Paediatrics News and Research

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CPS: Withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration is legally, ethically acceptable

The Canadian Paediatric Society wants to help health care providers faced with difficult end-of-life decisions, with a new paper on withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH). The CPS says that withholding or withdrawing ANH is both legally and ethically acceptable as part of a palliative care plan.

1 Apr 2011

Doctors who use iResus application perform better simulated cardiac arrest emergency

Doctors who used a free iPhone application provided by the UK Resuscitation Council performed significantly better in a simulated medical emergency than those who did not, according to a study in the April issue of Anaesthesia.

29 Mar 2011

Elsevier offers Arabic bilingual medical texts to major universities in the Middle East

Elsevier, the leading global publisher of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, announced today it has begun offering Arabic bilingual editions of leading Elsevier medical texts to major universities in the Middle East. The first order was recently received by Kalamoon University in Syria.

7 Mar 2011

Study examines effectiveness of active video games for improving health, fitness

A multidisciplinary team from the Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València, Universitat Jaume I, University General Hospital from Valencia and the Biomedical Research Network Centre on Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn) is developing a study on the effectiveness of active video games in children and teenagers (know as "exergaming platforms") for exercising and improving their health and fitness.

5 Mar 2011

Scientists devise new on-line calculator to predict food allergies in children

An on-line calculator that predicts, within seconds, the presence of the three major food allergies in children has been developed by researchers at University College Cork.

2 Mar 2011

Survey: 65% of patients in hospitals experience pain prevalence

Nearly two-thirds of the hospital in-patients who took part in a survey had experienced pain in the last 24 hours and 42% of those rated their pain as more than seven out of ten, where ten was the worst pain imaginable, according to the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

28 Feb 2011

Funding too low for paediatric oncology research

At a time when the effects of paediatric oncology research have meant that more and more children survive cancer, its funding is too low and dependent on short-term grants to be able to sustain this improvement in the long-term, says a report supported by the EU-funded 7th Framework Programme project Eurocancercoms and published on-line in ecancer today.

9 Feb 2011

Babies born to HIV-infected mothers have lower antibody levels against bacterial infections

Babies whose mothers have HIV, but who are not HIV-infected themselves, are born with lower levels of specific proteins in their blood called antibodies, which fight infection, compared with babies not exposed to HIV, a new study has found.

9 Feb 2011

Weighty matters

The Dieticians Association of Australia (DAA) has launched the “Healthy Weight Week”. The DAA says that 61 per cent of Australian adults and 25 per cent of Australian children are either overweight or obese. At present there are really no drugs that provide long term weight loss. The only resort is surgery.

24 Jan 2011

Novo Nordisk's new insulin pen for children receives 2010 GOOD DESIGN Award

A 2010 GOOD DESIGN Award has been awarded to Novo Nordisk for NovoPen Echo, the latest innovation in pen development - designed specifically with the needs of children in mind. Judging is made based on product design which is new, visionary and innovative and that may enrich people's lives.

From Novo Nordisk 19 Jan 2011

Excessive video gaming may lead to mental ill health problems for kids, experts warn

A new study shows the risk factors for “pathological,” or obsessive, video gamers. It shows that these children become more depressed and anxious the more they play. The risk factors that made a child a pathological gamer include the child being impulsive, socially awkward, and played more games than the average child.

17 Jan 2011

Close pregnancies increase autism risk: Study

According to a new study published in the February issue of Paediatrics, children born within one year of an older sibling may be three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism.

10 Jan 2011

Teen birth rate at a seven decade low: Report

Figures reveal that fewer teenagers are giving birth and the numbers are a seventy year low. Reasons are not specified but two decades of public-health initiatives to curb teenage pregnancy may be paying off feel experts. Report co author Brady Hamilton, a statistician at CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics said, “One of the biggest highlights is the continuing decline in teen births -- down to record lows.”

22 Dec 2010

L. reuteri Protectis reduces frequency of regurgitation by 80% in infants

The study showed that infants supplemented with L. reuteri Protectis reduced the frequency of regurgitation by 80 %. Gastric emptying was significantly accelerated compared to placebo.

8 Dec 2010

Children's heart disease affects mental health of mothers

Mothers of children with severe heart disease are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than mothers of healthy children, even once any medical interventions are over.

18 Nov 2010

Pasteurized human breast milk recommended alternative for hospitalized sick newborns

Pasteurized human milk is a recommended alternative for hospitalized sick newborns when their own mother's milk is not available, according to a new statement by the Canadian Paediatric Society. The statement, published today in Paediatrics & Child Health, says that human milk banking in Canada should be encouraged and promoted.

1 Nov 2010

Study finds relationship between bacterial infections, acute asthma attacks in children

"We found a significant relationship between bacterial infections and acute asthma attacks - above and beyond the expected relationship between viral infections and attacks," says Hans Bisgaard, a professor of paediatrics at the DPAC.

8 Oct 2010

Prescription only baby formula proposal

It has been known and recommended for some time now that breast milk is the best food for a new born. However for mothers who cannot breast feed, this has been a serious issue related to guilt and anguish. The controversy took a new turn as a Melbourne doctor of midwifery called for infant formula to be made available only by prescription. RMIT University expert Dr Jennifer James wants infant formula banned from supermarket shelves.

23 Sep 2010

Babies weaned on junk food: Study

According to a recent study in Perth, Australia, babies here are being fed high calorie junk foods like biscuits, cakes, hot chips and ice cream before they turn one. This practice affects their eating habits for life say researchers. The report appeared in the Australian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. The study was undertaken by the Telethon Institute of Child Health Research, University of Western Australia and Curtin University and South Australia's Flinders University.

7 Sep 2010

Scientists reveal lab approach method to treat neuroblastoma in children

A study led by scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) reveals a new method of identifying drugs to treat children suffering from fatal cancers for which an effective treatment has not been found. Rather than developing a new drug from scratch, which is a complicated and time-consuming process, they tried a different approach: in the lab, they tested existing drugs on cancer stem cells from young patients with neuroblastoma, one of the common cancers of infants and children.

19 Aug 2010