Child Health News

RSS

Cinergy Health creates five steps to reduce childhood obesity

Cinergy Health, a nationwide health insurance agency providing guaranteed issue and short term major medical insurance programs, responds to the alarming rise in childhood obesity. One in three children in America is overweight or obese and one out of every five teenagers has a cholesterol level that increases the risk of heart disease.

27 Jan 2010

Selective use of DHCA during surgery for CHD in infancy does not impair neurological outcomes

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common birth defects in humans, affecting 8 per 1000 live births with one third of affected children requiring intervention in early infancy. Increasing numbers of survivors combined with developmental expectations for independence, behavioral self-regulation and academic achievement have led to a growing identification of neurobehavioral symptoms in some survivors. A study now suggests that a cooling technique often used in heart operations does not impair neurological outcomes.

27 Jan 2010

Majority of inuit preschoolers live in food-insufficient households

Seventy percent of Inuit preschoolers in Nunavut, Canada's largest territory, live in households where there isn't enough food, a situation with implications for children's academic and psychosocial development, found an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj091297.pdf.

27 Jan 2010

AAN guideline finds diazepam drug is effective for treating children with cerebral palsy

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society finds botulinum toxin type A to be an effective treatment for spasticity, muscle tightness that interferes with movement, in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, but poses some risk.

27 Jan 2010

Obese children face increased risk of stroke and heart disease

By as early as 7 years of age, being obese may raise a child's risk of future heart disease and stroke, even in the absence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

27 Jan 2010

Fetal and infant mortality rate in inuit-inhabited areas higher than rest of Canada

The fetal and infant mortality rate for women in Inuit-inhabited areas of Canada was 2.7 times higher than in the rest of Canada, and women had higher rates of preterm birth, found an article (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj082042.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.

27 Jan 2010

Over 125M pregnant women worldwide exposed to malaria annually, study finds

More than 125 million pregnant women worldwide are exposed to malaria each year, according to a study published Tuesday in PLoS Medicine, ANI/oneindia reports. Previously, such estimates were limited to malaria risk in Africa. "Most malarial deaths are among young children in sub-Saharan Africa but pregnant women and their unborn babies are at high risk," the news service writes, adding that "[n]early 10,000 women and 200,000 babies die every year because of malaria in pregnancy, which often leads to miscarriages, pre-term births, and low-birth-weight births" (1/26).

27 Jan 2010

Curemark commences CM-AT Phase III autism clinical trial enrollment at ten sites

Curemark, LLC, a drug research and development company focused on the treatment of neurological diseases, announced that the company is now enrolling patients in Phase III clinical trials for CM-AT, its autism treatment, at ten sites across the country.

27 Jan 2010

NTNU: 40% of two-year-olds report allergy-related disorders

Allergies and asthma are a continuing health problem in most developed countries, but just how do these ailments develop over the course of a childhood? In a population-based study designed to help answer this question, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) found that 40 per cent - or two of five -- of nearly 5,000 two-year-olds had at least one reported allergy-related disorder. The most common symptom was wheezing, which was reported in 26 per cent of all children in the study, says Ingeborg Smidesang, a PhD candidate in the university's Faculty of Medicine, and the primary author of the study.

25 Jan 2010

Ambidextrous children more likely to have ADHD symptoms

Children who are mixed-handed, or ambidextrous, are more likely to have mental health, language and scholastic problems in childhood than right- or left-handed children, according to a new study published today in the journal Pediatrics.

25 Jan 2010

Dermatological nuisance caused by toilet seats making a comeback in pediatricians' offices

Considered a dermatological nuisance that was long gone, skin irritations caused by toilet seats appear to be making a comeback in pediatricians' offices, according to research led by Johns Hopkins Children's Center investigator Bernard Cohen, M.D.

25 Jan 2010

Labeled menus may lead to reduced calorie intake in children

In a new study, the amount of calories selected by parents for their child's hypothetical meal at McDonald's restaurants were reduced by an average of 102 calories when the menus clearly showed the calories for each item. This is the first study to suggest that labeled menus may lead to significantly reduced calorie intake in fast food restaurant meals purchased for children.

25 Jan 2010

Save The Children visits Haiti's earthquake zone to ensure children's safety

Save the Children child protection teams are visiting camps, shelters, and communities across Haiti's earthquake zone to ensure the safety of children and to help unaccompanied children be reunited with relatives whenever possible.

24 Jan 2010

Study of 16INK4A gene's role in progression of retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is a pediatric eye cancer initiated by the loss or mutation of both copies of the retinoblastoma gene. Current evidence suggests that additional genetic alterations are required for retinoblastoma to become fully malignant.

23 Jan 2010

First Hybrid Cath Lab in Louisiana at Tulane Hospital for Children

The Pediatric Heart Center at Tulane Hospital for Children has opened the first and only Hybrid Cath Lab in Louisiana. The cutting-edge facility -- one of only 10 in the country -- is a fully equipped pediatric catheterization lab and operating room that allows both cardiologists and surgeons to work side by side to open the chest, place delivery catheters in the heart and deploy devices. Outcomes are improved by avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass and shortened procedure times.

23 Jan 2010