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Institutional life damages a child's intellect

A new study provides scientific proof that placing children in foster care rather than an institution can reverse the damage of severe neglect on a child's development.

20 Dec 2007

Authorities in the U.S. say hold back on children's Hib vaccine

Health authorities in U.S. are advising doctors to defer giving booster shots of a childhood vaccine following suspicions that production equipment may not have been properly sterilized.

20 Dec 2007

Tweaking a gene may fix Fragile X syndrome

According to new research clues to Fragile X syndrome may be connected to one single human gene.

20 Dec 2007

Genetic link to spina bifida discovered

Researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston have discovered an association between genes regulating glucose metabolism and spina bifida.

20 Dec 2007

Children given more 'rope' are more active and enjoy a richer social life

Youngsters who are allowed to leave the house without an adult are more active and enjoy a richer social life than those who are constantly supervised, according to a study conducted at UCL and reported in a special edition of the journal Built Environment (19th December).

20 Dec 2007

RNA interference therapy heals growth deficiency disorder in a live animal

A team of Vanderbilt researchers have demonstrated for the first time that a new type of gene therapy, called RNA interference, can heal a genetic disorder in a live animal.

20 Dec 2007

Dolphin therapy - a lose-lose situation for people and dolphins

People suffering from chronic mental or physical disabilities should not resort to a dolphin "healing" experience, warn two researchers from Emory University.

20 Dec 2007

Childhood exposure to disadvantaged neighborhoods negatively affects verbal ability

Childhood exposure to severely disadvantaged communities is linked to decreased verbal ability later in childhood, a lasting negative effect that continues even after moving out of the neighborhood, according to research that will be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

20 Dec 2007

A genetic influence on alcohol addiction found - lack of endorphin

The research reveals that a subject's brain with low beta-endorphin levels becomes accustomed to the presence of an exogenous surplus, diminishing its own supply and triggering dependence on an external source--in this case, alcohol.

19 Dec 2007

Boy in a bubble gets leukaemia after gene therapy

A child who was born with a rare immunodeficient condition has developed leukaemia as a result of gene therapy he received at Great Ormond Street children's hospital in London.

19 Dec 2007

Contaminated syringes make 40 people sick

An investigation is being carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) into blood infections linked to medical syringes which were contaminated with bacteria.

19 Dec 2007

Surprising findings related to myotonic muscular dystrophy and heart protein

New research from the University of Virginia Health System shows that, in cases of Type 1 myotonic muscular dystrophy (DM1), a well known heart protein does several surprising things.

18 Dec 2007

Researchers initiate gene therapy trial in patients with advanced skin cancer

Researchers at the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center are the first in the region to have joined a nationwide clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a gene therapy in patients with advanced melanoma which is aimed to help a patient ' s own immune system fight their cancer.

18 Dec 2007

Teachers play critical role in adolescent health promotion efforts

Teachers are among the most important influences in the lives of school-aged children, yet relatively little emphasis has been placed on examining the potential role general academic teachers may play in facilitating adolescent health promotion efforts, according to a study conducted by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and published in the Journal of School Health.

18 Dec 2007

New findings on myotonic muscular dystrophy

New research from the University of Virginia Health System shows that, in cases of Type 1 myotonic muscular dystrophy (DM1), a well known heart protein does several surprising things. DM1 is the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults and affects approximately 40,000 adults and children in the U.S.

18 Dec 2007