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Twins, triplets have greater chance of birth defects

Twins, triplets and other multiples have a nearly 50 percent greater chance of being born with birth defects, and boys tend to be more at risk than girls, according to two population-based studies conducted at the University of Florida.

5 Dec 2005

HRAS mutation analysis in Costello Syndrome

Gene mutations in the HRAS sequence are present in most patients affected with Costello syndrome, according to a new study in the American Journal of Medical Genetics. The mutations occurred de novo in patients, meaning, they were not observed in their parents' genes.

5 Dec 2005

Overproduction of food in rich countries is fuelling health problems worldwide

The dairy sector in the European Union is an example of how agriculture subsidies can lead to negative health effects in Europe as well as in developing countries.

2 Dec 2005

Significant relationships between household endotoxin and diagnosed asthma

Exposure to household endotoxin levels poses a significant risk for asthma, according to the first nationwide sampling of house dust.

2 Dec 2005

Disruption of normal gene interaction linked to schizophrenia

Disruption of the normal interaction between the genes PRODH and COMT contributes directly to major symptoms of schizophrenia by upsetting the balance of the brain chemicals glutamate and dopamine, according to a group of investigators that includes a scientist now at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

2 Dec 2005

Childcare helps reduce stress levels for mums and children

Low job satisfaction in working mothers increases the stress levels of their children, but spending longer in childcare can help overcome these effects, new research has shown.

2 Dec 2005

Risk of severe asthma episodes predicted from fluctuation analysis of airway function

A startling new study published in the science journal Nature this week (Nature Vol 438, issue 7068, pp 667-670) reveals that inhalers used by asthmatics for symptomatic relief of their condition might actually increase the likelihood of an acute attack.

30 Nov 2005

Bacterial DNA and IVF contamination risk on New Scientist

Some children conceived by a common method of IVF could be carrying chunks of bacterial DNA in their chromosomes, according to a study in mice. The researchers who conducted the work say that such accidental genetic modification would be very rare, but they argue that fertility doctors should take more precautions to exclude it.

30 Nov 2005

Evolution explains age of puberty

Children aged 10 and 11 are sexually mature, and neither they nor society are suitably prepared for the implications of that.

30 Nov 2005

Go-cart injuries in children - bad!

Researchers have used diagnostic images to conduct a study of go-cart injuries in children and the results are concerning, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Nov 2005

Door knock HIV tests to deal with AIDS in Lesotho

Lesotho, the tiny African kingdom is about to launch its own campaign to mark World AIDS Day.

29 Nov 2005

Breastfeeding may protect children against gluten intolerance

Breastfeeding may protect children against gluten intolerance otherwise known as coeliac disease, suggests research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

28 Nov 2005

Depression treatment in children - poor data

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared in 2004 that certain antidepressants are linked to an increased risk of suicide in adolescents, there was surprisingly little data about how depression was being treated in young patients.

28 Nov 2005

Eat your way to a better brain for your baby

A team of British scientists at Manchester and Lancaster Universities has turned established thinking on its head in a bid to understand the serious and often deadly condition, hydrocephalus, commonly known as 'water on the brain'.

From The University of Manchester 28 Nov 2005

Zinc supplements shown to be good for children with HIV

According to new research zinc supplements are a safe and effective way to reduce illness in children with HIV.

28 Nov 2005

How is HIV transmitted from mother to child?

Without intervention, between 25% and 35% of the children born to HIV-positive mothers will themselves be infected.

28 Nov 2005

Study links low level of response (LR) to alcohol to an area on chromosome 10

How a person "feels" the effects of alcohol is, in part, genetically influenced and relates to their risk for developing alcoholism.

28 Nov 2005

New findings in patients with pediatric kidney failure

Two studies just released by physicians at Texas Children's Hospital are addressing new findings in patients with pediatric kidney failure, and on the growing prevalence of high blood pressure in children.

28 Nov 2005

Left ventricular assistant devices extend lives of patients too sick for transplant

Pumps implanted into the chest to maintain circulation can significantly extend the lives of the sickest patients in end-stage heart failure who are not candidates for heart transplantation, according to the results of a clinical trial led by Duke University Medical Center cardiologists.

28 Nov 2005