MommyBlips - Latest Mommy News Articles

Thanksgiving-eating psychology -- with a twist. Oh, and some turkey nutrition

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:06:26 +0000

Thanksgiving's just around the corner -- so here are two Health section stories published in festive seasons of yore that should be just about as helpful now as they were then. In one, freelance writer Ben Harder and I decided to dispense with all that sensible "moderation" advice about taking small portions and eschewing the gravy and pie. Instead, we set out to learn what the science of human eating behavior tells us about conditions that make us prone to gorge or exercise restraint. Things like... the size of your plate. The color of your tablecloth. The tightness of your clothes. And more. Read and enjoy . (We shouldn't have to say this, but we will: These are not necessarily serious suggestions, friends! But they do present an interesting window into eating psychology.) The other is filled with info about turkeys -- nutritional profile of different parts of the bird, how to read a label, what's allowed to be added to turkeys and what isn't. As if you cared much ...

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Swine flu seems to be trailing off -- for now, at least

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:34:34 +0000

The current wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza infections is trailing off a little, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this morning, and other indicators seem to confirm that diagnosis. In particular, the numbers of prescriptions written for antiviral agents are declining, and so are diagnostic tests for the virus. According to the CDC, swine flu activity is widespread in 43 states now, down from 46 last week, but health officials fear a resurgence as people travel around the country for the holidays, carrying their germs with them. During the week ending Nov. 6, prescriptions for the four antiviral drugs used in combating swine flu fell by nearly 15% to 472,415, the lowest number in several weeks, according to Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions of Bridgewater, N.J. The company provides data about prescriptions for the drug to the Food and Drug Administration and independently prepared an analysis for The Times, using a tool called Pharmaceutical Audit Suite. During the ...

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For mild dysplasia and cervical cancer, you can blame HPV

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:48:04 +0000

Mild cellular changes detected by Pap smears don't necessarily lead to cancer, a fact that played a role in the new pullback on cervical cancer screening, but both cell changes and cervical cancer can be traced to human papillomavirus. As today's story noted: "Human papillomavirus, or HPV, which causes cervical cancer and infects half of all young women within a few years of sexual activity's start, also causes cell changes called dysplasia. Those abnormal cells are typically removed before they become cancerous. But such treatment may not be necessary." Here's an overview of cervical dysplasia from the Women's Health Channel. It notes that up to 70% of mild cases resolve on their own. The likelihood of progression depends on the amount of dysplasia. Here's what the site says about the stages . And here are some questions and answers about human papillomaviruses, which have also been linked to cancers of the anus, penis, vulva and vagina -- and to genital warts. ...

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Molars, incisors and canines -- oh, my!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:25:18 +0000

Concerned about the strength of teeth-whitening chemicals and by the growing number of non-dental venues through which they’re being sold, the American Dental Assn. today asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to evaluate the compounds for safety and classify them. Currently, teeth whiteners, which commonly use hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide as the active ingredient, are neither drug nor cosmetic device nor medical device, according to the dental association. The ADA wants the FDA to put the chemicals in a category and evaluate them for safety. Depending on the outcome of that evaluation, the whitening compounds could be available on an unrestricted, over-the-counter basis or, if determined to be at the upper end of risky, could be restricted to prescription-only availability. “Without appropriate regulation, the application of chemically-based tooth whitening/bleaching agents may result in harm to both hard and soft tissues in the mouth,” the ADA said in a letter to FDA ...

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Age may have its advantages in endurance sports

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:31:15 +0000

Endurance sports such as ultra-marathons, ultra-triathlons and cycling marathons have exploded in popularity over the years. Among them is the grandaddy of the genre, the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, which began in 1974 and meanders through the Western States Trail in Northern California. A new study looked at how the race has grown, and finds some interesting trends among the runners -- mostly that they've gotten older and faster. Researchers from the Department of Veterans Affairs' Northern California Health Care System and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond analyzed details of the thousands of people who have competed in the race from 1974 through 2007. About 3,459 runners have finished the race since its inception, but the profiles of those men and women have changed. Many more women, for example, are competing: from 1986 to 1988, women made up 10% to 12% of the field, but since 2001 that has almost doubled to 20% to 22% of all runners. Competitors are older ...

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Nap Time for Baby

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:23:21 +0000

Follow our advice to make naps a snap

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Parent training boosts medication effect for autism

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:50:48 +0000

Life with a child who has a pervasive developmental disorder such as autism or Asperger's syndrome is often a storm of tantrums, irritability, impulsive behavior and obstinacy — a challenge that has child psychiatrists casting about for ways to help the stressed-out families of their patients, as well as the patients themselves. The antipsychotic medication risperidone is approved for those with autism to reduce irritability, and many other medications are widely used to rein in the defiance and explosive behavior that often come with a PDD diagnosis. But a group of researchers, spurred by the National Institute of Mental Health, set out to see if parent training could help children already on medication to further temper their negative behaviors, and bring an added measure of peace to their families. Compared with kids on medication alone, the behavior of children whose parents got a battery of ...

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Our First Month

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:17:46 +0000

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Swine flu declined slightly last week, but watch out for Thanksgiving, CDC says

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:02:03 +0000

Pandemic H1N1 influenza activity declined slightly last week, with only 43 states reporting widespread activity, compared with 46 states the week before, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this morning. Even though levels have declined, however, they are still "higher than peak activity in many years," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Officials fear, moreover, that flu activity will pick up as people travel around the country for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Unfortunately, she said, there are little data from seasonal flu on which to base predictions because such data are usually not prevalent so early in the year. Respiratory disease in general, however, does tend to increase early in the year after travel for the Christmas holidays. "We don't really know what is going to happen," she said. There were an additional 21 laboratory-confirmed pediatric ...

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2009 Homemade Halloween Costume Contest Winner (Plus, Our 24 Fave Runners-Up!)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:01 +0000

Check out the finalists of the 2009 costume contest - and find out which costume won!

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Finally, A Chapped Lips Miracle Product

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:01 +0000

My 10-year-old son has suffered from chapped lips since he was 6. Not just the chapped lips we all get once in a while: he looks like a clown from October to March. Once the dentist actually stopped working on his filling, stood up, and asked me: "What are you going to do about his lips? They're getting infected."

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Embarrassing confession: I will be seeing New Moon this weekend (and I can�t freakin� wait!)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:01 +0000

Yes, I�m 31 years old, yes I�m a mom, yes I�m pregnant with number two and yes, I love Edward Cullen. There, I said it.

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Have some sodium with that turkey alternative

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Just in time for the pre-Thanksgiving shopping run comes a nutritional comparison of various meatless "turkeys." Fascinating stuff... Take a look at this chart offered up by the American Dietetic Assn. The first thing that pops out is the sodium content. The word "wow" comes to mind. Field Roast Celebration? 710 milligrams per serving. The always adorable Tofurky? (It's a fun word, admit it.) 510 milligrams. There's also a comparison to the more traditional turkey -- you know, the kind made from a turkey -- but that's more for idle curiosity. Nutrition info in such decisions tends to be beside the point. Here's the news release if you want the chart summarized for you. And more on sodium from the American Heart Assn. One more fact: A serving of turkey breast without skin has only 52 milligrams of sodium. -- Tami Dennis Photo: I dunno... Maybe sodium isn't so bad... Credit: Los Angeles Times

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Best of the Web

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

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Here's who should really worry about cervical cancer, doctors say

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:58:06 +0000

The new cervical cancer screening recommendations might worry some women accustomed to getting screened every year. They shouldn’t, most doctors say. Today's story: Group recommends less frequent Pap tests The women who should be worried, physicians point out, are those who remain under-screened. Half of the women who die from cervical cancer never had a Pap test, and 10% had not been screened in the five years prior to detection. Overall, about 20% of U.S. women don’t get regular Pap test and 40% fail to get regular mammograms, said Dr. Edward Partridge, an oncologist at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He’s the chairman of the cervical cancer screening guidelines panel for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. “The biggest problem is women who don’t get screened at all,” he said. “That is where your breast cancer is. That is where your cervical cancer is.” -- Shari Roan

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And from the California swine-flu front lines...

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:34:05 +0000

So what's the H1N1 flu situation here in California, you might well ask, having safely gotten, or given up on getting, a vaccination? Or perhaps the immunization issue was rendered moot by those days of fever and chills and pathetic moaning, and now you're just looking for empathy. Here's what our colleagues at L.A. Now report: H1N1 deaths and hospitalizations slowed last week in state . Health officials, of course, advise against relaxing your guard. — Tami Dennis

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The new mammogram recommendations: Task force member speaks up

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:10:36 +0000

Individualize, individualize, individualize. That's one message from the new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force report on mammograms that created such a ruckus this week. Though the recommendations have been painted by some as a blanket Ptth! to mammograms, the actual report was nuanced, and made plain that they didn't apply to women under 50 who were at high risk. Go here to read about -- and watch a "Good Morning America" interview with -- a member of the task force, Dr. Timothy Wilt, who defended the panel's conclusions. According to the report, WiIt said, among other things: "Cost is not considered at all. This is about providing high-quality healthcare for the individual [and] providing the information they need to know to make an informed decision.... The information is based on eight very large, randomized, controlled trials of mammograms in women, a series of six different databases and a variety of other studies." It'll be interesting to see what doctors do ...

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What's in a name? Legislation would end use of the term 'mental retardation'

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:19:19 +0000

We health bloggers and reporters think about words a lot and care about using the right ones. So we were interested when we heard that a legislative proposal offered in the U.S. Senate recently would outlaw further use of the terms "mentally retarded" or "mental retardation" from federal statutes and policy papers in the area of health, education and labor. The proposed measure would replace those terms with "intellectual disability" and "individual with an intellectual disability." The Arc of the United States — the nation's largest and most active advocacy group for those with intellectual and related developmental disabilities — calls the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" "outdated" and "stigmatizing." The group applauds the measure, which was proposed by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), and says it's high time that federal language was updated. " 'Retard,' ...

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For pregnant women with MS or epilepsy, some good news

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:16:10 +0000

Researchers at Stanford University have found that women with multiple sclerosis or epilepsy have only a slightly higher risk of abnormal fetal growth and C-section delivery compared with women without the conditions. Let's repeat, only a slightly higher risk. Nor do they appear to suffer a higher rate of other complications compared with pregnant women in general. Here's ... The news release from Stanford University. The abstract from the study, based on an analysis of a large national database and published Wednesday in the journal Neurology. And more on pregnancy and MS (from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society) and on pregnancy and epilepsy (from the Epilepsy Foundation). Both MS and epilepsy are relatively common in women of child-bearing years. And the findings should provide some reassurance to those with the conditions who are pregnant -- or contemplating becoming so. -- Tami Dennis

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Company seeks FDA permission to conduct clinical trial using human embryonic stem cells

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Patients with a rare eye disease could be the first to be treated with human embryonic stem cells . Advanced Cell Technology Inc ., a Santa Monica-based biotech company with labs in Massachusetts, announced today that it has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval to test retinal cells grown from stem cells in 12 people with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy . The disease is a childhood version of macular degeneration and affects about one in 10,000 kids. Patients typically begin to lose their central vision between the ages of 6 and 20. As SMD progresses, things may look blurry and distorted, and patients may have trouble adjusting to low light. About half of victims are legally blind by age 50. There is no cure. Most cases occur when children inherent a faulty version of the ABCA4 gene or the CNGB3 gene from both parents . As a result, the photoreceptor cells in the retina don’t get enough fuel, and they atrophy. ACT hopes to reverse this by supplying ...

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Deaths following swine flu immunization not linked to vaccine, the WHO says

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:01:15 +0000

There have been about 40 deaths worldwide among people who have recently been vaccinated against pandemic H1N1 influenza, but there is no evidence the deaths are related to the vaccine, officials from the World Health Organization said today. At least 65 million people have been vaccinated, and it is inevitable that there will be some deaths among such a large group, said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, director for the Initiative for Vaccine Research at the WHO. Although some investigations are still ongoing, she said at a news conference in Geneva, "results of the completed investigations reported to WHO have ruled out that the pandemic vaccine is the cause of death." She said fewer than a dozen suspected cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome have been reported following vaccination. "Only a few of these Guillain-Barre cases may be linked to the pandemic vaccine," she said. "Illness has been transient and patients have recovered." Guillain-Barre has been a particular concern ...

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Spray-on anesthetic prevents premature ejaculation in U.S. trials

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

The first U.S. trials of a spray-on anesthetic for the penis showed that it increased the time to ejaculation nearly five-fold, providing the first good solution for premature ejaculation, researchers reported today. The findings are very similar to those obtained in a European study released in April. Premature ejaculation is generally defined as ejaculation that occurs within a minute after insertion of the penis into the vagina, causing distress to both parties. The condition is thought to affect as many as one in three U.S. men ages 18 to 59, about twice as many as those who suffer from erectile dysfunction. Some antidepressant-like drugs, such as dapoxetine, have been approved in a few countries to treat the condition, but the Food and Drug Administration rejected it because of long-term side effects. Some physicians prescribe anesthetic creams like EMLA cream for off-label use to delay ejaculation, but such creams require 45 minutes to work and the man must use a condom to prevent ...

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First Time Hosting Thanksgiving (At 8 Months Pregnant!): Got Tips?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:45:01 +0000

Next Thursday I will be hosting my first ever Thanksgiving and I couldn�t be more excited. I absolutely love to cook and entertain (if I didn�t have a job, I�d already be ironing the tablecloths and arranging the centerpieces) and it makes me feel very grown-up--in a good way. I am also, however, nervous. Nervous because I tend to overdo it and I�m almost eight months pregnant and actually starting to feel that way. And it�s a pretty major Thanksgiving�

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Kids' Holiday Fashion for Every Budget

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:45:01 +0000

Parenting's age-by-age shopping guide to the most adorable, affordable holiday looks.

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Send Us Your Scared of Santa Photo!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:45:01 +0000

Was your child less than thrilled to be sitting on Santa's knee? If your Santa picture looked more like a scene out of a horror film than the Kodak moment you had hoped for, we want to see it. Your kid could be featured on Parenting.com, or in a future issue of Parenting magazine.

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Stillbirth Risk Is Up for Black Women

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

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A C-section’s toll on your insurance

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0000

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YouTube Birth Videos

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0000

A curious mom-to-be can view the nitty-gritty details of delivery right from home

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Wrong reasons for a C-section

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Before you opt for a C-Section get the facts straight.

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That mammogram fracas: The American College of Radiology wants a reversal

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:10:32 +0000

That poor old U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. They're asked to assess the science on mammograms, they duly do so and come out with advice that's unpopular — advice that suggests regular mammograms are not advisable for most women under 50 (not a new debate) and not advisable for women over 50 every year — and now everyone's beating up on them. They even dared to suggest that breast self-exams are not helpful (also not a new debate). Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius seemed to distance herself from their conclusions and advice by telling the American people to "keep doing what you have been doing for years — talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions and make the decision that is right for you." That's not enough for the American College of Radiology . It "is pleased to see that Secretary Sebelius has reaffirmed that mammography is a vital and lifesaving tool in the battle against breast ...

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Prematurity: California gets a C, the nation a D

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:05:07 +0000

The March of Dimes has just released its 2009 Premature Birth Report -- and California continues to do badly. Its premature birth rate is 10.9%, up from 10.7% in 2008. It gets a C. The nation as a whole, which has a pre-term birth rate of 12.7%, got a D. Prematurity is the No. 1 cause of newborn death and is linked to complications such as learning, behavior and feeding problems, as well as a heightened risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Even late pre-term births (34 to 36 weeks instead of the full-term number of 40) raises risks. Elective cesarean sections have caused the rates of late pre-term birth to rise in recent years. Read the report at the March of Dimes website. --Rosie Mestel Photo credit: Loyola University Medical Center via Getty Images

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HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wades into the mammogram fray

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:05:55 +0000

The reaction to this week's U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against regular mammograms for women under 50 was swift, emotional and highly public. Today, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius weighed in, pointing out that, well, the task force is actually just an independent panel offering advice, not setting policy, so ... just do what you've been doing. Seriously. "My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important lifesaving tool in the fight against breast cancer, and they still are today. Keep doing what you have been doing for years — talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions and make the decision that is right for you." Here's her full statement . (Enjoy the fallout, task force folks! You're on your own!) If you want to know more about that panel, check it out here . By the way, it's sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an ...

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Don't blame Starbucks: Cops may have poorer health due to night shifts

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:47:41 +0000

Midnight shift workers often find it hard to get enough quality sleep on a consistent basis. Police officers are not exempt, often working late shifts and overtime as part of their job. A new study finds that their schedule may cause cops to develop metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms including high blood pressure, insulin resistance and high trigylcerides that advance development of such conditions such as stroke, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. The research, published in the current issue of Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health , focused on 98 police offers who were part of the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study, which began in 2003. The participants had their blood pressure checked, took a blood test and had their waist circumference measured. They also filled out a questionnaire focusing on lifestyle choices such as sleep habits, physical activity, and smoking and alcohol use. Researchers discovered that in general, those on ...

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KISS ex-drummer Peter Criss had breast cancer

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:42:21 +0000

News that former KISS drummer Peter Criss, he of the Catman persona, suffered breast cancer has provoked new interest in the subject of male breast cancer, a rare but potentially fatal tumor. Men have only a small amount of breast tissue concentrated in the area immediately behind the nipple, probably the main reason that they account for only about 1% of all breast cancers. Nonetheless, about 1,990 men will develop the disease this year, and 480 will die from it (compared with more than 40,000 deaths in women), according to the National Cancer Institute. Male breast cancer carries about the same risk of death as the female version, but because it is generally detected at a later stage of progression, the perception is that it is more deadly. The disease is most common in men between the ages of 50 and 60. The lifetime risk of developing it is less than 1% for the average man, but for those carrying the breast cancer gene BRCA2, the risk increases to about 6%. Family history ...

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Swine flu cases drop on college campuses for first time

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:48:59 +0000

For the first time this academic year, college campuses have reported a significant drop in cases of influenza-like illness, generally assumed to be pandemic H1N1 influenza, according to the American College Health Assn. Unfortunately, the association also recorded the first two deaths from the pandemic among college students at participating campuses. There were 6,373 cases of illness reported on the campuses enrolling more than 3 million students in the week ending Nov. 13, a 27% drop from the week before, and 12 hospitalizations. Only 95% of the campuses reported cases, down from 98% the prior week. All but five states reported significant declines in disease activity during the week. The five states and regions with increases were New Jersey, Louisiana, Missouri, Idaho and the District of Columbia. South Dakota and Utah reported a 100% drop, with no new cases during the week. Only limited data have been collected yet about the availability of the swine flu vaccine on campuses, but the ...

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Returning to H1N1

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:20:08 +0000

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Is a wonder pill necessarily wonderful for people with Down syndrome?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:01:00 +0000

Scientists are hard at work developing a cure for the genetic disorder Down syndrome . But even if they succeed, nearly 60% of parents whose children have Down syndrome might take a pass. In a survey conducted by researchers from the psychiatry department at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, 27% of parents said they would not cure their children, and another 32% said they were unsure. Many parents expressed concern that a cure would change their child’s personality, said Angela Inglis, a genetic counselor who worked on the survey. “Yes, it is a challenge, but your life will change in so many ways for the good, [but] you can’t imagine not having him,” said one parent who would decline a cure. That feeling was not universal. Forty-one percent of parents said they would definitely treat their children for Down syndrome. Those parents said they were motivated by a desire to make their kids more independent and to give them more opportunities in life, Inglis said. She ...

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Cold virus may have caused 2007 AIDS vaccine trial failure

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:39:49 +0000

One of the biggest disappointments in AIDS research was the failure of Merck & Co.'s STEP trial of an experimental AIDS vaccine, which was terminated prematurely in 2007 when it became apparent that the vaccine seemed to increase the number of people who contracted HIV. Now, British scientists believe they have an explanation for why the vaccine failed, and it has little to do with HIV itself and more to do with the adenovirus that was used to produce the vaccine. The findings may have implications for other experimental vaccines, such as those against malaria and tuberculosis, that also used the adenovirus, as well as for gene therapy. The adenovirus is what is known as a vector. It is used to carry genes from, in this case, the AIDS virus into cells in the body, where they can produce proteins that stimulate immunity to HIV. Merck used a vector called adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5), from which they removed genes that could cause disease. Ad5 is very similar to adenoviruses that cause ...

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Holiday Gift Guide 2009

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:34 +0000

Check out these great holiday gift ideas!

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Lefty vs. Righty: When Do Kids Typically Display Handedness?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:01:01 +0000

When her daughter turned 27 months, Sherry Glaser of Jonesborough, TN, worried that the tot was missing a milestone: handedness -- the preference for using one hand over the other. "I thought that it would cause confusion and frustration down the line," says Glaser.

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Weird and Wonderful: Watching a Blank Slate Become a Person

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:01 +0000

It's weird to watch someone become a person a little bit at a time, day by day. She came to us a stranger in her own body. She could think and feel, cry and poop. The rest was a blank slate. She'd stare right through you, seemingly unable to tell people from lamp posts, all but blind and totally startled and amazed by the world around her.

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Military Moms: Got Money Questions? We've Got Answers!

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:01 +0000

If you have a money question, send it in, and we�ll get Jim Ludwick, founder of MainStreet Financial Planning, which offices in Washington DC and in California, (and a former serviceman himself) to weigh in.

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To fight inflammation with food

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:01:10 +0000

Inflammation -- a ramped-up immune system -- seems to be linked to chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease, and even the very fact of aging. Some foods, it turns out, promote inflammation. Others damp it down. Shara Yurkiewicz, our 2009 summer intern, wrote a fairly extensive Health section article on the issue of anti-inflammatory foods -- you can read it right here . She noted that there's an awful lot of over-the-top prose about anti-inflammation diets --"amazing results in just 30 days!" etc. etc. -- but also that there is some science to it all -- animal studies, cell culture studies, even some in people -- and that science is developing. In broad brush strokes, fish oil, curcumin, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables -- they're anti-inflammatory. Saturated fats, trans fats, corn and soybean oil, refined carbohydrates, sugars -- they're pro-inflammatory. Now some scientists are trying to paint with a narrower brush. They've come up with an index of ...

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More evidence that Transcendental Meditation helps the heart

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Transcendental Meditation has been around for many years and is perhaps the most scientifically tested of all forms of meditation. Two studies presented this week add to the evidence that this form of stress reduction benefits people with heart disease and those at high risk for it. One study, presented on Monday at the American Heart Assn.'s annual meeting, found that heart disease patients who practice TM have almost 50% lower rates of heart attacks, stroke and deaths compared to similar patients who don't practice meditation. The study was funded with a $3.8-million grant from the federal government and was conducted at the Medical College of Wisconsin in collaboration with the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, a major center of TM research. The study followed African American men and women over nine years. The participants were randomly assigned to practice the stress-reducing TM technique or attend traditional ...

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The Baby Merch Maze: Taking a Minimalist Approach to Baby Gear

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:45:01 +0000

Did you think it was awfully suspicious how, seemingly moments after conceiving, piles of junk mail from Babies R Us and Wal Mart and every other major retailer arrived at your door? Are the digital pregnancy tests rigged up with GPS trackers now or what?

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Got a Great Cookie Recipe? Win a $500 Target Gift Card!

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:45:01 +0000

Enter to win our 2009 cookie bake off, and you could win a $500 gift card to Target!

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Free Holiday WiFi? Thanks, Google!

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:45:01 +0000

If you're among the 20 bajillion families headed to the airport this holiday season, here's a little perk: Google has teamed up with 47 airports to bring you free wireless Internet access from November 16, 2009 � January 15, 2010.

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Chemicals in Plastics Alter Masculinity

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

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Folic acid and cancer: New data might add to suspicion or, better, to discussion

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:10:38 +0000

We're not trying to pick on folic acid, honest. As food additives go, the synthetic version of vitamin B9, aka folate, is one of the more noble ones, widely credited -- heralded even -- for reducing the rate of neural tube birth defects. But we are trying to point out, again, that if a little is good, a lot is not necessarily better. Several months ago we offered up this story in the Health section: Folic acid might be losing its sheen It said: "New studies suggest that getting too much folic acid might fuel certain cancers in some people. And with the vitamin showing up in ready-to-eat cereals, bread, snack bars, multivitamins and more, some health experts fear that it's easy to far exceed the recommended daily intake of 400 micrograms. There is now an urgent need, experts say, to figure out how much folate is enough but not too much for different segments of the population." That urgent need isn't going away. Now we have a study, published today in the Journal ...

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Sleep problems and age: Not necessarily bedmates, say sleep docs

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:04:59 +0000

Patients over 65 -- and sometimes their doctors -- often behave as if sleep problems are as inevitable a part of aging as aches and wrinkles. It doesn't have to be that way, says a group of leading sleep doctors. But to get help, physicians need routinely to screen their older patients for signs of sleep disorders , and patients have to ask for help when they find they consistently can't fall asleep, awaken frequently or too early, have daytime sleepiness or experience unusual movements while sleeping. There are "sleep hygiene" tips and treatments -- from cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia to weight loss and breathing aids for sleep apnea -- that can remedy most sleep problems. And while the experts agreed they are overused, hypnotic sleep drugs can be a help for some patients. In a slate of recommendations for the treatment of sleeping disorders in older patients, 10 leading sleep experts acknowledge that aging does bring changes in sleep patterns. Many ...

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