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Schools have highest number of bacteria

When kids are at school, we hope for high marks in math, science and English. But what about the grades the school itself would receive in a class on cleanliness? A study conducted by Dr. Charles Gerba, professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, in partnership with The Clorox Company, found that plenty of bacteria are going to school too.

25 Jan 2011

Human model of rare genetic disease reveals new clues to aging process

Scientists from A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) in Singapore and the University of Hong Kong's Department of Medicine have produced the world's first human cell model of progeria, a disease resulting in severe premature ageing in one in four to eight million children worldwide. This model has allowed them to make new discoveries concerning the mechanism by which progeria works.

25 Jan 2011

Weighty matters

The Dieticians Association of Australia (DAA) has launched the “Healthy Weight Week”. The DAA says that 61 per cent of Australian adults and 25 per cent of Australian children are either overweight or obese. At present there are really no drugs that provide long term weight loss. The only resort is surgery.

24 Jan 2011

Rotavirus vaccine significantly cuts child hospitalizations, study says

Developing and developed countries that require children to be vaccinated against rotavirus "have significantly reduced the number of children admitted to hospitals with the disease, a report showed on Thursday," Reuters reports (Kelland, 1/20).

24 Jan 2011

Eliminating sugary drinks from diet can reduce tooth decay in American Indian children

A study conducted in four American Indian communities in the Pacific Northwest presents an effective strategy to convince mothers to switch young children from drinking sweetened soda to water and shows that eliminating these sugary drinks from the diets of the youngest members of the tribe significantly decreased tooth decay.

24 Jan 2011

Two studies explore relationship between nutrition and asthma

Asthma is one of the world's most common chronic diseases, affecting as many as 300 million people. It is estimated that by 2025 there could be an additional 100 million people with the disease. This rapid increase in asthma is most likely due to changing environmental or lifestyle factors, and over the last 15 years, changing diet has emerged as a promising contributor. Two studies published in the in the February 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association explore the possible relationship between nutrition and asthma.

24 Jan 2011

Tips for parents to prevent infant abduction

What can parents do to prevent an infant abduction from occurring? Here are some tips that Sharon M. Rossi, R.N.C., M.S., director of Women's and Children's Services at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, says every parent needs to know and follow.

24 Jan 2011

CHIL receives $23.7 NIFA grant to prevent young child obesity

The Children's Healthy Living Program for Remote Underserved Minority Populations in the Pacific Region recently received $23.7 in funding from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

24 Jan 2011

Environmental contaminant levels in mother's body decrease during breast-feeding: Study

The levels of environmental contaminants in a mother's body decrease during breast-feeding. After a year of lactation, the levels of a number of environmental contaminants in breast milk drop by 15 - 94 per cent, according to a recent study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. There has been little study into this topic previously.

24 Jan 2011

Australia’s Healthy Weight Week

The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) has launched Australia’s Healthy Weight Week (AHWW) on Sunday in an attempt to make people choose a healthier lifestyle of eating better and exercising more.

23 Jan 2011

NIMH awards Case Western Reserve $7.8M renewal grant to study manic symptoms in children

The Department of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a $7.8 million renewal grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for the long-term study of manic symptoms in children.

21 Jan 2011

Approaches designed to motivate drug development for children needed

Recent legislative and regulatory actions make great strides toward establishing much needed incentives for pharmaceutical companies and others to develop and test more medications for pediatric rare diseases, including pediatric cancers, according to commentary by experts from Children's National Medical Center. The commentary appears in the January 19 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

21 Jan 2011

Opinions: GAVI; Haitian women; Clinton's foreign policy

"Vaccines are among the greatest scientific contributions to human welfare. They are also some of the largest humanitarian contributions of developed nations to the rest of the world. So it is unfortunate that a decade of vaccine controversy has overshadowed a decade of vaccine miracles," Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson writes in an opinion piece reflecting on the contributions of the GAVI Alliance over the past decade.

21 Jan 2011

NGOs, IAOMT urge to ban mercury-containing products, including dental amalgam

Mercury, the main ingredient in "silver" or amalgam fillings, will be the subject of a United Nations conference to be held in Chiba, Japan on January 24-28. Members of various non-governmental organizations, as well as dentists and scientists from groups such as the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, will be attending and urging a ban on products containing mercury, including dental amalgam.

21 Jan 2011

Ultrasound practice accreditation is now available in Fetal Echocardiography: AUSM

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine announced today that ultrasound practice accreditation is now available in Fetal Echocardiography. The program sets the standard for care in fetal echocardiography and builds on the development of AIUM guidelines aimed at fostering its safe and effective use.

20 Jan 2011

Routine rotavirus vaccine shows a significant drop in diarrhea cases: Study

A latest study has shown that the rotavirus vaccines have helped drastically reduce hospital visits around the world. Rotavirus can lead to fatal cases of diarrhea in children and causes half a million deaths in kids under five each year around the world. Developing countries are particularly at risk.

20 Jan 2011

Australia’s child abuse rates fall but foster care rates rise: Report

Statistics show that the total number of Tasmanian children in state care has risen by 60% in six years. This is the second highest number of children per 1,000 in child protection in the Australia. This means more children are being removed from their families for issues such as substance abuse, mental health and family violence.

20 Jan 2011

Elizabeth Glaser foundation awarded $45M grant to address pediatric HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe

The Government of Zimbabwe's national program to eliminate pediatric HIV/AIDS has received a significant boost with an award by the London-based Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF).

20 Jan 2011

FDA provides tentative approval under PEPFAR for Matrix's Lamivudine and Zidovudine NDA

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Matrix Laboratories Limited has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for its New Drug Application (NDA) for Lamivudine and Zidovudine Tablets, 30 mg/60 mg.

20 Jan 2011

OSC and RINCH offer support to speed discovery techniques of childhood diseases

Worried about her high fever and severe abdominal pain, a young couple rushed their baby daughter to the emergency department of Nationwide Children's Hospital. Physicians there found a lump in her belly, and, after examining X-rays and blood work, confirmed the parents' worst fear: their 18-month-old little girl had neuroblastoma, a rare pediatric cancer that involves the adrenal glands.

20 Jan 2011