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More nutrition guidance needed to build good eating habits in growing children, says Nestle FITS survey

Parents and caregivers are hearing and following the feeding guidance for infants, yet continued work needs to be done to help them also build good eating habits for their growing children, suggests data from the Nestle Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) released today at a symposium at the American Dietetic Association's Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo.

19 Oct 2009

New NIH grants to develop Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System

The National Institutes of Health announced today that it is awarding 15 new grants to further develop and test the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS).

19 Oct 2009

New chromosomal abnormality in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Researchers identified a new chromosomal abnormality in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that appears to work in concert with another mutation to give rise to cancer. This latest anomaly is particularly common in children with Down syndrome.

19 Oct 2009

Inaccurate body temperature readings can harm the entire health care system

As we head into a flu season where the 2009 H1N1 swine flu is expected to cause increased sickness, hospitalization and deaths across the U.S., something as simple as inaccurate body temperature measurements may lead to social and economic turmoil – and may cause many more deaths.

19 Oct 2009

Novel HIV drug to be studied in cell cultures and patients

A $6 million, five-year federal grant to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute will enable researchers to investigate a novel approach in treating HIV infection---a unique class of drugs focused on developing therapies for psychological and neurological effects in AIDS.

19 Oct 2009

Elected officials have no excuse for failing to enact comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws: IOM

A landmark report released today by the Institute of Medicine provides powerful new evidence that elected officials have no excuse for failing to enact comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws. The IOM report concludes smoke-free laws reduce the number of heart attacks and save lives. The report also confirms that there is conclusive scientific evidence that secondhand smoke causes heart disease, including heart attacks, and finds there is compelling evidence that even relatively brief exposure to secondhand smoke can lead to a heart attack.

19 Oct 2009

NCCN program on Discovery Health Channel profiles patients battling lung cancer

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women. Although tobacco use is the strongest known risk factor for lung cancer, many people who never smoked also develop the disease.

19 Oct 2009

Gloomy health care statistics in Texas top state news

New outlets report on a variety of health issues at the state level including gloomy health statistics and the rising cost of premiums for sick workers in Texas, a Medicaid program that could provide a model for national health care reform in North Carolina and Medicaid cuts in Michigan.

19 Oct 2009

World Food Day marked, Actionaid International releases hunger report

Today marks World Food Day, with the aim of bringing "awareness to the issue of hunger," as the world faces "more mouths to feed but fewer farmers to grow the needed crops," Deutsche Welle reports.

19 Oct 2009

WHO, UNICEF publish plan to reduce childhood diarrhea deaths

The WHO and UNICEF have released a seven-point treatment and prevention plan to reduce the number of children around the world who die from diarrhea, the BBC reports (10/14). BMJ News writes, "Every year 1.5 million children aged under 5 years die from diarrhoea, more than 80% of them in Africa and south Asia" (Zarocostas, 10/14).

19 Oct 2009

NIH grants to develop screening tool for autistic disorder

A Florida State University College of Medicine researcher has been awarded two separate grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling $2.4 million to continue her work in detecting autism in children as young as 18 months.

19 Oct 2009

Over 80 countries mark world handwashing day

VOA News reports that more than 80 countries marked Global Handwashing Day Thursday. The news service writes that "[d]iarrhea is the third cause of death in West and Central Africa, which is responsible for 30 percent of the world's deaths of children under the age of five."

19 Oct 2009

Hygeia questions the recently issued state bid notification for breastpumps

In the USA, each state is responsible for its Women Infant Children program and encourages breastfeeding through lactation counseling and the purchase of supplies. A state bid notification for breastpumps and supplies was recently issued. "This bid had such an unusual feature that needs further attention. The bid's breastpump requirement was that the pumps only had to work for 90% of the women. The state felt that it was acceptable for the pumps to fail for 10% of the women," stated John Estill, CEO of breastpump manufacturer Hygeia.

19 Oct 2009

Findings may yield new treatments for COPD

A genetic mutation found in four children born with multiple abnormalities may provide insight into potential treatments for newborn lung distress and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

19 Oct 2009

First Forerunner DNA - Prokids Scientific Group Meeting in Granada

Experts in genetic identification and criminalistics from Brazil, China, Arab Emirates, Spain, USA, Philippines, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and United Nations (UNODC) will meet in Granada next October 26th and 27th to celebrate the first Forerunner DNA - Prokids Scientific Group Meeting.

19 Oct 2009

Robotically assisted minimally invasive bladder reconstructive surgery on children performed

For the first time, a surgical robot has been used to perform minimally invasive reconstructive surgery on five children whose bladder was dysfunctional because they were born with spina bifida [incomplete formation of the spine or spinal cord].

18 Oct 2009

FDA launches web page with information on how to dispose of certain drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today launched a Web page for consumers with information on how to dispose of certain drugs, including several high-potency opioids and other selected controlled substances.

15 Oct 2009

NFL, NDC launch 'Fuel Up to Play 60' to tackle childhood obesity

The NFL and National Dairy Council (NDC) today launch Fuel Up to Play 60, a new initiative aimed at tackling childhood obesity by giving youth a voice in changing the school nutrition and physical activity environment. The program will reach 36 million youth in 60,000 elementary, middle and high schools during the 2009/2010 school year.

15 Oct 2009

Baxter International announces financial results for third quarter 2009; updates full-year financial outlook

Baxter International Inc. today reported solid financial results for the third quarter of 2009, and provided its fourth quarter and updated full-year 2009 financial outlook.

From Baxter International Inc. 15 Oct 2009

deVere and Partner's initiative to improve the lives of children in Switzerland and in UK

"We are extremely pleased with the outcome of this event," commented Paul Dodds, deVere and Partner's Managing Partner in Switzerland. "We raised a significant amount for charities that will help improve the lives of children in Switzerland and in the UK. Our partnership with the Geneva appeal for Children in Need was a success and we look forward to working on future events together."

15 Oct 2009