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Genetic testing can improve newborn screening tests for hearing defects

Researchers have identified several changes that could be made to existing newborn screening tests for hearing defects that could advance the standard of care in detecting deaf infants, according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine.

17 May 2006

Too many teens abusing the family medicine cabinet to get high

According to new research teenagers in the U.S. are using the family medicine cabinets in their search for drugs to get high on.

16 May 2006

Renal cell carcinoma in the pediatric population

While the incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is rising, it remains a relatively uncommon malignancy in the pediatric population, where it represents only 2-6% of solid renal malignancies.

16 May 2006

Parents of junior athletes can adversely affect their child's development

"A significant number" of parents of junior athletes have a negative impact on their child's development, suggests research published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

16 May 2006

WHO child growth standards spot on

New World Health Organisation (WHO) charts for child growth and development can be turned into a powerful tool to address weight issues for children, Australian Medical Association President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said recently.

11 May 2006

Boys more vulnerable and emotionally engaged in romantic relationships than previously thought

Teenage boys have feelings, too, and when it comes to matters of the heart, they may not be so fleeting after all. Not far beneath the bravado often on display is an unsure adolescent who finds it hard to express emotions that, while new, are nonetheless often sincerely felt.

10 May 2006

Inhaled corticosteroids can reduce breathing problems in children at high risk for asthma

Studies in older children and adults show that the most effective long-term control medicine for persistent asthma (symptoms more than two days a week or more than twice a month at night) is inhaled corticosteroids, which reduce airway swelling and help prevent asthma symptoms (e.g., asthma attacks).

10 May 2006

Don't kid yourself - puppyfat won't just go away

According to the latest research the notion that 'puppy fat' in children disappears as they progress to adolescence is a myth, and possibly puts the future health of children at risk.

10 May 2006

300,000 U.S. schoolchildren diagnosed with autism

According to researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, the first-ever national estimate of the prevalence of autism in the United States has found that the disorder affects up to one in every 175 school-age children.

9 May 2006

US infant mortality rates show no significant improvements

Nearly 28,000 babies died before their first birthday, according to new infant mortality statistics for 2003 released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

8 May 2006

Development of 'puppy fat' in adolescence

The idea that 'puppy fat' in children disappears as they progress to adolescence is a myth which may put the future health of children at risk, says a paper published on bmj.com.

8 May 2006

Online infusion calculator and a computerized drug ordering system reduces medication errors in children

Two new studies from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center show that computerizing ordering of chemotherapy and other types of intravenous drug infusions for children greatly reduces the risk of potentially dangerous medical errors.

8 May 2006

Pediatricians encouraged to refer patients to community resources for childhood aggression

Training pediatricians to recognize the signs of aggression and make a referral to an appropriate community organization may help prevent future violence.

3 May 2006

If jaundice is detected and treated properly children at no greater risk

Newborn babies who are diagnosed with and treated for jaundice are no more likely than other babies to suffer long-term developmental problems, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

3 May 2006

Many children still exposed at home to tobacco smoke - exposure linked to behavioral problems

According to research in the U.S. even though most Americans are in agreement with smoking restrictions in public places, many adults still expose their children to significant health risks by smoking cigarettes at home.

3 May 2006

Exposure to cocaine before birth not linked to bad behavior in kids

Toddlers exposed to cocaine before birth exhibit no more behavioral problems than other children their age, despite early predictions that "crack babies" would grow up to be delinquents, University of Florida researchers say.

3 May 2006

Very young infants are much more capable of organising their visual world than previously thought

Research investigating attention in infancy has revealed that, at just four months old, babies are able to organise visual information in at least three different ways, according to brightness, shape, and how close the visual elements are together (proximity).

3 May 2006

Minority and multiracial children experience many disparities in medical and oral health status

Minority and multiracial children experience many disparities in medical and oral health status, access to care, and use of services, according to a new national study by researchers at the Center for Advancement of Underserved Children at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

3 May 2006

Traffic, susceptibility and childhood asthma

Young children who live near a major road are significantly more likely to have asthma than children who live only blocks away, according to a study that appears in Environmental Health Perspectives.

3 May 2006

Good and bad sides of the Internet as it relates to children

Between 75 and 90 percent of teenagers in the United States use the Internet to email, instant message (IM), visit chat rooms and explore other sites on the World Wide Web.

3 May 2006