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First Edition: February 13, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations preview President Barack Obama's budget, which will be released today, and examine the lingering controversy over mandates on contraceptive coverage.

13 Feb 2012

Children with delayed ACL reconstruction have higher rates of knee injuries

Kids treated more than 150 days after an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury have higher rates of other knee injuries, including medial meniscal tears, say researchers presenting at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day in San Francisco, CA.

13 Feb 2012

Regeneron reports total revenues of $123.0M for fourth quarter 2011

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and full year 2011 and provided an update on development programs.

13 Feb 2012

Benefits of long-term Kineret therapy in people with NOMID

A new study shows that Kineret (anakinra), a medication approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, is effective in stopping the progression of organ damage in people with neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease.

13 Feb 2012

Researchers discover a startling feature of early brain development

Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered a startling feature of early brain development that helps to explain how complex neuron wiring patterns are programmed using just a handful of critical genes. The findings, published February 3 in Cell, may help scientists develop new therapies for neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and provide insight into certain cancers.

13 Feb 2012

Pioglitazone can prevent long term effects of maternal obesity on offspring

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication Pioglitazone can prevent the long term effects of maternal obesity on offspring.

13 Feb 2012

Incident malignancy four times higher among children with JIA

New research reports that incident malignancy among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is four times higher than in those without the disease. Findings now available in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), suggest JIA treatment, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, does not necessarily explain the development of cancer in this pediatric population.

13 Feb 2012

Paternal and maternal age may increase risk of autism in children

Older maternal and paternal age are jointly associated with having a child with autism, according to a recently published study led by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

13 Feb 2012

USC Occupational Science Symposium to be held on March 9, 2012

USC faculty and community experts are slated to convene on March 9 at the USC Occupational Science Symposium to share research and perspectives on autism and autism spectrum disorders with an audience of university colleagues and students, health professionals and public advocates.

13 Feb 2012

Preterm C-section could raise risk of breathing difficulties: Study

Cesarean sections are often performed when a baby is going to be born early. Labor may also be induced when a woman's water breaks too early in the pregnancy. However, two new studies suggest that these common practices may, in fact, not benefit babies. The two new studies were presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

12 Feb 2012

White House scrambles for compromise on birth control rule

Officials say Obama remains committed to the HHS regulation, amid indications they are exploring ways to get around religious groups' complaints.

10 Feb 2012

Most young Spaniards do not consume alcohol or illegal drugs

Despite the clich-s surrounding the habits of adolescents, the results of a study by the University of Seville show that most young people do not fit the risk profile of taking substances. Some 60% of Spaniards aged 13 to 18 say they do not take drugs and rarely drink alcohol - only in moderation - and at the same time, less than 10% admit to have taken some form of illegal drug.

10 Feb 2012

One in four low-income cohabiting couples with children maintain romantic relationship

When low-income cohabiting couples with children decide to no longer live together, that doesn't necessarily mean the end of their romantic relationship.

10 Feb 2012

Study identifies new gene variants linked with risk of T2D

The largest genetics study to date of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has identified new gene variants associated with risk for the common metabolic disease. An international scientific consortium, studying multiethnic populations, uncovered genes that may point to biological targets for developing more effective drugs for T2D.

10 Feb 2012

PAP improves attention, anxiety and QOL in children with OSAS

Children and adolescents with obstructive sleep apnea had substantial improvements in attention, anxiety and quality of life after treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP)—a nighttime therapy in which a machine delivers a stream of air through a mask into the nose.

10 Feb 2012

Eighth grader develops AnimalGrams to support pediatric cancer research at UCLA

When he was 11, Cameron Cohen created the hit drawing app iSketch for the iPhone and donated $20,000 of the proceeds from its sales to the Chase Child Life program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA.

10 Feb 2012

Children with multiple psychosomatic symptoms more likely to experience physical abuse

Children who display multiple psychosomatic symptoms, such as regular aches and pains and sleep and appetite problems, are more than twice as likely to be experiencing physical abuse at home than children who do not display symptoms, according to a study in the March edition of Acta Paediatrica.

10 Feb 2012

University of Haifa study to shed new light on DCD

Children showing difficulty carrying out routine actions, such as getting dressed, playing with particular types of games, drawing, copying from the board in school and even typing at the computer, could be suffering from developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and not necessarily from ADHD or other more familiar disorders, points out Prof. Sara Rosenblum of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Haifa, whose new study set out to shed new light on DCD.

10 Feb 2012

Experts discuss benefits of combining deworming, school feeding programs at meeting with U.K. Parliament

This post in the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog reports on an event held on Wednesday in London during which John Kufuor, former president of Ghana and winner of the 2011 World Food Prize, addressed the U.K. Parliament "about how school feeding programs can help millions of people currently living in poverty."

10 Feb 2012

Chromosomal microarray provides more information about fetal abnormalities

A nationwide, federally funded study has found that testing a developing fetus' DNA through chromosomal microarray (CMA) provides more information about potential disorders than does the standard method of prenatal testing, which is to visually examine the chromosomes.

10 Feb 2012