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Two simple questions could improve pretest prediction of OSA

Have you ever been "elbowed" by your bed partner because you were snoring? If yes, new research says you could have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

22 Oct 2012

Grandparent caregivers unaware of more recent safety and other recommendations

The number of grandparent caregivers continues to grow, and while these older adults may be experienced in caring for young children, many are unaware of more recent safety and other recommendations - including those related to appropriate child sleep position, crib safety, car seat and walker use, according to research presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

22 Oct 2012

Simple five-question survey may lead to increased diagnoses of COPD

A simple, five-question patient-administered survey (COPD-PS) may lead to increased diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

22 Oct 2012

Fungal exposure in homes could increase risk of sarcoidosis

People who are exposed to mold in their homes could be at an increased risk for sarcoidosis, a chronic inflammatory lung disease. Researchers from Sweden and Slovenia tested 62 nonsmoking patients with sarcoidosis, 34 of whom had extrapulmonary manifestations (EPM).

22 Oct 2012

Statin use may improve overall survival and reduce risk of recurrence in resected NSCLC patients

Patients who have undergone resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may improve their overall survival and reduce the risk of recurrence by taking statins.

22 Oct 2012

Excessive medical ICU noise could lead to worse patient outcomes

New research shows that overnight noise levels in the medical ICU (MICU) often exceed recommended levels, which could potentially lead to worse outcomes.

22 Oct 2012

AAP introduces new initiative to fight childhood obesity

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is launching a major new initiative in its fight against childhood obesity, focusing on both prevention and treatment of what has become a major threat to children's health in the U.S.

22 Oct 2012

Pediatric ICU patients often receive off-label drug treatments

"Off label" drugs are medications that have not been tested for safety or efficacy for a specific patient age or condition. New research presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans found that off-label treatments were ordered for 96 percent of all pediatric patients, and 100 percent of patients ages 13-17, in the intensive care unit of an urban children's hospital.

22 Oct 2012

Research team identifies turbo switch in the vital calcium pump in our body's cells

A Danish-British research team has discovered a turbo switch in the vital calcium pump in our body's cells. In studies at the X-ray source DORIS at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotorn DESY in Hamburg and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF in Grenoble the team discovered that the on-off switch of the pump has a previously unknown third position, which switches the pump into a turbo gear.

22 Oct 2012

Poverty, collective violence affect mental health of children in the U.S./Mexican border

Collective violence attributed to organized crime and poverty are adversely affecting the mental health of children living near the Texas-Mexico border, according to a poster presented Oct. 19 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

22 Oct 2012

Study finds weight loss doesn't lower heart risks for diabetics

A large federal study of whether diet and weight loss can prevent heart attacks and strokes in overweight and obese people with Type 2 diabetes has ended two years ahead of schedule because the intensive program did not help.

22 Oct 2012

Microgravity and prolonged space flight could give unique advantages to germs

The cabin of a spacecraft halfway to Mars would be the least convenient place -- one cannot say "on earth" -- for a Salmonella or Pneumococcus outbreak, but a wide-ranging new paper suggests that microgravity and prolonged space flight could give unique advantages to germs.

22 Oct 2012

AAP announces national winners of 2012 Children's Art Contest

Winners of the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics Children's Art Contest were announced Saturday, Oct. 20 at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

22 Oct 2012

Cyberbullying and teen suicide

Cyberbullying - the use of the Internet, phones or other technologies to repeatedly harass or mistreat peers - is often linked with teen suicide in media reports. However, new research presented on Saturday, Oct. 20, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, shows that the reality is more complex.

22 Oct 2012

Lack of sleep associated with increased risk of injury in adolescent athletes

Adolescent athletes who slept eight or more hours each night were 68 percent less likely to be injured than athletes who regularly slept less, according to an abstract presented Sunday, Oct. 21, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

22 Oct 2012

Mistakes are still commonly made in prescriptions of antiretroviral medications

Research presented at IDWeek 2012- concludes that despite advances in electronic medical records, mistakes are still commonly made in the prescription of antiretroviral medications for hospitalized HIV-positive patients. At the same time, a trio of studies suggests however, that electronic records in combination with increased clinical education can help to greatly decrease medical errors.

20 Oct 2012

Psychotic reactions associated with natural testosterone booster products

In a report published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a group of Italian investigators describe the case of a young men developing a psychotic reaction to natural testosterone booster products.

20 Oct 2012

Exercise is the first step to protect against negative impacts of stress

Any time life hands us a stressful situation, we have a decision to make: will we handle it with grace, or let it pile up on everything else? For women, stress sometimes feels like a never-ending occurrence, and University of Alabama at Birmingham experts say that, left unmanaged, stress can lead to health problems. But it can easily be curtailed.

20 Oct 2012

The main culprit in the meningitis outbreak

"The Centers for Disease Control have identified the culprits from a handful of fungal meningitis cases, and most often they've found a fungus called Exserohilum. This is a genus of molds. Its 19 species usually cause leaf diseases of grasses, including crops like corn and millet, and are not a danger to people or animals. But a few Exserohilum species can also infect us, though they do so very rarely.

20 Oct 2012

Epigenetic alteration associated with increased risk of breast cancer

Monozygotic twins have the same genome, that is, the same DNA molecule in both siblings. Despite being genetically identical, both twins may have different diseases at different times. This phenomenon is called "twin discordance". But how can people who have the same genetic sequence present different pathologies and at different ages? The explanation partly lies in the fact that the chemical signals added in the DNA to "switch off" or "switch on" genes can be different. These signals are known as epigenetic marks.

20 Oct 2012