Author: healthadmin

Randomized trials have shown that early skin-to-skin care can reduce neonatal stress and support breastfeeding, but its role in reducing jaundice remains unclear. Study: Effects of early skin-to-skin contact after vaginal delivery on neonatal stress and 5-day bilirubin levels: a randomized trial. Image credit: Sbethmorris / Shutterstock In a recent study published as a magazine article, scientific reportresearchers evaluated whether early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) after vaginal delivery, when combined with early breastfeeding, reduces neonatal stress and affects total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels at day 5 of life. background Each year, millions of newborns undergo routine medical procedures shortly after birth,…

Modern IVF treatments can dramatically reduce twin and triplet pregnancies while achieving significantly higher success rates than traditional approaches, according to new research presented today at the 42nd European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). In one of the largest IVF studies of its kind, researchers analyzed the results of 18,396 women who underwent their first IVF cycle between January 2012 and December 2021 and were followed up until December 2023 at seven Australian fertility clinics. The study found that modern IVF clinical practice achieves a cumulative live birth rate of 68.2% over three treatment cycles, while using single…

Hospital admissions due to miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies have increased in recent years in the UK, according to research presented today at the 42nd annual general meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). The national analysis also revealed persistent and substantial socio-economic inequalities in early pregnancy complications, which showed little sign of narrowing over the 20-year study period. Miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies are among the most common complications of early pregnancy and can have significant physical, psychological, and financial consequences. However, little is known about long-term national trends and how socio-economic inequalities have changed over time.…

Two in five women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed only after an emergency hospital admission, with a one in three chance of developing the potentially curable disease in its early stages, an analysis of data published in an open access journal found. BMJ Oncology. And research shows that younger women, older women, frail women, or women living in poorer areas are more likely to be diagnosed after an emergency hospital admission. Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer in women worldwide, claiming the lives of more than 200,000 women each year, the researchers noted, adding that diagnosis is not…

Nitrogen is essential to all known life forms on Earth. Now, scientists say this common element may also help explain how the earliest life evolved on Earth, and how life developed elsewhere in the universe. “All living things need nitrogen to survive,” said Lance Seifert, a biochemist at Utah State University. “Nitrogen is all around us, but we don’t have direct access to it.” “Enzymes called nitrogenases enable nitrogen fixation, converting nitrogen into a form that plants, animals, humans, and other life forms can access. And we are only beginning to understand how far these nitrogenases have evolved over Earth’s…

Bumble bees can accumulate dramatically higher levels of toxic heavy metals than honey bees, even when both species forage in the same area, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. Scientists have discovered that bumble bees collect up to seven times more heavy metals in their pollen, raising concerns about how hidden pollution affects their health, survival and reproductive ability. Heavy metal pollution is commonly found around industrial areas, mining areas, cities, and towns, but the pollutants can also spread into the countryside through the air, sewage sludge, fertilizers, and other agricultural products. How do bees absorb heavy…

For most materials, the way heat is absorbed and the way it is released are inseparable. If a surface efficiently absorbs heat from a particular direction or wavelength, it will also emit heat in the same way. This long-established principle, known as reciprocity, has made it difficult for scientists to independently control how thermal energy enters and exits matter. But being able to separate these two processes allows engineers to direct heat more precisely. Materials can absorb thermal energy from one direction while emitting it in another, potentially improving thermal management, energy conversion, infrared sensing, and thermal communication technologies. Materials…

East Asian countries are the most likely to embrace contradiction and change, according to a study published in . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. This study also suggests that this mindset is not simply another form of collectivism, but reflects a unique cultural mindset. People think differently about themselves and the world around them. Some people prefer clear answers and consistency, while others are comfortable holding seemingly opposing ideas at the same time, expecting change, and seeing events as deeply interconnected. Psychologists call this latter style dialectical thinking, and it has long been associated with East Asian philosophical traditions such…

New research suggests many of Britain’s most popular takeaway dishes contain more salt than commonly believed. In some cases, a single meal could significantly exceed the recommended daily limit, even though menu labels indicated otherwise. Researchers found that 47% of the takeaway food they tested contained more salt than the stated value. Curry, pasta dishes and pizza were among the foods most likely to be higher in salt than advertised. Although not all restaurants list salt information on their menus, some meals purchased from independent restaurants in Reading contained more than 10g of salt per serving. By comparison, the recommended…

On her 200-acre farm and ranch in Bandera, Texas, Molly Engelhart grows organic produce, sells raw milk, and… I write a daily column about the power of regenerative agriculture. She’s a farmer and a Make America Healthy Again mom, but she doesn’t like being called a MAHA mom. She prefers to think of herself as “MAHA-aligned.” In May, Ms. Engelhart opened her ranch to hundreds of pro-MAHA politicians, activists and leaders for a two-day MAHA agricultural retreat. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was also there. Engelhardt’s younger brother, Ryland, is one of the movement’s best-known…