Child Health News

RSS

Fetal exposure to valproate impairs IQ till age six

Researchers in the U.S. and U.K. are conducting an ongoing investigation of the cognitive effect of fetal exposure across four commonly used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as part of an NIH-funded Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (NEAD) Study. An early NEAD analysis found that fetal exposure to valproate impairs IQ at age three.

6 Dec 2011

Headaches after TBI more prevalent among adolescents, girls

More than half a million children in the U.S. sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year. Adults who suffer TBI often report headaches afterward, but little is known about how often children suffer headaches after similar injuries. In a significant new study, "Headache After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Cohort Study," researchers analyzed the prevalence of headaches three and 12 months after mild, moderate or severe TBI in children ages 5 to 17, and discovered the risk of headache was higher in adolescents (ages 13 to 17) and in girls.

6 Dec 2011

Early stress of separation from biological parent impacts gene expression

Children who experience the stress of separation at birth from biological parents and are brought up in orphanages undergo biological consequences such as changes in their genome functioning, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study.

6 Dec 2011

New website helps raise awareness about childhood obesity

A new website has been launched to help raise awareness of work being done in the East Midlands region of the UK to tackle childhood obesity and to seek the views of parents and healthcare professionals.

6 Dec 2011

Child abuse can affect brain functions later life: Study

According to a new research from Yale University, teenagers who were abused as young children show changes in their brains that put them at risk for behavioral problems in adulthood.

6 Dec 2011

Tips to keep kids safe during cold-weather

Cold winds, icy rain and, in some places, snow—Old Man Winter has arrived. His entry reminds us to get our furnaces checked and winterize our car, but what about the kids? "Children are even more vulnerable than adults to cold-weather and winter-related injuries," said Dr. Karen Judy, pediatrician at Loyola University Health System and professor of pediatrics at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

6 Dec 2011

New research suggests that teenage texting of nude photos not so popular

Only 1 percent of kids aged 10 to 17 have shared images of themselves or others that involve explicit nudity, a nationally representative study found. Roughly the same number said they'd shared suggestive but less graphic photos; while 7 percent said they'd received either type of picture.

6 Dec 2011

Obesity maybe passed down from fathers to kids: Study

Australian researchers have found that the sperm of overweight fathers appears to carry a molecular signal that causes their offspring to inherit obesity. This may be more severe in female children and males they add.

5 Dec 2011

Low vitamin D levels associated with higher degrees of insulin resistance

A recent study of obese and non-obese children found that low vitamin D levels are significantly more prevalent in obese children and are associated with risk factors for type 2 diabetes. This study was accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

5 Dec 2011

New HRSA report: 14 to 19% of U.S. children have special health care need

In the first national report that compares the health and well-being of children with special health care needs to those children without, findings revealed that 14 to 19 percent of children in the United States have a special health care need, representing more than one in five households with children.

5 Dec 2011

Study shows new biochemical disturbances in the brains of children with ADHD

A new study at örebro University in Sweden shows that children with ADHD have nearly 50 percent less of a protein that is important for attention and learning. The finding may mean that there are other biochemical disturbances in the brains of individuals with ADHD than was previously believed.

5 Dec 2011

Scientists discover new candidate gene for Dravet syndrome

Dravet syndrome is a severe genetic epilepsy that appears early in life. About 75 percent of cases can be attributed to mutations in the SCN1A gene encoding the sodium channel NaV1.1. The remaining patients with this syndrome are without a definitive molecular genetic diagnosis. Research presented today at the American Epilepsy Society's 65th Annual Meeting has found a non-SCN1A candidate gene and suggests that Dravet syndrome may be caused by any one of a number of yet unidentified genes.

5 Dec 2011

Researchers identify ADHD gene variants involved in glutamate signaling

Pediatric researchers analyzing genetic influences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have found alterations in specific genes involved in important brain signaling pathways. The study raises the possibility that drugs acting on those pathways might offer a new treatment option for patients with ADHD who have those gene variants—potentially, half a million U.S. children.

5 Dec 2011

Study: 3D-TV may cause seizures in children and adolescents

Certain visual patterns and flashing images can provoke seizures in susceptible individuals, particularly among children and adolescents. Some media reports on the recent introduction of 3D-television sets suggest that this new technology may cause seizures in some viewers.

5 Dec 2011

U-M scientists generate Dravet-derived neurons

Scientists investigating the fundamental cause of Dravet syndrome, a severe childhood epilepsy, have reprogrammed fibroblasts, a type of skin cell, from Dravet patients and generated patient-specific neurons.

5 Dec 2011

Latin American, Caribbean national rotavirus immunization campaigns show success, CDC report says

"Fourteen of the 32 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean make the rotavirus vaccine available for all infants via national programs," according to a report published Friday in the CDC's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report," United Press International reports.

3 Dec 2011

Doctors provide tips on toy safety

With the excitement of the holidays, parents and relatives eagerly purchase the hottest toys and latest items for their children. But it's during the hustle and bustle of the season that many fail to buy age appropriate gifts for their children, and they tend to disregard warnings on these toys and gifts to ensure they are safe.

3 Dec 2011

Foster children on Medicaid are overly medicated, says report

A study of five states found that foster children are more likely than other kids to be given mind-altering drugs, including antipsychotics and antidepressants.

3 Dec 2011

Brazil's ANVISA grants registration for child-adapted formulation of benznidazole for Chagas disease

Today, at the occasion of the 4th DNDi Partners' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dr Carlos Gadelha, Secretary of Science, Technology and Strategic Products, Brazilian Ministry of Health, announced that Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) granted registration of a new paediatric dosage form of benznidazole, developed through a partnership between the Pernambuco State Pharmaceutical Laboratory (LAFEPE) of Brazil and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).

3 Dec 2011

Promising new agent against sarcomas affecting children

MK 1775, a small, selective inhibitor molecule, has been found to be active against many sarcomas when tested by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. Their findings, recently appearing in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, published by the American Association for Cancer Research, suggest that a badly needed new agent against sarcomas - especially sarcomas affecting children - may be at hand.

3 Dec 2011