Health & Medicine - Friday, March 12, 2010 18:11 - 0 Comments

Pregnancy problems surface after earthquake


Tarapacá,_tras_terremoto_de_2005

By measuring birth outcomes for infants born before, during, and after the 2005 earthquake in Tarapaca, as well as those born within and outside the affected regions, and controlling for maternal and county-level characteristics, the study isolated the effect of exposure to the catastrophe from other determinants of birthweight. Above, a street in Tarapaca following the quake. (Courtesy: Diego Salgado/Flickr)

NYU (US)—Expectant mothers who were exposed to the 2005 Tarapaca earthquake in Chile were more likely to give birth prematurely than those women in the nation’s unaffected regions. Continue…


Health & Medicine - Mar 11, 2010 13:09 - 2 Comments

Old arteries blocked? Just grow new ones

artery

Coronary arteries can become blocked with plaque, leading to a decrease in the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. Severe blockage in multiple major vessels require coronary artery bypass graft surgery. “Successfully growing new arteries could provide a biological option for patients facing bypass surgery,” says Michael Simons. (Courtesy: iStockphoto)

YALE (US)—A new method for growing arteries could lead to a less invasive way to treat coronary artery disease. Continue…

Health & Medicine - Mar 11, 2010 11:29 - 0 Comments

Unexplained leukemias traced to mutation

aml-bone-marrow_1

“Now we’re able to point to a distinct type of mutation for half of the remaining leukemias for which we didn’t know the cause and between one-quarter and one-third of leukemias in older patients,” says senior author Craig Thompson. Above, acute myeloid leukemia bone marrow showing immature leukemia cells. (Credit: Abramson Cancer Center)

U. PENN (US)—A newly found mutation in acute myeloid leukemia patients could account for half of the remaining cases of adult acute leukemia with an unknown origin. Continue…

Health & Medicine - Mar 10, 2010 12:28 - 5 Comments

BPA in plastic permanently alters uterus

bpa

Above, molecular model of bisphenol A (BPA), an organic compound found in plastics and plastic additives. A new study shows that BPA exposure permanently affects sensitivity to estrogen. Hugh Taylor says that exposure to BPA as a fetus is carried throughout adulthood. “What our mothers were exposed to in pregnancy may influence the rest of our lives.

YALE (US)—Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a common component of plastics, causes permanent abnormalities in the uterus of offspring, including alteration in their DNA, new research shows. Continue…

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