Child Health News

RSS

Kennedy Krieger Institute researcher wins NIH award for movement learning study

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded Amy Bastian, Ph.D., PT, chief science officer and director of the Motion Analysis Lab at Kennedy Krieger Institute, with an eight-year, $4.7 million National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Research Program Award (N35) to support a study examining movement learning mechanisms and how this process is affected by brain damage.

26 May 2021

China makes remarkable progress in reducing number of maternal and infant deaths

China has made remarkable gains in reducing the number of women who die during childbirth and boosting child survival rates over the past 70 years, according to new review.

25 May 2021

Do vaccinations result in anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in human milk?

The aim of this study investigates the impact of different types of vaccines on the anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels found in human milk.

25 May 2021

Researchers examine effect of depression on mother-infant relationship

In a study funded by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) researchers examined whether depression, either before or during pregnancy, affects the mother-infant relationship. The research was published today (Tuesday 25 May) in BJPsych Open.

25 May 2021

Extra funding should be made available for nursery provision, say researchers

Extra funding should be made available for early years care in the wake of the pandemic, researchers say.

25 May 2021

Study shows that telomeres shorten most rapidly during early childhood

Telomeres are protective caps on DNA that shorten as we grow older. Now, one of the first studies to examine telomere length (TL) in childhood finds that the initial setting of TL during prenatal development and in the first years of life may determine one's TL throughout childhood and potentially even into adulthood or older age.

25 May 2021

Are COVID-19 medications safe in pregnancy?

Most medications being tested today in clinical trials for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been repurposed from other indications. These are typically not tested in pregnant women. A new study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, summarizes what is known about the safety of these drugs in this group.

24 May 2021

Study shows higher dose of DHA is linked to lower rate of early preterm birth

Women taking 1,000 mg of docosohexanoic acid (DHA) daily in the last half of pregnancy had a lower rate of early preterm birth than women who took the standard 200 mg dose, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

24 May 2021

Researchers identify factors influencing vaccine hesitancy in USA

A team of scientists from the Washington University, in St. Louis, USA, has recently conducted a survey to analyze factors responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination hesitancy among US citizens.

24 May 2021

Proof that face masks reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission

Researchers in Germany and China have conducted a study analyzing the efficacy of face masks in mitigating the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

24 May 2021

High seroprevalence in Peruvian population recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection

By the middle of 2020, Iquitos, Peru, had the highest number of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the world. Despite natural immunity, the city experienced a second coronavirus wave, with reinfections possibly owing to the P.1 variant.

22 May 2021

Prenatal exposure to air pollution can cause asthma in children

Women who were highly exposed to ultra-fine particles in air pollution during their pregnancy were more likely to have children who developed asthma, according to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in May.

21 May 2021

Risk factors for rare COVID-19 complications in children (MIS-C)

While the earlier waves of COVID-19 relatively spared children, some of the affected children have developed a systemic inflammatory condition, with occasionally fatal outcomes. Called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), its pathogenesis and risk factors are the subject of a new study on the medRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2021

Children can successfully comprehend and create novel human communication systems

Researchers from The University of Western Australia have discovered children can successfully comprehend and create novel human communication systems.

21 May 2021

UVA Children's joins Autism Care Network to deliver the best care to families

UVA Children's is one of 20 leading autism care centers joining the national Autism Care Network, created by Autism Speaks - a leading autism research and advocacy group - to deliver the best care to families sooner.

21 May 2021

New study to develop program for infants at risk for health disparities

Many parents of young children can relate to the challenges of getting babies to eat healthy, whether babies throw food on the floor, refuse to eat healthy foods or only want to eat sugary snacks.

21 May 2021

Targeting mTOR pathway can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapies for pediatric brain cancer

Two experimental drug approaches that target vulnerabilities in cancer cell metabolism may extend survival and enhance the effectiveness of standard chemotherapies for a highly aggressive type of pediatric brain cancer.

21 May 2021

Swiss study suggests very low prevalence of long COVID in pediatric population

Researchers from Switzerland recently analyzed long COVID symptoms in children and adolescents with a 6-month follow-up based on their SARS-CoV-2 serology. A longitudinal cohort analysis, the Ciao Corona study investigated SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and case clustering among ~2500 children from 55 primary and secondary schools in Zurich, Switzerland.

20 May 2021

Plastic chemicals can induce changes in gene that is vital for neurological development

The chemical bisphenol F (found in plastics) can induce changes in a gene that is vital for neurological development. This discovery was made by researchers at the universities of Uppsala and Karlstad, Sweden.

20 May 2021

Tobacco smoke exposure in utero and during early childhood can affect children's lung function

Environmental tobacco smoke exposure in utero and during early childhood - especially secondhand smoke - is associated with decreased childhood lung function, according to research presented at the ATS 2021 International Conference.

20 May 2021