PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Birth weight affected by warm temperatures during pregnancy

Study conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Harvard

2015-06-09
(Press-News.org) BOSTON... June 9, 2015 - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Harvard University researchers have developed a technique that measures the correlation between air temperature and birth weight. They evaluated the relationship between birth outcomes (focusing on birth weight) and ambient air temperature during pregnancy in Massachusetts between 2000 and 2008.

"We found that exposure to high air temperature during pregnancy increases the risk of lower birth weight and can cause preterm birth," according to Dr. Itai Kloog, a senior lecturer in BGU's Department of Geography and Environmental Development. "An increase of 8.5 °C in the last trimester of average exposure was associated with a 17g decrease in birth weight of babies born full term after adjusting for other potential risk factors."

The paper, "Using Satellite-Based Spatiotemporal Resolved Air Temperature Exposure to Study the Association between Ambient Air Temperature and Birth Outcomes in Massachusetts" was recently published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal.

Together with his colleagues, Dr. Kloog developed a "high resolution air temperature estimation model" to predict daily air temperature by kilometer and address level exposure during various prenatal exposure periods from date of conception through birth for each mother.

"With the increase in temperatures over the last century and continued emissions from greenhouse gases, more attention is being focused on effects from heat," Kloog says.

INFORMATION:

The researchers from Harvard University include, Steven J. Melly, Prof. Brent A. Coull, Dr. Francesco Nordio, and Prof. Joel D. Schwartz.

This study was funded by the Harvard EPA PM Clean Air Research Center (CLARC) (R- 834798), NIEHS ES000002, and the following R21 climate grants ES020695 and AG040027.

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision, creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. With some 20,000 students on campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel's southern desert, BGU is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement, committed to sustainable development of the Negev. AABGU is headquartered in Manhattan and has nine regional offices throughout the United States, including Boston. For more information, e-mail newengland@aabgu.org, call 800-962-2248, or visit http://www.aabgu.org END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New species of leafminer on grapevine in Western Cape came from wild grapes

New species of leafminer on grapevine in Western Cape came from wild grapes
2015-06-09
Since 2011 an unknown leafmining moth was observed in table grape orchards and often in large numbers in the Paarl region of the Western Cape (South Africa). Although the effect of the leafmines on the grape vine itself appears to be limited, collateral damage may be more serious, especially when larvae descend from the vine canopy to form a dense curtain of suspended larvae. A new study published in ZooKeys looks into the morphology and biology of the potential pest. Although the leafminer had been seen before in South Africa, it proved impossible to find its name. Entomologist ...

Nearby 'dwarf' galaxy is home to luminous star cluster

2015-06-09
A team of Tel Aviv University and UCLA astronomers have discovered a remarkable cluster of more than a million young stars are forming in a hot, dusty cloud of molecular gases in a tiny galaxy very near our own. The star cluster is buried within a massive gas cloud dubbed "Cloud D" in the NGC 5253 dwarf galaxy, and, although it's a billion times brighter than our sun, is barely visible, hidden by its own hot gases and dust. The star cluster contains more than 7,000 massive "O" stars: the most brilliant stars extant, each a million times more luminous than our sun. "Cloud ...

Molescope to be unveiled at World Dermatology Conference in Vancouver

2015-06-09
Simon Fraser University PhD graduate Maryam Sadeghi will unveil MoleScope™, an innovative hand-held tool that uses a smartphone to monitor skin for signs of cancer, at the World Congress of Dermatology conference in Vancouver June 9-13. Sadeghi has spent three years transitioning from academic research to her start-up venture, MetaOptima Technology Inc. MoleScope™, the company's inaugural product, which enables people to monitor their moles and skin health, share images with family and healthcare providers and eventually, connect skin specialists with people ...

MIPT physicists develop ultrasensitive nanomechanical biosensor

MIPT physicists develop ultrasensitive nanomechanical biosensor
2015-06-09
Two young researchers working at the MIPT Laboratory of Nanooptics and Plasmonics, Dmitry Fedyanin and Yury Stebunov, have developed an ultracompact highly sensitive nanomechanical sensor for analyzing the chemical composition of substances and detecting biological objects, such as viral disease markers, which appear when the immune system responds to incurable or hard-to-cure diseases, including HIV, hepatitis, herpes, and many others. The sensor will enable doctors to identify tumor markers, whose presence in the body signals the emergence and growth of cancerous tumors. The ...

A step towards a type 1 diabetes vaccine by using nanotherapy

2015-06-09
Two years ago, the Immunology of Diabetes Research Group at the Germans Trias Research Institute (at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona - Campus of International Excellence Sphere) reported a new experimental immunotherapy that prevented the onset of Type 1 Diabetes in mice predisposed to the disease. This work led to more studies with the support of the Spanish Government, Catalan Government and private patrons with a keen interest in it. Thanks to this, the article published today in PLOS ONE describes a new step towards the creation of a vaccine, which in the medium-term ...

Current BMI tests underestimate obesity in teens with disabilities

2015-06-09
June 9, 2015 - New approaches, based on body mass index (BMI) or other simple measures, are needed to improve assessment of obesity in adolescents with physical disabilities, reports a paper in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer. Obesity is a major problem in children and adolescents with mobility limitations, but standard assessments tend to underestimate it, according to the new research by Brooks C. Wingo, PhD, of University of Alabama ...

Small molecules change biological clock rhythm

Small molecules change biological clock rhythm
2015-06-09
Nagoya, Japan - A team of chemists and biologists at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM), Nagoya University have succeeded in finding new molecules that change the circadian rhythm in mammals by applying synthetic chemistry methods, which makes use of highly selective metal catalysts. Most living organisms have a biological clock with an approximately 24-hour circadian rhythm, which regulates important body functions such as sleep/wake cycles, hormone secretion, and metabolism. Disruption of the circadian rhythm by genetic mutations and environmental ...

Been there? Done that? If you are sure, thank your 'memory cells'

2015-06-09
LOS ANGELES (JUNE 8, 2015) - The witness on the stand says he saw the accused at the scene of the crime. Is he sure? How sure? The jury's verdict could hinge on that level of certainty. Many decisions we make every day are influenced by our memories and the confidence we have in them. But very little is known about how we decide whether we can trust a memory or not. A new Cedars-Sinai study provides some of the answers. Researchers have identified a unique set of neurons in the medial temporal lobe, an area of the brain where memories and memory-based decisions are ...

Largest-ever scientific camera trapping survey reveals 'secret lives of the Serengeti'

2015-06-09
The use of camera traps -- remote automatic cameras triggered by heat or motion -- has revolutionized wildlife ecology and conservation research. But the large number of images generated through the traps creates the problem of categorizing and analyzing all the images. For a recent project conducted in the Serengeti National Park, Alexandra Swanson, turned to another relatively new technology -- a citizen science platform. The Snapshot Serengeti project asked non-scientist volunteers to review 1.2 million sets of images. A description of the project, 'Snapshot Serengeti, ...

Clinicians reluctant to prescribe medication that counteracts effects of opioid overdose

2015-06-09
A variety of factors including questions about risk and reluctance to offend patients limits clinician willingness to prescribe a potentially life-saving medication that counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose, according to a Kaiser Permanente Colorado study published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The number of fatal overdoses from opioid medications has quadrupled in the U.S. since 1999. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each day 44 people die of prescription painkiller overdoses. In the event of an overdose, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New study reveals hidden manic symptoms in one-fourth of schizophrenia patients

Does the universe behave the same way everywhere? Gravitational lenses could help us find out

Majority support moderation on social media platforms

Majority support moderation on social media platforms, global survey shows

Born too late? Climate change may be delaying births

Truly autonomous AI is on the horizon

California’s marine protected areas boost fish populations across the state

Poachers’ social media posts reveal alarming extent of illegal wildlife hunting in Lebanon

Examining the potential environmental effects of mining the world’s largest lithium deposit

Chicken ‘woody breast’ detection improved with advanced machine learning model

Around 1 in 5 UK medical students considers dropping out, study suggests

Poor childhood social and cognitive skills combo linked to teens’ poor exam results

Position menstrual cups carefully to avoid possible kidney problems, doctors urge

Yale scientists recode the genome for programmable synthetic proteins

MiR-128-3p mediates MRP2 internalization in estrogen-induced cholestasis through targeting PDZK1

Bleeding risk with apixaban and dabigatran similar to aspirin

MD Anderson Research Highlights for February 10, 2025

Ready (or not) for love? Your friends likely agree

Health care students and clinicians support integrated care education

Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution identify heat-resistant kelp strain

Rice-BCM research enables detection of hazardous chemicals in human placenta with unprecedented speed and precision

Researchers are driving the charge of zero emissions

USC-led study finds potential new drug target for Alzheimer’s disease

Why you need to subscribe to NFCR’s new podcast, “All Things Cancer”

Research pinpoints weakness in lung cancer’s defenses

New study highlights healthcare utilization shifts among Long COVID patients in Colorado after diagnosis

Majority of kids who die in mass shootings killed by family members, Stanford Medicine-led study shows

How perception may shape health safety-related assessments

Potential new strategy for relieving anxiety

Scientists develop corrosion-induced electrodes for biomass upgrading

[Press-News.org] Birth weight affected by warm temperatures during pregnancy
Study conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Harvard