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Simple blood test could help detect serious bacterial infections in babies

A simple blood test may help detect serious bacterial infections (SBIs) like urinary tract infections and blood stream infections in young infants who come to the emergency department (ED) with fevers that have no clear cause.

6 Oct 2008

Burst appendix or stomach flu?

A young child arrives at the emergency room after several days of abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea and is sent home with a diagnosis of viral gastritis and treatment for the symptoms. The child seems better for a while, only to return to the ER with worse symptoms and a ruptured appendix, a life-threatening complication of appendicitis.

6 Oct 2008

Music therapy reduces stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy

Music therapy can reduce psychological stress among pregnant women, according to research just published in a special complementary and alternative therapy medicine issue of the UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing.

6 Oct 2008

Discovery of gene variant for cleft lip

About 20 percent of isolated cleft lip, one of the world's most common birth defects, may be due to a one-letter difference in the DNA sequence of a gene involved in facial development, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health report.

6 Oct 2008

New vaccines may not reduce tuberculosis incidence

Despite the potential of new vaccines to prevent TB, new research shows that the removal of one strain of TB can allow a previously suppressed strain to succeed. Consequently, a vaccination program could result in the proliferation of strains more likely to be, or become, drug resistant, and could even result in an increased prevalence of the disease.

6 Oct 2008

Parents' expectations influence children's asthma

According to new research children with asthma whose parents have high expectations for their ability to function normally, are less likely to have symptoms than other children dealing with the condition.

6 Oct 2008

Many young people believe their parents "did drugs"

According to a new survey carried out in the UK one in five young people think their parents "did drugs".

6 Oct 2008

Online bullying far too common

Psychologists in the United States say that the bullying of teenagers online is common and almost three in four teenagers say they were bullied online at least once during a recent 12-month period.

6 Oct 2008

Reading the right book helps obese kids lose weight

Researchers at Duke Children's Hospital in North Carolina have looked at the effect of literature on obese adolescents and discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference.

6 Oct 2008

Too many Australian children have an unhealthy lifestyle

A survey on the lifestyle of Australian children has found big changes need to be made if many are to avoid health problems later on in life.

6 Oct 2008

Canadian program provides care to HIV-positive pregnant women, aims to reduce mother-to-child transmission

The CP/Yahoo! News on Tuesday examined the Positive Pregnancy Programme, a Canadian initiative created to provide HIV-positive pregnant women with care, resources and support.

5 Oct 2008

Commonwealth Fund report examines health care proposals of major Presidential candidates

The health care proposal of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) is more likely to improve health care affordability, accessibility, efficiency and quality than the plan of Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), according to a report released on Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund, Reuters/Boston Globe reports.

5 Oct 2008

Interracial Asian-White couples have distinct risks for gestational diabetes, Caesareans, study finds

Couples in which one of the partners is Asian and the other is white have distinct pregnancy-related outcomes when compared with white couples, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reuters Health reports.

5 Oct 2008

New Allegheny County, Pa., effort taps religious leaders to educate blacks on SIDS risks

The Allegheny County, Pa., Health Department and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on Wednesday launched a collaborative effort that aims to educate blacks about safe sleep practices for infants and reduce infant deaths among blacks, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

5 Oct 2008

Medicines for Malaria venture launches five-year plan for new drugs

Medicines for Malaria Venture has outlined a $600 million, five-year plan to develop new malaria drugs, SciDev.net reports. The plan was launched in conjunction with the release last week of the Global Malaria Action Plan, which aims to eradicate malaria worldwide.

5 Oct 2008

Health plans' quality of care improved in some areas in 2007, NCQA report says

Health plans' quality of care improved in 2007 -- the ninth consecutive year of continued improvements -- according to a study released Thursday by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

5 Oct 2008

HIV-positive women in Nepal call for greater assistance from government

Nepal's HIV/AIDS policies and programs have failed to address the problems of women living with HIV/AIDS in the country, HIV-positive women with Shakti Milan Samaj -- a social organization working on behalf of women living with HIV/AIDS -- said during a press conference on Wednesday, the Rising Nepal reports.

5 Oct 2008