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Potential test to diagnose membranous nephropathy in early stages

Research conducted by a pair of physicians at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) has led to the development of a test that can help diagnose membranous nephropathy in its early stages.

1 Dec 2011

Fewer uninsured kids even as adult numbers rise

A new study by Georgetown University credits the health law as having a 'key role' in the increase in children's health insurance coverage.

1 Dec 2011

World-renowned neurosurgeon to receive Franc D. Ingraham Distinguished Service Award

Children's Hospital Boston today announced that world renowned neurosurgeon R. Michael Scott, MD, will be awarded the prestigious Franc D. Ingraham Distinguished Service Award.

30 Nov 2011

Joslin study uncovers potential targets for soft-tissue sarcomas

Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston have uncovered important molecular and genetic keys to the development of soft-tissue sarcomas in skeletal muscle, giving researchers and clinicians additional targets to stop the growth of these often deadly tumors.

30 Nov 2011

FDA clears Abbott's new ARCHITECT 25-OH Vitamin D assay

Abbott announced today it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a fully-automated 25-OH Vitamin D assay performed on its widely used ARCHITECT laboratory testing platform.

30 Nov 2011

Repeated soccer headers could lead to brain damage: Study

A new study suggests that frequent “heading” of soccer balls by avid amateur players may cause brain damage leading to subtle but serious declines in thinking and coordination skills.

30 Nov 2011

Home visits, mobile clinics do not improve asthma outcomes in children

A new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study of Baltimore City children with asthma shows that two programs designed to improve disease outcomes among those who may be affected the worst fall short of expectations.

30 Nov 2011

Global leaders plan next steps at Harvard on World AIDS Day

Thirty years, 30 million deaths and 60 million infections after HIV appeared, medical researchers now have the tools to halt the deadly epidemic. "We have the weapons to win the war against AIDS," says Richard Marlink, M.D., Executive Director of the AIDS Initiative at the Harvard School of Public Health. "It is time to take what we have learned to turn the epidemic around and end AIDS."

30 Nov 2011

Car seats sufficiently accommodate broad spectrum of children's body sizes

Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Center for Injury Research and Prevention studied nearly 1,000 1- to 8-year-old children involved in crashes and found no evidence of increased injury risk for children across a broad weight range. All of the children included in the study were properly restrained in the correct child safety seat or booster seat for their height and weight.

30 Nov 2011

Texas pharmacists assail Medicaid cuts; Ariz. could restore kids' coverage

Texas pharmacists say a plan to have health maintenance organizations manage the drug needs of Medicaid enrollees will drive them out of business. Meanwhile, Arizona officials announce a plan that will leverage federal Medicaid funds and allow them to restore insurance to some children who lost it in recent budget cuts.

30 Nov 2011

Anemia, high blood pressure linked to risk of silent strokes in children with SCD

A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Vanderbilt University and elsewhere have demonstrated that high blood pressure and anemia together put children with sickle cell disease (SCD) at serious danger for symptomless or so-called "silent" strokes, although either condition alone also signaled high risk.

30 Nov 2011

Study examines alternative immunization schedule occurrence rates in Washington State

Seventy-seven percent of Washington state pediatricians report that they are sometimes or frequently asked to provide alternative childhood vaccine schedules for their patients, according to a new study from Seattle Children's Research Institute. Researchers also found that 61 percent of Washington state pediatricians are comfortable using an alternative schedule when asked by a parent.

30 Nov 2011

Boys may benefit from high-quality kindergarten friendships

High-quality friendships in kindergarten may mean that boys will have fewer behavior problems and better social skills in first and third grades, said Nancy McElwain, a University of Illinois associate professor of human development and co-author of a study published in a recent issue of Infant and Child Development.

30 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: GOP leaders, Obama share link to mandate; expensive benefits for seniors

I don't want to focus on the differences between Romney and Gingrich. I want to focus on the commonalities. Because these two men have a lot in common with not only each other but also with President Obama. Both Gingrich and Romney, for instance, supported a universal health care plan backed by an individual mandate requiring all Americans of means to purchase health-care insurance - just as Obama does.

30 Nov 2011

PTC, Roche announce licensing agreement for SMA programme

Roche, PTC Therapeutics, Inc. and the SMA Foundation, announced today a licensing agreement for PTC's Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) programme.

30 Nov 2011

Shots reduce risk of chicken pox

Infants below the age of one may be too young to get the chicken pox vaccine but far fewer of them got the itchy rash after the U.S. started routinely vaccinating older children in 1995, according to a new study.

29 Nov 2011

Large brains linked to regressive autism: Study

In this new study researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute, show there are multiple biological subtypes of autism including likely differences between males and females. They looked at 114 children with autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 2 and 4 and compared them with 66 healthy children of the same age. Of the 114 with the disorder, 54% had regressive autism and 46% had non-regressive autism.

29 Nov 2011

Many kids missing vaccinations owing to parental refusal: Report

Figures reveal that more parents are opting out of school shots for their kids. In eight states now, more than one in 20 public school kindergarten children aren't getting all the vaccines required for attendance.

29 Nov 2011

Herbicide atrazine linked to reproductive dysfunction

An international team of researchers has reviewed the evidence linking exposure to atrazine - an herbicide widely used in the U.S. and more than 60 other nations - to reproductive problems in animals. The team found consistent patterns of reproductive dysfunction in amphibians, fish, reptiles and mammals exposed to the chemical.

29 Nov 2011

EC extends therapeutic indication for Soliris to treat atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the European Commission (EC) has extended the therapeutic indication for Soliris® (eculizumab) to include the treatment of pediatric and adult patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS).

29 Nov 2011