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ATP-driven bioluminescence predicts children at high risk for tooth decay: OHSU study

Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry have determined that ATP-driven (adenosine triphosphate-driven) bioluminescence - a way of measuring visible light generated from ATP contained in bacteria - is an innovative tool for rapidly assessing in children at the chair-side the number of oral bacteria and amount of plaque that can ultimately lead to tooth decay.

23 Jun 2010

Prosensa, GSK initiate additional programs for DMD

Prosensa, the Dutch biopharmaceutical company focusing on RNA modulating therapeutics, announces the initiation of two further programmes under its existing alliance with GSK covering novel RNA-based treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The initiation of these additional programs under the terms of the existing alliance agreement is a validation of both the potential of Prosensa's "exon skipping" platform and the ongoing relationship.

23 Jun 2010

Public health program to migrant preschool children helps reduce risk of obesity: Study

Migrant children are at increased risk of obesity, but a new study shows that a program teaching multiple lifestyle changes to predominantly migrant preschoolers and their parents helps the children reduce body fat and improve fitness. The results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

23 Jun 2010

Scientists discover weakness of human louse

Scientists have discovered the human louse's Achilles' heel which could lead to new treatments to rid us of body and head lice infestations.

23 Jun 2010

Scientists apply fuzzy logic modeling to predict aging progresses in cells, organisms

The process of aging disturbs a broad range of cellular mechanisms in a complex fashion and is not well understood. Computer models using fuzzy logic might help to unravel these complexities and predict how aging progresses in cells and organisms, according to a study from Drexel University in Philadelphia and Children's Hospital Boston.

23 Jun 2010

Obama to grant federal workers time off to care for same-sex partner's kids

"President Obama will soon expand the rights of gay workers by allowing them to take family and medical leave to care for sick or newborn children of same-sex partners, administration officials said Monday," according to The New York Times. "The policy will be set forth in a ruling to be issued Wednesday by the Labor Department's wage and hour division, the officials said.

23 Jun 2010

Mass. weighs overhaul's effects; Conn. first state to add adults to Medicaid under new health law

"In most states, the passage of the sprawling federal health care overhaul legislation means the poorest will have a better shot at affording health insurance. But in Massachusetts, the law might have the opposite effect. Senator John. F. Kerry, state leaders, and health care advocates met yesterday to discuss a new report that highlights the major differences between the federal and state health care models. The focus of the event quickly turned to the hurdles of implementation and the need to protect the gains Massachusetts has made since 2006. ... The report reveals that ... some Massachusetts residents might end up facing higher premiums" (Lee, 6/22).

23 Jun 2010

Opinions: Canada's role in global health; Drug licensing agreements promote drug access; Funding for USAID, state; Haiti

After outlining the work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Michel Kazatchkine, the organization's executive director, highlights the role Canada can play in determining "whether the world can overcome AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria" in a Toronto Star opinion piece, noting the upcoming G8 and G20 summits, as well as the Millennium Development Goal meeting later this year.

23 Jun 2010

Children who experience maltreatment more likely to have frequent headaches as adults, say scientists

Children who experience maltreatment such as emotional, physical and sexual abuse are more likely to experience frequent headaches, including chronic migraine, as adults, say scientists presenting data at the American Headache Society's 52nd Annual Scientific Meeting in Los Angeles this week.

23 Jun 2010

Obama warns health insurers against using reform to boost premium rates, unveils new patient bill of rights

Today, during an address in the East Room of the White House following a meeting with executives of leading health insurance companies and state insurance commissioners, "President Barack Obama warned insurance firms … not to use his healthcare overhaul as an opportunity to enact big rate increases and said the federal government would work with states to monitor them."

23 Jun 2010

HHS, insurers, health systems preparing for health law's impact

Politico reports on the Department of Health and Human Services' HealthCare.gov, "the new Web portal that goes live July 1 and is designed to give consumers a place to research and compare health insurance plans. Since it will be the most tangible link to the health reform law for many Americans, health policy experts and administration officials say it's crucial that the site is well-designed, easy to navigate and free of the jargon that makes the field of health insurance so unintelligible to the public. ... When HealthCare.gov launches next Thursday, it will have information about insurance plans that users can sort based on their own situation and their eligibility for public insurance programs, like Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the new high-risk pools for individuals with pre-existing conditions" (Kliff, 6/22).

23 Jun 2010

Psychotropic medications associated with pediatric ADRs in Denmark: Researchers

Between 1998 and 2007, psychotropic medications were associated with 429 adverse drug reactions in children under 17 in Denmark. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Research Notes found that more than half of these were serious and several were birth defects - suggesting that tighter controls on the prescription of psychotropic medications to pregnant women may be required.

23 Jun 2010

No increased risk of childhood cancer if born near mobile phone stations: Study

There have been concerns regarding increased risk for cancer in children born to mothers who lived near mobile phone stations during their pregnancy after a report of a cluster of childhood cancer cases near such stations. A newly published study in the British Medical Journal refutes such beliefs and has found no link to early childhood cancers and living near mobile phone masts.

22 Jun 2010

Benioff family gifts $100 million for construction of new UCSF Children's Hospital at Mission Bay

Salesforce.com chairman and CEO Marc Benioff and his family have given a $100 million private gift to help fund the construction of the new UCSF Children's Hospital at the UCSF Mission Bay campus near downtown San Francisco. The gift is both the largest gift the donors have ever made and the largest gift ever granted specifically to the UCSF Children's Hospital.

22 Jun 2010

Scientists complete comparative analysis of bacterial communities living in human nose, throat

Scientists have completed the most comprehensive comparative analysis to date of bacterial communities inhabiting the human nose and throat, which could provide new insights into why some individuals become colonized with pathogens while others do not. They release their findings today in mBio- the online open-access journal published by the American Society for Microbiology.

22 Jun 2010

Fructose makes cells mature into fat cells in belly fat, study finds

Fructose, the sugar widely used as high-fructose corn syrup in soft drinks and processed foods, often gets some of the blame for the widespread rise in obesity. Now a laboratory study has found that when fructose is present as children's fat cells mature, it makes more of these cells mature into fat cells in belly fat and less able to respond to insulin in both belly fat and fat located below the skin.

22 Jun 2010

Nature Rocks, American Heart Association encourage increased physical activity among all Americans

Today Nature Rocks, a national program created to inspire and empower parents to take their families to play, explore and enjoy quality time in nature, announced a collaboration with the American Heart Association's Start! Initiative. Start! encourages increased physical activity among all Americans, emphasizing walking because it's easy, free and has the lowest dropout rate of any form of activity.

22 Jun 2010

Young children are skilled negotiators, says Swedish study

Young children are skilled negotiators when it comes to relationships and the content of play, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

22 Jun 2010

MOFAS offers $6,400 in grant to Minnesota families living with FASD

The Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is giving $6,400 in grant money to Minnesota families living with FASD for summer family activities. Thirty-two families will receive a $200 mini grant to do something fun and creative with family and friends this summer. These mini grants are possible because of individual donations and funding from private foundations.

22 Jun 2010

First anniversary of Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

One year ago, President Obama signed the historic Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act). Under the Tobacco Control Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration obtained authority to regulate tobacco products, with a special emphasis on preventing their use by children and youth and reducing the impact of tobacco on public health.

22 Jun 2010

Children News and Research

ATP-driven bioluminescence predicts children at high risk for tooth decay: OHSU study

Prosensa, GSK initiate additional programs for DMD

Public health program to migrant preschool children helps reduce risk of obesity: Study

Scientists discover weakness of human louse

Scientists apply fuzzy logic modeling to predict aging progresses in cells, organisms

Obama to grant federal workers time off to care for same-sex partner's kids

Mass. weighs overhaul's effects; Conn. first state to add adults to Medicaid under new health law

Opinions: Canada's role in global health; Drug licensing agreements promote drug access; Funding for USAID, state; Haiti

Children who experience maltreatment more likely to have frequent headaches as adults, say scientists

Obama warns health insurers against using reform to boost premium rates, unveils new patient bill of rights

HHS, insurers, health systems preparing for health law's impact

Psychotropic medications associated with pediatric ADRs in Denmark: Researchers

No increased risk of childhood cancer if born near mobile phone stations: Study

Benioff family gifts $100 million for construction of new UCSF Children's Hospital at Mission Bay

Scientists complete comparative analysis of bacterial communities living in human nose, throat

Fructose makes cells mature into fat cells in belly fat, study finds

Nature Rocks, American Heart Association encourage increased physical activity among all Americans

Young children are skilled negotiators, says Swedish study

MOFAS offers $6,400 in grant to Minnesota families living with FASD

First anniversary of Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 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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