Add folic acid to flour to prevent spina bifida, says BPAS
Britain’s biggest abortion provider is urging the government to fortify flour with folic acid to cut the number of babies developing defects, such as spina bifida. (Source: Nursing Times Breaking News)
Source: Nursing Times Breaking News - March 19, 2014 Category: Nursing Source Type: news
UK abortion charity urges that ministers act to reduce avoidable birth defects
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) is urging the UK's health ministers to implement recommendations to fortify flour with the vitamin folic acid to reduce cases of neural tube defects (NTDs) like spina bifida and anencephaly in pregnancy. There are an estimated 1,000 cases of these conditions diagnosed every year in the UK, not including miscarriages. Most of these diagnoses result in the difficult decision to end a much wanted pregnancy.Spina bifida causes lifelong disability while anencephaly, where the baby's skull and brain do not form properly, is always fatal. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - March 19, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy / Obstetrics Source Type: news
Noah Wall, baby born with spina bifida and fluid on brain reaches second birthday
Noah Wall, two, from Cumbria, has spina bifida, rare chromosome abnormalities and fluid on the brain but he has amazed doctors by making his second birthday. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - March 17, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
'Our unborn baby was so ill we bought him a coffin': Noah defies the odds to reach his second birthday despite being born with just a tiny amount of healthy brain
Noah Wall, two, from Cumbria, has spina bifida, rare chromosome abnormalities and fluid on the brain but he has amazed doctors by making his second birthday. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - March 17, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Fears pregnant women are ignoring folic acid advice
Conclusion
This was a large cross-sectional study of women who had antenatal screening for Down’s syndrome and neural tube defects in the UK.
It found that the proportion of women taking folic acid supplements is declining, with just a third of women reporting folic acid supplementation before pregnancy.
Young women are less likely to take folic acid than older women, and non-Caucasian women are less likely to take folic acid than Caucasian women.
The researchers are concerned that these differences represent health inequalities (differences in health experienced by certain population groups).
The researchers have ...
Source: NHS News Feed - February 20, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Pregnancy/child Source Type: news
Folic acid taken by less than third of women planning pregnancy
Proportion heeding guidelines on B vitamin pre-pregnancy supplements falls despite advice on spina bifida riskWomen are ignoring expert advice to take folic acid supplements before pregnancy to protect their unborn children, a study has shown.Researchers who questioned nearly 500,000 women attending antenatal clinics in England and the Isle of Man found that fewer than one in three took folic acid prior to becoming pregnant.These omissions were despite strong evidence showing that most cases of spina bifida and other birth defects affecting the brain, spine or spinal cord, can be prevented by boosting levels of folate – ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 19, 2014 Category: Science Tags: Nutrition theguardian.com Pharmaceuticals industry News Health Midwifery Pregnancy & wellbeing UK news Food science Bread Queen Mary, University of London Source Type: news
Zebrafish neurons may lead to understanding of birth defects like spina bifida
Using zebrafish, scientists can determine how individual neurons develop, mature and support basic functions like breathing, swallowing and jaw movement. Researchers say that learning about neuronal development and maturation in zebrafish could lead to a better understanding of birth defects such as spina bifida in humans. The zebrafish, a tropical freshwater fish similar to a minnow and native to the southeastern Himalayan region, is well established as a key tool for researchers studying human diseases, including brain disorders. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - February 19, 2014 Category: Science Source Type: news
Research of zebrafish neurons may lead to understanding of birth defects like spina bifida
(University of Missouri-Columbia) Using zebrafish, scientists can determine how individual neurons develop, mature and support basic functions like breathing, swallowing and jaw movement. Researchers at the University of Missouri say that learning about neuronal development and maturation in zebrafish could lead to a better understanding of birth defects such as spina bifida in humans. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - February 18, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Vitamin pills have 'limited benefit', say researchers
Conclusion
Overall, the two randomised controlled trials provide evidence that there is little to no benefit from vitamin supplementation for reducing cardiovascular events in people who have previously experienced a heart attack. Nor that taking high-dose daily vitamins leads to cognitive benefits in a group of older men. These findings are in particular groups, so they may not be generalisable to other groups.
The large, good quality review provides limited evidence of a benefit from vitamin and mineral supplementation to prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer. However, it is important to note that it only looked at pe...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 17, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news
2014 Scholarships for Persons with Spina Bifida, Spinal Cord Injury, Transverse Myelitis
Applications for the 2014 Scholarship Program will be accepted from January 1, 2014 to June 1, 2014. (Source: Disabled World)
Source: Disabled World - December 17, 2013 Category: Disability Tags: Scholarships Source Type: news
What Causes Muscle Weakness?
Discussion
Muscle tone is the slight tension that is felt in a muscle when it is voluntarily relaxed. It can be assessed by asking the patient to relax and then taking the muscles through a range of motion such as moving the wrists, forearm and upper arm. Muscle strength is the muscle’s force against active resistance. Impaired strength is called weakness or paresis. There are 5 levels of muscle strength.
0 = No muscle contraction detected
1 = Barely detected flicker of contraction
2 = Active movement with gravity eliminated
3 = Active movement against gravity
4 = Active movement against gravity and some resistance
...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - December 9, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
Arthur Verney obituary
Deaf and disabled people's rights campaigner who promoted the cause of British Sign LanguageIn 1980, Arthur Verney, who has died aged 70 from complications following surgery, became general secretary of the British Deaf Association (BDA). At that time it was a predominantly social and welfare charity run mostly by hearing people. Arthur was in large part responsible for transforming it into a modern campaigning organisation led by deaf people, and went on to champion the rights of deaf and disabled people across Europe.When Arthur arrived at the BDA, there was a feeling in the membership that it needed to change, and in 19...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - November 18, 2013 Category: Science Authors: David Brien Tags: theguardian.com Obituaries European Union Deafness and hearing impairment Language Disability Languages Social work Society Source Type: news
Wheelchair Racer Could Be First to Win 3 Major Marathons in a Season
Tatyana McFadden, a wheelchair racer, is aiming to win the Chicago Marathon, which would make her the first person to capture three major events in a season. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - October 11, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: By BEN STRAUSS Tags: Chicago Marathon McFadden, Tatyana Paralympic Games Spina Bifida Marathon Running Disabilities Source Type: news
Folic acid deficiencies associated with spina bifida, heart defects and placental abnormalities persist through multiple generations
Folic acid deficiency can cause severe health problems in offspring, including spina bifida, heart defects and placental abnormalities. A study out today reveals that a mutation in a gene necessary for the metabolism of folic acid not only impacts the immediate offspring but can also have detrimental health effects on the next several generations. The new research, which also sheds light on the molecular mechanism of folic acid (also known as folate) during development, was published in the journal Cell... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - September 30, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy / Obstetrics Source Type: news
Folic acid deficiency has multigenerational effects
(University of Calgary) Researchers from the universities of Calgary and Cambridge, UK, have discovered that a mutation in a gene necessary for the metabolism of folic acid not only impacts immediate offspring but can also have detrimental health effects, such as spina bifida and heart abnormalities, on subsequent generations. The animal study, published this week in the journal Cell, also sheds light on the molecular mechanism of folic acid (also known as folate) during development. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - September 27, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
