diabetes - A Head Start for Preemies

A Head Start for Preemies

by News Canada

(NC)-The presence of too much of a steroid hormone called cortisol, either from a baby's own adrenal gland, or reaching the baby across the placenta from the mother, can lead to premature birth. As well, excessive exposure to cortisol in the womb may impair growth, alter the way individuals respond to stress after birth, and may result in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, leading to high blood pressure and stroke. The placenta normally protects babies from too much cortisol. John Challis, of the University of Toronto, is seeking to understand how this protective mechanism becomes ineffective. In doing so, he hopes to be able to diagnose, prevent, or treat threatened premature birth, giving babies a better head start on life-long health.
Dr. Challis' research is being funded

by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CIHR is Canada's preeminent health research catalyst and is funded by the government of Canada. An exciting new concept, CIHR is modernizing and transforming the health research enterprise in Canada.
To learn more about CIHR please visit: www.cihr.ca, e-mail: info@cihr.ca or write to: CIHR, 410 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa ON K1A 0W9.

About The Author

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.
News Canada

is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial "fill" items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

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