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Frontline health workers essential for newborn survival

"An infant's first moments and the twenty-eight days that follow are the most precarious, and her risk of death is never higher," but "[s]imple and inexpensive techniques, ... such as drying her, clearing her airway, keeping her warm or using a simple ventilation device to stimulate her breathing, can help," and frontline health workers "deliver these lifesaving techniques."

24 Sep 2012

Study finds race-specific effect of age and body weight on blood pressure in children

Obesity in black children more severely impacts blood pressure than in white children who are equally overweight, according to a new study presented at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions.

24 Sep 2012

Study documents women's experiences after abnormal prenatal chromosomal microarray testing

We often hear that "knowledge is power." But, that isn't always the case, especially when the knowledge pertains to the health of an unborn child, with murky implications, at best. A new study, led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, begins to document this exception to the general rule.

24 Sep 2012

Harris Health System campaign aims to reduce pregnancy-related complications in African-Americans

African-American women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications and about twice as likely to suffer a miscarriage than other ethnic groups in Harris County. The alarming facts prompted Harris Health System to launch an educational campaign aimed at African-American women before they get pregnant on the steps to have a safe and healthy birth.

24 Sep 2012

Exposure to near-roadway air pollution can cause or exacerbate asthma in L.A. County children

Research conducted at the University of Southern California (USC) indicates that at least 8 percent of the more than 300,000 cases of childhood asthma in Los Angeles County can be attributed to traffic-related pollution at homes within 75 meters (a little less than 250 feet) of a busy roadway.

24 Sep 2012

Greenhouse-grown corn seeds could help treat lysosomal storage disease

The seeds of greenhouse-grown corn could hold the key to treating a rare, life-threatening childhood genetic disease, according to researchers from Simon Fraser University.

24 Sep 2012

Maternal choline intake could essentially change fetal genetic expression into adulthood

Just as women are advised to get plenty of folic acid around the time of conception and throughout early pregnancy, new research suggests another very similar nutrient may one day deserve a spot on the obstetrician's list of recommendations.

24 Sep 2012

What moms eat before pregnancy affects children epigenetically

Everyone knows that what mom eats when pregnant makes a huge difference in the health of her child. Now, new research in mice suggests that what she ate before pregnancy might be important too. According to a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal, what a group of female mice ate-before pregnancy-chemically altered their DNA and these changes were passed to her offspring. These DNA alterations, called "epigenetic" changes, drastically affected the pups' metabolism of many essential fatty acids.

21 Sep 2012

Child mortality rate nearly halved in Niger since 1998, analysis shows

"Niger has nearly halved the death rate of children below five years old since 1998, a significant drop highlighting the benefits of free universal health care for children and pregnant women as well as increased donor funding for health," according to a analysis published in the Lancet, IRIN reports.

21 Sep 2012

New mouse models can help scientists study MCT8 deficiency

New mouse models can help scientists study MCT8 deficiency, an inherited genetic disorder affecting children, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

21 Sep 2012

USAID releases new issue of 'FrontLines'

The September/October issue of USAID's "FrontLines" focuses on the agency's efforts to "engag[e] youth around the world and how it is embracing mobile technology," according to an overview of the issue in USAID's "IMPACTblog."

21 Sep 2012

Exposures to perchlorate could reduce thyroidal iodine uptake in women and fetuses

Exposures to perchlorate (ClO4), a compound found at low levels in the environment, and thiocyanate (SCN), a compound found in cigarette smoke and some foods, is unlikely to alter thyroid function in pregnant women and fetuses, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

21 Sep 2012

IRIN examines child nutrition, stunting in Asia

"Stunting is a key factor holding back progress on children's well-being, and Asia faces a significant challenge with millions of children under five stunted," according to Save the Children's 2012 Child Development Index (CDI), IRIN reports.

21 Sep 2012

Children with mild to moderate kidney disease have carotid atherosclerosis

A federally funded study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center has found that children with mild to moderate kidney disease have abnormally thick neck arteries, a condition known as carotid atherosclerosis, usually seen in older adults with a long history of elevated cholesterol and untreated hypertension.

21 Sep 2012

Radioactive iodine may predispose young thyroid cancer patients to second primary malignancies

Children and young adult thyroid cancer patients who are treated with radioactive iodine have an elevated risk of developing a second primary malignancy, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

21 Sep 2012

Concordia study shows childhood friends can forecast adulthood success

Even on the playground, our friends know us better than we know ourselves. New research has revealed that your childhood peers from grade school may be able to best predict your success as an adult.

21 Sep 2012

Childhood emotional neglect may increase risk of stroke in later adulthood

The results from a new study by neurological researchers from the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center suggest that people who were emotionally neglected as children may have a higher risk of stroke in later adulthood.

21 Sep 2012

Study finds nearly 50% decline in child mortality in Niger over the last decade

A study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Niger Countdown Case Study Working Group found that child mortality in Niger-one of the world's poorest countries-declined nearly 50 percent over the last decade.

21 Sep 2012

NIH announces multiple awards to UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment

The National Institutes of Health, recognizing UCLA's preeminence in both research and clinical care for children with autism, has announced multiple awards to the university as part of the agency's Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) research program.

20 Sep 2012

Health experts warn of linkages between climate change, increased malnutrition

"Malnutrition is likely to be the most serious health threat linked to climate shifts in the coming decades, as farmers struggle to cope with more unpredictable weather, ... epidemiologist Kris Ebi warned during a recent World Health Organization (WHO) briefing on adapting health systems to climate shifts," AlertNet reports.

20 Sep 2012