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Structured after-school activities improve children’s academic achievement

School-age children who participate in structured after-school activities improve their academic achievement, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University, Dallas.

10 Oct 2012

UNICEF, Syrian government agree to expand humanitarian operations to conflict areas

UNICEF and the Syrian government have agreed to expand humanitarian efforts in the country, where tens of thousands of people have been killed and up to one million people displaced since the beginning of an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad 18 months ago, Reuters reports.

10 Oct 2012

RMND1 gene mutations responsible for severe neurodegenerative disorders

Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University working with a team at Oxford University have uncovered the genetic defect underlying a group of rare genetic disorders.

10 Oct 2012

Surgical intervention can help fetuses with congenital malformations

Fetuses with congenital malformations can be helped by surgical intervention while still in the womb. The potential of intrauterine surgery to improve their chances of survival is described by Anke Diemert and her co-authors in the latest issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.

9 Oct 2012

ARIPI trial: Fresh blood not better for acutely ill premature babies

In a finding that runs counter to commonly held beliefs about fresh being better, a clinical trial published today by the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that acutely ill premature babies who received fresher blood did not fare better than those who received the current standard of care. There was no difference between the two approaches with respect to major organ injury, mortality and infection.

9 Oct 2012

Polio vaccination campaign in Darfur shows immunizations possible in 'emergency and conflict settings'

In an Inter Press Service opinion piece, Siddharth Chatterjee, chief diplomat and head of strategic partnerships at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Sam Agbo, an independent public health adviser in the U.K., write about the unstable situation in Darfur, Sudan, in 2004, and how "UNICEF and WHO in Sudan along with important NGO partners started planning with local authorities on how best to immunize all children in Darfur."

9 Oct 2012

Maternal depression treated by SRIs can change the timing of language development in babies

Maternal depression and a common class of antidepressants can alter a crucial period of language development in babies, according to a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Harvard University and the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) at BC Children's Hospital.

9 Oct 2012

Prenatal fish consumption may reduce risk of ADHD-related behaviors

A study of children in the New Bedford, Mass., area suggests that low-level prenatal mercury exposure may be associated with a greater risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related behaviors and that fish consumption during pregnancy may be associated with a lower risk of these behaviors, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

9 Oct 2012

Many children incorrectly restrained in cars

Car accidents are the main cause of serious injury and death among children in Norway. A new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health shows that 37 per cent of all children under 16 years are incorrectly restrained in the car. 23 per cent of children are so poorly restrained that a collision would have very serious consequences. The study results were presented at a seminar on traffic accidents in Oslo on 8th October.

8 Oct 2012

Towards the most effective approach for spotting hearing problems in young children

Should every primary school pupil in the UK be given a hearing test and what's the most effective way of doing it? These are questions that a team of academics from Nottingham and Exeter will be tackling as part of a new study.

8 Oct 2012

Standard red blood cell transfusion as good as fresh RBCs for premature infants

Among premature, very low-birth-weight infants requiring a transfusion, use of fresh red blood cells (RBCs) compared with standard RBC transfusion practice did not improve clinical outcomes that included rates of complications or death, according to a study in the October 10 issue of JAMA.

8 Oct 2012

Children with autism four times more likely to wander

A new study published today in the journal Pediatrics found that nearly half of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are reported to wander or "bolt," and more than half of these children go missing.

8 Oct 2012

Translational Genomics Research Institute creates new center for rare childhood disorders

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) today announced the creation of a new center that could have life changing effects on the lives of potentially thousands of children and their families.

6 Oct 2012

NPR examines local production of childhood malnutrition treatment in Haiti

NPR's "The Salt" blog examines how some humanitarian organizations are looking to purchase the ingredients for and manufacture a peanut-based nutritional supplement in the countries where it is used.

6 Oct 2012

Tips to differentiate between children's cold and allergies

One of the problems that parents may have during the fall is deciphering whether their children's sneezing is due to a cold or allergies.

6 Oct 2012

QEEG-guided neurofeedback effective in treating bedwetting

For children, nighttime bedwetting is a common problem, often requiring intervention. The use of medicine and other treatments has met with limited success. Targeting neuronal activities of the brain through neurofeedback, however, has shown promising results.

5 Oct 2012

Biologists solve long-standing scientific mystery of how mice first know to nurse or suckle

A team led by biologists at The Scripps Research Institute has solved the long-standing scientific mystery of how mice first know to nurse or suckle.

5 Oct 2012

Overweight children more likely to take prescription medications

Overweight children are far more likely to take prescription medications than children of a normal weight-a trend that adds to already higher health-care costs for treating childhood obesity, according to new research from the University of Alberta.

5 Oct 2012

Newborn mice use mum's unique odour to begin breastfeeding

Researchers show for the first time that a mammal begins to suckle its mother's milk through a learned response built on learning her unique combination of smells. When it is born, the newborn is exposed to the smell of its mother's amniotic fluid and the baby then responds to those smells to feed.

5 Oct 2012

Study evaluates benefits of symbolic gesture or baby sign

Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire have found no evidence to support claims that using baby signing with babies helps to accelerate their language development. In a paper to be published in Child Development, researchers conducted a controlled study to evaluate the benefits of symbolic gesture or baby sign.

5 Oct 2012