A new study shows that muscle cells grown in the lab can restore an intestine’s ability to squeeze shut properly. The work, performed in dogs and rats, might ultimately help treat patients with conditions such as gastric reflux and fecal incontinence.

A new study carried out at the University of Haifa has found that the hormone oxytocin, the “love hormone”, which affects behaviors such as trust, empathy and generosity, also affects opposite behaviors, such as jealousy and gloating. “Subsequent to these findings, we assume that the hormone is an overall trigger for social sentiments: when the [...]

The World Health Organization has finally updated its 1985 recommendation on caesarean rates, admitting that “no empirical evidence for an optimum percentage” exists, an “optimum rate is unknown,” and world regions may now “set their own standards.”

Midwives often struggle to meet the needs of pregnant women who are lesbians, with patients reporting that the focus is often on their sexuality rather than the fact that they are expecting a baby, according to research in the November issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

The number of hospital stays for women who had a normal or uncomplicated birth decreased by 43 percent between 1997 and 2007 from 544,000 to 312,000 stays, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.