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First large study to establish link between infection and stroke in children

Common infections in children pose a high risk of ischemic stroke, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.

1 Feb 2012

First signs of atherosclerotic heart disease may appear in early childhood

When we think about people with heart disease we usually think about middle-aged men. In reality, atherosclerotic heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in North America, but its impact starts much earlier than adulthood. Though children will rarely, if ever, have overt symptoms of atherosclerosis, the first signs of this disease appear in early childhood and perhaps even before birth.

1 Feb 2012

Coroners more likely to hold inquests for childhood deaths from complications of medical care

Coroners are more likely to hold inquests for deaths involving younger people or people who died of fatal complications from medical care, according to a study published in CMAJ.

1 Feb 2012

Fish intake can help pregnant women improve their progeny's intelligence

Can pregnant women improve their progeny's intelligence by eating fish? A study recently submitted to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and coordinated by the University of Granada professor Cristina Campoy Folgoso revealed that infants born to mothers who consumed more fish during pregnancy score higher in verbal intelligence and fine motor skill tests, and present an increased prosocial behavior.

1 Feb 2012

The challenge of crafting public health messages to combat childhood obesity

When a Georgia health care organization recently launched a series of childhood anti-obesity ads, they had no idea they'd be accused of attacking rather than advocating for kids.

1 Feb 2012

Majority of children can safely quit anti-rejection drugs after liver transplant from parents

Physicians at three transplant centers have found in a pilot study that a majority of children who receive liver tissue from a parent can eventually stop using immunosuppression (anti-rejection) medications safely. These drugs, which tamp down natural immune function, have been linked to a bevy of complications, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension and kidney failure.

1 Feb 2012

Study demonstrates safety of weight reduction surgery in morbidly obese adolescents

Today, about one in five children in the United States are obese. That means that in just one generation alone the number of obese kids in this country has quadrupled.

1 Feb 2012

Vertex receives FDA approval for Kalydeco to treat rare form of CF

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Kalydeco (ivacaftor) for the treatment of a rare form of cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients ages 6 years and older who have the specific G551D mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR) gene.

1 Feb 2012

Most young people do not receive emergency mental health assessment after deliberate self-harm

A national study of Medicaid data shows most young people who present to emergency departments with deliberate self-harm are discharged to the community, without receiving an emergency mental health assessment.

1 Feb 2012

Link between maternal nurturing and size of hippocampus in healthy children

School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress. The new research, by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is the first to show that changes in this critical region of children's brain anatomy are linked to a mother's nurturing.

31 Jan 2012

Obese docs often miss obesity in their patients: Study

According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University physicians with normal body mass index or weight-to-height ratios are more likely to discuss weight loss with patients than overweight doctors.

31 Jan 2012

Dairy products help weight loss: Study

For these findings the researchers reviewed 14 clinical trials involving 883 adults. The trials looked at how eating dairy food impacted on people's weight, body fat, waistlines and lean muscle mass. In the study published in the International Journal of Obesity, the authors said they wanted to reveal more about the relationship between weight loss and dairy consumption.

31 Jan 2012

AAP report addresses new phenomenon, 'Facebook Depression'

Since its very beginnings, Facebook seems to have had a love-hate relationship with its users. Now, another controversy has emerged following the release of an American Academy of Pediatrics report addressing a new phenomenon described as "Facebook Depression."

31 Jan 2012

NAET safe and effective in treating children with allergy-related autism

Researchers at the NAET Autism Treatment Center in Buena Park, CA, hypothesized that major contributors to the development and symptoms of autism include food and nutrient sensitivities. They applied NAET, a combination of a special form of acupressure and kinesiology, to desensitize subjects to multiple allergens as a way to treat symptoms of autism.

31 Jan 2012

UNICEF appeals for $1.28B to provide humanitarian assistance for children in 25 nations

UNICEF on Friday "appealed ... for $1.28 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to children in over 25 countries this year, with nearly one-third of the total amount earmarked for the crisis in the Horn of Africa," the U.N. News Centre reports.

31 Jan 2012

GAVI Matching Fund public-private partnership working to raise money

In this AlertNet commentary, GAVI Alliance CEO Seth Berkley discusses how "public-private partnership is part of the GAVI Alliance's formula for success that has helped countries to immunize 325 million children in our first 10 years, saving more than 5.5 million lives."

31 Jan 2012

Study pinpoints genetic factors behind increased ALL risk in Hispanic children

Hispanic children are more likely than those from other racial and ethnic backgrounds to be diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and are more likely to die of their disease. Work led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has pinpointed genetic factors behind the grim statistics.

31 Jan 2012

AT&T donates US$29,000 to Camp Quality

AT&T Inc. continues to support Australian charities and has donated US$29,000 to Camp Quality, a charity that supports children living with cancer and their families in Australia.

31 Jan 2012

UMC to offer ditto device for pediatric patients

Diversionary Therapy Technologies is pleased to announce one of the first U.S. sales of its groundbreaking ditto device, which is clinically proven to lower anxiety and treatment times while improving pediatric patient outcomes. UMC Health System, based in Lubbock, Texas, has purchased and will be offering this revolutionary aid to children at the hospital.

31 Jan 2012

Hospice of the Western Reserve receives Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation grant

Hospice of the Western Reserve is one of five organizations nationwide to receive a grant from Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation, a non-profit organization in Charlotte, N.C., founded by four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.

31 Jan 2012