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Baby with heart condition after surgery ‘chilled’ and cured

Four month old baby Finley Burton was taken for a routine visit to his doctor when two holes were detected in his heart. He subsequently underwent an intricate heart operation to close these holes that were making it difficult for his heart to pump out blood. Right after the operation he developed irregular, erratic heart beats that went over 200 beats per minute. This could have killed him but doctors in Britain found a miracle solution for the problem. They lowered his body temperature.

18 Jun 2010

Constipation prophylaxis in sickle cell patients needs increased attention

Not all patients with sickle cell disease receive laxatives after being treated with narcotics, despite recommendations from a collaborative panel of pediatric experts. These are the findings from a Nationwide Children's Hospital study examining patients from 29 pediatric hospitals, and appearing in Pediatric Blood & Cancer.

17 Jun 2010

Study reveals increase of enzyme MAO-A in female brain during immediate postpartum period

Within the first week after giving birth, up to 70 percent of all women experience symptoms of the baby blues. While most women recover quickly, up to 13 percent of all new mothers suffer from symptoms of a clinical-level postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is defined as a major depressive episode starting within 4 weeks after delivery and is a significant public health problem. Postpartum blues represents a major risk factor for developing postpartum depression and severe postpartum blues symptoms can be viewed as a prodromal stage for postpartum depression.

17 Jun 2010

Studies suggest role for IL-10 in prevention and treatment of neurological disease in newborns

This bacterium, Escherichia coli K1, is the most common cause of meningitis in premature infants and the second most common cause of the disease in newborns. "The ineffectiveness of antibiotics in treating newborns with meningitis and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria require new strategies," explains Nemani V. Prasadarao, PhD, associate professor of infectious disease at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

17 Jun 2010

New legislation will impede use of MRI in medical research

Europe must act to prevent new legislation impeding the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in medical research, diagnosis and treatment, states the European Science Foundation (ESF) in a new report. The report is endorsed by the European Medical Research Councils, representing the medical research communities in 30 countries.

17 Jun 2010

Symposium explores new understanding of mitochondrial function, cellular bioenergetics in cancer research

Seahorse Bioscience, Inc., the leader in instruments for assessing cellular bioenergetics, recently organized a symposium on Cancer and Mitochondrial Function featuring Douglas Green, Ph.D., from St. Jude Children's Hospital; Navdeep S. Chandel, Ph.D., from Northwestern Medical School; and Nicholas C. Denko, Ph.D., from Stanford University School of Medicine.

17 Jun 2010

Researchers identify first genetic risk factors for development of CM in Angolan children

Malaria, caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, remains one of the main causes of death worldwide. An international team of researchers lead by Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, IGC, scientist Carlos Penha-Gonçalves, has identified the first genetic risk factors for the development of cerebral malaria in Angolan children, a severe manifestation of malaria infection.

17 Jun 2010

VOA News examines countdown to 2015 report calling for additional 700,000 midwives to reduce maternal, newborn deaths worldwide

VOA News examines the Countdown to 2015 report, which says that a lack of trained birth attendants is contributing to more than two million stillbirths, maternal and newborn deaths annually (Smith, 6/15).

17 Jun 2010

Financial Times examines how GAVI's $2.6B shortfall might affect new vaccine programs in developing countries

GAVI Alliance's plan to introduce new vaccine projects in the developing world "is under threat amid the international economic downturn," the Financial Times reports. "Subsidies to extend the use of vaccines against rubella, HPV to tackle cervical cancer, cholera and Japanese encephalitis in the developing world are among those likely to be cancelled or delayed," according to GAVI's CEO Julian Lob-Levyt, the newspaper writes.

17 Jun 2010

UC researchers receive $2.3M grant to develop user-friendly diagnostics for influenza virus

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have received a five-year grant to develop rapid, robust, user-friendly diagnostics for influenza virus. An interdisciplinary team of scientists has received a $2.3 million dollar grant from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the National Institutes of Health. The name of the grant is "Glycan Receptor Mimics for Rapid Detection, Typing, and Susceptibility Testing of Influenza."

17 Jun 2010

State round-up: Calif. orders review of insurers' planned rate hikes; S.D. targets young smokers

"California health insurance regulators have ordered independent reviews of rate hikes being sought by four of the state's largest insurers, a move that could lead to smaller increases for consumers. The action comes after an outside analysis found significant errors in a recent rate filing by Anthem Blue Cross, leading it to cancel increases of as much as 39% for hundreds of thousands of policyholders. , to be announced Wednesday by The California Department of Insurance's findings are to be announced Wednesday" (Helfand, 6/16).

17 Jun 2010

Smokeless tobacco affects normal function of CYP-450 family of enzymes: Report

Far from having adverse effects limited to the mouth, smokeless tobacco affects the normal function of a key family of enzymes found in almost every organ in the body, according to the first report on the topic in ACS' monthly journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. The enzymes play important roles in production of hormones, including the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone; production of cholesterol and vitamin D; and help the body breakdown prescription drugs and potentially toxic substances.

17 Jun 2010

Young canvassers part of nationwide health care drive

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with USA Today, writes: "On a cool weekday afternoon, a small group of young adults gathers outside Covenant House, a homeless shelter where some of them live or go to school.

17 Jun 2010

Research findings could lead to less invasive treatments for ALL

A team of researchers from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Universit- de Montr-al have defined for the first time the mechanism behind three cancer-causing genes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Published in the journal Genes and Development, the findings offer insight on the complex interaction between the genes and their contributions to leukemia, thereby providing the foundation for the design of targeted therapies.

17 Jun 2010

Highlands Hospital, Cleveland Clinic collaboration promises brighter future for children with autism

A unique collaboration in one of Pennsylvania's most medically underserved regions promises a brighter future for children with autism and their families. Highlands Hospital, a not-for-profit community hospital in Connellsville, Pa., has entered into a consultation agreement with the Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic to develop state-of-the-art services for children with autism in southwestern Pennsylvania.

17 Jun 2010

CDC survey shows 3 million more uninsured in 2009

The number of uninsured Americans increased slightly last year, compared with 2008, but the change was not statistically significant according to a just-released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey. "The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics said in its report that 15.4 percent of Americans lacked health insurance in 2009, compared to 14.7 percent in 2008." The number of uninsured, 46.3 million last year, increased by less than 3 million compared to the prior year. Six million children remain uninsured (Fox, 6/16).

17 Jun 2010

Dietary guideline on sodium puts Americans at risk

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture may increase health risks, including obesity, by ignoring sound science as they announce recommendations to reduce sodium consumption to 1,500 mg per day, says the Salt Institute.

16 Jun 2010

Meningococcal disease in infants: A potentially difficult and serious diagnosis

An article published in the May 2010 edition of Postgraduate Medicine documents a case study where a previously healthy, 15-week-old male infant was misdiagnosed and died of meningococcal disease. Initially the patient showed signs of the common cold and was treated as such, but symptoms worsened and he was admitted to the hospital emergency department.

16 Jun 2010

AssureImmune merges with BCU

AssureImmune LLC, the premier family stem cell bank in the United States, today announced their merger with Banco de Cordón Umbilical, the largest cord blood bank in Latin America. This merger expands the Companies' global reach providing family stem cell banking services to North, Central and South America.

16 Jun 2010

Stress-related psychiatric disorders more common among women: Study

There may be a biological reason why depression and other stress-related psychiatric disorders are more common among women compared to men. Studying stress signaling systems in animal brains, neuroscience researchers found that females are more sensitive to low levels of an important stress hormone and less able to adapt to high levels than males.

16 Jun 2010

Children News and Research

Baby with heart condition after surgery ‘chilled’ and cured

Constipation prophylaxis in sickle cell patients needs increased attention

Study reveals increase of enzyme MAO-A in female brain during immediate postpartum period

Studies suggest role for IL-10 in prevention and treatment of neurological disease in newborns

New legislation will impede use of MRI in medical research

Symposium explores new understanding of mitochondrial function, cellular bioenergetics in cancer research

Researchers identify first genetic risk factors for development of CM in Angolan children

VOA News examines countdown to 2015 report calling for additional 700,000 midwives to reduce maternal, newborn deaths worldwide

Financial Times examines how GAVI's $2.6B shortfall might affect new vaccine programs in developing countries

UC researchers receive $2.3M grant to develop user-friendly diagnostics for influenza virus

State round-up: Calif. orders review of insurers' planned rate hikes; S.D. targets young smokers

Smokeless tobacco affects normal function of CYP-450 family of enzymes: Report

Young canvassers part of nationwide health care drive

Research findings could lead to less invasive treatments for ALL

Highlands Hospital, Cleveland Clinic collaboration promises brighter future for children with autism

CDC survey shows 3 million more uninsured in 2009

Dietary guideline on sodium puts Americans at risk

Meningococcal disease in infants: A potentially difficult and serious diagnosis

AssureImmune merges with BCU

Stress-related psychiatric disorders more common among women: Study

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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