The unborn offspring of a mammal. In humans, this stage of development lasts from nine weeks after fertilisation until birth.
A UK biotech firm, ReNeuron, is developing a new treatment for stroke that involves a single injection of neural stem cells - cells that can grow into a variety of different nerve and brain cells. If clinical trials are successful, the company hopes to develop similar therapies for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's...
Fertility experts highlighted the ongoing problem of the 'postcode lottery' provision of fertility treatment in the UK at the Fertility 2000 conference in Edinburgh last week. Lord Robert Winston, of Hammersmith Hospital, London, said that the problems were worse under the current government than the last. 'I am increasingly dissatisfied...
Some unexplained miscarriages could be caused by a surge in oxygen levels around the third month of pregnancy. Researchers at University College London and Cambridge University have discovered that during this time, the level of oxygen in the placenta increases threefold. Combined with other factors, this sudden change may be...
Press coverage of a report recently published by the Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing on the subject of Prenatal Genetic Testing suggests that a radically new service is being proposed, involving the 'mass genetic testing of pregnant women' with the attendant risk of a slippery slope towards the creation of...
New research has suggested that many miscarriages, birth defects and neonatal deaths may be caused by a genetic defect. Researchers at the University of Toronto, Canada, have shown that many women may be susceptible to miscarriage or of having children with birth defects if they carry genes for a common...
A British biotechnology company is hoping to begin xenotransplantation trials within a year. Cambridge-based Imutran is holding talks with transplant clinics including one at Harefield hospital. Harefield has cut its transplant programme for hearts and lungs from a peak of 202 operations in 1989 to about 130 last year. The...
The United States Congress is preparing to vote on a crime bill to give legal identity to fetuses. The Unborn Victims of Violence Bill, sponsored by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, is designed to provide legal protection for fetuses killed in utero during federal crimes such as bank robberies, kidnapping...
Doctors at Kings College Hospital in London made medical history by successfully delivering a baby which had grown outside of the womb. Triplet Ronan Ingram was delivered by caesarian section shortly after his two sisters had been taken out of their mother's womb. But unlike them, Ronan had grown outside...
Stress at the time of a baby's conception may increase the chance of it being a girl, a Danish study suggests. The researchers, led by Dr Dorthe Hansen, had seen earlier studies that suggested exposure to smog, floods or earthquakes may lead to a reduction in the proportion of males...
Doctors in India have been ordered to stop providing sex determination services and participating in selective abortion of female fetuses. The Indian Medical Association has issued a warning that independent investigations will be launched against doctors suspected of participating in such practices and the Medical Council of India has made...
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