Child Health News

RSS

Cardio-protective drug during cancer treatment may prevent heart damage in children

About 75 percent of children with leukemia who take chemotherapy face life-threatening heart problems as they age, but an international study led by a University of Rochester Medical Center investigator shows that giving a cardio-protective drug during cancer treatment may prevent the damage.

6 Jun 2012

Novel assay accurately detects trisomy 21 or 18 from maternal blood samples

Current screening strategies for Down syndrome, caused by fetal trisomy 21 (T21), and Edwards syndrome, caused by fetal trisomy 18 (T18), have false positive rates of 2 to 3%, and false negative rates of 5% or higher. Positive screening results must be confirmed by amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, which carry a fetal loss rate of approximately 1 in 300 procedures. Now an international, multicenter cohort study finds that a genetic test to screen for trisomy 21 or 18 from a maternal blood sample is almost 100% accurate.

6 Jun 2012

Family members of children with staph infections often harbor drug-resistant germs

Family members of children with a staph infection often harbor a drug-resistant form of the germ, although they don't show symptoms, a team of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found.

5 Jun 2012

Survivors of childhood cancers are at increased risk for GI cancers

Survivors of childhood cancers are at an increased risk of another battle with cancer later in life, according to new research published online June 4 by the Annals of Internal Medicine. In the largest study to date of risk for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers among people first diagnosed with cancer before the age of 21, researchers found that childhood cancer survivors develop these malignancies at a rate nearly five times that of the general population.

5 Jun 2012

USAID Administrator Shah addresses fight against HIV in children

In this post in the AIDS.gov blog, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah discusses global efforts to end HIV infections in children. "

5 Jun 2012

U.S., Norway announce new private-public initiative to improve maternal health in developing countries

Speaking at a health conference in Norway on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the United States would provide $75 million a new private-public effort, dubbed "Saving Mothers, Giving Life," which aims "to improve the health of mothers and their babies in developing countries," Agence France-Presse reports.

5 Jun 2012

Zimbabwe's successful PMTCT efforts serve as a 'model' for other countries in drive to eliminate pediatric AIDS

"Zimbabwe is one of the key countries to watch in the drive to eliminate pediatric AIDS in Africa," Chip Lyons, president and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, writes in this post in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

5 Jun 2012

New group-based learning approach for children with asthma

Many children suffers from asthma and to deal with everyday life can be hard for children and parents. They need knowledge. "To understand the children's challenges in everyday life health professionals should ask the child and also listen to them", says Anne Trollvik that is a nurse and an university lecturer.

4 Jun 2012

Algal DHA supplementation benefits during pregnancy and infancy

Positive results from clinical trials exploring algal DHA supplementation during pregnancy and infancy were presented this week at the 10th Congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) – an international scientific society focused on research of dietary fats, oils and lipids.

2 Jun 2012

Innovative strategy for regenerating skeletal muscle tissue

An innovative strategy for regenerating skeletal muscle tissue using cells derived from the amniotic fluid is outlined in new research published by scientists at the UCL Institute of Child Health.

2 Jun 2012

New assay to test for newborn exposure to designer stimulants

United States Drug Testing Laboratories, Inc, a reference laboratory specializing in alcohol and substances of abuse testing, released a new assay testing umbilical cord for newborn exposure in utero to Designer Stimulants/ Bath Salts on Friday, June 1, 2012. The CordStat® assay screens for the most common of designer stimulants known as "Bath Salts."

2 Jun 2012

Effective strategies urgently needed to stop the progression of childhood obesity

National data show that currently more than 10 percent of preschoolers in the United States are obese, and an additional 10 percent are overweight. In a recently published article, a researcher from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with peers and colleagues from across the nation, says that effective strategies to target pregnancy, infancy, and toddlers are urgently needed to stop the progression of childhood obesity.

2 Jun 2012

MCAN executive director supports federal action plan to reduce asthma disparities

During an event with leaders from three U.S. federal agencies and the White House, the executive director of the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN), Dr. Floyd Malveaux, expressed strong support for the government's new coordinated action plan to reduce racial and ethnic asthma disparities. The release of the new report came on the last day of National Asthma Awareness Month.

2 Jun 2012

Smoke from cooking fires associated with cognitive deficits in children

Children exposed to open-fire cooking in developing countries experience difficulty with memory, problem-solving and social skills, according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif.

2 Jun 2012

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy increase risk of asthma in children

African-American and Latino children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from acute asthma symptoms in their teens than asthma sufferers whose mothers did not smoke, according to a new study led by a research team at UCSF.

1 Jun 2012

Smoking during pregnancy affects weight of the newborns

Smoking during pregnancy has widely documented health repercussions both for mother and baby. A study at the University of Zaragoza on 1216 newly born babies confirms that those born to mothers who smoke weigh and measure less.

1 Jun 2012

Opinion pieces, editorial discuss significant decline in child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa

The following summaries of two opinion pieces and an editorial explore a recent paper published by the World Bank discussing significant declines in infant and under-five mortality in Kenya and across sub-Saharan Africa.

1 Jun 2012

Scientists discover genetic basis for CLOVES syndrome

Using advanced technologies for rapidly sequencing and analyzing DNA from clinical and pathologic samples, a multidisciplinary research team consisting of geneticists, pathologists and surgeons at Boston Children's Hospital has identified the genetic basis for CLOVES syndrome, a rare congenital malformation and overgrowth disorder.

1 Jun 2012

Zinc supplementation in young children with serious infections significantly lowers risk of treatment failure

Treating young children with suspected serious bacterial infection with zinc in addition to standard antibiotics significantly reduces the likelihood of treatment failure, according to new research published Online First in The Lancet. In 2010, worldwide, infections were responsible for nearly two-thirds of deaths in children under 5, with around two-fifths of deaths occurring within the first month of life.

1 Jun 2012

Tentative deals forged in ill., Providence, R.I., to save money on retiree pensions, health care

Officials report accords with public employees restricting pension increases in order to keep the programs solvent. Both deals also involve changes to retiree health care programs..

1 Jun 2012

Child Health News

Cardio-protective drug during cancer treatment may prevent heart damage in children

Novel assay accurately detects trisomy 21 or 18 from maternal blood samples

Family members of children with staph infections often harbor drug-resistant germs

Survivors of childhood cancers are at increased risk for GI cancers

USAID Administrator Shah addresses fight against HIV in children

U.S., Norway announce new private-public initiative to improve maternal health in developing countries

Zimbabwe's successful PMTCT efforts serve as a 'model' for other countries in drive to eliminate pediatric AIDS

New group-based learning approach for children with asthma

Algal DHA supplementation benefits during pregnancy and infancy

Innovative strategy for regenerating skeletal muscle tissue

New assay to test for newborn exposure to designer stimulants

Effective strategies urgently needed to stop the progression of childhood obesity

MCAN executive director supports federal action plan to reduce asthma disparities

Smoke from cooking fires associated with cognitive deficits in children

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy increase risk of asthma in children

Smoking during pregnancy affects weight of the newborns

Opinion pieces, editorial discuss significant decline in child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa

Scientists discover genetic basis for CLOVES syndrome

Zinc supplementation in young children with serious infections significantly lowers risk of treatment failure

Tentative deals forged in ill., Providence, R.I., to save money on retiree pensions, health care

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News