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Parents of teens underestimate own teens' substance use

The latest C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health from the University of Michigan finds that few parents (10 percent) believe their own teens, ages 13 to 17 years old, have used alcohol in the last year and even fewer (5 percent) believe their own teens have used marijuana in the last year.

12 Sep 2011

Reducing malaria incidence could also drastically reduce deaths from bacterial infections, study says

"Reducing the incidence of malaria could also drastically reduce the number of deaths from bacterial infections among children in Africa, a study" published last week in the Lancet found, according to SciDev.Net.

12 Sep 2011

Researchers discover that recognisable facial expressions develop before birth

Babies in the womb develop a range of facial movements in such a way that it is possible to identify facial expressions such as laughter and crying. For the first time a group of researchers were able to show that recognisable facial expressions develop before birth and that, as the pregnancy progresses from 24 to 36 weeks gestation, fetal facial movements become more complex.

12 Sep 2011

Countdown to a world of seven billion people

Earth’s population will reach seven billion on 31 October, a milestone that offers unprecedented challenges and opportunities to all of humanity, according to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

12 Sep 2011

General anesthesia can cause cognitive impairment in children

General anesthesia administered to the developing animal brain depresses much needed neuronal activity and communication resulting in long-lasting cognitive impairment, according to an article published in the August issue of Current Opinion in Anesthesiology.

12 Sep 2011

Gates Foundation's Ananya Alliance aims to improve newborn health in India

Usha Kiran Tarigopula, deputy director in global health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes about the Foundation's partnership with the state of Bihar, India through the Ananya Alliance "aimed at reducing maternal, newborn, and child mortality by 40 percent by 2015," in this "Inpatient Optimists" blog post, which is part of a series called "Global Conversations on Newborn Health in India."

12 Sep 2011

AHRQ finds decline in hospitalizations for pica eating disorder between 2007-2009

Eating disorders as the primary reason for entering the hospital declined by 23 percent from 2007 and 2009, after a steep and steady increase from 1999 to 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

12 Sep 2011

WSU researcher receives $418,000 NINDS grant to study spinal muscular atrophy

Graham Parker, Ph.D., assistant professor of research in the Department of Pediatrics at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, was awarded $418,000 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health to study how a particular gene might be involved in the progression of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) - the number one genetic killer of children younger than 2 years old.

12 Sep 2011

Febrile seizures in children may be linked to respiratory alkalosis

New research shows that febrile seizures in children may be linked to respiratory alkalosis, indicated by elevated blood pH and low carbon dioxide levels caused by hyperventilation, and independent of the underlying infection severity.

12 Sep 2011

NIH awards $13M grant to BMC for brain abnormality study in former ELGANS

Researchers and clinicians from Boston Medical Center (BMC) have been awarded a four year, more than $13 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study neurological and brain abnormalities in former extremely low gestational age newborns.

12 Sep 2011

Black children more at risk for peanut allergy: Study

U.S. researchers examined the genetic profiles of more than 1,100 urban children of different races, averaging around 3 years of age, and found that black children were more likely to have allergic antibodies to food allergens. The study also found that African ancestry was linked with levels of allergic antibodies to peanut typically associated with clinical peanut allergies.

9 Sep 2011

Preterm babies may be experiencing pain during procedures: Study

Preterm may begin to feel pain around a woman's 35th week of pregnancy, about two to four weeks before delivery, according to a new study from University College London. Using EEG, researchers recorded the babies' brain activity in response to pain, comparing their pain responses from a touch and prick on the heels. The findings were published in the journal Current Biology.

9 Sep 2011

SAMHSA awards new grants to behavioral health systems serving American Indian/Alaskan Native communities

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is announcing seven new grants for a total of up to $6.4 million over up to three years to provide tribal and urban American Indian and Alaskan Native communities resources to plan and design a holistic, community-based system of care to support mental health and wellness for their children, youth and families.

9 Sep 2011

Tics are not a rare or uncommon disorder

Experts have confirmed it: tics are not a rare or uncommon disorder. It is the second study to be conducted in Spain to date, and the first of great importance, revealing that the prevalence of these motor disorders in the child population is 16.86%. The incidence is greater in boys than girls, and they tend to disappear or reduce with age.

9 Sep 2011

Seeds of violence may be planted before a child is born: Research

It's hard to think of a baby being violent or destructive, but the seeds of violence may be planted before a child is born, according to research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

9 Sep 2011

Study: Early motor experiences can shape infants' preferences for objects and faces

In a new study published today in the journal Developmental Science, researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Vanderbilt University found that early motor experiences can shape infants' preferences for objects and faces.

9 Sep 2011

Possible link between mother's diet and risk of allergies in children

A possible link between what a mother eats during pregnancy and the risk of her child developing allergies has been identified in new research published in this month's The Journal of Physiology.

9 Sep 2011

Curbing unhealthy eating to reduce obesity

The Obesity Policy Coalition suggests a new mobile app called Traffic Light Food Tracker that will enable users to work around the food industry's hesitation in supporting traffic light labeling. Traffic light labeling marks foods high in fat, sugar and salt with red warnings, while green labels are for healthy options. Users only have to key in their food item's fat, sugar and sodium quantities and save each item in their “pantry” within the phone app.

8 Sep 2011

Legal, ethical and cultural barriers to child organ donations

Clinicians from a leading UK children's hospital have called for European countries to change the way they tackle the shortage of organ donations from children, after a review, published in the September issue of Acta Paediatrica, found a large number of legal, ethical and cultural barriers.

8 Sep 2011

Parental safety concerns may prevent children from getting good exercise

Parental safety concerns may prevent children from getting good exercise, according to a new North Carolina State University study that examined how families use neighborhood parks.

8 Sep 2011