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'Molecular band-aid' may help protect hearts of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have discovered a chemical that may, over the long term, protect the hearts of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients - a fatal and most common form of muscular dystrophy in children.

16 Mar 2010

Moms Against Mercury battle federal government's vaccine court

Now that the federal government's vaccine court has again denied claims that mercury in vaccines cause autism, frankly, we have to agree with them. Because mercury poisoning and autism produce identical symptoms, we parents of autistic children in America have been barking up the wrong tree. Mercury in vaccines causes mercury poisoning which causes brain damage which can look like autism.

16 Mar 2010

Study reveals comparable fertility rates between UFE and surgical myomectomy

Uterine fibroid embolization, a minimally invasive interventional radiology procedure that blocks blood supply to treat painful uterine fibroids, has a comparable fertility rate to myomectomy, the surgical removal of uterine fibroids, for women who want to conceive, according to the first study on the subject released at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

16 Mar 2010

Minimal improvements made in survival rates of AYA population with cancer

Despite cancer survival rates increasing dramatically for children and older adults in the last 20 years, there has been minimal improvement in the survival rates in the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) population, an age range defined as 15 – 29 years by the presenters.

16 Mar 2010

National childhood varicella vaccination program reduces chickenpox hospitalization rates

Since the varicella vaccine was introduced in the mid-1990s, the number of patients receiving medical care for chickenpox in the United States has decreased sharply—particularly among children, according to a study in the March issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

16 Mar 2010

"Don't Get Boxed In" campaign launched to raise awareness of risks associated with teen homelessness

Each year, nearly three million youths run away from home, putting themselves at a high risk for drug addiction, prostitution, disease and mental illness. National Safe Place is launching a week-long "Don't Get Boxed In" campaign to raise awareness of the risks associated with teen homelessness and the services available to youth in crisis.

16 Mar 2010

Childhood stress and trauma may accelerate cellular aging

Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse could be faced with accelerated cellular aging as adults, according to new research published by Elsevier in Biological Psychiatry.

16 Mar 2010

ThinkFirst Brain Day program for school children

Today marks the start of international Brain Awareness Week, a unique partnership of more than 1,700 organizations in 57 countries. In Canada, ThinkFirst Canada is teaching children to use their brains to protect their bodies by presenting the ThinkFirst Brain Day program in schools this spring.

16 Mar 2010

WHO/UNICEF JMP report: World is on track to meet drinking-water target of MDGs

With 87% of the world's population or approximately 5.9 billion people using safe drinking-water sources, the world is on track to meet or even exceed the drinking-water target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to the new WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme report Progress on Sanitation and Drinking-Water -2010 Update Report, released today.

16 Mar 2010

APHA urges Congress to finalize health reform legislation

"The American Public Health Association supports Congress as it seeks to finalize comprehensive health reform legislation this week. The measure before Congress and the plans to strengthen it represent the greatest opportunity our nation has had to improve our health system and strengthen public health. We cannot squander this moment.

16 Mar 2010

Fluoride chemicals may increase lead accumulation, say researchers

Fluoride chemicals added to public water supplies, boosts lead absorption in lab animals' bones, teeth and blood, report Sawan, et al. (Toxicology 2/2010). Earlier studies already show children's blood-lead-levels are higher in fluoridated communities, reports Sawan's research team.

16 Mar 2010

Novo Nordisk awarded funds to support diabetes summer camps nationwide

Novo Nordisk Inc., a world leader in diabetes care, announced that it has awarded funds to support scholarships and capital improvements to diabetes summer camps at fifteen locations nationwide. In support of their dedication to meeting the needs of children with diabetes, the grants will help the camps provide financial assistance programs to campers and improve facilities for the campers' use.

From Novo Nordisk 16 Mar 2010

Global Nutrition Transition Conference: Physicians and nutrition scientists to discuss solutions for preventing obesity

Physicians and nutrition scientists from around the world gathered today in Orlando for the opening of the Global Nutrition Transition Conference in order to discuss emerging trends and grass roots solutions to the global obesity epidemic employing balanced nutrition and teaching healthy active lifestyles.

16 Mar 2010

U.N. Secretary-General visits Haiti to monitor international aid response

During his second visit to Haiti since the January earthquake, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "promised Haitians on Sunday that the world has not forgotten the quake-torn nation as it suffers from a shortage of shelter and growing violence in teeming camps for the homeless," the Associated Press reports (Katz, 3/14).

16 Mar 2010

Tel Aviv University researcher uses magic tricks to treat children with locomotor disabilities

It's often hard to motivate youngsters with physical disabilities. But a new approach from a Tel Aviv University researcher bridges the worlds of behavior and science to help kids with paralysis and motor dysfunction improve their physical skills and inner confidence -- using a trick up her sleeve called "magic."

16 Mar 2010

GAVI calls meeting with existing, potential donors

The GAVI Alliance has "asked existing and potential donors to a meeting in The Hague on March 25 and 26 to challenge them to 'make a strong impact' on childhood death rates," Reuters reports. "GAVI, which is supported by the World Health Organization, the World Bank, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and vaccine makers, says it has 40 percent of the $7 billion it needs between now and 2015 to help" immunize of millions of children in developing countries by 2015, according to the news service.

16 Mar 2010

Mother's obesity can significantly increase offspring’s susceptibility to obesity

Aspiring moms may be advised to achieve a healthy weight before they become pregnant, and to gain only the recommended amount of weight during their pregnancy

16 Mar 2010

States struggle to balance budgets, health programs face cuts

National Journal: States are aware of the "lingering effects of recessions" on the enrollment in their Medicaid programs. "Because it takes time for people to re-enter the workforce and get insurance, it can take years for Medicaid rolls to shrink to prerecession levels and for states to restore program and funding cuts." According to a February report by the National Governors Association, states are "facing budget gaps totaling $136 billion for fiscal 2010 through 2012 and that Medicaid enrollment would grow 6.6 percent in fiscal 2010" (Werber Serafini, 3/13).

15 Mar 2010

Comparison study of genetic tests for ASD finds CMA with highest detection rate

The Autism Consortium, an innovative research, clinical and family collaboration dedicated to catalyzing research and enhancing clinical care for families with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), announced today that the results of its comparison study of genetic testing methods for autism spectrum disorders is available from the journal Pediatrics through early online release in their eFirst pages today and will appear in the journal's April issue.

15 Mar 2010

'Vaccine court' finds no link between vaccines and autism

A federal court finds no link between vaccines and autism after examining three cases that started in 2007. CNN reports: "A federal court ruled Friday that the evidence supporting an alleged causal link between autism and a mercury-containing preservative in vaccines is unpersuasive, and that the families of children diagnosed with autism are not entitled to compensation.

15 Mar 2010