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Earlier detection of Fragile X syndrome made possible

Now families children with fragile X syndrome may have a chance of earlier detection and intervention. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute breakthrough could allow newborn screening of the world's most common cause of inherited developmental disability. The research findings were published in the journal Clinical Chemistry.

19 Jan 2012

New vaccine for deadly meningococcus B

A new study shows that a new 4-component meningococcal (4CMenB) vaccine for teenagers is effective when administered on a schedule of 2 doses from 1 to 6 months apart. María Elena Santolaya, from the Department of Pediatrics, University of Chile, Santiago, and colleagues performed the study, which was published online January 18 in the Lancet.

19 Jan 2012

Integrative medicine now available for pediatric patients at JMBCIM

Integrative medicine, the field of medicine which combines the use of conventional and complementary techniques in reaching health and wellness goals, is now available for pediatric patients through the Integrative Pediatrics program at the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine.

19 Jan 2012

CDC reports obesity rates in U.S. level off

The prevalence of obesity in the U.S. largely leveled off over the last decade, even as some individual groups, such as boys from ages 6 to 19, saw increases, according to government data. Obesity rates in adults rose slightly to 35.7 percent from 30.5 percent between 1999 and 2010, compared with rates that nearly doubled in the two previous decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today. The rate among boys climbed 29 percent, surpassing girls for the first time, according to the Atlanta-based health agency.

19 Jan 2012

Study outlines how QI initiatives can increase overall survival rates for mothers, children

A large regional hospital in Ghana saw a reduction in maternal and infant deaths after continuous quality improvement (QI) initiatives were put into place through a collaborative partnership.

19 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: The 'need' to repeal CLASS; Squaring Romney's poverty and tax promises

As a physician, I treated hundreds of patients who needed long-term care, including ones with Alzheimer's. More than 13.5 million seniors could have this disease by 2040. Middle-class families remain dangerously unprepared for these costs. Some people will likely spend more than $100,000 on care. The fictional CLASS daily benefit of $50 per day won't cover this. I urge my House and Senate colleagues to support this CLASS repeal.

19 Jan 2012

Assessing the cost of polio eradication efforts

"After more than a century as a global scourge and hundreds of thousands lives lost, polio may now be on the verge of being the second human disease wiped off the face of the Earth," Charles Kenny, senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, writes in his column for ForeignPolicy.com, "The Optimist."

19 Jan 2012

Gilead Sciences receives FDA approval for Viread to treat pediatric HIV infection

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Viread in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in pediatric patients ages 2-12.

19 Jan 2012

DOES makes children eye exams inexpensive, comprehensive and simple to administer

Eighty-five percent of children's learning is related to vision. Yet in the U.S., 80 percent of children have never had an eye exam or any vision screening before kindergarten, statistics say. When they do, the vision screenings they typically receive can detect only one or two conditions.

19 Jan 2012

Medicaid news: N.Y. Gov. proposes state 'takeover' of local costs; Kansas docs, hospitals endorse managed care plan

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's overall budget proposal would increase state spending by 2 percent, much of it involving 4-percent school aid and Medicaid spending hikes agreed to last year with legislative leaders. But the overall plan, including federal funding, is a fraction of 1 percent lower than the current budget, and eliminates a $2 billion deficit.

19 Jan 2012

Nearly 1 out of 7 Texas college students participate in Choking Game

Nearly one out of seven college students surveyed at a Texas university has participated in the Choking Game, a dangerous behavior where blood flow is deliberately cut off to the brain in order to achieve a high, according to a study by The Crime Victims' Institute at Sam Houston State University.

19 Jan 2012

Increasing health problems from caffeinated energy drinks

A study has shown that there is a sharp rise in the number of people who report heart problems, tremors and chest pains after drinking caffeinated energy drinks. The incidences are particularly common among teenagers. Close to 300 calls were made to NSW's poisons centre regarding adverse reactions to energy drinks between January 2004 and the end of 2010, with more than a third of people attending hospital.

18 Jan 2012

Obesity in the U.S. stabilize: Report

New figures from the federal government shows that the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. largely leveled off over the last decade, even as some individual groups, such as boys from ages 6 to 19, saw increases.

18 Jan 2012

Counterfeit malaria drugs endanger millions of lives

According to researchers fake and poor quality anti-malarial drugs are threatening efforts to control the disease in Africa and could put millions of lives at risk. These counterfeit medicines could harm patients and promote drug resistance among malaria parasites, warns the study, funded by the Wellcome Trust.

18 Jan 2012

Pediatric research project to expand data collection linked to newborn screening results

Within the first days of life, screening tests are performed on all newborns born in the U.S. to identify rare and often life-threatening medical conditions that are not apparent at birth. These newborn screening programs have been operating for decades, permitting doctors to intervene early and improve outcomes in potentially devastating conditions.

18 Jan 2012

US faces shortage of donated blood

A person is in need of a blood donation every two seconds in the United States, according to statistics from America's Blood Centers, a network of non-profit community blood centers across the country. Because there is no known substitute for human blood, and it cannot be artificially manufactured, the entire process relies on generous donations from people willing to give. Unfortunately, there is currently a shortage of donated blood across the country.

18 Jan 2012

Chan faces financing challenges in second term as WHO director-general

The expected re-appointment of Margaret Chan as the WHO's director-general "comes at a perilous moment for WHO," a Lancet editorial states.

18 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: Health care is a civil right; A Medicare strategy based on Lenin

Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy is one of progress toward a better life for every American, including equal opportunity in voting, housing, education, and employment. Reflecting on his legacy also means recognizing the steps we must take to address the inequalities that persist. Many of these involve health care. Poor and minority Americans suffer from more preventable diseases on average, lower-quality care, fewer treatment options, and less health insurance coverage.

18 Jan 2012

St. Baldrick's Foundation awards $47,000 to help kids with cancer

It takes life-saving research and access to clinical trials to help children with cancer. The St. Baldrick's Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, awarded an infrastructure grant of $47,000 to the Biopathology Center (BPC), housed in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

18 Jan 2012

PCORI to meet this week to release national priorities for medical effectiveness research

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, an independent board established by the health law, will meet this week to set priorities for "comparative effectiveness research." In other news related to the health law, the News Hour reports on how the overahul has impacted pediatric cancer patients and the New York Times reports on the law's provisions related to screening kids for obesity and providing them counseling.

18 Jan 2012