Mums-to-be on prescription drugs likely to have kids with congenital defects

November 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Sildenafil, a drug for treating impotence, also perks up cardiac function in kids and young adults with single-ventricle congenital heart disease post Fontan surgery that redirects deoxygenated blood directly to the pulmonary arteries, bypassing the heart. Single-ventricle defects are a collection of cardiac malformations that impair the heart's ability to pump blood.

November 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - College athletes who take performance-enhancing substances are more likely to misuse alcohol and drugs, finds a new study. The study showed that those who used performance enhancers, ranging from steroids to stimulants to weight-loss supplements, were more likely to admit heavy drinking and using drugs like marijuana and cocaine.

November 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Computerised alerts, which compare medication brands, can help curb the impulse to prescribe unnecessarily expensive, heavily marketed drugs, according to a new study. This would help in lowering the cost of healthcare, the study added.

November 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Folic acid supplements taken by mothers in late pregnancy could lead to allergic asthma in their children at the age of 3 to 5 years, according to a study. The study by University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute suggests that the timing of supplementation in pregnancy is important.

November 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has revealed that penicillin and several other antibacterial medications commonly taken by pregnant women are not associated with many birth defects. However, the study also showed that other antibiotics, such as sulfonamides and nitrofurantoins, may be linked to several severe birth defects and require additional scrutiny.

October 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study, conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, has warned that taking medications that reduce or block the actions of folic acid during the first trimester of pregnancy increase the risk that the growing baby will develop abnormalities. For the study, the researchers obtained medication data from pregnant mothers registered at Clalit HMO, Southern District, and drew information from 84,832 babies born at Soroka University Medical Center in Beer-Sheva, Israel.

October 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study done by Israeli scientists has shown that heartburn drugs are safe for the foetus. The study, conducted by researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, has been published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

October 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - People who have survived cancer as a child can now have a sigh of relief, for two new studies have found fewer risks of their childhood disease on their babies. While it is believed that fertility can be compromised by cancer treatment, the studies led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center observed few risks to babies born to parents who underwent cancer treatment in childhood or adolescence.

September 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Kids often cry or scream when they are about to get an injection. Now, experts from Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA have offered certain tips to minimize the pain associated with the needlestick.

September 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Experts at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have gained significant insights into how mitochondrial gene defects impair respiration, and other major life functions. Marni J. Falk and her team carried out this research work using a simple model organism often studied in biology, known as Caenorhabditis elegans.

September 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Expectant mothers exposed to drinking water contaminated with tetrachloroethylene or perchlorethylene (PCE) are likely to give birth to kids with congenital defects, according to a new study. The study found an increased risk of oral clefts and neural tube defects in their children.

September 21st, 2009 Gov't: Single swine flu shot enough for older kidsWASHINGTON — Studies of the new swine flu vaccine show children 10 and older will need just one shot for protection against swine flu — but younger kids will need two. The National Institutes of Health says that protection kicks in for older children within eight to 10 days, just like it does for adults.

September 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a breakthrough study, a cell biologist at The Florida State University has found that the absence of a key molecular player, known as Pds5, could lead to a number of chromosomal birth defects like Down syndrome. For the study, Hong-Guo Yu used yeast genetics and a novel scheme to selectively remove a single protein from the cell division process called meiosis.

September 6th, 2009 CDC chief says swine vaccine for my kids, tooWASHINGTON — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says his kids are going to get the swine flu vaccine when it's available. Dr. Thomas Frieden says health officials have "very high confidence" in the safety of the vaccine.

September 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered the first genetic link that can explain how the heart evolved from being a three-chambered to four-chambered organ. The discovery has shed light on how cold-blooded birds and mammals became warm-blooded.