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Breastfeeding and reduced risk of childhood obesity - researchers look for behavioral link

Breastfeeding has a number of positive health benefits for baby: it can prevent ear infections and allergies, and lowers the risk of developing respiratory problems. It can also help prevent against obesity later in life, but the reason for this still isn't known.

28 Oct 2008

Lots of neighborhood greenness linked to lower children's body mass

In the first study to look at the effect of neighborhood greenness on inner city children's weight over time, researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the University of Washington report that higher neighborhood greenness is associated with slower increases in children's body mass over a two year period, regardless of residential density.

28 Oct 2008

Obesity reality check

Sydney University's Institute of Obesity, Nutrition & Exercise (IONE) will today draw together some of Australia's leading obesity experts to review and measure the effectiveness of our response as a nation to the obesity epidemic.

27 Oct 2008

Respiratory syncytial virus may hide in the lungs, lead to asthma

Conventional wisdom has been that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - a common virus that causes infection in the lungs - comes and goes in children without any long lasting impact.

27 Oct 2008

New research will explore how children with Down syndrome learn

Researchers in the U.S. say there is little information or research on how children with Down syndrome learn, especially when it comes to reading and language.

27 Oct 2008

Universal test for genetic diseases in unborn children in the pipeline

A team of British scientists have developed a ground-breaking new test to screen for genetic diseases in unborn children.

27 Oct 2008

Groundbreaking study to examine how children with Down syndrome learn

Researchers at the University of Denver (DU) Morgridge College of Education are conducting a groundbreaking study that will compare two early literacy intervention approaches to educating young children with Down syndrome. The Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Educational Fund is funding the study, which hopes to improve teaching methods for children with the condition.

26 Oct 2008

Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza offers important flu protection to newborns

Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza before their newborns leave the hospital creates a "cocooning effect" that may shelter unprotected children from the flu, a virus that can be life-threatening to infants, according to researchers at Duke Children's Hospital.

26 Oct 2008

Gates Foundation grant to help prevent deaths in Africa by improving antibiotic access

The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) has announced a $1.37 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to explore ways of reducing millions of preventable deaths from severe respiratory and diarrheal infections in Africa. This project was announced in conjunction with a colloquium at the annual ICAAC/IDSA meeting warning of increasing antibiotic resistance.

26 Oct 2008

Breastfeeding and breast sagging, shape

Findings from a study published in the September/October 2008 issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal show that, contrary to popular belief, breastfeeding is not a likely cause of post-pregnancy drooping of the breasts.

23 Oct 2008

3 million U.S. children have food or digestive allergies

The number of young people who had a food or digestive allergy increased 18 percent between 1997 and 2007, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2007, approximately 3 million U.S. children and teenagers under age 18 -- or nearly 4 percent of that age group -- were reported to have a food or digestive allergy in the previous 12 months, compared to just over 2.3 million (3.3 percent) in 1997.

22 Oct 2008

UK teenage suicide rates on the decline

Suicide rates in those aged 10-19 in the UK declined by 28% in the seven year period from 1997-2003, shows a study published today in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Manchester, showed that the decline was particularly marked in young males, where rates declined by 35%.

22 Oct 2008

New TB test more accurate in predicting those most susceptible

Scientists have developed a new blood test which promises to more accurately predict those most likely to develop tuberculosis (TB).

22 Oct 2008

Couples with children with ADHD twice as likely to divorce

An American expert on children with ADHD says parents of a child with ADHD are more likely to divorce than parents of a child without the condition.

22 Oct 2008

Horlicks and Maggi noodle ads banned in Britain

An advert claiming that the bedtime malt drink Horlicks makes children "taller, stronger and sharper" has been banned after it was unintentionally screened on British television.

22 Oct 2008

Couples with children with ADHD at risk of higher divorce rates, shorter marriages

Parents of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are nearly twice as likely to divorce by the time the child is 8 years old than parents of children without ADHD, the first study to look at this issue in depth has shown.

21 Oct 2008

Cell phones and brain cancer - major research initiatives needed

Major research initiatives are needed immediately to assess the possibility that using cellular phones may lead to an increased risk of brain tumors, according to an editorial in the November issue of the journal Surgical Neurology, published by Elsevier.

21 Oct 2008

Google.org helps identify future disease hot spots

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, has announced grants of more than $14 million to support partners working in Southeast Asia and Africa to prevent the next pandemic.

21 Oct 2008

FDA grants orphan drug status to new 'Trojan Horse' like Ewing's Sarcoma drug

The Cure Our Children Foundation, a nonprofit charitable foundation dedicated to children, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Orphan Drug Designation of the foundation's unique drug product for children with Ewing's Sarcoma cancer. The efforts to develop this drug were made possible by the generous volunteers and researchers in private industry and at two universities.

20 Oct 2008

New tuberculosis test reveals patients at risk

A recently introduced blood test can reveal which patients may develop active tuberculosis (TB) much more precisely than the 100-year old TB skin test, according to a new study published today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

20 Oct 2008