Child Health News and Research

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Study suggests familial, contextual factors affect girls' pubertal timing

Girls in homes without a biological father are more likely to hit puberty at an earlier age, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health.

17 Sep 2010

Researchers to examine effects of environmental influences on health, development of children in the U.S.

Residents of Durham County, N.C., are encouraged to take part in the largest ever long-term study of children's health and development undertaken in the United States.

16 Sep 2010

U.S. adults support restrictions on e-cigarettes based on potential risks

According to the makers of electronic cigarettes, they are new devices that allow users to inhale nicotine but not the toxins of tobacco cigarettes. Advocates hail e-cigarettes as a possible quit-smoking aid.

14 Sep 2010

Molecule microRNA-21 enhances growth and survival of existing lung cancer

A tiny molecule that spurs the progression of non-small-cell lung cancer could become a player in fighting the disease, say researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center, who published a study on how the molecule behaves in mice in the Sept. 14 issue of Cancer Cell.

14 Sep 2010

NIH awards PhysioNetics $815,000 for development of low-cost prosthetic interface

ADA Technologies, Inc.'s PhysioNetics division has been awarded an $815,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The Phase II award will enable PhysioNetics to complete design refinements and commercialization activities for its low-cost upper-extremity prosthetic interface, also known as a "socket."

13 Sep 2010

NIH launches two research studies to examine ways to curtail childhood obesity epidemic

The National Institutes of Health is launching two major research efforts, totaling $72.5 million, to examine ways to curtail the nation's childhood obesity epidemic. One will study long-term approaches to prevent or treat childhood obesity, and the other will examine community efforts to reduce childhood obesity rates.

10 Sep 2010

Kennedy Krieger Institute receives grant for Alzheimer's disease research in Down syndrome patients

Early signs of Alzheimer's disease can be difficult to distinguish from the normal aging process in any older adult. For adults with Down syndrome, who are particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease, it is even more so. Because effective intervention needs to begin as early in the disease process as possible, prior to the onset of the irreversible impacts on the brain that are characteristic of this devastating disease, early diagnosis is of critical importance. To address crucial gaps in knowledge about Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome, the Kennedy Krieger Institute has been awarded an $8.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

10 Sep 2010

Researchers demonstrate how insulin prepares cells for glucose uptake

Using high-resolution microscopy, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have shown how insulin prompts fat cells to take in glucose in a rat model. The findings were reported in the Sept. 8 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

9 Sep 2010

Opinions: U.S. commitment to Global Fund; Innovative financing; Global food security; Aid for Pakistan

A Times of Trenton editorial looks at the work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is "estimated to have already saved 5 million lives, enables programs that prevent and treat infections, eliminate the transmission of HIV from pregnant women to their unborn children, contain the threat of multidrug-resistant TB, and eliminate malaria as a public health problem."

9 Sep 2010

Save the Children report finds neediest children in many developing countries are overlooked

The deaths of four million of the world's poorest children over 10 years could have been avoided if governments had not turned "a blind eye" to the neediest children, said a report from Save the Children, released on Tuesday, the U.K. Press Association reports (9/6).

8 Sep 2010

Local efforts seek to reduce childhood obesity; Sleep-deprived kids most vulnerable

NPR: "[A] new study finds that even for infants and preschoolers, a good, long night's sleep may be just as important as diet and physical activity. Over the past three decades, obesity rates have doubled among children age 2 to 5, and tripled among 6- to 11-year-olds. So University of Washington maternal and child health researcher Janice Bell wanted to know whether sleep had anything to do with it.

8 Sep 2010

Also in Global Health News: India's antibiotic use; Abstinence curriculum in China; Child, maternal health in India; Plumpy'nut; PEPFAR funds to Uganda

"The health ministry has formed a committee to frame a policy for antibiotic use, following an uproar over a Lancet study that traced a drug-resistant bacterial superbug's origins to India," LiveMint.com reports. The panel will also look into the "excessive use of antibiotics among Indians," partly fueled by self-medication, that has increased resistance to the drugs. The article notes that the Indian government "rejected the findings of the report" but has "taken note of a lack of policy on antibiotics" (Pandeya, 9/3).

7 Sep 2010

NextGen executes agreement with MKMG to deploy EHR solution

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. and leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, today announced it has executed an agreement with Mount Kisco Medical Group, PC (MKMG) to deploy NextGen Ambulatory EHR (Electronic Health Record), NextGen Practice Management, and the NextGen Patient portal.

7 Sep 2010

RWJF unites civil rights organizations to reverse childhood obesity

A $2 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is bringing together five civil rights organizations with the prominence and strength to help reverse childhood obesity, especially in African-American and Latino communities where the epidemic continues to hit hardest.

7 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

VOA News examines U.S. Global Health Initiative

VOA News examines President Barack Obama's $63 billion Global Health Initiative (GHI), noting the initiative's emphasis on cost-effective strategies to improve child- and maternal-health as well as programs to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. The article includes recent comments by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the role the GHI will play in strengthening health systems and the administration's on-going commitment to global HIV/AIDS programs.

4 Sep 2010

Canadian minister travels to Mali, Mozambique to start rolling out Canada's G8 Muskoka Initiative

The Canadian government started rolling out its maternal health program in Africa as Minister of International Co-operation Bev Oda embarked on a seven-day visit to Mali and Mozambique, the Globe and Mail reports (York, 8/27).

31 Aug 2010

Weekend Update: Use of high deductible insurance plans rises; Rubio assails health law; Medicaid vs. schools

The New York Times takes a look at the use of high deductible health insurance plans linked to tax exempt savings accounts and points out that although the plans have been growing in use, the new federal health law may make them "less attractive, if new rules, yet to be announced, require lower deductibles and impose other restrictions."

30 Aug 2010

Mental health issues during pregnancy contribute to infant mortality and poor child health

Clinical depression and anxiety during pregnancy results in smaller babies that are more likely to die in infancy, according to new research published in the open access journal BMC Public Health. The study, which focused on women living in rural Bangladesh, provides the first finding of its kind in a non-Western population. The research indicates that mental health issues are likely to be a primary contributor to infant mortality and poor child health, above poverty, malnutrition or low socio-economic status.

26 Aug 2010

Opinions: Health and agriculture; GHI's main ideas; Recommendations to improve Haiti's government; China and the Global Fund

In a SciDev.Net opinion piece, Jeff Waage, director of the London International Development Centre, argues for more collaboration between agriculture and health experts. "The relationship between agriculture and health may seem intuitive and simple - grow more crops and people will have more food and live healthier lives.

26 Aug 2010

Child Health News and Research

Study suggests familial, contextual factors affect girls' pubertal timing

Researchers to examine effects of environmental influences on health, development of children in the U.S.

U.S. adults support restrictions on e-cigarettes based on potential risks

Molecule microRNA-21 enhances growth and survival of existing lung cancer

NIH awards PhysioNetics $815,000 for development of low-cost prosthetic interface

NIH launches two research studies to examine ways to curtail childhood obesity epidemic

Kennedy Krieger Institute receives grant for Alzheimer's disease research in Down syndrome patients

Researchers demonstrate how insulin prepares cells for glucose uptake

Opinions: U.S. commitment to Global Fund; Innovative financing; Global food security; Aid for Pakistan

Save the Children report finds neediest children in many developing countries are overlooked

Local efforts seek to reduce childhood obesity; Sleep-deprived kids most vulnerable

Also in Global Health News: India's antibiotic use; Abstinence curriculum in China; Child, maternal health in India; Plumpy'nut; PEPFAR funds to Uganda

NextGen executes agreement with MKMG to deploy EHR solution

RWJF unites civil rights organizations to reverse childhood obesity

Babies weaned on junk food: Study

VOA News examines U.S. Global Health Initiative

Canadian minister travels to Mali, Mozambique to start rolling out Canada's G8 Muskoka Initiative

Weekend Update: Use of high deductible insurance plans rises; Rubio assails health law; Medicaid vs. schools

Mental health issues during pregnancy contribute to infant mortality and poor child health

Opinions: Health and agriculture; GHI's main ideas; Recommendations to improve Haiti's government; China and the Global Fund

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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