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BSC's campaign aims to combat Zombieitis in teens

The Better Sleep Council (BSC) cautions that teenagers around the world are exhibiting symptoms of Zombieitis, otherwise known as sleep deprivation, at unprecedented rates!

11 Aug 2011

Narcissism may help children navigate adolescence

We all know one, or think we do: the person whose self-regard seems out of proportion to his or her actual merits. Popular culture labels these folks "narcissists," almost always a derogatory term. But a new study suggests that some forms of narcissism are - at least in the short term - beneficial, helping children navigate the difficult transition to adulthood.

11 Aug 2011

Fertile Guatemala faces starvation as subsistence crops fail

Despite its status as "the world's fifth largest exporter of sugar, coffee and bananas," Guatemala "has the highest rate of child malnutrition in Latin America," with "half of all children under five" reportedly malnourished, Agence France-Presse reports.

11 Aug 2011

Study suggests link between gene variant and Proteus syndrome

Orthopaedic surgeons from Children's National Medical Center are part of a team of researchers that has identified the genetic mutation causing Proteus syndrome, a rare disorder in which tissue and bone grow massively out of proportion.

11 Aug 2011

Northern California's pregnant women have higher PBDE flame retardant exposures

A new study finds that pregnant women in Northern California have the highest PBDE flame retardant exposures reported to date among pregnant women worldwide.

11 Aug 2011

Child’s food preferences could be determined in womb: Study

According to the latest research from Monell Chemical Senses Center mothers can influence a baby's palate and food memories before it is born. The study finds that what a woman eats during her pregnancy shapes the baby's food preferences later in life.

10 Aug 2011

Pink or blue – now find out at 7 weeks of pregnancy

Now a simple blood test can determine a baby’s sex as early as seven weeks into pregnancy and is highly accurate if used correctly. Experts believe this will have a great impact on parents concerned about gender-linked diseases and those who are merely curious, as well as people considering the more ethically controversial step of selecting the sex of their children.

10 Aug 2011

YASOO Health launches grape flavored liquid iron supplement for children

YASOO Health Inc, Morrisville, NC has introduced IronUp, a Liquid Iron Supplement specifically formulated to supplement the levels of dietary iron for infants and children who do not receive adequate amounts in their diets.

10 Aug 2011

U.S. can do more to reverse famine in Horn of Africa

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is traveling in East Africa with a U.S. delegation "to study the famine affecting the lives of over 12 million people, many of them children," writes in the Huffington Post's blog, "Huffpost Impact," that the group will assess "what more we as a nation can do."

10 Aug 2011

UNICEF-funded study shows extent of violence against children in Tanzania

According to a study published Tuesday by Muhimbili University in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in collaboration with the CDC and funded by UNICEF, "nearly three out of every 10 girls and nearly three out of every 20 boys in Tanzania claim to have experienced sexual violence," the Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog" reports.

10 Aug 2011

Family Nutrition Program educates parents, children on healthy food choices

Eating healthy and being active are important, but choosing a healthy snack, planning a nutritious meal or checking the nutrition label on an item are not always easy for people with limited knowledge and resources. Two University of Missouri Extension programs are teaching families throughout the state how to make healthy choices to improve the quality of their lives.

10 Aug 2011

Report highlights issues that affect Aboriginal maternal, child health in various regions

Today, the Health Council of Canada released Understanding and Improving Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health in Canada, a commentary highlighting the continuing health inequities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians as well as promising practices for change.

10 Aug 2011

Noninvasive prenatal DNA test can detect fetus at risk for sex-linked disorders

As a noninvasive method of determining the sex of a fetus, tests using cell-free fetal DNA obtained from the mother's blood after 7 weeks gestation performed well, while urine-based tests appear to be unreliable, according to a review and analysis of previous studies, reported in the August 10 issue of JAMA.

10 Aug 2011

Study finds very low rates of pertussis in children with cough

Contrary to some recent studies, only a low percentage of children treated for respiratory illness with cough have unsuspected pertussis, reports a study in the August issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

10 Aug 2011

Sleep deprivation negatively affects school-age children

Going back to school should not be just an excuse for kids to get new clothes and school supplies. Instead, say University of Alabama at Birmingham experts, it also should be a time to get them back to healthier sleep schedules.

10 Aug 2011

Research shows six-fold risk of autism in grandchildren of acrodynia survivors

Researchers from Australia have identified an ancestry of Pink Disease (Infantile Acrodynia) as a risk factor for Autism Spectrum Disorders.

10 Aug 2011

Vitamin D, UVB may help prevent dental caries

Large geographical variations in dental health and tooth loss among U.S. adolescents and young adults have been reported since the mid-1800s. The first study finding a north-south gradient in dental caries was a report of men rejected from the draft for the Civil War for lost teeth, from 8 per 1000 men in Kentucky to 25 in New England.

10 Aug 2011

Toilet training for young children

Parents often ask their doctors for advice on toilet training young children, and a new article in CMAJ summarizes current approaches and evidence to help physicians respond to these queries.

9 Aug 2011

Jill Biden leads U.S. delegation to Kenya to assess conditions in Horn of Africa

Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, USAID Administrator Raj Shah, Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz and Special Assistant to the President Gayle Smith arrived in Kenya on Monday to assess and raise awareness of the famine conditions in the Horn of Africa, Capital FM News reports.

9 Aug 2011

New study focuses on Anopheles gambiae to prevent spread of malaria

A female mosquito cannot tell if the male that she has mated with is fertile or 'spermless' and unable to fertilise her eggs, according to a new study from scientists at Imperial College London.

9 Aug 2011