Globally, 15 million premature births are registered per year, making it the world's leading cause of infant mortality. There are a few measures to determine the pregnancies that will lead to premature birth. However, in about one-third of all cases, inflammation in the reproductive tract is a contributing factor. Inflammation not only increases the risk of low birth weight and underdeveloped lungs in babies but is also associated with brain injury in the developing fetus.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Nanomedicine claim that they have established a small but successful tool for preventing premature birth. The study was conducted on mice and human uterine cells. The vaginally administered treatment involves nanosized drug particles that quickly penetrate the vaginal wall to prevent the uterine muscles from contracting. If proven successful in humans, this therapy may be…
