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Ambitious vision, lasting investment in science can save countless lives

In this post in the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's "ASTMH Blog," Rick Steketee, science director of PATH's Malaria Control Program and ASTMH council member, responds to the results of the RTS,S malaria vaccine trial, writing, "It's milestones like this week's findings that remind us all that ambitious vision and a lasting investment in science can yield the tests, treatments and tools to save countless lives."

22 Oct 2011

Gates Foundation calls for greater global commitment, leadership, and funding to eradicate polio

On this year's World Polio Day (October 24, 2011), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a global community of partners are calling for increased commitment and greater accountability from political leaders to end polio, and for supporters around the world to lend their voices to the fight.

22 Oct 2011

On debate night, Perry 'sidesteps' question about Texas' uninsured children

The question from GOP debate moderator Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night was about health care, specifically the high number of uninsured children in Texas. Gov. Rick Perry's answer decidedly was not….

22 Oct 2011

UNICEF calls for additional resources to fight hunger, famine in Somalia

Though the humanitarian response to the food crisis in the Horn of Africa has lessened the suffering of thousands of people in the region, "more resources are needed to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in famine-hit areas of Somalia, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said" in a progress report released Thursday, the U.N. News Centre reports.

22 Oct 2011

Critical migrating neurons in the human brain decline during infancy

José Manuel García Verdugo, full professor of Cell Biology at University of Valencia, together with a University of California research team, has participated in the discovery of new pathways of neurons migrating from lateral ventricles to the prefrontal cortex. The work done in chidren at early ages reveals a new cell pathway which may increase the amount of neurons in regions important for cognitive tasks, emotional processes and spatial perception.

22 Oct 2011

Specific dopamine system gene variants linked to ADHD medication response in children

Children with certain dopamine system gene variants have an improved response to methylphenidate - the most commonly prescribed medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - in a finding that could help eliminate the guesswork from prescribing effective medications for children with ADHD.

22 Oct 2011

Positive top line results from Shire's LDX phase III study on ADHD

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today presented positive top line results of the first European phase III study of once-daily lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) in children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

22 Oct 2011

Clues into how gene defects may cause ARPKD in babies

Babies born with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) often develop kidney failure because they have very large kidneys filled with tiny cysts. Even with excellent medical care, about 30% die shortly after birth. New research now provides clues into how gene defects may cause this condition, which occurs in 1 out of 20,000 newborns.

22 Oct 2011

RSV medication from specialty pharmacies increases likelihood of children receiving recommended doses

Children given an injectable medication to help prevent severe respiratory illness had a 17.6 percent higher likelihood of receiving the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended doses when they were administered through a specialty pharmacy rather than a traditional pharmacy, according to a new study released today by pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics (Prime).

21 Oct 2011

Fixed braces for children could save millions of crowns each year

Society could save millions of crowns each year if more children were fitted with fixed braces. This is shown in unique studies performed by Sofia Petrén, a dentist and orthodontic specialist at the Section for Orthodontics at Malmö University.

21 Oct 2011

Imaging study shows slower brain growth in children with autism

Researchers at UCLA have found a possible explanation for why autistic children act and think differently than their peers. For the first time, they've shown that the connections between brain regions that are important for language and social skills grow much more slowly in boys with autism than in non-autistic children.

21 Oct 2011

Blood test can help assess severity of preeclampsia in pregnant woman

A blood test can help to assess whether a pregnant woman who suffers from pregnancy-induced hypertension, so-called preeclampsia, is at risk for an imminent delivery.

21 Oct 2011

Moving to lower-poverty neighborhoods reduces risk of obesity, diabetes

Low-income women with children who moved from high-poverty to lower-poverty neighborhoods experienced notable long-term improvements in aspects of their health; namely, reductions in diabetes and extreme obesity, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Chicago and partner institutions.

21 Oct 2011

CMHDRE, DCSNO and CHF team up to help autistic children in New Orleans

The disappearance of reliable healthcare services in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina left many children with asthma no choice but to seek treatment in emergency rooms across town - if they sought care at all. Xavier University of Louisiana's Center for Minority Health & Health Disparities Research and Education, Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans and the Children's Health Fund have teamed up to reverse that trend by bringing reliable health care directly to these children.

21 Oct 2011

Children's Hospital Los Angeles offers Halloween safety tips

Each year at Halloween, innocent children are placed in danger. Accidents occur, sometimes as a result of strangers, but often through the carelessness of parents. Robert Adler, M.D., vice chairman of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, wants your family to stay safe this Halloween. Read his handy tips below, share them with friends and keep them close to keep your kids safe. Thank you for staying safe this Halloween.

21 Oct 2011

Vaccines among most successful, cost-effective health investments in history

"Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective health investments in history," Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Alliance, writes in this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog. Because vaccines have saved millions of lives, "donors, the global health community and developing countries themselves [must] stay focused on immunization," he writes.

21 Oct 2011

The Guardian interviews GlaxoSmithKline lead researcher about new malaria vaccine

The Guardian features an interview with Moncef Slaoui, now chair of research and development at GlaxoSmithKline, who discusses his 23-year involvement in the research leading to the RTS,S malaria vaccine that has shown to halve the risk of malaria among African children.

21 Oct 2011

Tips for parents, drivers to keep kids safe during Halloween

On average, twice as many kids are killed in pedestrian accidents on Halloween compared to other days of the year. In an effort to keep kids safe this season, injury prevention experts from the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital urge parents to prepare children to act safely and drivers to take extra precautions.

21 Oct 2011

No unique link between first-trimester ACE inhibitor use and birth defects

Women who take angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to treat high blood pressure in the first trimester of their pregnancies are at no greater risk of having babies with birth defects than are women who take other types of high blood pressure medication or who take no blood pressure drugs, according to a new study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

21 Oct 2011

Gastroenterologist cautions against over-prescription of acid-suppressing drugs in infants

Frequent spitting up, irritability, and unexplained crying in infants can be very distressing to parents. Pediatricians often prescribe acid-suppressing drugs for these symptoms in an effort to treat infants for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); however, GERD is an uncommon cause of these symptoms in otherwise thriving infants.

21 Oct 2011