Some interesting study results were released earlier this month at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting held in San Francisco. The study in question claims that magnesium sulfate (Mg) could be of great benefit to fetuses in preventing brain injury during preterm labor.

Magnesium sulfate was used in the study to combat neonatal brain injury suffered by the fetus due to maternal infection or inflammation. The element appears to reduce inflation and protect against threats such as cerebral palsy when administered before a planned preterm birth.

The study took a look at pregnant rats and used very sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging to study the brains of their offspring post-birth. Without getting too technical, magnesium sulfate appears to have helped maintain very important Fractional Anisotropy levels as well as gray matter in the test subjects verses those whose mothers had not been administered magnesium sulfate.

The conclusion of the study was that the element's use in decreasing the likelihood of cerebral palsy or other brain injury in newborns is very promising. However, much additional testing is needed as to the exact reasons why this phenomenon is occurring.

The medical industry and society alike have learned and suffered from the cost of introducing similar seemingly wonder drugs to market too soon. While it may be tempting to start testing an exciting new drug or method on human fetuses as soon as possible, it behooves the medical industry to complete all the necessary due diligence steps in order to shield themselves from as much liability as possible.

Source: Health Jockey.com "Magnesium sulphate may guard from cerebral palsy induced by maternal inflammation" 2/15/11