Spinal Surgery Breakthrough

A new landmark study shows that fetal surgery for spina bifida greatly reduces the need to divert fluid from the brain, which can later improve mobility and increase the chances a child can walk independently.

“This is the first time in history that we can offer real hope to parents who receive a prenatal diagnosis of spina bifida,” wrote N. Scott Adzick, surgeon-in-chief at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Vanderbilt University and the University of California, San Francisco, also participated in the study.

Spina bifida affects approximately 1,500 babies in the U.S., and is the most common birth defect impacting the central nervous system. It is caused when the spinal column does not close completely around the spinal cord, which leaves it vulnerable during fetal development. The condition known as myelomeningocele can result in lifelong disabilities, including paralysis, bladder and bowel problems, and cognitive impairments.

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It compares the progress of children who received spinal surgery as fetuses and those who received it shortly after birth. Those who received the surgery in utero were better able to walk two-and-a-half years later.

Wake Up, Mom!

Even in households where both parents work, mothers are two-and-a-half times more likely to get up in the middle of the night to take care of children than fathers, according to a study by the University of Michigan.

Plus, once they’re awake, moms are likely to stay up an average of 44 minutes, compared to 30 minutes for men. 

In the study, due out in the journal Social Forces, approximately 20,000 working parents were studied between 2003 and 2007. Researchers found that 32 percent of women in dual-income partnerships reported sleep interruptions for children under age 1, compared to 11 percent of men. 

What surprised researchers were the results for families where there was only one breadwinner. About 28 percent of women who were the sole breadwinner were more likely to get up than breadwinning fathers, who clocked in at 4 percent.

These figures are not ideal for women struggling to balance work and family.

“Women face greater fragmentation and lower quality of sleep at a crucial stage in their career,” wrote sociologist Sarah Burgard, a researcher at the university’s Institute for Social Research.

Stem Cells and Genetics

Researchers say they have made an important discovery on the path to making fetal stem cell transplantation a reachable goal. 

Previous attempts to transplant these cells have been unsuccessful, and researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, now know why: the mother’s immune response prevents it. The solution would be to transplant cells found in the mother herself. 

“We now, for the first time, have a viable strategy for treating congenital stem cell disorders before birth,” wrote Tippi MacKenzie, a fetal surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco’s Benioff Children’s Hospital.

Fetal stem cell transplantation involves taking cells from the bone marrow of a healthy donor and moving them into a fetus through ultrasound-guided injections. The hope is that it can help solve diseases diagnosed as early as the first trimester, such as sickle cell diseases and some immune disorders. 

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, was conducted through a series of mouse-model experiments. Researchers must now determine if the results are consistent in human, and also discover how maternal cells cause this graft rejection.

Vitamin D Deficiences

Low levels of vitamin D in newborns can put them at risk forrespiratory infections during childhood, but not at risk for asthma, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

“Acute respiratory infections are a major health problem in children,” wrote Carlos Camargo, who led the study. “For example, bronchiolitis, a viral illness that affects small airway passages in the lungs, is the leading cause of hospitalization in U.S. infants.”

Vitamin D is commonly associated with developing and maintaining strong bones, but recent studies suggest it also plays a major role in the immune system.

The results, published in Pediatrics, were related to another MGH study, which indicated that children whose mothers took vitamin D supplements while pregnant were less likely to develop wheezing during childhood.

Researchers studied data acquired on more than 1,000 children in New Zealand. It showed that the lower the vitamin D levels, the higher the rates of wheezing. However, no significant association was seen between the vitamin and asthma rates.

Once Upon a Time in the NICU

Having a newborn in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit can be a stressful time for parents, especially when physical contact is limited. But, researchers are hoping parents are encouraged to develop a bond with their child through another sense: sound.

A new study by the Montreal Children’s Hospital in Canada suggests that reading to a newborn in the NICU can help facilitate this bond. Reading can also lend normalcy to the situation by helping parents feel like they have some control.

The study, published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, involved 120 families and revealed that 70 percent of parents felt closer to their child after reading to them. Further, these same parents were more likely to continue the practice at home.