Child Health News

RSS

Vitamin D plays a key role in protection against childhood asthma

Vitamin D, which is primarily absorbed from the sun, plays a role in protection against childhood asthma. Now, a new study led by Valencian researchers has shown that children who live in colder, wetter cities are at greater risk of suffering from this respiratory problem, since there are fewer hours of sunlight in such places.

19 May 2011

Early childhood food allergies increase risk of severe allergy-related conditions and asthma later in life

Early results from the largest cross-sectional national allergy study ever conducted, to be released later this month, demonstrate that food allergies commonly occur in infants and toddlers, while environmental allergies, such as to dust, ragweed and mold, are more common in older children and adults.

From Quest Diagnostics 18 May 2011

Kool Smiles inaugurates new Takoma Park dental office

Kool Smiles, a leading dental health provider for children and adults, now has opened its doors to additional families in Maryland with a new office location in Takoma Park. Kool Smiles of Takoma Park officially opened on May 2 as the organization continues to expand access to quality dental care for families in underserved communities across the nation.

18 May 2011

Haiti presents plan to immunize 90 percent of newborns

Haiti has a plan to vaccinate 90 percent of newborns by 2015, according to PAHO, but "whether the plan works will depend on Haiti's ability to reverse decades of incompetent government and bad coordination among aid groups," as well as whether there will be funding, the New York Times reports.

18 May 2011

Study links video game playing with increased food intake in kids

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost 18% of US teens are obese. Although most experts agree that our growing obesity "epidemic" is driven by both inadequate physical activity and excessive caloric intake, implementing solutions is extraordinarily difficult.

18 May 2011

Scientists detect potentially toxic flame retardants in common baby products

Scientists are reporting detection of potentially toxic flame retardants in car seats, bassinet mattresses, nursing pillows, high chairs, strollers, and other products that contain polyurethane foam and are designed for newborns, infants and toddlers.

18 May 2011

Bill Gates calls for greater immunization efforts in World Health Assembly address

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Tuesday called for a "Decade of Vaccines" in a keynote address at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, saying strengthening immunization programs against infectious diseases worldwide could save 10 million lives by 2020, Reuters reports.

18 May 2011

Queen's University scientists partner to treat premature baby blindness with stem cells

Scientists from the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen's University Belfast are teaming up to develop a cure to an illness that can lead to blindness in premature babies, thanks to funding from children's charity Action Medical Research.

18 May 2011

African-American children have poor lung function at their initial visit to asthma specialist

African-American children are more likely to report previous emergency room visits, hospitalizations and need for intensive care unit management for asthma than Caucasian children on their first visit to an asthma specialist, according to a study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

18 May 2011

Cytonet receives FDA orphan drug designation for liver cell infusion to treat urea cycle disorders

International biotechnology firm Cytonet, which is investigating a liver cell infusion of donated human liver cells for the treatment of urea cycle disorders in young children, announced it has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

18 May 2011

Experts urge McDonald’s to stop marketing junk food to kids

McDonald’s has incurred the wrath of over 550 health professionals and organizations who have signed a letter to McDonald's Corp. asking the maker of Happy Meals to stop marketing junk food to kids and retire Ronald McDonald.

17 May 2011

Early exposure to social deprivation and neglect linked to prematurely shortened telomeres in children

Studies in institutionalized Romanian children have found that the length of time spent in conditions of social deprivation and neglect correlates with lower IQ and behavioral problems. A new study, led by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Tulane University, shows that early adversity even affects children's chromosomes – prematurely shortening the chromosome tips, known as telomeres, and hastening how quickly their cells "age."

17 May 2011

Adenotonsillectomy prevents high blood pressure and heart damage in children with OSA

Removing enlarged tonsils and adenoids may help prevent high blood pressure and heart damage in children who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, according to a study conducted at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

17 May 2011

Study: Sleep problems more common among urban minority children than previously thought

Sleep problems among urban minority children, including resistance to going to bed, shortened sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness are much more common than previously thought, according to a study conducted by researchers in New York.

17 May 2011

Antiretrovirals important to protect HIV-positive children from measles

Scientific American looks at the possible link between HIV prevalence and a recent increase in the number of children dying from measles in sub-Saharan Africa. "Studies show that infants with HIV do not respond well to the measles vaccine even when given a second dose at nine months, as the World Health Organization currently recommends," the article notes.

17 May 2011

Critics say program offering money for contraception to HIV-positive Kenyan women is illegal

IRIN/Plus News reports that "the Kenyan government and rights groups have expressed outrage at a project in western Kenya that is paying HIV-positive women to undergo long-term contraception."

17 May 2011

Five out of 13 plastic products intended for children are toxic

Many plastic products contain hazardous chemicals that can leach to the surroundings. In studies conducted at the University of Gothenburg, a third of the tested plastic products released toxic substances, including 5 out of 13 products intended for children.

17 May 2011

Bioengineering students redesign pediatric mannequin

Rice University bioengineering students have modified a child-size training mannequin to give medical students hands-on pediatric experience so that real patients can be spared further stress and pain.

17 May 2011

Concern over vaccine safety prevents parents from vaccinating asthmatic children

Concern over vaccine safety is one of the primary factors preventing parents from having their asthmatic children vaccinated for influenza, or flu, according to Michigan researchers. Parents who do not vaccinate their children are also less likely to view flu as a"trigger" for their child's asthma, the researchers noted.

17 May 2011

Scientists identify 'de novo' genetic mutations in autism spectrum disorder children

Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) Department of Genome Sciences have identified several sporadic or "de novo" genetic mutations in children with autism spectrum disorder. The researchers applied leading edge molecular biology techniques and massively parallel sequencing to simultaneously examine all of the protein coding portions of the genome, collectively called the exome.

17 May 2011

Child Health News

Vitamin D plays a key role in protection against childhood asthma

Early childhood food allergies increase risk of severe allergy-related conditions and asthma later in life

Kool Smiles inaugurates new Takoma Park dental office

Haiti presents plan to immunize 90 percent of newborns

Study links video game playing with increased food intake in kids

Scientists detect potentially toxic flame retardants in common baby products

Bill Gates calls for greater immunization efforts in World Health Assembly address

Queen's University scientists partner to treat premature baby blindness with stem cells

African-American children have poor lung function at their initial visit to asthma specialist

Cytonet receives FDA orphan drug designation for liver cell infusion to treat urea cycle disorders

Experts urge McDonald’s to stop marketing junk food to kids

Early exposure to social deprivation and neglect linked to prematurely shortened telomeres in children

Adenotonsillectomy prevents high blood pressure and heart damage in children with OSA

Study: Sleep problems more common among urban minority children than previously thought

Antiretrovirals important to protect HIV-positive children from measles

Critics say program offering money for contraception to HIV-positive Kenyan women is illegal

Five out of 13 plastic products intended for children are toxic

Bioengineering students redesign pediatric mannequin

Concern over vaccine safety prevents parents from vaccinating asthmatic children

Scientists identify 'de novo' genetic mutations in autism spectrum disorder children

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

Latest News