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Apparent gap between levels of pediatric care in urban and rural areas

When it comes to providing healthcare for children across Canada, a team of researchers say there's an apparent gap between the levels of care received by children in urban and rural areas.

24 Nov 2011

IPS reports on child poverty in Lesotho

"The triple threat of HIV, poverty and food insecurity is increasingly exposing children to abuse, exploitation and other human rights violations" in Lesotho, Inter Press Service reports in an article examining child poverty in the small southern African country.

24 Nov 2011

UNICEF report says more than 30M children in East Asia, Pacific lack essential services

"More than 30 million children in seven countries in East Asia and the Pacific are deprived of at least one essential service such as basic health care, safe drinking water or access to education, according to a United Nations study," AlertNet reports.

24 Nov 2011

Relief officials concerned over malnutrition among children in Ethiopian refugee camps despite food aid

Humanitarian aid officials are concerned about high levels of malnutrition among young children at the Dolo Ado refugee camps in southern Ethiopia "despite the free availability of Plumpy'nut, a peanut-based paste in a plastic wrapper for treatment of severe acute malnutrition," the Guardian reports.

24 Nov 2011

Scientists identify MEGF10 defective gene responsible for muscle weakness

An international team of researchers from England and the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin has presented new findings regarding the function of muscle stem cells, which are published in the current issue of the journal Nature Genetics.

23 Nov 2011

Former President questions whether legal regulation and control of drugs would better protect children

"Would legal regulation and control of drugs better protect children?" is a question posed by former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso in an editorial to be published in the January issue of Elsevier's International Journal of Drug Policy (IJDP).

23 Nov 2011

TLRs contribute to brain damage following hypoxia in newborns

Two out of every thousand babies are at risk of brain damage in connection with birth. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have identified mechanisms behind these injuries, which could lead to better treatment and a richer life for the infants affected.

23 Nov 2011

Tips for parents to safeguard their children

They say parents know best, but what if you are a new parent who doesn't know it all quite yet? "Unfortunately, babies do not come with a safety manual. Sometimes parents do things that are well-intentioned but can be unsafe for their child," said Mary Evelyn O'Neil, M.D., pediatrician, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

23 Nov 2011

$Study lends new insights into pediatric facial fractures$

Study lends new insights into pediatric facial fractures

Facial fractures in children occur in different patterns in different age groups, but most often occur with other types of severe injuries, reports a study in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

23 Nov 2011

Saving Lives at Birth partnership supports two bold ideas that address maternal, newborn deaths

Although Kenyan Sam Agutu and Nigerian Aminu Gamawa come from different countries and backgrounds, they share a common passionate commitment - to save the lives of women giving birth and guarantee infants a healthy start.

23 Nov 2011

WHO director-general Chan nominated for second term

The WHO "said on Monday it has received just one application for the U.N. health agency's top post," which was submitted by China and nominated Margaret Chan, the current WHO director-general and former Hong Kong health chief, Agence France-Presse reports.

23 Nov 2011

Pediatricians warn about hazards of button batteries

With the increasing production of electronic products in the consumer market, more button batteries are found in the home setting. From remote controls and watches to musical greeting cards and toys, these small, shiny objects are the perfect size for a curious child to swallow or even push into their nasal cavity or ear canal. It is important for parents to be aware of the dangers that button batteries pose to young children and the damage that these batteries can cause.

23 Nov 2011

Link between loss of wildlife access and micronutrient deficiencies in children

For the first time, researchers have uncovered a powerful connection between loss of access to wildlife and micronutrient deficiencies in children, according to a recently published study by the University of California-Berkeley, Harvard Center for the Environment and Harvard School of Public Health, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and others.

23 Nov 2011

EpiGen to collaborate with Nestl- Research Center in Switzerland

The EpiGen Consortium, an international alliance of the world's leading epigenetics researchers (Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), National University of Singapore, University of Southampton, Medical Research Council - Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, AgResearch Limited, Auckland UniServices Limited) are pleased to announce the creation of a research collaboration with Nestl- Research Center in Switzerland.

23 Nov 2011

Number of annual polio cases in Nigeria quadruples; WHO, government working to vaccinate millions of children

Nigeria has reported 43 cases of polio so far this year, up from 11 cases in 2010, and the disease has spread to Niger, Mali, and Cote d'Ivoire, according to a WHO official, BBC News reports.

22 Nov 2011

Virtues of a simple “Thank You” a day

Gratitude is a positive emotion with strong psychological effects say researchers. Now psychologists are trying to figure out the brain chemistry behind gratitude and the best ways of showing it.

22 Nov 2011

Cognitive-behavioral therapy safe and effective for juvenile fibromyalgia

A recent trial shows cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) reduces functional disability and depressive symptoms in adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia. The psychological intervention was found to be safe and effective, and proved to be superior to disease management education.

22 Nov 2011

Eating fish before age of nine months reduces risk of pre-school wheeze in children

Children who started eating fish before nine months of age are less likely to suffer from pre-school wheeze, but face a higher risk if they were treated with broad spectrum antibiotics in the first week of life or their mother took paracetamol during pregnancy.

22 Nov 2011

Family-initiated adverse event reporting system can improve safety of health care provision

Families of hospitalized children can provide valuable information about adverse events relating to their children's care that complements information documented by health care professionals, states a study published in CMAJ.

22 Nov 2011

Study identifies major risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis

Many premature infants suffer a life-threatening destruction of intestinal tissue called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Now a Loyola University Medical Center study has identified a major risk factor for NEC: Preemies with the AB blood type who develop NEC are nearly three times as likely to die from it as preemies with other blood types.

22 Nov 2011