preeclampsia
Doha, October 7, 2009 ?Members of Qatar's research and medical community recently gathered at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar to learn more about research conducted by the college's pre-medical and medical students.
Women who survived cancer in childhood or adolescence or women whose male partner is a childhood cancer survivor do not appear to have an increased risk of major complications during pregnancy, having babies with birth defects or infant deaths, according to two reports in the October issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
A National Institutes of Health network study provided the first conclusive evidence that treating pregnant women who have even the mildest form of gestational diabetes can reduce the risk of common birth complications among infants, as well as blood pressure disorders among mothers.
Predicting whether pregnancy complications affect long-term maternal health as well as future pregnancies is at the heart of two studies conducted by researchers in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Complications in early pregnancy or in previous pregnancies can predict the
likelihood of further problems in current or subsequent pregnancies, according to research carried out by an
international group of experts.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., MAY 11, 2009 - Women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half, according to research published this week in the online journal, PLoS Medicine.
April 30, 2009 (SAN DIEGO, Calif.) - Pregnant women with asthma, the most common condition affecting the lungs during pregnancy, should actively manage their asthma in order to optimize the health of mother and the baby, according to new management recommendations published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Diet and nutrition counseling for virtually all overweight and obese women of childbearing age can reduce health risks associated with excess weight for mothers and children alike, according to a newly released position paper from the American Dietetic Association and the American Society of Nutrition.
A substance found in the urine of pregnant women can be measured to predict the later development of preeclampsia, according to research from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. "We may have reached a turning point in the extensive federal research investigation of this frequent, life-threatening complication of pregnancy," said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the NICHD. "This finding sets the stage for the development of a test to screen women for high risk of preeclampsia. Once these women are identified through such a test, we can target studies to find effective ways to prevent its progression or to keep the most dangerous complications from occurring."
Abnormal levels of two molecules found in the blood appear to predict the development of preeclampsia, a life-threatening complication of pregnancy, according to researchers. When compared to women who did not have preeclampsia, women who later developed the condition had elevated blood levels of a substance known as soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1), before their preeclampsia occurred. Conversely, beginning early in their pregnancies, these women had lower levels of a substance known as placental growth factor (PlGF) in the blood than did women who did not develop preeclampsia.
Eclampsia, the occurrence of often fatal seizures during pregnancy, is preceded by a condition called preeclampsia. Preeclampsia itself is a serious complication of pregnancy and affects up to 5% of pregnant women. Diagnosed in its early stages by elevated blood pressure and protein levels in the urine, it is the major cause of premature birth and perinatal child death and accounts for approximately 15% of all maternal deaths. Despite decades of intensive research, we still do not know what causes preeclampsia.
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how an embryo initially attaches to the wall of the uterus?what appears to be one of the earliest steps needed to establish a successful pregnancy. Specifically, the researchers found that 6 days after an egg is fertilized, the embryo uses specialized molecules on its surface and molecules on the surface of the uterus to attach itself to the wall of the uterus.
