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First Edition: September 22, 2010

Today's headlines focus on news surrounding tomorrow's six-month anniversary of the new health law and some of the specific provisions that will kick in on that day.

22 Sep 2010

Study finds certain MRI sequences as accurate methods of assessing stent stenosis

Researchers have found that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be sufficient for the routine surveillance of some great vessel (primary blood vessels [e.g., aorta and vena cavae]) stents that are commonly used to treat congenital heart defects (a defect in the structure of the heart and great vessels that is present at birth) in children and young adults, according to a study in the October issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (www.ajronline.org). MRI is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions.

22 Sep 2010

Feeding Your Kids challenges families to take 42-day program to combat childhood obesity

Feeding Your Kids is proud to announce its participation in the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting taking place from September 20-23 in New York City, and bringing together Initiative members from around the world to address a variety of global problems through tangible Commitments to Action. In honor of the annual meeting and Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, Feeding Your Kids is challenging families nationwide to take its 42-day program and change the way they feed their families.

22 Sep 2010

Newborn Coalition praises SACHDNC's Critical Congenital Heart Disease universal screening recommendation

In a historic vote on September 17, 2010, the Secretary's Advisory Committee for Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (SACHDNC) unanimously agreed to recommend the addition of screening for Critical Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease to the core panel for universal screening of all newborns in the United States.

22 Sep 2010

Smoking during pregnancy adversely affects children's coordination and physical control

Women who smoke during pregnancy run the risk of adversely affecting their children's coordination and physical control according to a new study from örebro University, Sweden, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

22 Sep 2010

Health reform's six month implementation marked with new provisions

The Contra Costa Times: "Six months after passage of the federal health reform law, major provisions will kick in that supporters say will make it easier for Americans to get and keep health insurance. … Among the major changes: Insurance companies will no longer be able to cancel policies because someone becomes sick, set lifetime caps on coverage or deny insurance to children with pre-existing conditions. … In addition to enabling young people to remain on their parents' policies up to age 26, several other major provisions kick in on Thursday.

22 Sep 2010

UT MD Anderson Cancer Center aims to reduce tobacco use among at-risk youths in SE Texas

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is reaching out to southeast Texas via an interactive, arcade-style video game aimed at reducing tobacco use among at-risk teens and adolescents.

22 Sep 2010

MIDAS researchers continue to model how H1N1 may spread

As the United States prepares for the upcoming flu season, a group of researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health continues to model how H1N1 may spread.

22 Sep 2010

Aeras and Crucell commence Phase II study of TB vaccine candidate in infants

Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell N.V. and the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation today announced the start of a Phase II clinical trial in infants of the jointly developed tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate, AERAS-402/Crucell Ad35.

22 Sep 2010

New findings could impact diagnosis and treatment of ADHD and alcoholism

Impulsive behaviour can be improved with training and the improvement is marked by specific brain changes, according to a new Queen's University study.

22 Sep 2010

ARRA's legacies may solve challenges related to health, energy and environment

The presidents of six leading research universities and two higher-education associations joined Vice President Joe Biden and White House science advisor Dr. John Holdren this morning to discuss the scientific research and related activities that have been made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

22 Sep 2010

Immunization is critical to reduce child deaths

Immunising children against preventable diseases is critical to achieving United Nations-led goals to reduce child deaths, global health and development chiefs said in New York today.

22 Sep 2010

Dogs can encourage children to be active, help combat rising childhood obesity

Children whose families own dogs are more active than those without, according to new research. Researchers from St George's, University of London studied 2,065 children aged nine to ten, and found that children from dog-owning families have higher levels of physical activity compared to children without.

22 Sep 2010

ACT people live longer but may have more mental health issues: Report

Chief Health Officer Charles Guest's report on the health and wellbeing of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) population between July 2006 and June 2008 was presented in the Legislative Assembly. It showed that life expectancy rate at birth in the ACT was 80.3 years for males and 84 for women. This was despite the fact that most are overweight and only a minority eats enough fruit and vegetables.

22 Sep 2010

Specific orofacial characteristics can lead to accurate diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term that describes the range of effects that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol while pregnant. Each year, FASD affect an estimated 40,000 infants in the United States—more than spina bifida, Down syndrome, and muscular dystrophy combined.

22 Sep 2010

Secretary-General opens U.N. summit on MDGS with appeal for world leaders to maintain target commitments

On the first of the three-day U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday appealed "to the assembled presidents, prime ministers and kings to use their power to meet U.N. goals to help the world's poorest by 2015," the Associated Press reports.

22 Sep 2010

Clinton Global Initiative meeting kicks off, U.S. will commit to Clean Cookstove project

"World leaders, CEOs, non-governmental organizations and philanthropists" are gathering this week at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting, "[t]imed to coincide with the beginning of the United Nations General Assembly," WNYC News reports (Herman, 9/20).

22 Sep 2010

Some insurers to end child-only policies rather than comply with health law

Major insurers plan to discontinue child-only health plans rather than issue coverage under such plans for children with preexisting conditions, something they would have to do beginning Sept. 23 as part of the health law, The Washington Post reports. WellPoint, Cigna and CoventryOne are among the insurers that will end the plans. Those children already covered under the plans would be able to continue, and the companies "will accept children with preexisting conditions in new family policies" (Aizenman, 9/20).

22 Sep 2010

Republicans plan to chip away at health law; Senators call for insurance rate hearings

The New York Times: Republicans are hopeful they can pick up enough seats in November's midterm elections to chip away at the new health law. "This goal, though not fleshed out in a detailed legislative proposal, is much more than a campaign slogan. That conclusion emerged from interviews with a wide range of Republican lawmakers, who said they were determined to chip away at the law if they could not dismantle it." Republicans are expected to release specifics of the plan Thursday.

22 Sep 2010

Brown grants exclusive intellectual property license to Tivorsan Pharmaceuticals

Development of a potential treatment for the most common form of muscular dystrophy is moving into a new phase at Brown University. Brown has granted an exclusive license for the intellectual property to Tivorsan Pharmaceuticals, a startup firm that will strive to see it through human trials.

22 Sep 2010

Children News and Research

First Edition: September 22, 2010

Study finds certain MRI sequences as accurate methods of assessing stent stenosis

Feeding Your Kids challenges families to take 42-day program to combat childhood obesity

Newborn Coalition praises SACHDNC's Critical Congenital Heart Disease universal screening recommendation

Smoking during pregnancy adversely affects children's coordination and physical control

Health reform's six month implementation marked with new provisions

UT MD Anderson Cancer Center aims to reduce tobacco use among at-risk youths in SE Texas

MIDAS researchers continue to model how H1N1 may spread

Aeras and Crucell commence Phase II study of TB vaccine candidate in infants

New findings could impact diagnosis and treatment of ADHD and alcoholism

ARRA's legacies may solve challenges related to health, energy and environment

Immunization is critical to reduce child deaths

Dogs can encourage children to be active, help combat rising childhood obesity

ACT people live longer but may have more mental health issues: Report

Specific orofacial characteristics can lead to accurate diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Secretary-General opens U.N. summit on MDGS with appeal for world leaders to maintain target commitments

Clinton Global Initiative meeting kicks off, U.S. will commit to Clean Cookstove project

Some insurers to end child-only policies rather than comply with health law

Republicans plan to chip away at health law; Senators call for insurance rate hearings

Brown grants exclusive intellectual property license to Tivorsan Pharmaceuticals

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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