Pediatrics News and Research

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Too much water raises seizure risk in babies

It's a recurrent summer-time scenario in the pediatric emergency room and doctors from Johns Hopkins Children's are sounding the alarm on it: An otherwise healthy infant is brought in by panicked parents after suffering a seizure, which turns out to be caused by drinking too much water.

15 May 2008

Pediatric obesity program effectively improves outcomes for kids

A multidisciplinary pediatric weight management program can improve the weight status of high-risk patients, according to Joseph Skelton, M.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist and Director of the Pediatric Weight Management program (called Brenner FIT) at Brenner Children's Hospital.

15 May 2008

Pediatric society leaders, health policy experts consider sisparities in children's health as top priority for political candidates

Top policy and research experts and leaders of seven pediatric societies last week convened in Hawaii at a public symposium about health care and poverty issues facing U.S. children and adolescents as part of an effort to make the issues a top priority for national and state election candidates this year, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports.

13 May 2008

Chicago Tribune magazine examines HIV/AIDS among children, adolescents in U.S.

The Chicago Tribune Magazine on Sunday examined HIV/AIDS among children and adolescents in the U.S. According to the Tribune, there are about 6,000 children and young adults living with HIV/AIDS in the country.

13 May 2008

Three quarters of child car deaths could have been prevented in Australia

In what will come as quite shocking news, Australian researchers say that almost three-quarters of child deaths in car accidents could have been prevented if seatbelts had been properly fitted.

13 May 2008

Would you let your child participate in medical research?

Advances in medicine - new treatments, cures, vaccines and medicines - are driven by research involving humans. But when it comes to medical research that requires children to be involved, researchers often struggle to find participants.

13 May 2008

CQ's Carey looks at new Medicare marketing guidelines, health care provisions added to supplemental war spending bill, House panel approval of health care bills

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, examines proposed marketing guidelines for private Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare and Medicaid provisions that Republicans want removed from a supplemental war spending bill, and a House panel's approval of several health care-related measures in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

13 May 2008

Implementation of nurse-to-patient ratios laws in California is successful, says American Society of Registered Nurses

In a national online survey conducted by the American Society of Registered Nurses (ASRN.org), 56% of the 761 Registered Nurses surveyed on March 26 that worked under nurse-to-patient ratios said that due to the implementation of the ratios, they had more time for breaks. In a separate survey, 69% said they had more time for personal care of their patients.

11 May 2008

Childhood and adolescent obesity impacts cardiac health

Study findings presented at the May 2008 Pediatric Academic Societies and Asian Society for Pediatric Research Joint Meeting indicate that childhood and adolescent obesity negatively impacts vascular endothelial function, which relates to cardiac health.

11 May 2008

Study affirms effectiveness of medication for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that strikes children between the ages of newborn to 16 years. All children with JRA have joint pain, stiffness, and swelling and some also have fever and skin rashes.

9 May 2008

Nutrition for the growing athlete: The good, the bad and the ugly

For millions of American children and teens playing sports, good nutrition is critical for maximum health, performance and normal growth.

8 May 2008

A new search for causes of autism

Dr. Eric Fombonne, from the Research Institute of the MUHC at the Montreal Children's Hospital, is involved in a multi-site consortium to gather DNA samples from 2,000 autism patients and their families over the next three years.

7 May 2008

Discovery of DNA variations in chromosome 6 that gives rise to neuroblastoma

Using advanced gene-hunting technology, an international team of researchers has for the first time identified a chromosome region that is the source of genetic events that give rise to neuroblastoma, an often fatal childhood cancer.

7 May 2008

GenVec announces grant for respiratory syncytial virus vaccine program

GenVec, Inc. announced today that it has received an Advanced Technology Phase I Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, of the National Institutes of Health, to support the Company's efforts to develop vaccines for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

7 May 2008

Too much TV for babies means less verbal interaction with Mum

Over the last decade or so there has been mounting concern about the effect of television and videos on young children.

7 May 2008

Corticosteroids provide no survival benefit for children with bacterial meningitis

Corticosteroids given to children who are hospitalized for bacterial meningitis do not provide a benefit in survival or in reduced hospital stays, according to a large multicenter study by pediatric researchers. This finding stands in contrast to previous studies in hospitalized adults, for which corticosteroids dramatically reduced mortality.

6 May 2008

Group launches program to expand role of people living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda

The International HIV/AIDS Alliance recently launched a three-year program in Uganda to expand the role of networks of HIV-positive people in an effort to improve the delivery of services and reduce stigma, Uganda's Monitor reports.

6 May 2008

Corticosteroids not linked with reduced risk of death for children with bacterial meningitis

Use of corticosteroids in addition to other treatment for children with bacterial meningitis is not associated with a decreased risk of death or shorter hospital stay, according to a study in the May 7 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

6 May 2008

New insights help adolescents and younger children improve asthma control

Two studies that offer new insights to help adolescents and younger children improve their asthma control will be presented by researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center at this year's annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Society (PAS) in Honolulu, Hawaii.

6 May 2008

New scanner opens up new possibilities for patients

Dolphins swimming underwater, jet planes whizzing overhead, and monkeys climbing up palm trees are just some of the images patients are now seeing at Strong Memorial Hospital as it introduces the region's first "open" high-field magnetic resonance (MRI) scanner.

6 May 2008