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First Edition: June 2, 2010

In today's news, insurance regulators fail to meet an early deadline for setting standards on premium spending rules within the new health law.

2 Jun 2010

Canada willing to spend $1B on G8 maternal, child health initiative

Canada has told other G8 countries that it "is willing to put about $1 billion toward maternal and child health - as long as other countries ante up, too," the Canadian Press/Winnipeg Free Press reports.

2 Jun 2010

Advances in women's health, practice of obstetrics and gynaecology to be discussed at SOGC

The 66th Annual Clinical Meeting of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Leading international and Canadian experts will meet to discuss the latest knowledge and advances in women's health and in the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology.

29 May 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet Infectious Diseases Leading Edge article examines the history of the global efforts to control polio and the challenges associated with targets to globally eradicate the disease. "The eradication of polio seems imminent, but with so few cases, there is a temptation to think an acceptable level of infection has been achieved. Not so.

29 May 2010

Globe and Mail examines links between maternal health, HIV/AIDS ahead of G8 summit

"While the G8 is putting maternal health at the top of its agenda for next month's summit, fears are growing that the club of wealthy nations is neglecting one of the biggest killers of women: AIDS," the Globe and Mail reports in a piece that examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and what the newspaper describes as the G8's "backtracking" on previous pledges to provide universal access HIV/AIDS drugs.

29 May 2010

G8 summit recommendations: Funding and resources for maternal, child health must be increased

Governments and other organizations must intensify efforts to improve the health of women and children, particularly in the developing world where the lion's share of deaths occur, says Dr. Philip Baker, an internationally renowned medical researcher in obstetrics & gynecology. Baker is the lead author on a G8 positioning paper that included consultations with 20 of the world's leading medical experts on women and children's health.

27 May 2010

Global scientific research organizations release recommendations for how G8 should improve maternal, child health

The Royal Society of Canada, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and other scientific research organizations from around the world released a statement on Tuesday with recommendations for G8 countries on how to improve the health of women and children worldwide, the Toronto Star reports.

27 May 2010

Researchers use zebrafish as model to analyze function of every known mutation in BBS

A research team led by scientists from the Duke University Medical Center has developed a way to simultaneously look at the effects of 125 mutations occurring on 14 different genes. They used zebrafish as a model to analyze the function of every known mutation in an inherited syndrome called BBS, Bardet-Biedl Syndrome.

25 May 2010

With 7.7M child deaths expected this year, study finds global child deaths falling faster than expected

Researchers estimate that 7.7 million children under the age of 5 will die this year, an indication that global child deaths "seem to have fallen faster than officials thought," according to a study, published online Monday in the Lancet, the Associated Press reports (Cheng, 5/23).

25 May 2010

Delegates at the World Health Assembly adopt resolutions on variety of global health issues

The 63rd World Health Assembly, which brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the World Health Organization's Member States, concluded business and closed Friday evening.

24 May 2010

Clinical Infectious Diseases journal examines new scientific advances to curb HIV, TB epidemics

As US policymakers consider scaling back on its historic initiative to fight AIDS around the world and downsizing goals to combat tuberculosis, next-generation treatment and prevention strategies to significantly reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis are now imminent. New science can dramatically change the trajectory of both deadly epidemics, according to a special new issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

21 May 2010

African American, Latino children with special health care needs less likely to receive family-centered care: Study

The concept of family-centered care for children with special health care needs is based on the understanding that a partnership among patients, families and health care professionals is essential to providing quality care.

20 May 2010

Natural molecule in body counters progression of osteoarthritis: Scientists

An international team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute in California and the National Research Institute for Child Health and Development in Japan has discovered that a natural molecule in the body counters the progression of osteoarthritis. The findings could one day lead to new therapies for some common diseases of aging.

19 May 2010

Two common operations for SUI help women achieve similar levels of dryness: Study

Two common operations for stress urinary incontinence help women achieve similar levels of dryness, according to a team of urologists and urogynecologists who compared the treatments in a large U.S. trial supported by the National Institutes of Health. The study is being released online May 17, 2010, by the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with a presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Results will appear in the June 3 print edition.

19 May 2010

WHO Director-General pushes for sustained commitment to MDGs at World Health Assembly

During her opening address to the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan called for increased global efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports. Chan also set-up several global health challenges to be addressed during the five-day meeting, according to the news service.

19 May 2010

DanActive drink reduces rate of common sicknesses in daycare children, say researchers

The probiotic yogurt-like drink DanActive reduced the rate of common sicknesses such as ear infections, sinusitis, the flu and diarrhea in daycare children, say researchers who studied the drink in the largest known probiotic clinical trial to be conducted in the United States. An additional finding, however, showed no reduction in the number school days missed.

19 May 2010

Early CPAP as effective for preemies as ventilator, with fewer complications: Study

Two findings from an NIH research network study provide new information on how much oxygen very preterm infants should receive starting on the first day of life and the most effective means to deliver it to them.

17 May 2010

Opinions: Africans fight malaria; Access to AIDS treatment; Noncommunicable disease summit; Maternal, child health efforts

In an East African opinion piece, U.N. Special Envoy for Malaria Ray Chambers; Mark Green, the director of the Malaria No More Policy Center; and John Bridgeland, vice chairman of Malaria No More, highlight Africans' involvement in addressing malaria on the continent.

15 May 2010

Children with epilepsy say their quality of life is comparable to that of healthy siblings

Children with epilepsy often face multiple challenges - not only seizures but learning, cognitive and school difficulties, side effects from medication, and, not surprisingly, social stigma from their peers.

14 May 2010

U.N. Secretary-General discusses G8, G20 commitments during visit to Ottawa

On Wednesday, ahead of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed several topics in a "speech warning that leaders of the G8 and G20 countries should not use global economic and financial difficulties as 'an excuse' to neglect previous pledges of billions of dollars for the world's poor - for doubling aid to Africa, food security, malaria and AIDS programs and maternal and child health care," Canwest News Service/Calgary Herald writes (O'Neill, 5/12).

14 May 2010

Child Health News and Research

First Edition: June 2, 2010

Canada willing to spend $1B on G8 maternal, child health initiative

Advances in women's health, practice of obstetrics and gynaecology to be discussed at SOGC

Recent releases in Global Health

Globe and Mail examines links between maternal health, HIV/AIDS ahead of G8 summit

G8 summit recommendations: Funding and resources for maternal, child health must be increased

Global scientific research organizations release recommendations for how G8 should improve maternal, child health

Researchers use zebrafish as model to analyze function of every known mutation in BBS

With 7.7M child deaths expected this year, study finds global child deaths falling faster than expected

Delegates at the World Health Assembly adopt resolutions on variety of global health issues

Clinical Infectious Diseases journal examines new scientific advances to curb HIV, TB epidemics

African American, Latino children with special health care needs less likely to receive family-centered care: Study

Natural molecule in body counters progression of osteoarthritis: Scientists

Two common operations for SUI help women achieve similar levels of dryness: Study

WHO Director-General pushes for sustained commitment to MDGs at World Health Assembly

DanActive drink reduces rate of common sicknesses in daycare children, say researchers

Early CPAP as effective for preemies as ventilator, with fewer complications: Study

Opinions: Africans fight malaria; Access to AIDS treatment; Noncommunicable disease summit; Maternal, child health efforts

Children with epilepsy say their quality of life is comparable to that of healthy siblings

U.N. Secretary-General discusses G8, G20 commitments during visit to Ottawa

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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