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New World Health Organization data emphasizes on two leading causes of pneumonia

New World Health Organization data to be published in this week's edition of The Lancet will shed new light on two leading causes of pneumonia, the world’s leading killer of children under age 5, both globally and within specific countries.

11 Sep 2009

Children's Hospital to determine optimal duration of antimicrobial treatment for UTIs

In the largest study of its kind, pediatric researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have received a federal contract for a project to determine the most beneficial method of using antibiotics to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children.

11 Sep 2009

Under-five mortality rate continues to decline

UNICEF today released new figures that show the rate of deaths of children under five years of age continued to decline in 2008.

11 Sep 2009

Low self-esteem in children may lead to adult obesity

Previous research has shown that low self-esteem and emotional problems are found in people who are overweight or obese- but not which influences which. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine, sheds light on this issue showing that children with emotional difficulties are at higher risk for obesity in adult life.

11 Sep 2009

TrKA and CCM2 combination results in pediatric tumour regression

Why are some pediatric cancers able to spontaneously regress? Prof. Michael Fainzilber and his team of the Weizmann Institute's Biological Chemistry Department seem to have unexpectedly found part of the answer. Further research towards a better understanding of the mechanism of action might hopefully lead, in the future, to the development of drugs that will be able to induce regression of certain tumors.

10 Sep 2009

The first CardioGraft patch with MatrACELL technology implant performed

LifeNet Health, a leading allograft bio-implant company, announces the first implant of a CardioGraft(TM) allograft cardiac patch product with MatrACELL(TM)( )decellularization technology. The surgery was performed at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo by Gary K. Lofland, MD, FACS, Section Chief, Cardiovascular Surgery at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo, The Joseph Boon Gregg/Missouri Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Professor of Surgery, UMKC.

10 Sep 2009

Human neural stem cells to treat Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease

StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEM) announced today that it will soon initiate with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Children’s Hospital a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the therapeutic potential of StemCells’ proprietary HuCNS-SC® product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) to treat Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), a myelination disorder that primarily affects infants and young children.

10 Sep 2009

Heavy school bags can cause back and spine injuries

Function and comfort over fashion is the goal this year as the kids head back to school. Starting today, the British Columbia Chiropractic Association is again launching television information to educate parents and inform them about the potential health risks an overweight back pack can cause on the early development of their children's backs.

10 Sep 2009

Polio vaccination resumes in Pakistan's Swat Valley

"Authorities in Pakistan's Swat Valley have resumed vaccinating children for polio, an act once banned by Taliban militants, now beaten back by an army offensive," the Associated Press reports. The three-day campaign, which started on Monday, is targeting about 215,000 children, said government official Khurshid Khan.

10 Sep 2009

Childrens' cognitive development could be impacted due to undetected vision problems: Study

A new report by The Vision Council, Making the Grade? finds state laws regarding vision assessments for children entering school are inconsistent, impeding children's ability to succeed in school.

10 Sep 2009

Federal contract awarded to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to study use of antibiotics in children

10 Sep 2009

MyHeadLiceTreatment.com launched by ParaPRO

Just in time for peak head lice season, ParaPRO, LLC has launched MyHeadLiceTreatment.com, a free, engaging and comprehensive “one-stop shop” about head lice. Treating head lice can be an issue. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate between 6 to 12 million cases of head lice infestations will occur this year - most in children 3 to 12 years old.

9 Sep 2009

Campaign launched to tackle childhood obesity

Urging children to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Everette James and Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak today helped to kick off the NFL Play 60 national youth health and fitness campaign.

9 Sep 2009

School bullying and violence prevention programs

Key to a child's successful education is an environment in which he or she can learn safely. According to a report released today by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, only 26 percent of parents would give their child's high school an "A" for preventing bullying and school violence, and 38 percent of parents would give their child's elementary or junior high an "A."

9 Sep 2009

PacifiCord and Milkalicious to sponsor a debate on pediatric vaccines

Dedicated to serving the private cord blood banking needs of Southern California, PacifiCord (www.pacificord.com) announced they are partnering with Milkalicious, an Aliso Viejo-based breastfeeding boutique and education center, in sponsoring “The Great Vaccine Debate.”

9 Sep 2009

Lack of physical activity is linked to childhood obesity

It's the start of another school year and Canadian physiotherapists are taking this opportunity to talk tough about the epidemic of overweight and inactive children in this country. According to Statistics Canada about 25 percent of Canadian children are overweight. The Active Healthy Kids Canada 2009 Report Card found that only 13 percent of children and youth are getting the 90 minutes of physical activity recommended by Canada's Physical Activity Guide.

9 Sep 2009

Philadelphia MCAN project as model for managing childhood asthma and reducing H1N1 risk

Nearly a dozen 7th graders with asthma were welcomed along with other classmates back to school today by a special guest who had a message for them about staying healthy - Kathleen Sebelius, 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

9 Sep 2009

Major advance in understanding Friedreich's ataxia

University of Sydney researchers have made a significant advance in understanding the debilitating hereditary disease Friedreich's ataxia, offering hope that new forms of treatment will be developed.

8 Sep 2009

Contraband cigarettes undermine tobacco-prevention strategies

Consumption of contraband cigarettes amongst adolescent daily smokers in Canada accounts for 17% of all cigarettes smoked by this age group, and rises to more than 25% in Ontario and Quebec. This behaviour may be undermining tobacco-prevention strategies, as they focus on taxation and minimum age restrictions to curb and prevent smoking, states an article http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj090665.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.

8 Sep 2009

Chronic pediatric cough linked to reflux and allergies

New research shows that chronic cough in children is most often caused by gastroesophageal reflux and allergies. Researchers from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, evaluated 40 patients aged 5 to 12 years with chronic cough (> 8 weeks in duration) with no obvious cause. Each patient underwent extensive multispecialty testing. Results showed that reflux was the single most commonly associated factor of chronic cough by itself (27.5 percent), followed by allergy (22.5 percent).

8 Sep 2009