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FDA approves pediatric use of Protopam Chloride

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the pediatric use of Protopam Chloride (pralidoxime chloride), a drug used to treat poisoning by organophosphate pesticides and chemicals (e.g., nerve agents). The drug is approved to be administered either by intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) injections.

10 Sep 2010

NIH launches two research studies to examine ways to curtail childhood obesity epidemic

The National Institutes of Health is launching two major research efforts, totaling $72.5 million, to examine ways to curtail the nation's childhood obesity epidemic. One will study long-term approaches to prevent or treat childhood obesity, and the other will examine community efforts to reduce childhood obesity rates.

10 Sep 2010

Questcor Pharmaceuticals provides update on sNDA for H.P. Acthar Gel

Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has informed Questcor that the FDA will require additional time beyond the current action date of September 11, 2010 to complete its review of Questcor's supplemental new drug application for H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) in the treatment of infantile spasms.

9 Sep 2010

Nation's four leading ADHD organizations seek to end persistent myths about ADHD

Four national organizations – ADHD Coaches Organization; Attention Deficit Disorder Association; ADDitude magazine; and Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – are issuing a joint call to the public to assist children, adults, and families who are affected by ADHD.

9 Sep 2010

Focusing on most disadvantaged children more cost-effective than current strategies, UNICEF reports say

UNICEF on Tuesday said that by "comparing the effectiveness of different strategies for aid delivery, targeting the poorest and neediest children could save more lives per $1 million spent than the current path," Reuters reports (Charbonneau, 9/7).

9 Sep 2010

Hormone treatment with chemotherapy results in deadly side-effect in neuroblastoma children

Children given a hormone growth factor alongside chemotherapy for the aggressive cancer neuroblastoma are less likely to suffer a potentially deadly side-effect, according to a major international study published today (Tuesday) in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers find increase in death risk among childhood cancer survivors

Childhood cancer survivors may have an increased risk of death from other forms of cancer, cardiac and cerebrovascular causes more than 25 years after their initial illness, UK scientists have found.

9 Sep 2010

Switching from protease inhibitors to Nevirapine brings superior results for some HIV-infected children

Nevirapine is widely used to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus. In cases where the infants are nonetheless infected with HIV virus at birth, the standard treatment is to use protease inhibitors (PI) to reduce the amount of virus in their bloodstream. A new study involving 195 infants in South Africa found that children who were treated with PI and then switched to nevirapine were more likely to maintain virus below the detection threshold of the test than infants who continued to receive PI.

9 Sep 2010

Shared needle at school science experiment puts students at risk

In a science experiment at a Tasmanian Dover District high school, a teacher took blood samples from grade 9 and 10 students using the same needle. They were testing blood pH levels. Now students are being tested for HIV infection. The needle was dipped in methylated spirits each time before pricking but authorities say this is not enough to prevent transmission of HIV and other viruses like Hepatitis B and C.

8 Sep 2010

Save the Children report finds neediest children in many developing countries are overlooked

The deaths of four million of the world's poorest children over 10 years could have been avoided if governments had not turned "a blind eye" to the neediest children, said a report from Save the Children, released on Tuesday, the U.K. Press Association reports (9/6).

8 Sep 2010

Researchers to study suicide prevention program in high schools

With students returning to classes, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers are beginning a large, long-term study of the effectiveness of a unique suicide prevention program in high schools across New York and North Dakota.

8 Sep 2010

Study finds wide gaps in participation in children's health insurance program across country

The hunt for the nearly 5 million uninsured U.S. children who are eligible for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program just got a road map.

8 Sep 2010

Lack of data on best way to treat nausea and vomiting in children undergoing chemotherapy

Although nausea and vomiting are common in children undergoing chemotherapy, few quality studies identify absolutely the best way to prevent and treat this problem in kids, said Robert Phillips, M.D., lead author of a new Cochrane review. Phillips, a pediatric oncologist at St. James's Hospital in Leeds, England, said the main finding is the paucity of data that he and his colleagues uncovered.

8 Sep 2010

Alcohol consumption by pregnant women can seriously harm unborn children

To kick off Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health is reminding the public that alcohol consumption by pregnant women can seriously harm unborn children.

8 Sep 2010

Progerin may contribute to risk of atherosclerosis: Study

Progeria, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), is a rare, fatal genetic disease characterized by an appearance of accelerated aging in children. All children with Progeria die of the same heart disease that affects millions of normal aging adults (atherosclerosis), but instead of occurring at 60 or 70 years of age, these children may suffer heart attacks and strokes even before age 10, and the average age of death is 13 years.

8 Sep 2010

Obese adolescents' recovery to normal weight by young adulthood difficult

The older teens get, the more likely they are to pack on pounds, and obesity rates climb sharply between adolescence and young adulthood, finds a new study from Australia.

8 Sep 2010

Occupational exposure to substances is a major risk factor for neurodermatitis

A child who can't stop scratching himself may well be suffering from atopic dermatitis, also known as neurodermatitis. Extreme irritability of the skin with a concomitant urge to scratch is typical of the disorder. The condition often appears during the first year of life and is on the increase in industrialized countries.

8 Sep 2010

NIH expands funding for Baylor College of Medicine Human Microbiome Project

The National Institutes of Health today announced expanded funding of the Baylor College of Medicine Human Microbiome Project clinical program initiated last year at Texas Children Hospital.

8 Sep 2010

Switching to nevirapine drug from PI based regimen reduces viremia in children: Study

HIV infected children in South Africa who were exposed to the drug nevirapine at birth (used to help prevent mother to child HIV transmission) and then received a protease inhibitor (PI) for viral suppression achieved lower rates of viremia (virus in the blood stream) if they were switched to nevirapine, compared to children who continued on the PI-based regimen, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

8 Sep 2010

Local efforts seek to reduce childhood obesity; Sleep-deprived kids most vulnerable

NPR: "[A] new study finds that even for infants and preschoolers, a good, long night's sleep may be just as important as diet and physical activity. Over the past three decades, obesity rates have doubled among children age 2 to 5, and tripled among 6- to 11-year-olds. So University of Washington maternal and child health researcher Janice Bell wanted to know whether sleep had anything to do with it.

8 Sep 2010

Child Health News

FDA approves pediatric use of Protopam Chloride

NIH launches two research studies to examine ways to curtail childhood obesity epidemic

Questcor Pharmaceuticals provides update on sNDA for H.P. Acthar Gel

Nation's four leading ADHD organizations seek to end persistent myths about ADHD

Focusing on most disadvantaged children more cost-effective than current strategies, UNICEF reports say

Hormone treatment with chemotherapy results in deadly side-effect in neuroblastoma children

Researchers find increase in death risk among childhood cancer survivors

Switching from protease inhibitors to Nevirapine brings superior results for some HIV-infected children

Shared needle at school science experiment puts students at risk

Save the Children report finds neediest children in many developing countries are overlooked

Researchers to study suicide prevention program in high schools

Study finds wide gaps in participation in children's health insurance program across country

Lack of data on best way to treat nausea and vomiting in children undergoing chemotherapy

Alcohol consumption by pregnant women can seriously harm unborn children

Progerin may contribute to risk of atherosclerosis: Study

Obese adolescents' recovery to normal weight by young adulthood difficult

Occupational exposure to substances is a major risk factor for neurodermatitis

NIH expands funding for Baylor College of Medicine Human Microbiome Project

Switching to nevirapine drug from PI based regimen reduces viremia in children: Study

Local efforts seek to reduce childhood obesity; Sleep-deprived kids most vulnerable

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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