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MicroRNA-218 especially low in medulloblastoma

Between the blueprint of the genome and the products of its expression lie microRNAs, which can boost or lower the rate at which genes become stuff. In fact, many cancers use microRNA to magnify the expression of faulty genes or shrink the expression of helpful genes that would otherwise suppress tumors. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the December issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that in medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor of children, microRNA-218 is especially low.

14 Dec 2012

Scientists isolate cancer stem cells that lead to growth of Wilms' tumours

Scientists have isolated cancer stem cells that lead to the growth of Wilms' tumours, a type of cancer typically found in the kidneys of young children. The researchers have used these cancer stem cells to test a new therapeutic approach that one day might be used to treat some of the more aggressive types of this disease.

13 Dec 2012

Examining maternal, newborn health care in Ethiopia

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog features two posts on maternal health in Ethiopia. In the first, Jennifer James, founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, writes about her trip to the country to "observe Save the Children's work with frontline health workers."

13 Dec 2012

Nurse-Family Partnership may not be as successful in reducing early childhood injuries

New research from PolicyLab at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia shows that one of the nation's largest programs providing home visitation support for at-risk mothers and children may not be as successful in reducing early childhood injuries as it was in earlier evaluations.

13 Dec 2012

More than 850,000 children treated for malnutrition in Sahel in 2012, UNICEF says

"A UNICEF progress report says that more than 850,000 children are expected to have received life-saving treatment for severe acute malnutrition across nine countries in the Sahel region during the course of 2012," according to a UNICEF press release, noting the number is "based on the more than 730,000 children under five treated at centers between January and the end of September."

13 Dec 2012

Madagascar traditional midwives recruited to bring women in labor to clinics for care

IRIN examines efforts to recruit Madagascar's traditional midwives, called "matronnes," to "a campaign to get women to deliver in clinics or hospitals, part of a move to lower maternal and newborn death rates."

13 Dec 2012

Ceramic cookstoves may not reduce risk of pneumonia in young rural Kenyan children

Inexpensive, locally-produced ceramic cookstoves may produce less smoke than traditional indoor 3-stone firepits, but they don't significantly reduce indoor air pollution or the risk of pneumonia in young children, according to results from a small, year-long observational study by researchers working in rural Kenya.

13 Dec 2012

Canada's foreign aid agency, Grand Challenges Canada announce global health partnership

"Canada's foreign aid agency will work with Grand Challenges Canada in a bid to bring ideas for health innovation to the developing world, International Co-operation Minister Julian Fantino says," the Globe and Mail reports.

13 Dec 2012

New biocompatible patch can repair congenital heart defects

A painstaking effort to create a biocompatible patch to heal infant hearts is paying off at Rice University and Texas Children's Hospital.

13 Dec 2012

Bumetanide could treat children with severe autism or Asperger's syndrome

Although this therapy is not curative, it nevertheless reduced the autistic disorders' severity in three-quarters of the children. The researchers have filed a request for authorisation to perform a multi-centre European clinical trial in order to determine more precisely the population concerned by this therapy.

13 Dec 2012

Dantrolene may help combat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in boys

Drugs are currently being tested that show promise in treating patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an inherited disease that affects about one in 3,600 boys and results in muscle degeneration and, eventually, death.

13 Dec 2012

Interim results from Inspiration’s OBI-1 and IB1001 hemophilia clinical study

Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Inspiration) announced interim clinical results for the company's two lead product candidates, an intravenous recombinant porcine FVIII (OBI-1) in the treatment of serious bleeds in acquired hemophilia A (AHA) and an intravenous recombinant FIX (IB1001) for the treatment and prevention of bleeding in children less than 12 years of age with hemophilia B.

13 Dec 2012

Tips for parents to tackle kids' Christmas wish lists

In an era when iPads are beating out Legos for the top spot on kids' Christmas wish lists, parents need to be mindful that moderation is the key in this digital age, according to Montefiore Medical Center child psychologist Rahil Briggs, Psy.D.

12 Dec 2012

FDA grants Orphan Drug designation to Milo Biotechnology's AAV1-FS344 inhibitor

Milo Biotechnology today announced its AAV1-FS344 has been granted Orphan Drug designation from the FDA's Office of Orphan Products Development for treatment of Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. AAV1-FS344 is a gene therapy-delivered myostatin inhibitor that increases muscle strength.

12 Dec 2012

Children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may benefit from psychological therapies

Children suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of traumatic events, including child abuse, may benefit from psychological therapies, according to a review published in The Cochrane Library.

12 Dec 2012

Picaa app helps children and teenagers with some kind of cognitive, visual or hearing disability

This application -named Picaa- can be used on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and has been translated into several languages (English, Galician, Arab, etc.). This application has topped the 20,000 downloads from App Store -mainly from Spain and the USA- since its release. Picaa is a system designed for the development of learning and communication activities to be performed in class.

12 Dec 2012

Adversity in childhood can shape long-term health outcomes

Noting the "16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence," Neil Boothby, U.S. government special adviser and senior coordinator to the USAID administrator on children in adversity, writes in USAID's "IMPACTblog," "The science is clear -- childhood experiences shape adult outcomes, including long-term health, cognitive development, academic achievement, and one's ability to be gainfully and safely employed."

12 Dec 2012

Physically active lifestyle associated with academic performance among school students

Middle school students who are more physically fit make better grades and outperform their classmates on standardized tests, according to a newly published study from a professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

12 Dec 2012

Examining Americans' health: Longer, but sicker, lives; Childhood obesity drops

A new report finds Americans may be living longer thanks to medical advances, but they may also be sicker. Meanwhile, childhood obesity may be dropping in several cities around the nation.

12 Dec 2012

Innovation in immunization programs can mean better learning, sharing of information

In this Guardian "Global Development Professionals Network" blog post, Robert Steinglass, senior immunization adviser at John Snow, Inc., and immunization team leader for the USAID-funded Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program, writes about the importance of innovation to improving childhood immunization programs and health systems.

12 Dec 2012

Child Health News

MicroRNA-218 especially low in medulloblastoma

Scientists isolate cancer stem cells that lead to growth of Wilms' tumours

Examining maternal, newborn health care in Ethiopia

Nurse-Family Partnership may not be as successful in reducing early childhood injuries

More than 850,000 children treated for malnutrition in Sahel in 2012, UNICEF says

Madagascar traditional midwives recruited to bring women in labor to clinics for care

Ceramic cookstoves may not reduce risk of pneumonia in young rural Kenyan children

Canada's foreign aid agency, Grand Challenges Canada announce global health partnership

New biocompatible patch can repair congenital heart defects

Bumetanide could treat children with severe autism or Asperger's syndrome

Dantrolene may help combat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in boys

Interim results from Inspiration’s OBI-1 and IB1001 hemophilia clinical study

Tips for parents to tackle kids' Christmas wish lists

FDA grants Orphan Drug designation to Milo Biotechnology's AAV1-FS344 inhibitor

Children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may benefit from psychological therapies

Picaa app helps children and teenagers with some kind of cognitive, visual or hearing disability

Adversity in childhood can shape long-term health outcomes

Physically active lifestyle associated with academic performance among school students

Examining Americans' health: Longer, but sicker, lives; Childhood obesity drops

Innovation in immunization programs can mean better learning, sharing of information

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

From street to lab: Advancing controlled substance testing with handheld Raman and FTIR

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