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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

Sublingual immunotherapy highly effective for chronic allergy and asthma sufferers

Could it be that those with allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and childhood nasal allergies can finally get a break from their allergies and their allergy shots? Chicago's leading allergy, asthma, and immunology expert, Dr. Brian Rotskoff, who treats a large number of Chicago pediatric allergy patients, is happy to say, "Yes!"

5 Oct 2012

SafeToSleep launches Sleep and Breathing Monitor

SafeToSleep announced the launch of its innovative new baby product, the Sleep and Breathing Monitor, a breakthrough in infant sleep safety that monitors each breath of a sleeping baby with hospital accuracy and streams the breath wave to a smartphone as it occurs.

5 Oct 2012

Study shows impact of obstetric unit closures on outcomes of mothers and babies

After a series of Philadelphia hospitals started closing their maternity units in 1997, infant mortality rates increased by nearly 50 percent over the next three years. The mortality rates subsequently leveled off to the same rate as before the closures, but pediatric researchers say their results underscore the need for careful oversight and planning by public health agencies in communities experiencing serious reductions in obstetric services.

5 Oct 2012

Researchers determine nature and frequency of pain assessments in Canadian children

A multi-site study published in The Journal of Pain showed a wide range of pain intensity scores in hospitalized infants and a significant number of them were found to have moderate to severe pain during their hospital stays.

5 Oct 2012

RMHC, UTHealth School of Dentistry partner to bring oral and mobile pediatric care in the Houston area

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Dentistry and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Houston/Galveston, Inc.(RMHC) have joined forces to bring oral, mobile pediatric care to the Houston area.

5 Oct 2012

BPA exposure can impact thyroid hormones in pregnant women and newborns

Bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen-like compound that has drawn increased scrutiny in recent years, has been linked to changes in thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women and newborn boys, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

4 Oct 2012

NYU Langone announces 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics Visiting Lectureship Program

NYU Langone Medical Center is pleased to announce the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Visiting Lectureship Program on October 3, 2012.

4 Oct 2012

Leaders announce expansion of successful maternal, child health program in Tanzania

"Tanzania has made significant advances in cutting maternal deaths thanks to a United Nations-sponsored program that brings public and private sectors together to resolve one of the most stubborn but preventable woes afflicting the developing world," but more must be done to scale up efforts to save lives, leaders involved in the program said during a news conference on Tuesday at U.N. Headquarters, the U.N. News Centre reports.

4 Oct 2012

Simple new test can monitor treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis

A simple new test, in which the patient swallows a string, can monitor treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis as effectively as an invasive, expensive and uncomfortable procedure that risks complications, particularly in children.

4 Oct 2012

The Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully receives Aetna Foundation grant

The Aetna Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Aetna, has awarded a $40,000 grant to The Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully (C.H.O.I.C.E.S.), an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that works with communities in the metropolitan area to fight childhood obesity.

4 Oct 2012

Preterm births fell for the fifth straight year in 2011

Preterm births fell for the fifth straight year in 2011, and the improvement was across the board -- every racial and ethnic group benefited, and there were fewer preterm babies born at all stages of pregnancy, according to preliminary birth data released today by the National Center for Health Statistics.

4 Oct 2012

New contact lenses can cure nearsightedness, slow progression rates in children

Nearsightedness, or myopia, affects more than 40 percent of people in the U.S. and up to 90 percent of children in some parts of Asia. The problem begins in childhood and often progresses with age.

3 Oct 2012

Adolescent and young cancer cost barriers: an interview with Anne Kirchhoff

According to the National Cancer Institute, almost 70,000 people ages 15-39 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. Cancers in this adolescent and young adult (AYA) population differ quite a bit across this age span.

3 Oct 2012

Devex interviews global health experts during U.N. week

During last week's events in New York, including the U.N. General Assembly, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Social Good Summit, Devex interviewed several newsmakers on the sidelines of the meetings. WHO Assistant Director-General on Family, Women and Children's Health Flavia Bustreo in an interview with Devex said three challenges to continuing to lower maternal, child, and infant death rates include improving accountability, channeling resources to areas with the least improvement, and keeping a focus on women and children.

3 Oct 2012

‘Hygiene hypothesis’ updated to ‘Old Friends’ hypothesis

A new scientific report out today from the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) dismantles the myth that the epidemic rise in allergies in recent years has happened because we’re living in sterile homes and overdoing hygiene.

3 Oct 2012

NPR's 'Morning Edition' reports on increasing number of polio cases in Nigeria

NPR's "Morning Edition" host Steve Inskeep on Monday interviewed reporter Jason Beaubien, who is traveling in northern Nigeria, about the country's increase in polio cases this year. Beaubien discussed myths and fears surrounding polio vaccination in Nigeria, including beliefs that the immunization will sterilize children, but also said one of the most encouraging things ... is that the religious leaders in northern Nigeria are now really united.

3 Oct 2012

Study examines newly proposed DSM-5 criteria for autism spectrum disorder

Parents should not worry that proposed changes to the medical criteria redefining a diagnosis of autism will leave their children excluded and deemed ineligible for psychiatric and medical care, says a team of researchers led by psychologists at Weill Cornell Medical College.

3 Oct 2012

Noven initiates d-Amphetamine Transdermal System Phase 2 study in ADHD

Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., today announced commencement of a Phase 2 study of a d-Amphetamine Transdermal System (d-ATS) for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. Currently, there is no approved amphetamine-based transdermal treatment option available for ADHD.

3 Oct 2012