Pediatrics News and Research

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Researchers identify high ARV drug exposure in hair samples of HIV uninfected infants

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Makerere University in Uganda have used hair and blood samples from three-month old infants born to HIV-positive mothers to measure the uninfected babies' exposure—both in the womb and from breast-feeding—to antiretroviral medications their mothers were taking. The results, they said, are surprising.

23 Jul 2012

Limit children's media exposure to the Colorado shooting tragedy

In the wake of the tragic shooting at the screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo., parents should encourage their children to express their feelings and limit their media exposure to the tragedy, say experts from Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

21 Jul 2012

Study describes 2010 whooping cough epidemic and details strategies to reduce infection incidence

Because whooping cough (pertussis) is almost as contagious as measles (affecting ~12-17 individuals with each case), clinicians are required to report cases of this bacterial respiratory tract infection to the state's department of public health. In 2010, California had the highest number of cases of whooping cough in 60 years. A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics describes the 2010 whooping cough epidemic and details strategies to decrease the incidence of this infection.

20 Jul 2012

Alcohol abuse spills over into critical care resources

A quarter of patients admitted to intensive care units in Scotland have alcohol problems, while a fifth have chronic alcohol disease, a survey finds.

20 Jul 2012

Scientists identify inhibitors of key enzyme involved in survival of malaria parasite

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have identified the first reported inhibitors of a key enzyme involved in survival of the parasite responsible for malaria. Their findings, which may provide the basis for anti-malarial drug development, are currently published in the online version of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

20 Jul 2012

New hope for children with egg allergy

Doctors currently have only one recommendation for people allergic to eggs: avoid eggs completely. But researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine recently found promise in doing just the opposite. Eating small amounts of egg every day for many months lowered the threshold for allergic reactions in 75 percent of egg-allergic children; 28 percent were able to incorporate egg into their regular diets after two years on the treatment.

19 Jul 2012

Pioneering technique that uses thermal imaging can help fight obesity

Scientists at The University of Nottingham believe they've found a way of fighting obesity — with a pioneering technique which uses thermal imaging. This heat-seeking technology is being used to trace our reserves of brown fat — the body's 'good fat' — which plays a key role in how quickly our body can burn calories as energy.

19 Jul 2012

Medicaid expansion unsettles governors' meeting

Governors express sharp disagreements about whether to expand Medicaid, as mandated by the health law. Meanwhile, a pediatric expert warns congressional staff that state efforts to roll back Medicaid eligibility could cut coverage to millions of poor children.

18 Jul 2012

Estrogen may mediate low incidence of HCC in women

Study findings suggest that estrogen may have a suppressive effect on hepatocellular carcinoma, potentially explaining its lower incidence in women.

18 Jul 2012

Kawasaki Disease may increase risk of atherosclerosis in children

Cedars-Sinai researchers have linked Kawasaki Disease, a serious childhood illness that causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body, with early-onset and accelerated atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart disease in adults.

18 Jul 2012

Dr. Reddy's launches generic LIPITOR tablets in the U.S.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories announced today that it has launched ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM TABLETS 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg, a bioequivalent generic version of LIPITOR (atorvastatin calcium) tablets, in the US market on July 17, 2012 following the approval by the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) of Dr. Reddy's ANDA for atorvastatin calcium tablets.

18 Jul 2012

Research reveals how metformin reduces HCC risk

For every year that a patient with diabetes takes metformin, their risk for hepatocellular carcinoma reduces, say the authors of a study that also sheds light on the cellular pathway it uses.

16 Jul 2012

Premature babies need to be born in high-level units

The survival benefit of delivering at a high-level neonatal intensive care unit is larger than previously thought, a study shows.

16 Jul 2012

TV watching increases waist size and reduces sporting ability in children

Each hour of TV watched by a two- to four-year- old contributes to his or her waist circumference by the end of grade 4 and his or her ability to perform in sports, according to a world-first study undertaken by researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated Saint-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital.

16 Jul 2012

New research raises concerns about gaps in national child abuse statistics

In the largest study to examine the impact of the recession on child abuse, researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's (CHOP) PolicyLab detected a significant increase in children admitted to the nation's largest children's hospitals due to serious physical abuse over the last decade.

16 Jul 2012

Researchers discover HVEM’s unknown role in fighting off E. coli infections

Despite ongoing public health efforts, E. coli outbreaks continue to infiltrate the food supply, annually causing significant sickness and death throughout the world. But the research community is gaining ground. In a major finding, published today in the scientific journal Nature, researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have discovered a molecule's previously unknown role in fighting off E. coli and other bacterial infections, a discovery that could lead to new ways to protect people from these dangerous microorganisms.

16 Jul 2012

New noninvasive imaging technique may help detect heart transplant rejection in children

Cardiologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a noninvasive imaging technique that may help determine whether children who have had heart transplants are showing early signs of rejection. The technique could reduce the need for these patients to undergo invasive imaging tests every one to two years.

14 Jul 2012

UCLA pediatrician receives 2012 Nemours Child Health Services Research Award

Dr. Tumaini Rucker Coker, assistant professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA was honored with the 2012 Nemours Child Health Services Research Award at the Academy Health annual research meeting in Orlando on June 23.

14 Jul 2012

College-age children also need immunizations, says UMDNJ professor

Most parents take their young children regularly for immunization shots that protect against polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps and other diseases. But many do not consider that their college-age children also need immunizations.

14 Jul 2012

Bioethicists discuss personal experiences with cancer in new book

"Since my diagnosis, I had been immersed in a crash course in real-world medical ethics," writes Rebecca Dresser, editor of Malignant: Medical Ethicists Confront Cancer, published by Oxford University Press. She and five other bioethicists discuss their personal experiences with cancer or caring for loved ones with the disease, with lessons for doctors and nurses, patients, and caregivers.

14 Jul 2012