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Infants and toddlers face increase risk from 'third-hand smoke'

Nicotine that accumulates on indoor surfaces long after a person has put out their cigarette is converted into cancer-causing chemicals, US scientists have warned.

17 Feb 2010

Purdue officials report double-digit increases in research funding

Richard O. Buckius, Purdue's vice president for research, reported a record $342.2 million in sponsored research programs for fiscal year 2008-09. That represents an 18 percent increase in federal support and a 2.2 percent increase in industry research support from the previous year.

17 Feb 2010

Rate of chronic health conditions among children in the U.S. increased from 12.8% to 26.6%

The rate of chronic health conditions among children in the U.S. increased from 12.8 percent in 1994 to 26.6 percent in 2006, for conditions such as obesity, asthma and behavior/learning problems, according to a study in the February 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Feb 2010

RWJF awards nearly $2M in grants to address childhood obesity epidemic

Seven organizations representing policy-makers from across the country have received a total of nearly $2 million in grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to help communities increase children's access to affordable healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity.

17 Feb 2010

Idaho Health Freedom Act: Unproven, untried and vague, says AARP and urges Senate committee to reject bill

As Idaho families, businesses and retirees struggle with soaring health care costs, a vague bill aimed at tackling an issue in a non-existent federal health care law could make the crisis worse for many of the state's residents. The Idaho Health Freedom Act (HB 391) is set to be heard by Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee tomorrow morning, and AARP says the legislation is unproven, untried and vague and is urging them to reject the bill.

17 Feb 2010

NASBE selects four states to receive grants to fight childhood obesity in their public schools

The National Association of State Boards of Education, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of its Leadership for Healthy Communities (LHC) national program, will select four states to receive grants this spring to help them develop policies to fight childhood obesity in their public schools.

17 Feb 2010

4 Senate Democrats ask Reid to go back to public option

Four Senate Democrats are asking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to revisit a plan for a government run health plan, or public option, in the health care overhaul legislation.

17 Feb 2010

ACHF receives $2.5M as gift from KCCFA in support of childhood cancer research

The Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation received a gift of $2.5 million today from the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta in support of childhood cancer research at the Alberta Children's Hospital, as well as the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute for Child and Maternal Health and the Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute - both at the University of Calgary.

17 Feb 2010

High-fat ketogenic diet safe and effective for controlling childhood seizures

Current and former patients treated with the high-fat ketogenic diet to control multiple, daily and severe seizures can be reassured by the news that not only is the diet effective, but it also appears to have no long-lasting side effects, say scientists at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

17 Feb 2010

TKS4 protein plays significant role in Frank-Ter Haar syndrome

An international team of investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical Research), Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences and other organizations have discovered that TKS4, a protein implicated in cancer metastasis, also plays a significant role in Frank-Ter Haar syndrome (FTHS), a rare fatal disorder.

17 Feb 2010

Certain patients with IBD at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer: AGA's new guidelines

Certain patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease of the colon, have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to individuals without IBD. A number of factors contribute to the increase in risk, which necessitates an individualized and sensible approach to surveillance in patients, according to a new medical position statement and technical review published by the American Gastroenterological Association in its official journal, Gastroenterology.

17 Feb 2010

Delayed introduction of complementary baby foods may influence weight: Study

Benjamin Franklin's advice that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" can easily be applied to today's most pressing health issue: obesity. Because taking off extra weight is an almost insurmountable challenge, preventing the progression of weight gain throughout life, especially childhood, is crucial to realizing optimal long-term health.

17 Feb 2010

Even with new medical schools opening, shortages mar workforce

Nearly two dozen medical schools have recently opened or may open across America, "the most at any time since the 1960s and '70s," The New York Times reports. These new institutions "are seeking to address an imbalance in American medicine that has been growing for a quarter century. Many bright students were fleeing to offshore medical schools, or giving up hope entirely, when they could not get into domestic schools. Meanwhile, American hospitals were using foreign-trained and foreign-born physicians to fill medical residencies. During the 1980s and '90s only one new medical school was established."

17 Feb 2010

Special issue reviews current state of science in fetal therapy

Repairing birth defects in the womb. Inserting a tiny laser into the mother's uterus to seal off an abnormal blood flow and save fetal twins. Advancing the science that may allow doctors to deliver cells or DNA to treat sickle cell anemia and other genetic diseases before birth.

17 Feb 2010

National symposium aims to attract more women for a rewarding career in surgery

While interviewing for postgraduate residency positions soon after giving birth to her third child, Dr. Sharona Ross recalls, she was very hesitant to bring up her infant and two small children at home. She thought it would hurt her chances for a career in surgery.

17 Feb 2010

Childhood obesity: Strongest predictor of premature death

In a study now being published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Associate Professor Paul Franks of Umeå University in Sweden, in collaboration with researchers in the US, shows how childhood obesity, together with other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, affects premature death.

16 Feb 2010

SELmedia releases evidence-based program that helps HFA kids develop social skills

SELmedia announced today that it has released its newest addition to the growing suite of S.S.GRIN (Social Skills Group Intervention) programs. S.S.GRIN HFA is the first evidence-based program that teaches social skills to young children diagnosed with High Functioning Autism (HFA). The program is appropriate for use in schools, community settings and clinics.

16 Feb 2010

Circumcision: Risky by untrained providers with inappropriate equipment

How safe is circumcision? A systematic review, published in the open access journal BMC Urology has found that neonatal and infant circumcision by trained staff rarely results in problems. Risks can be higher among older boys, especially when undertaken by untrained providers with inappropriate equipment.

16 Feb 2010

IMPACT Awards acknowledge nonprofit organizations that provide access to healthcare for underserved

The GlaxoSmithKline 14th Annual IMPACT Awards target community-based nonprofits that provide access to healthcare for the underserved. Up to ten organizations in the Pennsylvania counties of Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Philadelphia and the City of Camden, New Jersey, will be awarded $40,000 each.

16 Feb 2010

Governor Pawlenty's proposed budget will hurt hospitals and people in Minnesota

Governor Tim Pawlenty's budget proposal announced today will severely hurt Minnesota's hospitals and the citizens they serve. His proposed budget would reduce payment rates for patients in state health programs, cut spending on medical education and put adults without children now covered by MinnesotaCare into the growing ranks of the uninsured. The current budget proposal would only make things worse in both the short term and the long term. If the governor's budget is adopted, hospitals will more than likely need to layoff more skilled workers and cut much-needed services.

16 Feb 2010