Link between stress in pregnancy and ADHD unfounded
Conclusion
Despite the media headlines and scaremongering, ADHD is never mentioned in the study.
The researchers cite animal studies which suggest increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol may speed up development before birth. They say this may prevent proper maturation of the organs and so could cause any "mental or physical illness" occurring later in life, such as ADHD.
However, for ethical reasons, the levels of stress hormones in the amniotic fluid were only measured once in this study. This means we are unable to tell whether they changed during periods of maternal stress or during the pregnancy.
Tho...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 31, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Mental health Source Type: news
Mom's Postpartum Body Serves As Painful Reminder Of Pregnancy Loss
Struggling with body image after pregnancy is not unusual. What makes Jessica McCoy’s story unique is that she is struggling with postpartum body image after a pregnancy loss, meaning that each stretch mark or extra pound is a reminder of the baby who isn’t there.
The 27-year-old mother posted about the painful experience on Instagram, along with a photo of herself wearing jeans and a bra. The emotional caption describes the feeling of looking at her uncovered body in the mirror since her loss.
“Every day I get clothes on and they’re tight,” she wrote. “And every day I&rs...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - March 13, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
What Precautions Should A Childcare Center Take For A Child with Hepatitis C Infection?
Discussion
It is estimated that 180 million people worldwide are infected with Hepatitis C (HCV) which includes ~11 million children. In the United States it is estimated that there were 30,500 acute HCV cases in 2014, and 2.7-3.9 million people with chronic HCV. Many infections are not identified. It is estimated that “…only 5-15% of HCV-infected children in the United States are identified.”
Problems associated with HCV include acute hepatitis (including fever, malaise, dark-urine, abdominal pain, jaundice, appetite loss, nausea, emesis, clay-colored stools), acute fulminant hepatitis (not common in ch...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - January 9, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
OB-GYNs: Stick with CDC Zika Guidelines
(MedPage Today) -- Special SMFM session clarifies role of serial ultrasound, amniocentesis (Source: MedPage Today Infectious Disease)
Source: MedPage Today Infectious Disease - December 30, 2016 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
What Ohio's 20-Week Abortion Ban Law Will Really Mean For Women
Ohio just became the 18th state to pass an arbitrary ban on abortions after 20 weeks.
The new law, which Gov. John Kasich (R) signed Tuesday, outlaws an extremely rare procedure. Only about 1 percent of all abortions take place after 20 weeks, and most are the result of doctors finding birth defects that were undetectable in earlier screenings.
The ban will push women to travel out of state if they discover a serious defect during a second trimester ultrasound, adding another layer of logistical and financial difficulty to an already complicated termination procedure, says Dr. Jennifer K. Hsia, a clini...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - December 15, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
What Ohio's 20-Week Abortion Ban Law Will Really Mean For Women
Ohio just became the 18th state to pass an arbitrary ban on abortions after 20 weeks.
The new law, which Gov. John Kasich (R) signed Tuesday, outlaws an extremely rare procedure. Only about 1 percent of all abortions take place after 20 weeks, and most are the result of doctors finding birth defects that were undetectable in earlier screenings.
The ban will push women to travel out of state if they discover a serious defect during a second trimester ultrasound, adding another layer of logistical and financial difficulty to an already complicated termination procedure, says Dr. Jennifer K. Hsia, a clini...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - December 15, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news
Second opinion gives unborn baby second chance
Seven-month-old Charlotte Bent is hitting all of her developmental milestones — smiling, laughing, playing peek-a-boo, bearing weight on her legs. Her parents, Jennifer and Keith, are overjoyed.
“It’s a complete 180-degree turn from where we thought we would be this time last year,” says Jennifer.
After struggling to conceive their second child, the couple was thrilled when Jennifer became pregnant. The results of genetic testing were normal and confirmed they would be welcoming a daughter in April.
Jennifer felt the baby’s first kicks on Nov. 23, 2015.
The next day, she was scheduled for an anatomy scan. “At f...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - November 29, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Advanced Fetal Care Center bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria Dr. Benjamin Warf Dr. Christopher Elitt Second opinion ventriculomegaly Source Type: news
Cell-Free Fetal DNA Test Cost-effective as a Prenatal Screen Cell-Free Fetal DNA Test Cost-effective as a Prenatal Screen
A noninvasive prenatal test that examines cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma can help rule out common aneuploidies, such as Down syndrome, and reduce costs and risks related to amniocentesis.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - November 2, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pathology & Lab Medicine News Source Type: news
Precision medicine: What to know about cell-free DNA screening
With more women seeking tests for common chromosome conditions in pregnancy, many are now opting for newly developed non-invasive cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening. But like all screening tests, it has limitations and isn ’t appropriate for all patients. Find out how cfDNA works and which of your patients may benefit from the screening.
Anew continuing medical education (CME) module, developed by AMA in partnership with Scripps Translational Science Institute and The Jackson Laboratory, is helping physicians understand what the test detects, which patients benefit most from it, what to consider when ordering the test and ...
Source: AMA Wire - August 31, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Evidence of link between Zika virus and birth defect 'boosted'
ConclusionThis was a case study of two women in Brazil who had clinical symptoms of the Zika virus during pregnancy. Their babies were later diagnosed with microcephaly while still in the womb after ultrasound examination. Researchers aimed to detect the Zika virus in amniotic fluid and conduct DNA analysis to ascertain the geographic origin of the virus. Since 2015, Brazil has seen 4,783 cases of microcephaly in newborn babies, 20 times higher than in previous years. Microcephaly is associated with a number of causes, including: genetic disorders alcohol and drug use maternal malnutrition transmission ...
Source: NHS News Feed - February 18, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Pregnancy/child Neurology Source Type: news
OB-GYNS: Stick with CDC Zika Guidelines
(MedPage Today) -- Special SMFM session clarifies role of serial ultrasound, amniocentesis (Source: MedPage Today Infectious Disease)
Source: MedPage Today Infectious Disease - February 6, 2016 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Study may show a way to predict whether children with a genetic disorder will develop autism or psychosis
Doctors and researchers have long known that children who are missing about 60 genes on a certain chromosome are at a significantly elevated risk for developing either a disorder on the autism spectrum or psychosis — that is, any mental disorder characterized by delusions and hallucinations, including schizophrenia. But there has been no way to predict which child with the abnormality might be at risk for which disorder.
New findings by researchers at UCLA and the University of Pittsburgh are the first to suggest a potential way to make that determination. In a study published in PLOS One, the researchers report having i...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - July 24, 2015 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news
Will Even a Cholesterol Test Help Identify Cancer?
Image via Shutterstock By Meredith Salisbury Early detection is one of the most effective ways to beat cancer. That's why some recent studies, in which scientists detected it in people long before symptoms began, have cancer researchers so excited. The coolest part? These scientists weren't even looking for signs of cancer. DNA-based detection tools have gotten sensitive enough that it now appears possible to identify precancerous cells. For years, people thought cancer was like a toggle switch: a good cell goes bad, and flip! Cancer. If that cell divides rapidly enough, and successfully evades the immune system, it gro...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - July 20, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
New Down's syndrome blood test 'would cut miscarriage risk'
Experts believe a new non-invasive Down's syndrome test which could soon be available on the NHS would radically change pregnancy screening (Source: Telegraph Health)
Source: Telegraph Health - June 6, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: test scan pregnancy baby pregnant chromosome ultrasound amniocentesis Down's syndrome Source Type: news
New Down’s syndrome test more accurate than current screening
Conclusion
This large study has shown that the new cfDNA test is better than current standard screening at detecting three trisomy conditions during pregnancy. The confidence in accurately identifying affected pregnancies was strongest for Down’s syndrome. There were much wider confidence intervals for the other two conditions.
The cfDNA test was not 100% accurate, as there were false positive results for each condition, though much fewer than with standard screening.
Around 3% of the cfDNA tests did not produce a result. Careful consideration and further research may be needed to decide the best approach in these cases...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 2, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Medical practice Pregnancy/child Source Type: news
