The following articles feature news and the latest research about pregnancy, prematurity and loss.
April 23, 2012 - Special brain treatment may help the 750,000 US children and adults suffering from cerebral palsy
Source: Children’s Hospital at John Hopkins Press Release: Nano-devices that Cross Blood-Brain Barrier Open Door to Treatment of Cerebral Palsy, Other Neurologic Disorders
March 26, 2012 – New Analysis Could Give Cues About When to Move Infants from the NICU
Source: Clark, MT; Rusin, CG, et al. (March 2012). Breath-by-breath analysis of cardiorespiratory interaction for quantifying developmental maturity in premature infants. Journal of Applied Physiology. 112(5): 859-867.
March 16, 2012 – Stressed parents may affect preemie behavior later
Sources: Mira Huhtala, M.D., researcher, Turku University Hospital, Finland; Deborah Campbell, M.D., director, division of neonatology, and professor of clinical pediatrics, Montefiore Medical Center, New York City; and Huhtala, M., Korja, R., et al. Parental Psychological Well-Being and Behavioral Outcome of Very Low Birth Weight Infants at 3 Years. Pediatrics. Published online March 12, 2012 (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-2411).
March 6, 2012 – FDA approves Surfaxin to prevent breathing disorder in premature infants
February 23, 2012 – Feeding Device For Newborns With Congenital Heart Defects
Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Big Breakthrough for the Tiniest Hearts, press release via Newswire.com, February 17, 2012.
February 15, 2012 – U-M surgeon uses piece of shoulder blade to save woman’s voice (There are positive implications for preemies who end up with ruined voice boxes after being on a tracheotomy tube too long.)
Source: Chanowski, E. J. P., Haxer, M. J. and Chepeha, D. B. (2012), Microvascular cricoid cartilage reconstruction with the thoracodorsal artery scapular tip autogenous transplant. The Laryngoscope, 122: 282–285. doi: 10.1002/lary.22386
February 10, 2012 – C-Sections May Be Risky for Smaller Preemies And related story: C-sections Linked to Breathing Problems in Preterm Infants
January 9, 2012 – A little sugar and a human touch can ease preemies’ pain
Source: Cignacco, EL, Sellam, G, et al. Oral sucrose and “facilitated tucking” for repeated pain relief in preterms: A randomized controlled trial. [published online ahead of print January 9, 2012]. Pediatrics. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-1879).
January 4, 2012 – Older mothers, fertility treatments driving a big increase in twin births, new CDC report says
Source: Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK. Three Decades of Twin Births in the United States, 1980–2009. NCHS data brief, no 80. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012.
December 14, 2011 – Study shows additional benefits of progesterone in reducing preterm birth risk
Source: Romero, R., et al. Vaginal Progesterone In Women With An Asymptomatic Sonographic Short Cervix In The Midtrimester Decreases Preterm Delivery And Neonatal Morbidity: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Individual Patient Data. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology – 12 December 2011 (10.1016/j.ajog.2011.12.003)
December 13, 2011 – Mothers of Tiny Babies Suffer, Too.
Source: Witt, W., et al. Health-related quality of life of mothers of very low birth weight children at the age of five: results from the newborn lung project statewide cohort study. Quality of Life Research. DOI: 10.1007/s11136-011-0069-3.
December 12, 2011 – Follow-Up Study Finds the Worlds Smallest Surviving Newborns Doing Fine
Source: Arzuaga, BH and Lee, BH. Limits of Human Viability in the United States: A Medicolegal Review. Pediatrics. 128: 1047-1052
December 7, 2011 – Top 10 New Findings in Parenting – 9. Why Women Should Wait Until 39 Weeks to Give Birth
November 16, 2011 - Preterm Infants Learn to Speak Fast If Parents Converse With Them
Source: Caskey, M, et al. Importance of Parent Talk on the Development of Preterm Infant Vocalizations Pediatrics. Vol. 128 No. 5 November 1, 2011 pp. 910-916.
November 7, 2011 – Study Finds Orally-Fed Infants Experience More Instances of Acid Reflux Than Tube-Fed Infants
Source: Jadcherla SR, Chan CY, Moore R, Malkar M, Timan CJ, Valentine CJ. 2011. Impact of feeding Strategies on the Frequency and Clearance of Acid and Nonacid Gastroesophageal Reflux events in dysphagic Neonates. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. October 30, 2011.
November 1, 2011 – Growth and Predictors of Growth Restraint in Moderately Preterm Children Ages 0-4 Years
Source: PEDIATRICS Vol. 128 No. 5. November 1, 2011
pp. e1187 -e1194
October 20, 2011 – Newborn preemies more vocal when parents are near
Source: Melinda C, Stephens, B, Tucker, R, and Vohr, B. (2011)Importance of Parent Talk on the Development of Preterm Infant Vocalizations. Pediatrics, Published online October 17, 2011.
October 18, 2011 – New SIDS Guidelines Say Breastfeeding Lowers Risk
Source: Revised policy from the American Academy of Pediatrics will be published November 2011. Here’s the previous policy
September 28, 2011 – Lung Function of Late Preterm Babies May Improve with Age
Source: European Lung Foundation, news release, September 27, 2011.
The study findings were slated for presentation September 27, 2011 at the European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in Amsterdam.
June 15, 2011 – Insensitive Comments Common for Parents of Premature Infants
May 20, 2011 – Innovative Noninvasive Baby Reflux Monitor
Source: Press Release – Noninvasive Baby Reflux Monitor Among Funded Michigan State University Innovations
May 16, 2011 – A Blood Test to Predict Premature Birth Could Hit the Market Next Year
Source: Esplin MS, Merrell K, Goldenberg R, Lai Y, et al. Proteomic identification of serum peptides predicting subsequent spontaneous preterm birth. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Volume 204, Issue 5 , Pages 391.e1-391.e8, May 2011.
April 26, 2011 – Antibiotics May Benefit Preterm Infant Lung Health
Source: Ballard HO, Shook LA, Bernard P, Anstead MI, Kuhn R, Whitehead V, Grider D, Crawford TN and Hayes D. Use of azithromycin for the prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial. Pediatric Pulmonology 2011. 46(2): 111–118.
April 20, 2011 – Research Shows Progress in Predicting Premature Births
Source: Esplin MS, Graves SW, Merrell K, Goldenberg R, Lai Y, Iams JD, Mercer B, Spong CY, Miodovnik M, Simhan HN, Van Dorsten P, Dombrowski M. Proteomic identification of serum peptides predicting subsequent spontaneous preterm birth. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (In press).
April 19, 2011 – Birth Even A Few Weeks Early May Raise Odds for ADHD
Source: Lindström K, Lindblad F, and Hjern A. Preterm Birth and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Schoolchildren. Pediatrics. Published online: April 18, 2011.
April 6, 2011 – Simple treatment cuts preterm births by 45 percent
Source: Hassan, S., et. al. Vaginal progesterone reduces the rate of preterm birth in women with a sonographic short cervix: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Accepted manuscript online: 6 April 2011.
April 1, 2011 – Pharmaceutical company slashes price of preterm baby drug Makena
March 28, 2011 – Critics slam cost of FDA-approved drug to prevent preterm births
February 17, 2011 – FDA warns against certain uses of asthma drug terbutaline for preterm labor.
February 17, 2011 – Delivery Even a Bit Early May Mean Developmental Delays
Source: Woythaler, MA; McCormick, MC and Smith, VC. Late Preterm Infants Have Worse 24-Month Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Than Term Infants. Pediatrics published online February 14, 2011 (10.1542/peds.2009-3598).
February 14, 2011 – Drug Bests Laser for Preemie Eye Disorder
Mintz-Hittner H, et al. Efficacy of Intravitreal Bevacizumab for Stage 3+ Retinopathy of Prematurity. New England Journal of Medicine. 2011; 364: 603-615.
February 9, 2011 – Study: Surgery in womb helps babies with spina bifida
Source: Adzick, NS et al. A Randomized Trial of Prenatal versus Postnatal Repair of Myelomeningocele. New England Journal of Medicine. February 9, 2011 (10.1056/NEJMoa1014379).
February 4, 2011 – FDA Approves First Drug to Prevent Premature Births
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration – Press Announcement – FDA Approves Drug to Reduce Risk of Preterm Birth in At-Risk Pregnant Women
January 30, 2011 – Report: High Rates of Early Elective Delivery at Some U.S. Hospitals
Source: Newborn Deliveries Are Scheduled Too Early, According to Hospital Watchdog Group – The Leap Frog Group
January 27, 2011 – Bacteria Possible Cause of Preterm Birth
Source: Fichorova, RN; Onderdonk, AB; Yamamoto, H; Delaney, ML; Dubois, AM; Allred, E; and Leviton, A. Maternal Microbe-Specific Modulation of Inflammatory Response in Extremely Low-Gestational-Age Newborns. mBio (American Society for Microbiology), 18 January 2011; vol. 2 no. 1 e00280-10.
January 18, 2011 – Resolving Mother’s Grief After Preterm Birth Key to Premature Infant’s Long-Term Well Being
Source: Shah et al. Maternal Resolution of Grief After Preterm Birth: Implications for Infant Attachment Security. Pediatrics. 17 January 2011. Published online.
January 12, 2011 – Preventing Preterm Birth: Four Questions to Ask Your Doctor
January 10, 2011 – Reading to Newborns in the NICU Boosts Bonding
Source: Lariviere, J; Rennick, JE. Parent Picture-Book Reading to Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as an Intervention Supporting Parent-Infant Interaction and Later Book Reading. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 7 December 2010.
January 10, 2011 – Grant to Fund Development of Adhesive System Tailored to Be Kinder to Neonates’ Delicate Skin
Source: Institute for Pediatric Innovation
December 3, 2010 – Preemie Have Reduced Response to Pneumococcal Vaccine
Source: Moss, SJ. Responses to a Conjugate Pneumococcal Vaccine in Preterm Infants Immunized at 2, 3, and 4 Months of Age. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, November 2010; 17(11) 1810-1816.
November 30, 2010 – Probiotics May Help Kids with Stomach Viruses
Source: Thomas D, Greer F. Clinical report — Probiotics and prebiotics in pediatrics. Pediatrics, 2010; 126: 1217-1231.
November 22, 2010 – Isopropyl Alcohol Soak Insufficient to Protect Against Adenovirus
Source: Rutala, WA, et al. Efficacy of Hospital Germicides against Adenovirus 8, a Common Cause of Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis in Health Care Facilities. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, April 2006; 50(4): 1419-1424.
November 22, 2010 – Babies Born Weeks Early Risk Cognitive, Emotional Problems
Source: Article to appear in December 2010 issue of Pediatrics.
October 29, 2010 – Bed Rest Can Harm, Instead of Help, in Pregnancy Complications, Research Suggests
Source: Maloni, JA. Antepartum bed rest for pregnancy complications: Efficacy and safety for preventing preterm birth. Biological Research For Nursing, 2010; 12 (2): 106
October 6, 2010 – Morning Sickness May Signal Healthier Pregnancy
Source: Chan RL; Olshan AF; Savitz DA; Herring AH; Daniels JL; Peterson HB; Martin SL. Severity and duration of nausea and vomiting symptoms in pregnancy and spontaneous abortion. Human Reproduction. 2010;25 (11): 2907-2912.
October 2, 2010 – Short and Long Sleep in Early Pregnancy Linked to High Blood Pressure in the Third Trimester
Source: Williams MA; Miller RS; Qiu C; Cripe SM; Gelaye B; Enquobahrie D. Associations of early pregnancy sleep duration with trimester-specific blood pressures and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. SLEEP 2010;33(10):1363-1371.
September 14, 2010 – New Metabolic Markers May Predict Preeclampsia in Early Pregnancy
Source: Kenny, LC, et. al. Robust Early Pregnancy Prediction of Later Preeclampsia Using Metabolomic Biomarkers. Hypertension. 2010; 56:741-749
September 8, 2010 – New Model Predicts Complications in Preemies
Source: Suchi, S., et al. Integration of Early Physiological Responses Predicts Later Illness Severity in Preterm Infants. Science Translational Medicine. 8 Sept. 2010, 2(48).
August 24, 2010 – Study Suggests Link Between Diet Sodas, Preterm Delivery.
Source: Halldorssen, et al. Intake of Artificially Sweetened Soft Drinks and Risk of Preterm Delivery: A Prospective Cohort.American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2010, 92: 626-33.
July 27, 2010 – Even Later Preemies Face Respiratory Risks
Source: See original study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Respiratory Morbidity in Late Preterm Births. The Consortium on Safe Labor, 2010, 304(4):419-425.).
June 30, 2010 – Expectant, New Moms Uninformed on Preterm Birth
Source: SPEAKing (Survey on Perceptions, Experiences, Assessment and Knowledge) About Preterm Birth, was conducted March-April 2010 among moms and healthcare providers including obstetricians/gynecologists and maternal fetal medicine specialists, by the March of Dimes and BabyCenter, and sponsored by Ther-Rx Corporation.
May 19, 2010 – New Low Cost Transport Incubator Could Reduce Infant Deaths
February 11, 2010 – Current Research Underway to Prevent Preterm Births
Source: See original article in the New England Journal of Medicine (The Enigma of Spontaneous Premature Birth. Muglia, L.J. and M. Katz. 2010; 362:529-535.).
