Child Health News and Research

RSS

Avoid stress and exercise lots during pregnancy

New Australian research has found that even minor, everyday stress during pregnancy possibly affects a developing foetus.

2 Dec 2008

Childhood vaccines cause financial burden to many health care providers

The costs that health care providers are charged and reimbursed for childhood vaccines vary widely, and the high cost of some immunizations is leading to significant financial strain for some physicians, according to a pair of new studies from the University of Michigan Health System.

1 Dec 2008

Common ADHD drugs do not cause genetic damage in children

In contrast to recent findings, two of the most common medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not appear to cause genetic damage in children who take them as prescribed, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Duke University Medical Center.

19 Nov 2008

Researchers look at direct-to-consumer genetic testing

What's your child's "genetic destiny?" Does diabetes run in your family? Or has a genetic test indicated that your child may some day be at risk for developing heart disease?

4 Nov 2008

Parents comfortable with alcohol screening in pediatricians' offices

Parents are surprisingly receptive to being screened for alcohol problems during a visit to their child's pediatrician, including those who have alcohol problems.

4 Nov 2008

Living with smokers may be associated with inadequate access to food

Children and adults living with adult smokers appear less likely to have daily access to enough healthy food compared with those living with non-smoking adults, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

4 Nov 2008

Earlier jaundice treatment decreases brain injury in preterm infants

A study from a National Institutes of Health research network found that an early treatment to prevent severe newborn jaundice in extremely early preterm infants reduced the infants' rate of brain injury, a serious complication of severe jaundice.

30 Oct 2008

Vaginal/Caesarean combo delivery of twins safe, UT Southwestern-led research finds

Doctors need not go straight to Caesarean section when delivering twins, but can start with vaginal delivery of the first twin in many cases, researchers have found in a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center.

29 Oct 2008

New signpost to clinical trial expertise

A new comprehensive online resource listing national expertise in the design and conduct of clinical trials is launched today. The UKCRC Registered Clinical Trials Units website provides, for the first time, centralised information on Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) in the UK - including the Bristol Randomised Trials Collaboration (BRTC) at the University of Bristol.

28 Oct 2008

Parents' expectations influence children's asthma

According to new research children with asthma whose parents have high expectations for their ability to function normally, are less likely to have symptoms than other children dealing with the condition.

6 Oct 2008

7 million pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa infected with hookworms

A study published by PLoS reveals that between a quarter and a third of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, or almost 7 million, are infected with hookworms, putting them at risk of anaemia.

2 Oct 2008

24 percent of U.S. women affected by pelvic floor disorders

Nearly 24 percent of U.S. women are affected with one or more pelvic floor disorders, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. Their analysis is the first to document in a nationally representative sample the extent of pelvic floor disorders, a cluster of health problems that causes physical discomfort and limits activity.

17 Sep 2008

Herpes drug Acyclovir could help control HIV

Acyclovir -- a low-cost, generic drug used to treat herpes -- also might help control HIV in people living with both viruses, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal ell Host and Microbe, Reuters reports.

15 Sep 2008

Herpes virus changes anti-herpes drug acyclovir to form that hinders AIDS virus

The drug acyclovir has long been used to suppress outbreaks of oral and genital herpes. Herpes viruses change acyclovir to a form that prevents them from reproducing.

10 Sep 2008

423,000 people in Pakistan need urgent health care

Some 423,000 people in Pakistan need urgent health care after being affected by recent conflict and flooding. WHO and partners are requesting US$ 9.76 million to undertake life-saving health responses to this humanitarian crisis.

9 Sep 2008

Low levels of 'brain derived neurotrophic factor' may lead to obesity

A brain chemical that plays a role in long term memory also appears to be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a rare genetic condition.

28 Aug 2008

Magnesium sulfate decreases preterm infants' risk for cerebral palsy

Preterm infants born to mothers receiving intravenous magnesium sulfate - a common treatment to delay labor - are less likely to develop cerebral palsy than are preterm infants whose mothers do not receive it, report researchers in a large National Institutes of Health research network.

28 Aug 2008

Infections of amniotic fluid may be a significant cause of premature birth

Previously unrecognized and unidentified infections of amniotic fluid may be a significant cause of premature birth, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

25 Aug 2008

Australia-PNG partnership wins major research grant to investigate tuberculosis in children

An Australia-Papua New Guinea research partnership that aims to develop a new diagnostic tool to quickly and accurately identify children with tuberculosis has been awarded a sought-after funding grant at the recent International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

24 Aug 2008

Codeine use may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers

Using pain treatments which contain codeine may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers, according to researchers at The University of Western Ontario, and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto.

20 Aug 2008