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Conn. wants insurers to pay more of children's mental health costs

Officials in Connecticut say insurers and families should pick up more bills for mental and developmental health services. In other news, California officials release details for new department of state hospitals and Colorado gets a new assessment of mental health services.

9 Dec 2011

Researchers discover potential target for cherubism

Cancer researchers studying genetic mutations that cause leukemia have discovered a connection to the rare disease cherubism, an inherited facial bone disorder in children.

9 Dec 2011

MSU researcher uses MRI to unlock how cerebral malaria damages brain

Building on a quarter century of work in Malawi, a Michigan State University researcher is traveling to neighboring Zambia to perform MRI scans on children newly diagnosed with cerebral malaria in hopes of unlocking how it damages the brain.

9 Dec 2011

Children in Yemen at increased risk as rebel group restricts aid access

IRIN examines how a ban on aid by an armed rebel group in northern Yemen is putting children's health at risk, writing, "Thousands of people under 'siege' by armed rebels in northern Yemen lack food and health care, which has already resulted in deaths and risks killing many more, local leaders and aid workers say."

9 Dec 2011

Girls suffer more frequently from chronic pain than boys

Children who suffer from persistent or recurring chronic pain may miss school, withdraw from social activities, and are at risk of developing internalizing symptoms such as anxiety, in response to their pain. In the first comprehensive review of chronic pain in children and adolescents in 20 years, a group of researchers found that more children now are suffering from chronic pain and that girls suffer more frequently from chronic pain than boys.

9 Dec 2011

High gut flora protects children against allergies

High diversity and a variety of bacteria in the gut protect children against allergies as opposed to some individual bacterial genera. These are the findings of a comprehensive study of intestinal microflora (gut flora) in allergic and healthy children, which was conducted at Linköping University in Sweden.

9 Dec 2011

Forbes interviews Sarah Brown about her work in maternal, child health advocacy

Sarah Brown, international advocate for global maternal and newborn health and wife of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, answers questions about her work from Forbes contributor Rahim Kanani in this interview excerpt.

9 Dec 2011

Breakfast cereals high in sugars: Report

In a new report by the Environmental Working Group, 84 popular brands of breakfast cereals were reviewed. The report suggested that many of these contain a high amount of sugar.

8 Dec 2011

Federal officials push greater medical use of gene sequencing

Almost a year after researchers in Wisconsin published a groundbreaking paper describing their use of genetic sequencing to diagnose and treat a 4-year-old boy, a national health agency is shifting its focus to put $416 million into making the secrets of our genetic script part of standard medical practice.

8 Dec 2011

Two new research studies to help colicky infant and their parents

The wail of a colicky baby can send parents into near panic and cause sleepless nights for all. Now, two innovative research studies are being conducted at the new UT Physicians Colic Clinic at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) to help both crying babies and their worried parents.

8 Dec 2011

Medicaid news: Ariz. appeals court upholds cuts; federal spending increases

In the Arizona decision, a three-judge panel allows an enrollment freeze to continue. Meanwhile, a new analysis finds federal spending on Medicaid nationwide increased 344 percent between 1990 and 2007.

8 Dec 2011

Influenza shot boosts immune response in pregnant women, protects neonatal babies

The researchers studied the immune response of 107 pregnant women after they were injected with a single dose of non-adjuvant H1N1 vaccine. They concluded that the influenza shot boosted the immune response in pregnant women and at the same time protected neuronatal babies via the antibodies that transferred through the placenta.

8 Dec 2011

Study shows how mothering can strengthen offspring's immune system in brain

An attentive, nurturing mother may be able to help her children better resist the temptations of drug use later in life, according to a study involving the University of Adelaide.

8 Dec 2011

New ways to treat overeating in children and adults

Overeating, whether in children or adults, often takes place even in the absence of hunger, resulting in weight gain and obesity. Current methods to treat such overeating in youth focus on therapies that restrict what kids may eat, requiring them to track their food intake and engage in intensive exercise.

8 Dec 2011

Intensive maternal care during infancy promotes effect of NPY in brain

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is the most abundant peptide hormone of the central nervous system. It is involved in various processes including stress management, the development of anxiety behaviour and body weight regulation. A collaborative research group including scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg has demonstrated using mice that intensive maternal care during infancy promotes the effect of NPY in the brain.

8 Dec 2011

CSL partners with NIH to study Cytomegalovirus, a common cause of abnormalities in newborns

CSL Limited announced today that it is partnering with the world’s largest health research agency, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study a potential new treatment for the prevention of congenital CMV infection, one of the most common known causes of congenital (i.e., present at birth) abnormalities in the developed world.

7 Dec 2011

Are parents and pediatricians turning a blind eye to their kids’ weight gain?

Childhood obesity is fast becoming a major problem in the United States. However a new study shows that parents, pediatricians and even nursery schools or kindergartens have not really paid the attention the problem needs.

7 Dec 2011

Arsenic in rice worrisome

Studies have shown that rice takes up more arsenic from soil than other crops. Now a new study shows that higher arsenic levels are ingested by women who eat as little as half a cup of cooked rice in a day. Currently, there are no limits on the amount of allowable arsenic in rice in the United States. But the Environmental Protection Agency has set arsenic limits in water of 10 parts per billion.

7 Dec 2011

Antenatal corticosteroids reduce risk of death in extremely preterm infants

With chubby cheeks and weighing in at a healthy 10 pounds, the imminently huggable Lexi Morrison is far removed from the 1-pound, 9 -ounce preemie she was in June when she was born premature at 24 weeks.

7 Dec 2011

Needle-free anemia test to be launched in February, Guardian reports

The Guardian profiles Biosense Technologies, an Indian startup company, and its first product, "the world's first needle-free anemia scanner," called ToucHb, which will be launched in February.

7 Dec 2011