Breaking News - Professional Negligence and Medical
Negligence
The following articles are about birth injuries
and birth defects. Use these news stories to keep up to date with birth injury
and defect information. A Weitz & Luxenberg attorney can help you and your
family if your child is suffering from a birth defect. You may fill out this
simple form and get your free case review today.
Birth defect gene is identified
December 22, 2005 (sciencedaily.com)
University of Southern California researchers
have developed an animal model explaining how skull malformations occur and how
they might be prevented.
The craniofacial scientists, led by Yang Chai,
chairman of the division of craniofacial sciences and therapeutics in the USC
School of Dentistry, identified the genetic factor leading to malformation of
the forehead and frontal part of the skull.
Chai's group focused on a gene called
transforming growth factor-beta. TGF-beta is known to play an important role in
human and animal development.
Warning Over Multi-Vitamin Risk to Unborn Babies
July 20th, 2005 (4ni.co.uk)
An investigation by Trading Standards watchdogs
and a birth defects charity has revealed that many expectant mothers may be
harming their unborn children by taking certain food supplements, including
multi-vitamins. The survey found that many mums-to-be are being misled by
inadequate labelling on multi-vitamin supplements, which fail to warn of the
risk of taking vitamin A supplements in pregnancy.
Very Premature Babies Are Still at Risk,
Researchers Find
July 20, 2005 (nytimes.com)
Asthma, cerebral palsy, vision and hearing
disorders, low I.Q., poor school performance and social difficulties are among
the problems described in The Journal of the American Medical Association by
doctors at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. Such
disabilities were far more common in the children born prematurely than in
normal-weight children from similar backgrounds. For example, 38 percent of
those born prematurely had I.Q.'s below 85, as opposed to 14 percent of the
normal-weight children. Among the premature, 21 percent had asthma, compared
with 9 percent of those with normal weight.
Toxic Elements Found in Infants' Cord Blood
July 14th, 2005 (palmbeachpost.com)
In a benchmark study released today, researchers
found an average of 200 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals in
the umbilical cord blood of newborns, including seven dangerous pesticides —
some banned in the United States more than 30 years ago.
The report, Body Burden — The Pollution in
Newborns, by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group, detected
287 chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of 10 newborns. Of those chemicals, 76
cause cancer in humans or animals, 94 are toxic to the brain and nervous system
and 79 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests.
Doctors and father face stiffer charges
(www.taipeitimes.com)
"Two doctors, Lin Chin-nan and Liu Chi-hwa, had
been charged with injury caused by occupational negligence, but because the girl
died yesterday, they will now be charged with the more serious crime of causing
death by occupational negligence," said the office's spokesman, Lin Pang-liang.
Gene Mutation Linked to Birth Defects
June 17th, 2005 (heart.healthcentersonline.com)
Defects in a critical gene in mice may contribute
to the development of a congenital heart defect similar to a heart defect found
in humans. This may help physicians diagnose and correct at least one form of
congenital heart disease.
Congenital heart disease, or cardiac defects that
occur before birth, occur in about one out of 100 infants. They range from mild
defects to life-threatening conditions that will result in death without rapid
surgical intervention.
