Pediatrics News and Research

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Mental health respite center for women and children to close next month

New Zealand - Newell House (opened in 1995) is a small five bed unit that cares for mentally ill women and children. However due to shortage of funds, the Trustees from Oxford Terrace Baptist Church have announced that the unit may close down permanently by the end of May this year.

12 Apr 2010

Independent management of diabetes a huge issue for teens

It is hard enough being a teenager − or the parent of a teenager − without also having to deal with type 1 diabetes. Keeping good control can be a problem when the responsibility for administering insulin and checking blood glucose levels passes from parent to child.

9 Apr 2010

Kids who walk are on track to better health

Children who walk to school are more physically active in their day-to-day activities around their neighbourhood than those children who are driven to school, a new study finds.

8 Apr 2010

Americans are getting heavier younger and carrying extra weight for longer periods: Study

It was a provocative prediction that due to the obesity epidemic Baby Boomers may outlive their children.

8 Apr 2010

Obstructive sleep apnea more than doubles stroke risk in men

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of stroke in middle-aged and older adults, especially men, according to new results from new research supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. Overall, sleep apnea more than doubles the risk of stroke in men.

8 Apr 2010

Parents lack understanding of causes, signs and symptoms of dehydration in children

Dehydration is a condition that can have a significant impact on children and, if left untreated, may lead to serious complications and hospitalization. A national survey of more than 800 parents with children between the ages of one month and 10 years found that three out of five parents reported needing to know more information about dehydration, such as when to see a physician, warning signs, and treatment, if their child became sick - pointing to a greater need for awareness and education around the condition and its treatment.

From Baxter International Inc. 8 Apr 2010

Obstructive sleep apnea associated with increased risk of stroke in men

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of stroke in middle-aged and older adults, especially men, according to new results from a landmark study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

8 Apr 2010

Is grandmother’s age significant to autism?

A report just published in the online journal, PLoS ONE, indicates that the mothers of children with an autistic spectrum disorder were themselves more likely to have been born to older mothers. These findings could open up new avenues in autism research.

8 Apr 2010

HRV devices reduce respiratory symptoms in children: Study

Houses today are so well sealed that they can trap humidity and pollutants indoors as a result of insufficient ventilation. Recently, a team of Canadian scientists led by Dr. Tom Kovesi, a pediatric respirologist at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, Canada, performed a randomized double-blind, placebo controlled trial to determine whether use of heat recovery ventilators would increase home ventilation and therefore reduce the risk of lower respiratory tract illness in young children.

7 Apr 2010

Study provides benchmark data to evaluate quality of management of sickle cell disease

The largest study to date of the use of acute care medical services by people with sickle cell disease found four of every 10 had to return to the hospital within 30 days of a previous hospitalization or go to the emergency department for treatment of pain, according to a new study funded in part by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

7 Apr 2010

Sickle cell disease: Rehospitalization rates high

7 Apr 2010

Women with preeclampsia have fewer EPCs: Magee-Womens Research Institute

Compared to women with uncomplicated pregnancies, women with preeclampsia have reduced numbers of special cells that are thought to help grow and maintain blood vessels, according to a study by researchers at the Magee-Womens Research Institute and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

7 Apr 2010

Obesity can be detected in infants as young as 6 months: Study

Obesity can be detected in infants as young as 6 months, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

7 Apr 2010

University of Wisconsin-Madison uses ultrasensitive detector to find fetal heart rhythm problems

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of the most powerful magnetic detectors in the world is helping screen high-risk pregnant patients for rare but very serious fetal heart rhythm problems. Thanks to a collaboration with The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and Hope Children's Hospital, Chicago, the ultrasensitive detector measures magnetic signals coming from the tiny beating hearts of fetuses.

6 Apr 2010

Health officials monitor cases of pandemic H1N1 flu in the Southeast

The continued spread of H1N1 influenza virus this spring is cause to pay heed to upper-respiratory maladies such as congestion, runny nose and cough, says David Kimberlin, M.D., a preeminent influenza specialist who co-directs the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

6 Apr 2010

Socially deprived children appear to benefit from foster care

Socially deprived children removed from orphanages and placed in foster care appear to experience gains in growth and intelligence, catching up to their non-institutionalized peers on many measures, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the June print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Apr 2010

Exposure to certain chemicals may lead to early pubertal development

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that exposure to three common chemical classes-phenols, phthalates and phytoestrogens-in young girls may disrupt the timing of pubertal development, and put girls at risk for health complications later in life.

6 Apr 2010

Attack on ‘junk food’ marketing to cut down on obesity

Amidst warnings of the obesity epidemic health authorities voicing their concern called for restrictions on fast non healthy food and alcohol advertising. Australia is one of the most overweight nations in the world, with more than 60% of adults and 25% children overweight or obese.

5 Apr 2010

Research Roundup: Soda taxes, health reform timeline, children's health disparities, best hospital practices

Health Affairs: Soda Taxes, Soft Drink Consumption, And Children's Body Mass Index - "Using data on state sales taxes for soda and individual-level data on children," the authors report existing taxes on soda fail to "substantially affect overall levels of soda consumption or obesity rates." However, the authors also found "statistically significant and substantively larger effects of differential soda sales taxes among children who are heavier, have lower family income, are African American, or watch a great deal of TV.

3 Apr 2010

Town hall meetings highlight the dangers of underage drinking

In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month in April, communities throughout the nation are conducting town hall meetings to discuss what can be done to prevent and reduce underage drinking.

3 Apr 2010