NIH.gov – A family-based prevention program designed to help adolescents avoid substance use and other risky behavior proved especially effective for a group of young teens with a genetic risk factor contributing toward such behavior, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Georgia. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [...]

A recent study has shown a link between low vitamin D levels and the likelihood of bacterial vaginosis in women in the first trimester of pregnancy. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection in US women of childbearing age, and is common in pregnant women. BV occurs when the normal balance of bacteria [...]

CFAH.org – There are many ways to deal with the pain of giving birth, but women and their obstetricians can always benefit from having another choice. A Cochrane review has concluded that women in labor should have the option of using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) — a non-drug method of pain management. “There is [...]

A ground-breaking Canada-wide clinical trial led by Dr. Katherine Borden, at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal, has shown that a common anti-viral drug, ribavirin, can be beneficial in the treatment of cancer. Published in the journal Blood (First Edition), the study demonstrates that ribavirin suppresses the [...]

A meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials has shown that pre-procedural treatment with sodium bicarbonate based hydration is the optimal treatment strategy to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). The research, published in the open access journal BMC Medicine, shows that although the benefit may have been overestimated by previous studies, sodium bicarbonate is clearly superior to [...]

MarchofDimes.com – Women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half, according to research published in the online journal, PLoS Medicine. The study links pre-conceptional folate supplementation of at least one year to reduced early premature delivery rates [...]