London,-To-be-moms please take note: Women
who opt for a home birth for their first baby are almost three
times more likely to suffer complications than if they go to
hospital, a landmark study has found.
The largest ever study, conducted by Oxford University
involving more than 65,500 births in the UK, also found that
up to half of first-time mothers were transferred to hospital
while in labour from home and third from a midwifery unit.
However, it found that women having their second or third
babies, who were classed as low risk, were just as safe at
home or in a midwife-only unit as they were in a hospital unit
with specialist obstetricians, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The research, published in the British Medical Journal,
also found that rates of complications affecting the baby
including stillbirth after the start of labour, the baby dying
within the first week of birth, brain injury, fractures to the
upper arm or shoulder during birth, and faeces in the lungs,
were higher for first time mothers.
There were 9.5 such complications per 1,000 births for
first time mothers having their baby at home, compared with
3.5 per 1,000 births to first time mothers in hospital.
There was no increased risk for babies whose birth was
planned at units led by midwives, either ones that stand alone
in the community or which are attached to a clinic, it found.
Prof Peter Brocklehurst, who led the study, said: "For
every 1,000 women, 995 babies would have a completely normal
outcome.
"These results should reassure pregnant women planning
their birth that they can make informed decisions about where
they'd most like the birth to happen, knowing that giving
birth in England is generally very safe.
"There is an increase in risk for first-time mums
planning home births, but poor outcomes for the baby are still
uncommon."
Swirling can make your wine taste better: Study
London,-Here's a tip to enjoy your favourite
glass of wine, the drink can taste better if swirled gently
before being sipped, scientist say.
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
found that the technique, favoured by most of the connoisseurs
at dinner parties and tastings, really works as it involves
sophisticated physics of wave technology.
The findings, they said, could also have benefits for
drugs research and help inspire new medical treatments, the
Daily Telegraph reported.
Fluid experts have long observed the action, known as the
'orbital shaking', churns the liquid as it travels, drawing in
oxygen from the air and intensifying the smell.
"The formation of this wave has probably been known since
the introduction of glass or any other kind of cylindrical
bowl, but what has been lacking is a description of the
physics related to the mixing and oxygenation," said Dr Farhat who led the study.
To figure out how the mixing occurs, Dr Farhat and his
researchers tracked the motion of travelling waves in clear
cylinders with state of the art instruments while measuring
the velocity of the liquid.
Dr Farhat said: "As the wave propagates along the glass
wall, the liquid is displaced back and forth from bottom to
top and from the centre to the periphery.
"This pumping mechanism, induced by the wave, is more
pronounced near the free surface and close to the wall, which
enhances the mixing."
He added the study, presented at a physics meeting in
Baltimore, also found "for a given glass shape, the mixing and
oxygenation may be optimised with an appropriate choice of
shaking diameter and rotation speed."
"The intuitive and efficient motion of wine swirling has
inspired engineers in the field of biopharmaceuticals." Dr Farhat said this is where cell cultures are placed in
large cylindrical containers or bioreactors and "shaken"
in a manner similar to the aeration of a glass of wine.
The study shows that "such bioreactors offer better
mixing and oxygenation over existing stirred tanks, provided
that operating parameters are carefully optimised," he said.
"Moreover, the gentle nature of orbital shaking also
ensures a better viability and growth rate of the cells at
reduced cost," he added.
Wine buffs always say it is customary to smell your drink
prior to the first sip as part of the tasting experience. Some
wines are to dry for the consumer's taste due to the tannic
acids so swirling the glass draws oxygen from the air into the
wine.
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