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Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages linked to obesity; soda industry fails to acquit itself in landmark hearings

In today’s landmark hearings called by State Senators Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) and Elaine Kontominas Alquist (D-San Jose), representatives from the soda industry failed to acquit themselves of a growing body of research implicating sugar-sweetened beverages as the leading culprit in the obesity epidemic.

6 Nov 2009

Sittercity.com offers tips on how you can develop a swine flu contingency caregiving plan

With Swine Flu (H1N1 influenza) outbreaks already resulting in more than 600 school closings this fall and daycares quickly reaching maximum capacity, an increasing number of parents are finding themselves without child care options; but not Sittercity.com parents. On Sittercity.com, the nation's largest and most trusted online source for qualified babysitters and nannies, the number of parents finding sitters to cover last-minute care needs before the need arises has increased by 37% over the same period last year.

6 Nov 2009

$1.85 million grant to study how digital games can improve players' health behaviors and outcomes

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced more than $1.85 million in grants for research that will offer unprecedented insight into how digital games can improve players' health behaviors and outcomes. With funding from RWJF's Health Games Research national program, nine research teams across the country will conduct extensive studies to discover, for example, how the popular dance pad video game Dance Dance Revolution might help Parkinson's patients reduce the risk of falling, how Wii Active might be most effectively implemented in high schools to help overweight students lose weight, how a mobile phone game with a breath interface might help smokers quit or reduce their tobacco use, or how facial recognition games might be designed to help people with autism learn to identify others' emotions.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 6 Nov 2009

School district leaders plan for H1N1 pandemics using a four-step process

School district leaders planning for H1N1 pandemics should update emergency plans using a four-step process, according to the McGraw-Hill Education Urban Advisory Resource, a team of former educators and school administrators dedicated to serving the unique needs of large school districts.

6 Nov 2009

Exposure to higher levels of air pollution increases infants' risk for bronchiolitis

Infants who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution are at increased risk for bronchiolitis, according to a new study.

6 Nov 2009

Prevalence of lactose intolerance may be far lower than previously estimated, says study

Prevalence of lactose intolerance may be far lower than previously estimated, according to a study in the latest issue of Nutrition Today. The study, which uses data from a national sample of three ethnic groups, reveals that the overall prevalence rate of self-reported lactose intolerance is 12 percent - with 7.72 percent of European Americans, 10.05 percent of Hispanic Americans and 19.5 percent of African Americans who consider themselves lactose intolerant.

6 Nov 2009

New FDA program targets drug dosage errors

Federal Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg announced a new "Safe Use" program for drugs on Wednesday.

6 Nov 2009

Walls Street journal examines big pharma's 'growing interest' in emerging-market vaccine development, production

The Wall Street Journal examines "big pharma's growing interest in a corner of healthcare - emerging-market inoculations," in light of a recent move by Novartis to purchase an 85 percent stake in the Chinese vaccine maker Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. In the summer, drug maker Sanofi-Aventis SA made a similar move to acquire a majority stake in India's Shantha Biotechnics, the newspaper notes.

6 Nov 2009

HHS announces contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous antiviral drugs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous (IV) antiviral drugs to help treat hospitalized 2009 H1N1 influenza patients.

6 Nov 2009

Malaria experts discuss eradication at MIM conference

In a session at the 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan-African Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, experts discussed the tools required to eradicate the disease and highlighted insecticide and drug resistance in some parts of the world, Xinhua reports. Researchers noted that resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) has been documented in western Cambodia and "has now also been reported in the west of Thailand and in eastern Myanmar," the news service writes (Ooko/Zhuoyun, 11/5).

6 Nov 2009

Bortezomib lymphoma drug may be effective against bone cancer in children and teens: Study

A drug already approved for the treatment of lymphoma may also slow the growth of the most deadly bone cancer in children and teens, according to an early-stage study published online today in the International Journal of Cancer.

5 Nov 2009

Also in global health news: Kenya child mortality; DRC rape; Cape Verde dengue outbreak; Guatemala malnutrition; East Africa flooding

"The most current data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics under the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) launched on Wednesday shows mortality among children under five years stands at 7.4 percent, while that of infants is at 5.2 percent," Business Daily reports.

5 Nov 2009

Climate change is biggest global health threat to children, report says

According to a report (.pdf) by Save the Children, climate change is the biggest global health threat to children in the 21st century, the Hindu reports. Save the Children says that climate change will "exacerbate the leading causes of death among children, including diarrhoea, malnutrition and malaria. Diarrhoea, which kills one million children every year, is set to increase by 10 percent by 2020.

5 Nov 2009

Dietary options and better detection improve food allergy management procedures

Less restrictive dietary options, better detection, targeted avoidance measures, educational directives and potential new therapies are improving food allergy management and giving hope to the more than 12 million Americans affected according to experts at the thirteenth international food allergy conference held during the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Miami Beach, Fla.

5 Nov 2009

Five life-saving tips to survive a hospital stay

With the numbers of H1N1 (Swine Flu) cases flooding emergency rooms all over the country, you'll want to do everything you can to prevent contracting H1N1 and being subjected to fatal medical errors and infectious diseases if you have to go into the hospital. Martine Ehrenclou, author of the multiple award winning book, Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive, offers five life-saving tips to stay safe and free of disease if you have to be in the hospital.

5 Nov 2009

Study finds oral dimercaptosuccinic acid effective in treating children with autism

Two studies published by the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in the October issue of BMC Clinical Pharmacology investigated the use of oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), a prescription medicine approved by the FDA for treating lead poisoning, and used off-label in these studies for treating heavy metal toxicity in children with autism.

5 Nov 2009

US military veteran shares his views and experience in military service

A pediatric cardiologist - - not necessarily the kind of doctor you think would be stationed with a battalion of Marines in one of the most volatile areas of Iraq. But for nearly a year in 2003-2004 that is exactly where Joel Hardin, M.D., pediatric cardiologist, found himself. Embedded with the 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines he brought medical care to soldiers as well as Iraqis.

5 Nov 2009

Scientists identify molecular disparity between iPS cells and embryonic stem cells

The same genes that are chemically altered during normal cell differentiation, as well as when normal cells become cancer cells, are also changed in stem cells that scientists derive from adult cells, according to new research from Johns Hopkins and Harvard.

5 Nov 2009

Initiative launched to end homelessness among veterans

Research examining issues surrounding homeless veterans and the types of relationships they had with their fathers was presented Nov. 4 at the VA Veteran Homelessness Summit in Washington, D.C. The research was a collaboration between Gary Dick, associate professor of Social Work at the University of Cincinnati, and Brad Schaffer, social worker for the Veterans Administration Cincinnati Medical Center. The summit, organized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, launched an initiative to end homelessness among veterans in the next five years.

5 Nov 2009

Food advertising aimed at children contributes to obesity

Childhood obesity in the United States is reaching epidemic proportions. With more than one fourth of advertising on daytime and prime time television devoted to foods and beverages and continuing questions about the role television plays in obesity, a study in the November/December issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior examines how food advertising aimed at children might be a large contributor to the problem.

5 Nov 2009

Children News and Research

Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages linked to obesity; soda industry fails to acquit itself in landmark hearings

Sittercity.com offers tips on how you can develop a swine flu contingency caregiving plan

$1.85 million grant to study how digital games can improve players' health behaviors and outcomes

School district leaders plan for H1N1 pandemics using a four-step process

Exposure to higher levels of air pollution increases infants' risk for bronchiolitis

Prevalence of lactose intolerance may be far lower than previously estimated, says study

New FDA program targets drug dosage errors

Walls Street journal examines big pharma's 'growing interest' in emerging-market vaccine development, production

HHS announces contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous antiviral drugs

Malaria experts discuss eradication at MIM conference

Bortezomib lymphoma drug may be effective against bone cancer in children and teens: Study

Also in global health news: Kenya child mortality; DRC rape; Cape Verde dengue outbreak; Guatemala malnutrition; East Africa flooding

Climate change is biggest global health threat to children, report says

Dietary options and better detection improve food allergy management procedures

Five life-saving tips to survive a hospital stay

Study finds oral dimercaptosuccinic acid effective in treating children with autism

US military veteran shares his views and experience in military service

Scientists identify molecular disparity between iPS cells and embryonic stem cells

Initiative launched to end homelessness among veterans

Food advertising aimed at children contributes to obesity

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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