Children News and Research

RSS

Antidepressants may play a key role in improving adolescents’ mental health

Suicidal adolescents who were prescribed an antidepressant medication during inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment were 85 percent less likely than others to be readmitted within a month after discharge, a new study found.

18 Dec 2009

Sepracor's LUNESTA receives patent term extension from USPTO

Sepracor Inc. today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has determined that U.S. Patent No. 6,444,673, which is a composition of matter patent that covers the human drug product LUNESTA® (eszopiclone), received a patent term extension under 35 U.S.C. § 156.

18 Dec 2009

Cannabis can cause depression and anxiety in teenagers

Canadian teenagers are among the largest consumers of cannabis worldwide. The damaging effects of this illicit drug on young brains are worse than originally thought, according to new research by Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a psychiatric researcher from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. The new study, published in Neurobiology of Disease, suggests that daily consumption of cannabis in teens can cause depression and anxiety, and have an irreversible long-term effect on the brain.

18 Dec 2009

Landmark study provides new insight into congenital heart defects

Researchers from the UC San Diego, School of Medicine and colleagues have identified a new gene, ETS-1, that is linked to human congenital heart defects. The landmark study, recently published online in the journal of Human Molecular Genetics, provides important insights into some of the most prevalent forms of congenital heart defects in humans, including ventricular septal defects and potentially hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a uniformly fatal heart abnormality.

18 Dec 2009

Hydrocephalus Association awards stimulus grants for research initiative

The Hydrocephalus Association has announced research grants to scientists at five medical centers, in a new initiative to address the shortfall in progress in the treatment of hydrocephalus, a condition affecting one million Americans.

17 Dec 2009

Also in Global Health news: Hospital births in Guinea-Bissau; drought in E. Africa; drug-resistant malaria; U.S. response to H1N1

IRIN examines the increase in the number of women giving birth in hospital settings rather than delivery by a traditional birth attendant - a behavior that health officials hope will lead to a drop in the country's maternal mortality rate. "According to UNFPA, 38 percent of women gave birth in a hospital in 2009, up from 29 percent in 2003," the news service writes.

17 Dec 2009

Report estimates how many would gain coverage under senate health bill

Families USA analyzed Congressional Budget Office data to estimate how many people would gain health insurance coverage if the Senate bill passes. Some local news outlets report on how their state would be affected.

17 Dec 2009

E Cigarettes National: Special interest groups have no legitimate argument against the cigarette

Over the last few weeks there has been an increase of the amount of scare language that is used by e cigarette opposition in an attempt to scare the population concerning the electronic cigarette. Many are questioning the tactics of these groups when the evidence clearly shows that the product is indeed a safer alternative to tobacco according to several studies, lab reports and opinions from top medial and harm reduction specialist around the world.

17 Dec 2009

Austin's Custom Tops raises charity funds for local children

Austin's Custom Tops, a local business specializing in granite and eco-friendly countertops, co-sponsored, with Ryan Gray and Hill Country Home Health, a slider-eating throwdown at the neighborhood restaurant 219 West on Wednesday, December 9th. Fifty people showed up to cheer on the two brave contestants who ate their way through platefuls of sliders in support of the local charity, The Austin Children's Shelter.

17 Dec 2009

Food health and safety stories top the list of memorable food stories of 2009

When Americans were asked which were the most memorable food stories of 2009, food health and safety stories topped the list.

17 Dec 2009

Santa Claus: A public health pariah?

Santa should share Rudolf's snack of carrots and celery sticks rather than brandy and mince pies and swap his reindeer for a bike or walk, says a public health expert in the Christmas issue published on bmj.com today.

17 Dec 2009

Three H1N1 influenza vaccination clinics scheduled to offer vaccines free of charge

2010 is just over two weeks away. Make a New Year's resolution for you and your family members and start the new year out right by getting your H1N1 influenza shot at one of the available clinics in southeast Michigan.

17 Dec 2009

RTI Biologics donates spinal allografts to AIC-CURE International Children’s Hospital, Kenya

RTI Biologics Inc., the Florida-based processor of orthopedic, dental, hernia and other biologic implants, donated nearly 500 spinal allografts to AIC-CURE International Children’s Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya this week.

17 Dec 2009

Risk of H1N1 exposure alters U.S. holiday plans

Forty percent of U.S. adults intend to change their holiday plans due to the risk of being exposed to the H1N1 flu virus, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by JohnsonDiversey, a global leader in the commercial cleaning and sanitizing industry.

17 Dec 2009

New study shows families, not doctors, raise the issue of prayer

What happens when the families of sick and dying hospitalized children ask their physicians to pray with them, or for them? How do pediatricians respond to such personal requests? While increasing numbers of physicians say that religion and spirituality help some patients and families cope with serious illness, a new study reports that it is almost always the families and patients who raise the issue of prayer, not the doctors themselves.

17 Dec 2009

Californian children’s health shows consistent improvement, but recession can undermine gains

A newly created index measuring the overall health and well-being of California’s children and youth shows a consistent pattern of improvement over the last decade, but researchers warn that the present economic recession could undermine and possibly even reverse those gains.

17 Dec 2009

CIHR experts offer suggestions for stress-free holiday

The holiday season is synonymous with joy, family and sharing, but it can also mean anxiety, melancholy and illness. With the recent economic downturn and the H1N1 pandemic, many Canadians are facing higher stress levels, sleepless nights and health problems.

17 Dec 2009

People are more prone to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, explains new research

New research by the University of Adelaide could help explain why some people are more prone to Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and other autoimmune diseases.

17 Dec 2009

Infection control program protects immunocompromised cancer patients from H1N1 infection

Despite a 100-fold increase in H1N1 influenza cases in the Seattle area during spring 2009, an aggressive infection control program to protect immunocompromised cancer patients and thorough screening measures resulted in no corresponding increase in H1N1 cases among the total patient population at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, according to a new study by researchers and physicians at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the SCCA.

17 Dec 2009

Sara Lee plans to reduce salt in its top food brands

Sara Lee Corp. today announced it is committed to reducing salt an average of 20 percent over the next five years across its key categories of fresh bread, hot dogs, lunchmeat, breakfast foods and cooked sausage.

17 Dec 2009