The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has set out guidelines on when to give intensive care to extremely premature babies. Advice for parents and doctors is provided, on a week-by-week basis, for treating babies born before 22 weeks up to those born after 25 weeks.
Testing the eyes of preterm children when they reach 2.5 years of age may predict vision problems at age 10, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Amniocentesis, or an Amniotic Fluid Test (AFT), is a medical procedure used for prenatal diagnosis, in which a small amount of amniotic fluid is extracted from the amnion around a developing fetus. It is usually offered when there may be an increased risk for genetic conditions in the pregnancy.
Amniocentesis is the most commonly prescribed invasive test performed during pregnancies in the United States. Most women fear them while doctors recommend them based on guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. These guidelines stem from past research studies and recommendations by the CDC that were based only on maternal age.
A new study suggests that mothers may be able to transfer antiretroviral immunity during gestation and while breastfeeding when receiving a new antibody-based treatment say researchers from France. They report their findings in the October 2006 issue of the Journal of Virology.
An observational prospective study was conducted by AS Olafsdottir,a GV Skuladottir,b I Thorsdottir,a A Hauksson,c L Steingrimsdottird to investigate the interaction of smoking status and dietary intake during pregnancy and its relationship to maternal weight gain and birth size parameters in four hundred and eight healthy pregnant Icelandic women.
A Cross-sectional study “Seasonal patterns and preterm birth: a systematic review of the literature and an analysis in a London-based cohort” conducted by SJ Lee,a PJ Steer,b V Filippia at Eighteen maternity units in a London health region from 1988 to 2000. The objectives of this study included a systematic review of the countries in which a seasonal pattern of preterm birth has been reported and an analysis on the seasonal variability of preterm birth in a London-based cohort.
To test the null hypothesis that, after 28 weeks of gestation, uterine blood flow during supine rest and supine exercise is no different than uterine blood flow at left-lateral rest, RM Jeffreys,a W Stepanchak,a B Lopez,a,b J Hardis,a JF Clapp IIIa,b,c conducted study in pregnant women at Department of Obstetrics, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
A new study “Multicentre, parallel group, randomised, single-blind study of the safety and efficacy of atosiban versus ritodrine in the treatment of acute preterm labour in Korean women” conducted by J-Y Shim,a YW Park,b BH Yoon,c YK Cho,d J-H Yang,e Y Lee,f A Kima, to compare the efficacy and safety of atosiban with those of ritodrine in preterm labour.
DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is received by babies in utero and through breastmilk. It is found in high concentrations in the tissues of the brain and eye. This indicates that DHA helps support the development of your baby?s brain and eyes.