way." or "I'm late." or "I forgot the milk."Being transparent also diminishes potential conflict because no one has to guess, make up stories or be responsible for ferreting out information. One couple I know is in a constant state of tension because the husband, rather than volunteering i...

Ashleigh 'the miracle baby'

IOL: Health — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:29:36 +0100

After reopening her wounds, doctors say they are positive that Ashleigh, who was born with part of her heart lying outside her ribcage, will make it. (Source: IOL: Health)

High drug error rate found in children’s treatment

OnMedica Latest News — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Study finds 13.2% error rate in hospitals prescribing for childrenRelated items from OnMedicaCash-injection for sick childrenWatchdog slams care at children's hospital Well-regarded pre-term baby treatment proved ineffectiveChild cancer survivors at greater risk of heart disease Advice issued to doctors on childhood survivors (Source: OnMedica Latest News)

Media adding to pressure on baby's doctors

IOL: Health — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:56:52 +0100

Media attention is raising stress levels for the family of a 10-day-old baby girl born with a rare heart condition, and for the staff at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital who are treating her. (Source: IOL: Health)

New study confirms bisphenol A found in plastic is linked to heart disease

NaturalNews.com — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the U.S. Various forms of the disease take the lives of over 80 million Americans a year. And while we've all heard about the risk factors for cardiovascular disease -- including smoking, being overweight, high cholesterol and lack of exercise -- it appears it's time to add bisphenol A, better known as BPA, to that list.This chemical has been used for decades in polycarbonate plastic products including refillable drink containers, plastic eating utensils and baby bottles as well as the epoxy resins that line most food and soft-drink cans. Now a new study just published in the journal PLoS ONE provides the most compelling evidence so far that BPA exposure is dangerous to the cardiov...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Baby Ashleigh's surgery offers hope

IOL: Health — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:02:41 +0100

The doctor had good news for Ashleigh's mommy - the surgery performed on her baby, who was born with her heart outside her chest - was a success. (Source: IOL: Health)

Baby Ashleigh stable after surgery

IOL: Health — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:25:44 +0100

It took 20 people more than three hours, but baby Ashleigh Louw's heart is back in her chest. (Source: IOL: Health)

Baby Ashleigh critical but stable - doctors

IOL: Health — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:27:30 +0100

The next 24 hours will reportedly be critical for baby Ashleigh Louw as doctors managed to close the abdominal wall and put back the heart back in her chest. (Source: IOL: Health)

FDA Delays Decision On Cancer-Causing BPA...Again

About.com Colon Cancer — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:41:51 +0100

A chemical called bisphenol A has been making the news again, and with good reason. Bisphenol A, or BPA for short, is found in everything from plastic water and baby bottles to canned food liners. Nearly all canned foods on the market contain BPA in their liners. Health advocates have been raising the alarm about BPA for several years. They've pushed the FDA to ban this chemical compound that is used to make many plastic items. Unfortunately, the FDA declined to take action on BPA, for the third time in a row. History of Delays on BPA On June 3, Margaret Hamburg, Director of the FDA indicated that the government agency would reexamine scientific evidence about potential safety issues with BPA. She promised a decision by early fall. The FDA then postponed the decision until November 30th, p...

Heart baby to undergo surgery

IOL: Health — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:31:03 +0100

Seven-day-old baby Ashleigh Louw, who was born with part of her heart outside her chest, is to have an operation in the next 48 hours to fix the defect. (Source: IOL: Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Heart worry over plastic chemical

NHS News Feed — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:33:00 +0100

Conclusion This study has found some associations between BPA levels in the urine and the likelihood of having certain diseases. This study has several limitations: The findings do not prove that BPA caused the diseases investigated. The measures of BPA and disease outcomes were only taken at one point in time, and it is not possible to conclude that one thing has caused the other. It is also likely that BPA exposure and levels in the urine vary over time, so the measurements may not reflect the participants’ usual levels. ● The researchers carried out numerous statistical analyses. Not all of the results for the 2005/06 group were significant, and many others for this group were only just significant. Pooling data from both groups showed significant associations between BPA and cardi...

What's next for Ashleigh?

IOL: Health — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:56:42 +0100

Johannesburg doctors are expected to make a decision on whether to operate on baby Ashleigh, who was born with part of her heart outside her chest. (Source: IOL: Health)

Increased nuchal translucency in euploid fetuses - what should we be telling the parents?

Prenatal Diagnosis — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Nuchal translucency (NT) measurement between 11 and 14 weeks' gestation is an undisputed marker for aneuploidies. When conventional karyotyping is normal, enlarged NT is a strong marker for adverse pregnancy outcome, associated with miscarriage, intrauterine death, congenital heart defects, and numerous other structural defects and genetic syndromes. The risk of adverse outcome is proportional to the degree of NT enlargement. Although the majority of structural anomalies are amenable to ultrasound detection, unspecified genetic syndromes involving developmental delay may only emerge after birth. Concern over these prenatally undetectable conditions is a heavy burden for parents. However, following detection of enlarged NT the majority of babies with normal detailed ultrasound examination a...

'She is sick but not critical'

IOL: Health — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:35:14 +0100

Johannesburg doctors are looking for ways to save a baby born with part of her heart outside her chest, a professor at Baragwanath Hospital has said. (Source: IOL: Health)

Heart Risk of BPA Confirmed (CME/CE)

MedPage Today Public Health — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:13:13 +0100

Researchers have confirmed that bisphenol A (BPA) (MedPage Today) -- widely used in plastics including baby bottles and other drink containers -- increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. (Source: MedPage Today Public Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

What (whom) women want

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:47:20 +0100

This study supports the idea that conformity is adaptive when the people we conform to actually possess relevant information. In this particular study, it was likely that the first female dater's reported enjoyment incorporated important elements that did not appear in the man's profile (e.g., his odor or body language). As usual, Gilbert and colleagues found the mot juste to go along with the story. La Rochefoucault advised "Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us first examine how happy those are who already possess it."Interesting as it is, the work summarized here has one glaring hole. What about men? Do men engage in choice copying? Although I have no empirical evidence and only the ghost of Charles Darwin to appeal to, I think that overall the effect would be weaker a...

U-M Heart Center Hosts Tweet Chat On Heart Defect Surgeries

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0100

The public, including parents of babies with severe heart defects, are invited to submit questions for inclusion in a tweet chat about surgical approaches for heart defects from noon-2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20 on Twitter. New research by the University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center shows infants born with a severely underdeveloped heart are more likely to survive to their first birthday when treated with a new shunt procedure - yet it may not be the safest surgery long term. Richard G. Ohye, M.D... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

U-M Heart Center Hosts Tweet Chat On Heart Defect Surgeries

Cardiovascular / Cardiology News From Medical News Today — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Was Shakespeare Wrong?--Would A Rose By Any Other Name Smell As Sweet?

Psychology Today Personality Center — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:43:43 +0100

Shakespeare-or more precisely, Juliet--was wrong in declaring, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Names have power. They are not like shirts you can change without changing you. There is the many-times replicated letter-name effect, originally discovered more than two decades ago by J.M. Nuttin ("Narcissism beyond Gestalt and awareness: The name letter effect." European Journal of Social Psychology, 1985). What's your favorite letter? Likely, it's a letter in your name. In one study, Nuttin's subjects--both children and college student presented with pairs of letters--expressed a significant preference for letters that occur in their own names. In a second study, he asked subjects to write down their six-most preferred letters from a randomly arranged alphabet, and, again, th...

Can Mozart help early babies?

NHS News Feed — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:01:00 +0100

Conclusion This small crossover study has found that exposure to music by Mozart seems to reduce the expenditure of energy for healthy premature babies at rest. The researchers speculate that this may be the reason behind the findings from another study that music can lead to weight gain in premature infants, but they have not actually measured weight gain in this group of children. Also, comments in the press suggest that the repetitive melodies in Mozart’s music might make it better than Beethoven, Bach or Bartok, but the researchers did not compare Mozart with other composers or other types of music. Another possible source of error could lie in the fact that this was a crossover trial, which by definition exposes the same individual to both experimental and control conditions. As suc...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Soy: Friend or Foe?

Health WorldNet — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Remember when soy or soya was the wonder food of the 90s? In the form of tofu or bean curd, it was purported to be the perfect protein source without the bad health effects of meat, plus low in fat and calories. And for those who were lactose intolerant, especially little babies, soy milk was a god-sent milk substitute that was both protein-rich and healthy. For vegetarians, soy and soy products were the perfect substitute for meat and dairy products. In addition to its health benefits, soy and soy products were cheap and easily available. Even government health agencies such as the US FDA went as far as to allow soy products to include certain health claims specifically authorizing the use, on food labels and in food labeling, of health claims on the association between soy protein and th...

'Miracle' baby who weighed only 2lb wins battle for life

Scotsman.com News - Health — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A BABY girl who weighed less than 2lb when she was born and underwent a life-saving heart operation at five weeks old has fought her way back to health. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

Baby who had heart surgery at five weeks is born fighter

Scotsman.com News - Health — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A BABY girl who weighed less than 2lb when she was born and underwent a life-saving heart operation at five weeks old has fought her way back to health. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

Family resolutions to live by

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:52:19 +0100

This year I’m resolving not to tell you anything you don’t already know. At risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m going to recommend doing these three things in 2010: 1. Eat better 2. Get more exercise 3. Spend more time together as a family My guess is that, if I left it at that, we’ll be sitting here next January talking about the same things. Resolutions are often dependent on a turning-over–a-new-leaf mentality that passes when the calendar flips to February and they don’t fit into the reality of our lives (it’s hard to go to the gym every day after work when you have to pick the kids up from daycare and get home to make dinner). We also try to make these changes independently, relying only on ourselves to count calories, get out for a run or schedu...

Nature, nurture or neither? The view from the genes

Nature Network London - Upcoming Events — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:33:19 +0100

Genetics is a remarkable science in many ways, some obvious and some less so. As Prof Jones says to his students in their first lecture on the subject, "My job is to make sex boring" and, after thirty lectures on DNA structure and the like they tend to agree. To cheer them up, at the end of the course he tells them that two out of every three of them will die for reasons connected to the genes they carry – and, with so much mortality coming from cancer, heart disease, diabetes and the like (all of which have an inherited component) Steve is right again. To the public, genetics brings exaggerated fears about inborn fate and over-optimism about gene therapy and ‘designer babies’. Prof Jones will talk about the most dangerous word in genetics: the idea of a gene &q...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Smile! You've got cancer | Barbara Ehrenreich

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:18:43 +0100

Cancer is not a problem or an illness – it's a gift. Or so Barbara Ehrenreich was told repeatedly after her diagnosis. But the positive thinkers are wrong, she says: sugar-coating illnesses can exact a dreadful costIf you had asked me, just before the diagnosis of cancer, whether I was an optimist or a pessimist, I would have been hard-pressed to answer. But on health-related matters, as it turned out, I was optimistic to the point of delusion. Nothing had so far come along that could not be controlled by diet, stretching, painkillers or, at worst, a prescription. So I was not at all alarmed when a routine mammogram aroused some "concern" on the part of my gynaecologist.How could I have breast cancer? I had no known risk factors, there was no breast cancer in the fami...

Mom, Baby Revive Mysteriously on Xmas Eve

Health News: CBSNews.com — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:30:02 +0100

Even Doctors Unsure How Mother Whose Heart Stopped, Baby Who was "Basically Limp" Sprang Back to Life (Source: Health News: CBSNews.com)

Mom, Baby Revive Mysteriously on Xmas Eve

Health News: CBSNews.com — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 09:57:19 +0100

Even Doctors Unsure How Mother Whose Heart Stopped, Baby Who was "Basically Limp" Sprang Back to Life (Source: Health News: CBSNews.com)

New research: natural exposure to everyday germs may protect kids from disease as adults

NaturalNews.com — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) Gone are the days when play time for kids often meant getting dirty making mud "pies", splashing in mud puddles and creeks, and climbing trees -- and when children washed their hands, mostly just before a meal, it was with plain soap and water. Modern day parents often take pride in keeping their little ones squeaky clean and as germ-free as possible, dousing them with antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers. But new Northwestern University research suggests that normal exposure to everyday germs is a natural way to prevent diseases in adulthood.The study, published in the December 9th edition of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, is the first to investigate whether microbial exposures early in life affect inflammatory processes related to di...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

What Could Be Deeper Than Discussing What I Care About?

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:47:14 +0100

Let’s start with a little review of some of the most recent Love Bytes blog posts. [Sorry – it’s an occupational hazard…… In the university environment, we are at the end of the semester right now.] Passion (while important) is not the only thing needed for love. There are lots of deceiving frauds out there passing for love, but if you are looking for is real love, then you are going to need intimacy to go along with the passion [Poaching And The Heart Of Love]. Intimacy is one of our basic human needs. It is universal. We all long for it. We all need it. [The Road To Intimacy] So where does one find this thing called intimacy? Bottom line: The road to intimacy is paved with communication. If you want love --- not just passion...

Tanzania: Men Can Help to Stop School Pregnancies

AllAfrica News: Pregnancy and Childbirth — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:35:15 +0100

ANGELINA Francis Komba (16) dropped out of primary school at Mwembe Yanga in Dar es Salaam when she was in class six. She delivered prematurely with heart problems, whereby she stayed at Muhumbili National Hospital for four months until her baby became of age. The child (now two) is always sick because of the heart problem. (Source: AllAfrica News: Pregnancy and Childbirth)

Pakistan: Displaced wait for end to fighting

MSF News — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:09:00 +0100

Driving along the main road that connects the small town of Munda to Timurgara, in Pakistan’s troubled Northwest Frontier Province, it seems to be business as usual in the shops that line the street. But just behind the crowded shop fronts and bustling sidewalk trade lies 506 tents - their white canvas roofs glistening in the early morning sun. In these tents some 290 women, 270 men and more than 2,000 children have been living for months. They wait hoping that the sporadic attacks and counter offensives between Pakistani troops and fighters from armed opposition groups that drove thousands from their homes in the Bajaur and Maidan Agencies into neighbouring Lower Dir will cease. Due to the pressing needs of the thousands of displaced, emergency medical aid organization Médecins Sans ...

Keeping a mate

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:05:49 +0100

The Guardian's Evolutionary Agony Aunt Carole Jahme shines the cold light of evolutionary psychology on readers' problemsI'm trapped by moralityFrom Michael, 40s, by emailI am a successful businessman in my early 40s. I am in good health and I am physically attractive. My wife, though, whom I selected for her good genes, has only produced one son for me and has now become infertile. There are a number of younger, healthier women available for me to choose from who could probably bear me more children and ensure the continuation of my genetic lineage.However I am tied up with notions of "love", "duty", "responsibility", "morality" and "guilt", but I am aware that these are just irrelevant Christian social hangovers. What should I do?Carole replies: You seem very confident of the number of h...

Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases and Anti-Ro/SSA Antibodies

Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:24:27 +0100

Abstract Anti-Ro/SSA antibodies are associated with neonatal lupus (congenital heart block (CHB), neonatal transient skin rash, hematological and hepatic abnormalities), but do not negatively affects other gestational outcomes, and the general outcome of these pregnancies is now good, when followed by experienced multidisciplinary teams. The prevalence of CHB, defined as an atrioventricular block diagnosed in utero, at birth, or within the neonatal period (0–27 days after birth), in the offspring of an anti-Ro/SSA-positive women is 1–2%, of neonatal lupus rash around 10–20%, while laboratory abnormalities in asymptomatic babies can be detected in up to 27% of cases. The risk of recurrence of CHB is ten times higher. Most of the mothers are asymptomatic at deliver...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Ditch baby hygiene for a healthy adult heart

New Scientist - Health — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:28:00 +0100

Affluent, modern babies live in a sanitised world, which might increase their risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease later in life (Source: New Scientist - Health)

Dirty babies get healthier hearts

New Scientist - Health — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:28:00 +0100

Affluent, modern babies live in a sanitised world, which might increase their risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease later in life (Source: New Scientist - Health)

Is this season’s must-have toy dangerous?

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:00:08 +0100

Zhu Zhu hamsters are one of the most popular toys this holiday season, but do the robotic rodents contain unsafe levels of toxins? That’s what the consumer Web site GoodGuide contends. While testing the year’s top 30 toys, they found unsafe levels of antimony, a metal used in textiles and plastics which can cause lung and heart problems, ulcers and diarrhea, on the hamster. The company that manufactures Zhu Zhu hamsters disputes the findings, maintaining that the toys are safe and have passed the most rigorous testing in the toy industry for consumer health and safety. Related posts:Shopping for toys this holiday season? Here are some tips for buying safelyA gentler breath of fresh air for premature babies“Smart” drugs are more popular—and more dangerous—than ...

What Makes Tigers Jump?

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:44:01 +0100

WHAT MAKES TIGERS JUMP?Oxytocin, Dopamine, and Phenylethylamine Tiger, tiger, burning brightIn the forests of the nightWhat immortal hand or eyeCould frame thy fearful symmetry? From: The TigerWilliam Blake (1757-1827) ...

Deb Boyd

First Candle — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:34:21 +0100

The Board and staff of First Candle would like to recognize and pay tribute to Deb Boyd as she steps down after 15 years of service to the infant survival movement. Deb is leaving to pursue other endeavors. After serving the organization in a number of positions, the Board appointed Deb Executive Director in 2003. Under Deb’s leadership the organization dramatically evolved, including changing the organization’s name and its sweeping transition that broadened its mission, services and impact to include Stillbirth and all early infant deaths. Deb has a passion in her heart for families… and as a tireless advocate and visionary, she has contributed to the design and implementation of numerous programs that effectively support bereaved families nationally and internation...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Breastfeeding can reduce heart disease and diabetes

The Telegraph : Health Advice — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:37:17 +0100

Breastfeeding a baby can significantly reduce a woman's chances of developing a condition linked to heart disease and diabetes, research has shown. (Source: The Telegraph : Health Advice)

University of Maryland Medical Center Named as One of Nation's Top Hospitals for Safety and Quality for Fourth Year in a Row

University of Maryland School of Medicine News Headlines — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

UMMC is among 45 hospitals nationwide and the only Maryland hospital on Leapfrog’s list For the fourth year in a row, the Leapfrog Group has named the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore as one of the nation’s best hospitals for patient safety and quality of care. Only 45 hospitals nationwide have earned this important and prestigious recognition for 2009. The University of Maryland Medical Center is the only hospital in Maryland to be on the 2009 Top Hospitals list and is one of only three hospitals nationwide to have met Leapfrog’s criteria each year since 2006. The Leapfrog survey is the only national, public comparison of hospitals on key issues including mortality rates for certain common procedures, infection rates, safety practices, and me...

Childhood stroke kills more boys than girls

OnMedica Latest News — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Stroke deaths among infants and children have fallen since the 1960sRelated items from OnMedicaNearly one in four smokers cut down since smoking bansEvidence on effectiveness of 'disappearing' stentsPollution link to thousands of pneumonia deathsPapworth Hospital cleared to resume heart opsPremature babies being put at risk due to staff shortages (Source: OnMedica Latest News)

Head start for heart babies: perspectives on neurodevelopmental outcome.

The Ultrasound Review of Obstetrics and Gynecology — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Gardiner HM PMID: 19953560 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Ultrasound Review of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

Baby boy needs 'urgent' heart op

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:14:59 +0100

The parents of a five-month-old Teesside boy with a rare heart condition are told he "urgently" needs a heart transplant to survive. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

How To Talk Serious With Your Spouse

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:46:20 +0100

Discussions about serious issues must always begin with agreement about what the issues really are. Work to identify the issue, establish the parameters of the discussion, and agree to solve the problem together.4. A fruitful conversation about important matters always begins with the brainstorming of ideas. It is important to get your respective ideas out on the table. Talk about the relative strengths and weaknesses of each. Agree on ideas worth exploring.5. Never, we repeat, never be judgmental when debating issues with your mate. Instantly passing judgment on an idea is usually the death of open and honest debate between two people. The successfully married couples we have interviewed over the years report to us that they never felt invalidated by ...

How to Have Better Sex: Advice For Your Younger Self

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:45:28 +0100

Recently I read a poem about advice for poets who are just starting out and it got me thinking about what we say to young adults who are just starting to have sex and how it affects them later on. Too often we teach teenagers and young adults very little that's helpful about the pleasures of sex; instead we focus squarely on risk and fear. But how do fear messages help young women and men grow into adults who know how to connect with each other, to love, lust, desire, want, please each other or orgasm with ease?It got me thinking, too, about the many women and men who write to me for advice through my various sex advice columns or my work at The Kinsey Institute. These are the women and men I wrote Because It Feels Good for - people who want to have a more pleasurable, connecting sexual li...

India's final push to wipe out polio

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:05:33 +0100

Polio has almost been wiped out, but a few stubborn areas of resistance remain and India is on the frontline against the crippling diseaseIn a school courtyard in Lucknow on a dusty Sunday afternoon, the final push in a heroic campaign to drive a crippling disease from the planet is under way. Among scores of wide-eyed children, four-year-old Mohamed Yusuf is brought to the big wooden table under the yellow banners by his mother Afsar Jahan. Uncomprehending but compliant, he tilts his head back and opens his mouth to receive two drops of polio vaccine. His less fortunate sister Saba Banu, 12, comes across the open space to join them, strikingly beautiful in her bright blue sari, swinging her deformed limb this way and that on her crutches. Saba's right leg is stunted from polio, which she ...

New Tool For Helping Pediatric Heart Surgery

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0100

A team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Stanford University has developed a way to simulate blood flow on the computer to optimize surgical designs. It is the basis of a new tool that may help surgeons plan for a life-saving operation called the "Fontan" surgery, which is performed on babies born with severe congenital heart defects. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

New Tool For Helping Pediatric Heart Surgery

Pediatrics News From Medical News Today — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0100

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

New Tool may Save Babies with Heart Defect

Medical Headlines From Ivanhoe.com — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Researchers have developed a new tool that may help surgeons plan for a life-saving operation performed on babies born with severe congenital heart defects. (Source: Medical Headlines From Ivanhoe.com)

New tool for helping pediatric heart surgery

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

(American Institute of Physics) A team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Stanford University has developed a way to simulate blood flow on the computer to optimize surgical designs. It is the basis of a new tool that may help surgeons plan for a life-saving operation called the "Fontan" surgery, which is performed on babies born with severe congenital heart defects. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

New tool for helping pediatric heart surgery

ScienceDaily Headlines — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

A team of researchers has developed a way to simulate blood flow on the computer to optimize surgical designs. It is the basis of a new tool that may help surgeons plan for a life-saving operation called the "Fontan" surgery, which is performed on babies born with severe congenital heart defects. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

QUESTION 2. Does nephrocalcinosis in ex-premature babies cause long-term renal problems?

Archives of Disease in Childhood — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:02:28 +0100

(Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood)

Aspirin kills 400% more people than H1N1 swine flu

NaturalNews.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) The CDC now reports that nearly 4,000 Americans have been killed by H1N1 swine flu. This number is supposed to sound big and scary, motivating millions of people to go out and pay good money to be injected with untested, unproven H1N1 vaccines. But let's put the number in perspective: Did you know that more than four times as many people are killed each year by common NSAID painkillers like aspirin?The July 1998 issue of The American Journal of Medicine explains it as follows:"Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone." (Singh Gurkirpal, MD, "Re...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Thermodynamics of Turkeys

About.com Physics — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This time of year, people are of course focusing on how to roast that turkey for Thanksgiving. But did you know that scientific principles lie at the heart of roasting a turkey? (If you didn't, then you haven't been paying attention ... scientific principles lie at the heart of everything!) Source: Lisa Peardon / Getty Images Well, now you can learn the thermodynamics of cooking a turkey. It may be a bit too late for this year's cooking of the holiday bird (and for that I truly apologize ... we've had baby craziness around the Jones household), but there's still time to incorporate some of these principles into cooking the turkey for Thanksgiving, or definitely for Christmas. And what, you may ask, about the thermodynamics of turducken? Unfortunately, I am pretty sure that turducken do...

Study reveals significant limitations to ultrasound diagnosis among obese pregnant women

Baylor College of Medicine News — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Ultrasound performed in the second trimester of pregnancy on obese mothers is less likely to detect structural anomalies or other markers of chromosomal disease in the developing fetus, said a consortium of researchers led by one from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears in the current issue of the journal Prenatal Diagnosis . "The incidence of obesity in pregnancy has steadily increased over the past two decades. Interestingly, multiple population studies have demonstrated that obese women are more likely to have babies affected by neural tube (failure of the brain, spinal cord and/or their coverings to develop normally) and heart abnormalities. Unfortunately, we are hindered by the fact that when we do ultrasounds on obese mothers, we are more limited in our … (...

Comparing Two Surgical Strategies For Infant Heart Defect

Cardiovascular / Cardiology News From Medical News Today — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0100

Infants born with a severely underdeveloped heart are more likely to survive to their first birthday when treated with a new shunt procedure - yet it may not be the safest surgery long term, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009. Babies born with a critically underdeveloped left side of their hearts require three surgeries to correct the problem. (Source: Cardiovascular / Cardiology News From Medical News Today)

Heart Transplants: A Brief History

TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:47:31 +0100

Twenty-five years after Baby Fae's death following the world's first animal-to-human infant heart transplant, TIME looks back at the history of the procedure (Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories)

Falluja's babies: The difficulties of pinning the blame

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:32:35 +0100

War's effects on health can be much harder to identify than death and horrendous physical injuries. The US department of veterans affairs recently accepted that Vietnam war veterans may have developed B cell leukaemias, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease as a result of exposure to a blend of herbicides known as Agent Orange, a defoliating agent sprayed by US warplanes to deprive their enemies of cover.Similarly, ionising radiation from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 led to medical complications such as cancers, nausea, hair loss, bleeding into the skin, inflammation of the mouth and throat and birth defects.Professor Nigel Brown, an expert in the causes of birth defects and dean of the faculty of medicine and biomedical science at St George's, Univer...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Double Aortic Arch with Dominant Left Arch and Right Ligamentum Arteriosum

Congenital Heart Disease — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This case report describes a rare example of double aortic arch with a dominant left aortic arch, patent minor right aortic arch, left descending aorta, and right ligamentum arteriosum causing tracheobronchial compression in a twin baby girl with DiGeorge syndrome. She also had large right subclavian artery arising from right-sided diverticulum of Kommerell, aplastic thymus, T cell lymphopenia with normal immunoglobulin, hypocalcemia, and hypomagnesemia. The diverticulum of Kommerell was resected and minor right aortic arch, right ligamentum arteriosum, and right subclavian artery were divided through right posterolateral thoracotomy. Aortopexy was performed under bronchoscopic guidance to relieve the airway compression. We strongly suggest a right-sided approach in this type of vascular a...

People entering their 60s may have more disabilities today than in prior generations

UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:00:00 +0100

In a development that could have significant ramifications for the nation's health care system, Baby Boomers may well be entering their 60s suffering far more disabilities than their counterparts did in previous generations, according to a new UCLA study. The findings, researchers say, may be due in part to changing American demographics. In the study, which will be published in the January 2010 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, researchers from the division of geriatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that the cohort of individuals between the ages of 60 and 69 exhibited increases in several types of disabilities over time. By contrast, those between the ages of 70 and 79 and thos...

Generalized pustular psoriasis of pregnancy successfully treated with cyclosporine

Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:01:24 +0100

Hazarika DebeekaIndian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology 2009 75(6):638-638Two multigravidae aged 27 and 29 years, with previous uneventful pregnancies, second being psoriatic, reported at 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancies, with generalized pustular lesions. Laboratory findings, including serum calcium were normal. Ultrasonography showed normal fetal growth. Histopathology confirmed pustular psoriasis. Patients were put on cyclosporine 3 mg/ kg weight/ day after failure of an initial systemic steroid. Blood pressure, pulse, and fetal heart sounds were recorded every 12 hours, and ultrasonography and blood parameters, biweekly. Cyclosporine was tapered and stopped after delivery of two healthy babies at 38 weeks. We conclude that cyclosporine can be an option in the management...

Reversing Tied Tubes: Sixth Year Anniversary

Tubal Ligation Reversal News — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

A Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal patient shares her story on tubal reversal surgery. "It's hard to believe it has been six years since I had my tubal reversal. Thanks to Dr. Berger and his wonderful staff we have been able to add 5 tubal reversal babies to our family. We cannot thank you enough for the great work your team does. You perform miracles everyday. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center is a unique surgical facility dedicated to reversing tubal blockage. We offer the most successful sterilization reversal surgery and our pregnancy statistics are supported by many submitted pregnancy reports from over 7000 patients. We help couples from all over the world realize their dream of having children after a tubal sterilization. Our highly qualified staf...

Baby Kaylee's father pleads guilty to reduced charges

CBC | Health — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:45:52 +0100

Jason Wallace, the father at the centre of a heart transplant drama involving his infant daughter Kaylee, has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an aggravated assault and robbery. (Source: CBC | Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Healthy Babies by the Numbers

Medicineworld.org: New Article Alert — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:04:42 +0100

When a fetus is smaller than expected for the number of weeks of pregnancy, due to associated problems like a poorly developed heart, health concerns as severe as brain damage can result. The condition, known as Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR), prompts doctors to use ultrasound to track a baby's health and determine the best time for delivery. But these measurements are often incomplete, and obstetricians have had to rely on educated guesses about the strength of a fetus's circulatory system........ (Source: Medicineworld.org: New Article Alert)

Losing my baby broke my heart - but saved my life

the Mail online | Health — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:02:25 +0100

How a cruel miscarriage revealed Penelope had a cancer that kills thousands of women every year. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Home foetal heart monitors 'risk'

NHS News Feed — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:08:00 +0100

Conclusion This article discusses the authors’ experiences and concerns about the use of home foetal heart monitors. As the article only describes a single case that brought the issue to the authors’ attention, it is not clear how often problems such as these have occurred. It is also not clear to what extent websites offering these devices warn of their limitations, or what information is given with the devices. As the authors note, it is not possible to say if the foetus could have been saved if the mother had gone to hospital when she first felt its movements change. It is also not possible to tell when the foetus died and what the mother would have done had she not had the foetal heart monitor. It is important that women follow their doctors’ advice on what to do if their baby’...

The right place to deliver: home or hospital?

L.A. Times - Health — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:04:37 +0100

It's a heated argument, and neither side has conclusive evidence. So how to decide? All three of my children were delivered in a hospital under an obstetrician's care. Fetal monitors tracked the babies' heart rates, and an EKG machine measured mine. When it came to discomfort, I opted out and embraced every pain-relieving intervention that was offered. For me, each of the experiences was blissful -- pain-free deliveries with beautiful, healthy outcomes: Kira, Jamie and Clay. (Source: L.A. Times - Health)

'Don't rely on at-home foetal heart monitors', doctors warn after expectant mother who used one has a stillbirth

the Mail online | Health — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:40:06 +0100

The warning follows reports that a 34-year-old lost her unborn baby after an at-home monitor lulled her into a false sense of security. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Domestic use of foetal heart monitors putting babies at risk

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:05:16 +0100

• Expectant mothers should not rely on devices• Inexperienced users often hear their own heartbeatFoetal heart monitors, which growing numbers of expectant parents use at home to listen to their unborn child's heartbeat, are potentially dangerous to the mother and baby's health, doctors warn today.The devices are routinely used in hospitals by doctors and midwives to assess a baby's health in utero. They have also become increasingly popular in recent years among parents, some of whom rent one or buy one from high street shops or chemists for use at home.But doctors writing in the British Medical Journal warn that parents-to-be may receive false reassurance that a baby is well and they might delay seeking urgent medical help. They cite the case of a pregnant woman in Sussex who noticed...

Domestic foetal heart monitors put babies at risk

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:05:16 +0100

Pregnant With Tubal Reversal Baby

Tubal Ligation Reversal News — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This is a heart warming story told by Erin K. about being pregnant with her tubal reversal baby and what made her decide to have her tubes untied by Dr. Berger at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. (Source: Tubal Ligation Reversal News)

Listening to Baby's Heart at Home May Be Misleading (CME/CE)

MedPage Today OB/GYN — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Expectant mothers may enjoy listening to their unborn babies' heartbeats, but they shouldn't rely on home fetal heart monitors to provide an accurate picture of fetal health, researchers say. (Source: MedPage Today OB/GYN)

The Sneaky Ways Your Mother Shaped You

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:28:33 +0100

Everybody has a nickname for their mother. Maybe they're not comfortable with the traditional Mom label. Case in point: In one of my favorite movies, "Mermaids," Winona Ryder's character calls her mother Mrs. Flax. She takes the professional-relationship route. My sister, Janelle, and I call our mother Ms. Bear. She's always been Ms. Bear. I'm not even sure when the nickname came into existence. I suppose it morphed out of the childhood image of my mother rising from her bed chambers. Every morning since I was 10 years old, the scene played out the same way. I'd hear a faint creak of a bed, hear loud footsteps on the carpet (my mother wears a size 12 shoe, of course!) and see the bedroom door fling open. And out would step Ms. Bear. Her hair standing up in all directions ...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

An experimental heart valve saves a child with H1N1

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:26:11 +0100

The Wall Street Journal features a story about a Children’s Hospital Boston patient with congenital heart disease who was stricken with H1N1 and required a new heart valve. Because the boy was too sick to undergo open-heart surgery, James Lock, MD, led a team that implanted the new valve using a catheter. Lock and Peter Laussen, MD, chief of cardiovascular critical care at Children’s, talk about how H1N1 presents a serious problem for children with heart disease. Last week, a multicenter study led by Children’s reported good preliminary results in 30 patients receiving this catheter-implanted valve, which is threaded up a leg vein to the heart. Related posts:One patient’s story: in utero heart surgery saves a babyOne mother’s story: our baby’s congenit...

Get Your Dirty, Sexy Plastic Off My Food and Water!

About.com Breast Cancer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

First it was just bottled water in those bisphenol A (BPA) plastic bottles. We were told not to drink water that "smelled like plastic" or that had sat in sun-warmed bottles. They told us that the BPA in hard plastics could cause prostate and breast cancers, diabetes and heart disease, as well as reproductive problems. BPA is everywhere: baby bottles, toys, and packaging for some microwaveable foods. So now we use BPA-free bottles, toys, and nuke our food in glass containers. That's good! But what if your food is already tainted with BPA plastic? Well, next time you look into a can of beans, soup, tomatoes, or baby formula, check out the inside of the metal can. If it has a white coating on the inner surface, you may be seeing BPA right in there with your food. Now, aside from heating a c...

The sex life of seahorses

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:05:09 +0100

The mating habits of these bizarrely beautiful creatures are fascinating – they are the only species in which males truly become pregnant. We reveal the secrets of the sea bed, plus how to keep seahorses as petsIn pictures: The secret life of seahorsesPeer at a seahorse, briefly hold one up to the light, and you will see a most unlikely creature; something you would hardly believe was real were it not lying there in the palm of your hand. Should we presume these odd-looking creatures were designed by a mischievous god who had some time on her hands? Rummaging through a box labelled "spare parts", she finds a horse's head and, feeling a desire for experimentation, places it on top of the pouched torso of a kangaroo.This playful god adds a pair of swivelling chamel...

Delivering a Baby: Commercial Surrogacy in India

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:45:55 +0100

What's it like to grow a baby in your body for nine months, feel it start to move and kick, give birth, and watch as the newborn is whisked away to the waiting arms of its...mother?Media descriptions of commercial surrogacy (1, 2, 3, 4) tend to focus far more on the lives and feelings of the "contracting parents" than on those of the surrogates. Typically the stories discuss the despair associated with infertility, the hopes aroused by the prospect of a genetically related child, the anxieties of "outsourcing" the gestation of the child, and the joys of "taking delivery" of the baby. The surrogates usually figure briefly and say little. This is especially true when they are poor women recruited from rural villages, as is most of the "work force" in what has become a half-billion dollar per...

Our Miracle Tubal Reversal Baby is Here!

Tubal Ligation Reversal News — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

A patient of Dr. Berger posts on the Tubal Reversal Message Board, "Just a note to say that we have truly been blessed! On Friday October 23rd Madeline Grace Thomas made her GRAND entrance into the world and is the joy of our lives! Words cannot explain the deep gratitude our family has for Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center, Dr. Berger and staff for their part in making our dreams comes true. We PRAISE the Lord above most of all for our precious miracle baby, without HIS WILL and grace our Madeline would not be here. He has blessed Dr. Berger with a gift to restore women of their fertility and for that we are thankful. Our journey was wonderful, we made life-long friends with other TR patients and we will always hold CHTRC in our hearts." (Source: Tubal Ligation Reversal News)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Seeking sight: A novel surgey saves one baby’s vision

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:29:59 +0100

After her daughter was born with a non-cancerous tumor obstructing her left eye, Katie Lane spent an afternoon lurching around her Waltham home, her hand blocking one eye, imagining life with monocular vision. With 20/20 eyesight, neither she nor her husband, Dan, even owned reading glasses. Now they were faced with the possibility that their daughter would be partially blind. Little Kyleigh’s right eye was perfect: pale blue and brimming with mischief. But much of her left eye was covered by a choristoma, a tumor made up of normal tissue that formed in the wrong spot. After spending five days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children’s Hospital Boston, Kyleigh was referred to Children’s Department of Ophthalmology. There, she met with Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD, a pediatric...

Left ventricular assist devices: psychosocial challenges in the elderly.

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:30:03 +0100

Authors: Marcus P As the baby boom generation ages, the number of people with heart failure is expected to rise exponentially. A rapid increase in the demand for heart transplants will result in an increased use of left ventricular assist devices. This case illustrates the challenges facing transplant teams in evaluating elderly heart failure patients as candidates for assist devices. The critical elements of a psychosocial assessment are described. PMID: 19853075 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The Annals of Thoracic Surgery)

Pregnancy alert for diabetics

The Irish Times - Health — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:10:40 +0100

WOMEN WITH type I diabetes should avoid pregnancy until their sugar levels are under control. That’s according to the author of a new study showing that for women with type I diabetes, poor control of sugar levels during pregnancy is linked with an increased risk of heart anomalies in the developing baby. (Source: The Irish Times - Health)

Don't Retire, Keep Working To Stay Healthier

Psychology Today Work Center — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:41:32 +0100

This study supported much earlier studies, such as a study at a major hospital in 1920 that showed that people who worked after retirement lived longer and a Yale University study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, that showed being laid off or fired close to retirement or old age had a devastating effect on an individual's health, with particular reference to stroke. The American Geriatrics Society reported that people over age 65 who worked as volunteers had half the death risk of those who did not.The benefits of continuing to work, other than financial resources, are social interaction, and opportunities to use your brain, the University of Maryland researchers reported. And perhaps most important of all, people who continue to work past retirement age have a sen...