(Press-News.org) SAN FRANCISCO, FEB. 10, 2011 -- Research presented today at the 31st Annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) -- The Pregnancy Meeting™ has found that three proteins known as XIAP, BID, and Bcl-2 are responsible in part for the success of progesterone treatments in the prevention of preterm labor. They may also play an important role in triggering normal labor.
The proteins prevent preterm birth by hindering apoptosis – the normal, orderly death of cells -- in the fetal membranes. Stronger, thicker fetal membranes are less likely to rupture prematurely leading to premature delivery, according to the study led by Errol R. Norwitz, MD, PhD, Ob/Gyn-in-Chief at Tufts Medical Center and chairman of Obstetrics/Gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine.
"Dr. Norwitz's research adds to our basic understanding of what triggers labor, how the fetal membranes rupture and the role progesterone plays," said Alan R. Fleischman, MD, medical director of the March of Dimes.
In the United States, more than half a million babies are born preterm each year. Preterm birth, before 37 weeks of pregnancy, is a serious health problem that costs the United States more than $26 billion annually. It is the leading cause of newborn death, and babies who survive often face the risk of lifetime health challenges. Even infants born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants. The last few weeks of pregnancy are critical to a baby's health because many important organs, including the brain, are not completely developed until then.
Today's award-winning study, "Progesterone Inhibits Basal Apoptosis In Fetal Membranes By Altering Expression Of Both Pro- And Anti-Apoptotic Proteins," is the eighth study by SMFM members to be honored by the March of Dimes for innovative research focused on preventing premature birth. The research was supported in part by a March of Dimes grant. March of Dimes is conducting a national Prematurity Campaign aimed at using research and awareness to reduce the increasing rate of premature birth.
INFORMATION:
The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (est. 1977) is a nonprofit membership group for obstetricians/gynecologists who have additional formal education and training in maternal-fetal medicine. The society is devoted to reducing high-risk pregnancy complications by educating its 2000 members on the latest pregnancy assessment and treatment methods. It serves as an advocate for improving public policy, and expanding research funding and opportunities for maternal-fetal medicine. The group hosts an annual scientific meeting in which new ideas and research in the area of maternal-fetal medicine are unveiled and discussed. For more information, visit www.smfm.org.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies®, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
'The March for Babies is sponsored nationally by the March of Dimes number one corporate supporter Kmart, Farmers Insurance Group, Bayer HealthCare, CIGNA, Famous Footwear, FedEx, Sanofi Pasteur, United Airlines, First Response, and Mission Pharmacal. To join an event near you, visit marchforbabies.org.'
For information contact:
Elizabeth Lynch, 914-997-4286, elynch@marchofdimes.com
Todd Dezen, March of Dimes, 914-997-4608, tdezen@marchofdimes.com
Vicki Bendure at 202-374-9259, Vicki@bendurepr.com.
END
SAN FRANCISCO (February 10, 2011) — In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in San Francisco, researchers will present findings that show that when women administer their own patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) instead of getting a continuous epidural infusion (CEI) they used less analgesic, but reported similar levels of satisfaction.
Women often receive a continuous epidural infusion of analgesic during labor. This can lead to prolonged labor and an increase in assisted vaginal ...
SAN FRANCISCO (February 10, 2011) — In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in San Francisco, researchers will present findings that show that by performing an amniotomy on first time mothers in situations when labor has to be induced, that delivery time can be shortened by more than 10 percent.
There are many reasons that labor may need to be induced after a woman's due date. Today's study looked at whether or not performing an amniotomy early on in the labor process would shorten ...
Governmental agencies in the United Kingdom recently instituted guidelines banning physicians' white coats and the wearing of long-sleeved garments to decrease the transmission of bacteria within hospitals due to the belief that cuffs of long-sleeved shirts carry more bacteria. However, a new study published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine shows that after an eight-hour day, there is no difference in contamination of long- and short-sleeved shirts, or on the skin at the wearers' wrists.
A group of researchers from the University of Colorado, USA, decided to ...
A breakthrough by scientists at Queen's University Belfast could help reduce heart failure in cancer patients around the world, and ultimately increase survival rates.
Scientists at Queen's Centre for Vision and Vascular Science have discovered the role of an enzyme which, when a patient receives chemotherapy, can cause life-threatening damage to the heart. This has, until now, restricted the amount of chemotherapy doses a patient can receive; but while protecting the heart, this dilutes the chemotherapy's effectiveness in destroying cancerous tumours.
By identifying ...
The "glass ceiling" for women administrators in college athletics may be cracked, but is not completely broken, according to a new study co-authored by a North Carolina State University researcher.
Results of the study, which surveyed athletic administrators at universities across the country to determine how, and if, gender roles made a difference in hiring practices, may disappoint those who think double standards for women have been relegated to the past.
Dr. Heidi Grappendorf, assistant professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State, and colleagues ...
Maloof Skateboarding will host the final round of its Maloof High Ollie Challenge on February 14-15 in Las Vegas during MAGIC, the most influential event in the business of fashion. Pro Skaters Torey Pudwill, Corey Duffel, Johnny Layton, Levi Brown, Garrett Hill, Darren Harper and Steve Nesser will compete against 14 skaters who won regional contests at skate shops across the country, the winner of an online video contest, as well as top amateur skaters Luis Tolentino, Anthony Schultz, Kechaud Johnson, Austyn Gillette and Aldrin Garcia. The winner will take home $10,000 ...
The owner of Plagiarisma.Net noticed that most students could copy and paste any text coming from the Google books because they are not included in most of plagiarism tools available in the internet. This theft and copyright violation has been rampant because most software is not able to detect the copied text. "Well, it is high time that we push on adding more script to existing plagiarism checker tools and help students and other writers polish their talents by writing their articles and their thesis in their own words and understanding. We need to raise awareness about ...
A three-month EcoHearth.com investigation has revealed a developing environmental catastrophe that almost no one is paying attention to and which gravely threatens ecosystems worldwide.
There are at minimum 2.5 million abandoned oil and gas wells, none permanently capped, littering the US, and an estimated 20-30 million globally. There is no known technology for securely sealing these tens of millions of abandoned wells. Many--likely hundreds of thousands--are already hemorrhaging oil, brine and greenhouse gases into the environment. Habitats are being fundamentally ...
When the 2011 Hurricane forecast was announced, the people in the gulf states were not too happy. The leading U.S. tarps supplier is trying to lessen the blow with preparedness. The tarps company has increased if poly tarps inventory by 20% and anticipates another re-stock of the high demand poly tarp cover.
The natural disasters that are often associated with unusual weather changes are happening all too often these days. Families are left devastated as they lose their homes and sometimes their entire families to these tragic occurrences. Hurricanes cause oil spills ...
HIPAA Ready LLC announced today that it has been honored as a Top 50 Diversity Owned Business in Colorado by DiversityBusiness.com. This privileged distinction marks the third for the company in recent months following their placement as one of the Top 50 Privately Held Businesses in Denver and Top 500 Asian Owned Businesses in the U.S.
For the past 10 years, DiversityBusiness.com has awarded its Top Diversity Businesses by highlighting top performing privately-held businesses with diverse staff, diverse ownership and progressive annual gross revenue. Shem Isukh, President ...
