Pediatrics News and Research

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Prevention system brings down rate of binge drinking among eighth-grade students

Rates of binge drinking were 37 percent lower among eighth-grade students in communities in seven states that used a prevention system designed to reduce drug use and delinquent behavior compared to teenagers in communities that did not use the system.

8 Sep 2009

Scientists solve the mystery of zonulin's identity

It was nine years ago that University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers discovered that a mysterious human protein called zonulin played a critical role in celiac disease and other autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.

8 Sep 2009

Harmless shard from childhood virus shell may halt biological process

A harmless shard from the shell of a common childhood virus may halt a biological process that kills a significant percentage of battlefield casualties, heart attack victims and oxygen-deprived newborns, according to research presented Sunday, September 6, 2009, at the 12th European meeting on complement in human disease in Budapest, Hungary.

7 Sep 2009

Alcohol is harmful for unborn babies

Learning disabilities, mental health issues and behavior problems are just some of the issues that afflict babies exposed to alcohol in the womb, yet some doctors still tell their patients it is safe to have a drink now and then while pregnant.

5 Sep 2009

Researchers discover the causes for the severity of RSV illness

Approximately one-half of all infants are infected with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during the first year of life, and almost all children have been infected at least once by the time they reach their second birthday. Researchers at West Virginia University have discovered what makes RSV such a severe and persistent illness.

4 Sep 2009

$NEI awards grant to Vivakor for developing a digital photo-refractor$

NEI awards grant to Vivakor for developing a digital photo-refractor

Vivakor, Inc. announced that the National Institutes of Health-National Eye Institute has awarded a grant to Vivakor, Inc. in Coralville, IA through the Small Business Innovation Research Awards.

4 Sep 2009

FDA approves new xTAG Cystic Fibrosis 39 Kit v2 from Luminex

Luminex Corporation (NASDAQ: LMNX), the worldwide leader in multiplexed solutions, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new cystic fibrosis (CF) test: the xTAG® Cystic Fibrosis 39 Kit v2.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 4 Sep 2009

First artificial heart implant successfully performed by a AUBMC medical team

A medical team at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) has successfully performed the first artificial heart implant in Lebanon, saving the life of a 37-year-old man suffering from terminal heart failure.

4 Sep 2009

CDC recommends routine health examintion for all school-age children

Although school has just begun, it is already exam time for students throughout Wisconsin. That's because in addition to notebook paper and pens, back-to-school preparations should also include routine health exams to make sure students are healthy and ready to learn. These include: a doctor's exam to confirm that all immunizations are up-to-date, a dental exam and a vision exam.

3 Sep 2009

Pfizer pleads guilty of defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and other government-funded health care programs

Pfizer, Inc. announced today it has agreed to plead guilty to criminal conduct and to pay more than $2 billion in criminal and civil fines, penalties and damages to settle allegations made in multiple whistleblower lawsuits that the pharmaceutical giant defrauded Medicare, Medicaid and other government-funded health care programs in connection with its market practices for four of its drugs. The settlement is the largest qui tam settlement in U.S. history.

3 Sep 2009

Riverside Medical Center adds two more doctors

Internal Medicine Physician Rahul Deepankar, M.D. and Pediatrician Jane Kapral, M.D. are the two newest team members to join the Riverside Medical Center - West Campus in Coal City.

3 Sep 2009

Accuracy of the LENA Autism Screen increased

LENA Foundation has increased the accuracy of the LENA Autism Screen (LAS) to 91 percent for children 24 to 48 months. LAS - the first automatic and totally objective autism screen - is now as accurate or more accurate than other autism screens currently available to parents and clinicians.

3 Sep 2009

CIGNA partners with MCNT to launch a medical home type program in Texas

CIGNA (NYSE:CI) and Medical Clinic of North Texas (MCNT) are preparing to launch a pilot program that incorporates components of the medical home model based on a comprehensive, accountable and collaborative approach they believe will lead to improved patient access, better continuity and coordination of care, improved quality of care for patients, and lower medical costs.

2 Sep 2009

New ARRA-funded research on white blood cell functioning

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has provided funding for new research to learn more about how white blood cells work. Jonathan Reichner, PhD, of the department of surgery at Rhode Island Hospital has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health with funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Reichner's hope is that the research will lead to new immune-enhancing therapies, with potential implications for improvements in both cancer treatment and controlling inflammation accompanying injury and infection.

2 Sep 2009

HAPPYBABY guide for new and expectant parents focuses on green parenting

Green parenting -- more than just a trendy movement -- is the best way to raise healthy babies with lasting results. Parents today feel overwhelmed by all the choices and conflicting information when starting a family.

2 Sep 2009

Pathogenic microbes can suppress immune system in newborns

Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a bacterial pathogen that causes sepsis and meningitis in newborn infants, is able to shut down immune cell function in order to promote its own survival, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

2 Sep 2009

Patient enrollment completed for the Berlin Heart EXCOR Pediatric IDE clinical study

Berlin Heart Inc. reported today that it has completed enrollment in Cohort 1 of the Berlin Heart EXCOR(R) Pediatric IDE Study after having received unconditional approval of the study from the FDA in November 2008.

2 Sep 2009

Young children need to be supervised while in showers and bathtubs: American Academy of Pediatrics

Bathtubs and showers are frequently associated with injuries to children. Although interventions have been initiated to prevent injuries due to submersions and hot water scalds, little attention has been paid to slips, trips and falls, which account for more than 80 percent of bathtub- and shower-related injuries.

2 Sep 2009

Study provides insights into genes that help maintain youthfulness of the skin

In the new print issue of Nature Genetics, scientists in Singapore and Germany report that mutations in the PYCR1 gene cause the rare genetic condition that results in premature skin aging and that is known as "wrinkly skin syndrome."

1 Sep 2009

Stanford University starts recruiting participants for swine flu vaccine clinical trial

The Stanford University School of Medicine is recruiting participants for a clinical trial to determine the safety of an experimental vaccine against the new H1N1 strain of influenza when the vaccine is combined with an immune-stimulating substance called an adjuvant. The trial will also examine whether use of the adjuvant improves the immune response to the vaccine.

31 Aug 2009