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PEPFAR ART cost model data presented to PEPFAR Scientific Advisory Board

"For every 1,000 patient-years of PEPFAR-supported HIV treatment provided, 228 fewer HIV patients die, 449 fewer children become orphans, 61 fewer sexual HIV transmissions occur and 26 fewer 'vertical' transmissions (e.g. mother-to-child) occur," John Blanford of the CDC told the PEPFAR Scientific Advisory Board in Washington, D.C., on September 14, according to a post in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog.

7 Oct 2011

Study explores link between ads, parental influence and food choices made by children

Directly advertising food items to children worries many parents and health care providers, and the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association have expressed concern about the negative impact of advertising on children's healthy food choices.

7 Oct 2011

Calcium supplementation does not benefit pregnant women, except for hypertension

Most physicians instruct pregnant women to increase their calcium intake, but a new evidence review of potential benefits of calcium supplementation for mom and baby found none, except for the prevention of pregnancy-related hypertension.

7 Oct 2011

MD Anderson's pediatric surgeon receives Geneva and James Briscoe Physician Assistant Award

Holly Green, a pediatric surgery physician assistant in the Department of Surgical Oncology, division of pediatrics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital, is the recipient of the 2011 Geneva and James Briscoe Physician Assistant Award for Excellence.

7 Oct 2011

Scientists discover rare genetic alteration responsible for hypoglycaemia

Cambridge scientists have identified the cause of a rare, life-threatening form of hypoglycaemia. Their findings, which have the potential to lead to pharmaceutical treatments for the disorder, were published today, 07 October, in the journal Science.

7 Oct 2011

U.S. government pledges funding for maternal mortality programs in Zambia, GHI Executive Director says

"The U.S. government has said it is hopeful that Zambia will be able to reduce maternal and child mortality, and has pledged to contribute" millions in funding to programs to help further that goal, the Times of Zambia reports.

7 Oct 2011

Poor dental care leads to health problems, costs

Meanwhile, a survey finds that Americans are open to new options for dental care to help address the high costs and shortage issues.

7 Oct 2011

A healthy diet during pregnancy can reduce the risk of birth defects: Study

The researchers say that the birth defects like brain and spine problems, called neural tube defects, as well as cleft lip and cleft palate were less common in mothers who closely followed either a Mediterranean diet or the food guide pyramid.

6 Oct 2011

Vitamin D deficiency might be common in fair skinned people: Study

The British study suggests that pale people tend to be deficient in the “sunshine” vitamin and that without supplements they're unlikely to get their levels up without getting sunburned. That can put them at risk for bone loss, heart disease, and poorer survival from breast cancer, according to the study's authors.

5 Oct 2011

Overweight and blood pressure risk in kids: Study

According to a new study kids who are overweight are nearly three times more likely to have high blood pressure compared to their peers. The study, published in the journal Hypertension, followed 1,111 school-aged children in Indiana for an average of four years.

5 Oct 2011

Anesthesia in very small kids may raise risk of learning disabilities

According to the latest research very young children exposed to general anesthesia during surgical procedures may be at an increased risk for learning problems.

4 Oct 2011

Parents choosing alternative vaccine schedules for their kids: Survey

According to a new study some parents choose alternative schedules for vaccinating their children and yet others decide their own vaccine timelines.

4 Oct 2011

Communities That Care system decreases alcohol use, smoking and violence in teens

Delaying the age when kids try alcohol or smoking decreases the likelihood that they will become dependent later in life. Effective interventions exist, but community disagreements about which programs to try can stymie decisions.

4 Oct 2011

Higher maternal diet quality may reduce risk of birth defects

Healthier dietary choices by pregnant women are associated with reduced risks of birth defects, including neural tube defects and orofacial clefts, according to a study published Online First by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Oct 2011

Familiarity with snack foods changes children's expectations about fullness

New research, led by psychologists at the University of Bristol, has found that children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling.

4 Oct 2011

NICU stress linked with alterations in brain structure and function of preterm infants

New research shows that exposure to stressors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is associated with alterations in the brain structure and function of very preterm infants. According to the study now available in Annals of Neurology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, infants who experienced early exposure to stress displayed decreased brain size, functional connectivity, and abnormal motor behavior.

4 Oct 2011

Loyola's SSOM receives $100,000 grant for research into pediatric leukemia

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) today received a $100,000 grant to support research to treat an aggressive form of pediatric leukemia.

4 Oct 2011

Sleeping with baby: the dangers quantified

According to Victorian coroner John Olle there are an “alarming” number of infant co-sleeping deaths in Victoria. Figures reveal that 33 of the 72 unexplained child deaths in the past three years occurred in circumstances where a child shared a bed with an adult.

3 Oct 2011

Interactive video games appear valuable for ICU patients

Interactive video games, already known to improve motor function in recovering stroke patients, appear to safely enhance physical therapy for patients in intensive care units (ICU), new research from Johns Hopkins suggests.

3 Oct 2011

Potential new drug could treat mixed-lineage leukaemia

A team lead by Cancer Research UK scientists have shown that a potential new drug could treat mixed-lineage leukaemia (MLL), the most common form of leukaemia in babies, according to a study published in Nature today.

3 Oct 2011