Chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and indeterminate colitis. The distinct phenotype in pediatric and adolescent patients and the difference from adult IBD make early-onset IBD a unique subgroup requiring specific therapeutic considerations. In this book, leading experts from the USA, Europe and Israel present new data on the genetics, epidemiology, pathology and pathogenesis of pediatric IBD. Imaging and endoscopy in the diagnosis of IBD are also discussed. [More]

Toddlers and obese children suffer more than other youth when exposed to secondhand smoke, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009. [More]

Pfizer Inc announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 10 to 1 that the data presented support the safety and effectiveness of its 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate candidate vaccine, Prevnar 13™ (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]), for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease in infants and young children. [More]

A baby's sleep position is the best predictor of a misshapen skull condition known as deformational plagiocephaly - or the development of flat spots on an infant's head - according to findings reported by Arizona State University scientists in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics. [More]

AT&T* today announced that it will launch the fourth annual campaign to raise awareness of childhood cancer and collect donations to support PADRES Contra El Cancer (PADRES), a nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life for Latino children who are battling the disease, beginning November 22. AT&T set a goal of raising $300,000 this year, which would mean a total donation of $1 million to PADRES since the campaign's inception in 2007. [More]

Following the increasing impact of the GAVI Alliance on the vaccine market, the price of one of the major combination vaccines, the pentavalent, is falling considerably, enabling GAVI’s partners to vaccinate millions of more children in the developing world. [More]

A bi-partisan effort to decrease and prevent childhood obesity was introduced today in the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives, with the strong support of the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children coalition. The Healthy Choices for Healthy Children legislation is co-sponsored by Senator Kevin Coughlin (R-Cuyahoga Falls) and Senator Eric H. Kearney (D-Cincinnati) in the Ohio Senate. [More]

Three out of four mothers with a child between the ages of two through 12 are extremely, very, or somewhat concerned about their child's health this coming winter, according to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation and commissioned by Bionorica, an international company pioneering clinical research of natural remedies including Sinupret® for Kids, a product which supports healthy respiratory function in children (www.bionoricausa.com). [More]

Pfizer Inc announced it has submitted pediatric data for Lipitor® (atorvastatin) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). Pfizer has also developed a new chewable form of Lipitor, including a pediatric-appropriate 5 mg dose, which is part of this submission. [More]

More than six percent of expectant mothers in Quebec consume prescription drugs that are known to be harmful to their fetuses, according to a Universit- de Montr-al investigation published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology [More]

Heart function significantly improved in children and young adults with single ventricle congenital heart disease who have had the Fontan operation following treatment with sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. [More]

Studying drugs in pediatric populations is challenging because drugs often affect children differently than they do adults. The scarcity of pediatric studies limits the ability of doctors and scientists to predict drug dosing, safety and efficacy in children. To address this gap, the National Institutes of Health announced today 18 grants to help determine outcome measures and increase the likelihood of success of future trials of treatments for children. [More]

"More than 24,000 infants die daily from preventable diseases in developing countries," and child deaths have fallen in countries where governments "have shown a high level of political leadership on child health," World Vision International said in a new report (.pdf) released on Monday as part of a five-year campaign to reduce child deaths worldwide, the Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle reports. [More]

Top Institute Pharma has formed a consortium with Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Erasmus Medical Centre and Maastricht University to define new modalities for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) and associated vascular complications such as heart and kidney failure, myocardial infarction and stroke. [More]

For the second consecutive year, the United States earned only a "D" on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, demonstrating that more than half a million of our nation's newborns didn't get the healthy start they deserved. [More]