September/October 2004 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
...f hospital admission and other life events, like a birth or death in the family. The study further found th...ding contact as well: 81 percent in the case of a birth within the family and 90 percent in the case of a death in the family. Qualitative interviews with p...Children's Hospital Boston wins $2.5 million in health surveillance grants
...c and adolescent health services for patients from birth through age 21. In addition to 325 inpatient beds and comprehensive outpatient programs, it houses the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center. More than 500 scientists, including eight members of the National Academy ...Why do African-American women have more pregnancy problems?
...as the leader's role in managing the racial gap in birth outcomes. Providers, including obstetricians, nurses, midwives and social workers, come into contact with pregnant patients regularly. Are these providers injecting personal bias or stereotypes onto their patients that ultimately affect care? Are th...Touching research: How white blood cells navigate
....D., of the University of Pennsylvania. Since its birth in 2000, Biomedical Engineering has become the fastest-growing department at the University, with 12 faculty members, thanks largely to significant funding from the Whitaker Foundation. Nearly 150 undergraduate students have majored in biomedical eng...The CF Foundation urges all states to include newborn screening for cystic fibrosis in test panels
...eening for CF. People with CF who are diagnosed at birth gain more weight and have better nutrition than those who are diagnosed later in life. Better nutrition and weight gain in children with CF has been linked to a slower decline in respiratory function, the primary cause of death in CF. Advances in CF...Study confirms link between head and neck cancer and common Asian nut
...atient age, calendar year at diagnosis and patient birth cohort on the incidence trend of a specific diseas... were plotted by calendar year at diagnosis and by birth cohort. Data revealed that for head and neck cancers, the relative risk for men who we...Delay in cutting the cord helps premature babies
Waiting 30 seconds to two minutes after birth to cut the umbilical cord of a premature baby appears to lessen chances of bleeding in the newborn's brain and reduce the need for transfusions, according to a new review of research. Standard practice for preterm babies is to cut the cord as soon a...Hormone therapy's effect on breast density is not the same for all women, Group Health study finds
...aving one or more children, and being older at the birth of a first child. This association was strongest among current users of estrogen plus progestin (vs. estrogen only). "Recent research on hormone therapy has raised lots of questions about how these drugs affect breast density and the sensitivity o...Other highlights in the October 20 JNCI
...oblastic Leukemia A new study has found that high birth weight is associated with an increased risk of chi...their siblings. They found an association between birth weight and risk of ALL overall, as well as with B-cell and T-cell types of ALL. However, children wi...Expert panel offers prelimary report on health effects of assisted reproductive technologies
...on at 215-418-2161. Twenty-five years after the birth of the first baby conceived through in vitro ferti... neonatal outcomes, including premature birth, low birth weight and perinatal mortality, the panel considered a recent systematic review and metanalysis. ...Study in Royal Society journal on how relationship status influences sex ratios
...s Partnership status and the human sex ratio at birth by Dr K Norberg Could the sex of a child be influenced by the status of the parents' relationship at the time of conception? In a sample of 86,436 births in the United States, I find a small excess of sons among births to parents who were married...Gene for Joubert syndrom with excessive brain folds discovered by UCSD researchers and Harvard team
...rm of Joubert Syndrome, a condition present before birth that affects an area of the brain controlling balance and coordination in about 1 in 10,000 individuals. Their study, published in the November 2004 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics*, pointed to mutations in a gene called AHI1 that le...International human genome sequencing consortium describes finished human genome sequence
...nomena such as duplication of DNA segments and the birth and death of genes. Segmental duplications are la...so given scientists some initial insights into the birth and death of genes in the human genome. Scientists have identified more than 1,000 new genes that ar...Academics find that the finger of destiny points their way
...h) fingers. The ratio of the lengths is set before birth and remains the same throughout life. The length of fingers is genetically linked to the sex hormones, and a person with an index finger shorter than the ring finger will have had more testosterone while in the womb, and a person with an index finge...NIH funds rare childhood disease to provide insights into the origins of adult cancer
...ith an increased risk of cancer and a high rate of birth defects. The five-year grant from the NIH's Nati...about 50 percent of DBA patients have at least one birth defect and that there is an increased risk for cancer later in life. "While Diamond Blackfan anemi...UCSD biologists discover chemical important in guiding visual system development
...overy could also lead to a better understanding of birth defects in children born to mothers taking epileps...p the wiring in people who have been blinded since birth but then have some sort of surgery--like cataract removals--that gives them sight for the first time...Researchers discover transport molecule that allows boron into cells
... the effect of boron deficiency is clear. Numerous birth defects occur, including impaired growth and missing or extra limbs. Many animals cannot survive in the complete absence of boron. On the other hand, like many vitamins and minerals, too much is as bad as not enough. High levels of boron are toxic. ...Molecular switch provides clues to remarkable adaptability of human pathogen
...osis (CF), who often become infected shortly after birth and are afflicted with chronic persistent infection throughout their lives. Dr. Stephen Lory and colleagues from the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School demonstrated that a P. aeruginosa gene product, called Re...Grants target better predictors for type 1 diabetes
...l follow individuals with these suspect genes from birth to development of diabetes to see how the 100 genes change. A grant from the NIH's National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases will help the MCG researchers finish analyzing the human genome. "We want to look at everything. Th...Researchers discover molecular timekeeper in bone development
...colleagues studied mice lacking the HDAC4 gene. At birth these animals had misshapen skulls and spines, and as they got older, failed to thrive. Backtracking through the bone-formation process, they discovered that the defect was in the earliest steps, where the cartilage founda...