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Family instability and child well being

In an age when cohabitation and divorce are common, single parents concerned about the developmental health of their children may want to choose new partners slowly and deliberately, new research from The Johns Hopkins University suggests.

30 Mar 2007

Impact of exercise on body fat differs for boys and girls

The impact of exercise on body fat differs for boys and girls, suggests research published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

30 Mar 2007

Bioengineering heart parts

Some day, heart attack survivors might have a patch of laboratory-grown muscle placed in their heart, to replace areas that died during their attack.

30 Mar 2007

Treating congenital heart defects in babies still in the womb

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital reviewed the cases of 80 fetuses who had prenatal cardiac interventions during a six-year period (most often to avert hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

30 Mar 2007

Study reveals impact of the MMR controversy on parents of children with autism

Researchers have found that the MMR controversy caused parents of children with autism feelings of stress, guilt and frustration. Their study is published in Archives of Disease Childhood.

29 Mar 2007

Autistic children can interpret the mental state of others by looking at their eyes

In findings that contradict previous studies, psychologists found that autistic children can 'read' a stranger's mental state based on that person's eyes. Autistic children have long been thought to be poor at interpreting people's mental states based on facial expressions, especially expressions around the eyes.

29 Mar 2007

Researchers identify key protein in immune response to malaria and TB

An international team of researchers has identified a key protein involved in the immune system's response to malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and a number of other infectious diseases. The insights suggest possible new therapies to tackle these major global diseases.

28 Mar 2007

Multiple malaria infection inhibits spread of parasite

People who are frequently infected with malaria parasites can develop immunity against the gametocyte, the infectious stage. This immunity inhibits the spread of the parasite. Dutch researcher Mike van der Kolk discovered this during his research into malaria transmission under the inhabitants of Cameroon, Senegal and Indonesia.

28 Mar 2007

Improving the NHS's response to domestic violence

A project aimed at tackling shortcomings in the NHS's response to domestic violence is to be set up in Bristol and east London.

28 Mar 2007

World moves closer to eradicating ancient worm disease

A neglected tropical disease that has afflicted people since ancient times has moved a step closer towards eradication. In early March, twelve more countries were declared Guinea Worm Free by the International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) Eradication.

27 Mar 2007

Campaign to help schools prevent chemical accidents

In a national kickoff, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign to help schools prevent chemical accidents.

25 Mar 2007

Viral protein is an effective preventative against infection

For parents, eight million cases of acute middle-ear infections every year adds up to a lot of sleepless nights and trips to the pediatrician.

25 Mar 2007

HPV vaccine proposals in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Dakota

Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

22 Mar 2007

Proposed Polish law banning discussions on homosexuality could hinder access to HIV/AIDS information

Human Rights Watch on Monday in a letter to Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said that a law proposed in the country that would ban discussions on homosexuality in schools violates freedom of speech and could deny children access to HIV/AIDS information, London's Guardian reports.

22 Mar 2007

Vietnam to widen HIV/AIDS education program

Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced that its HIV/AIDS prevention department plans to widen its education program to include the country's general population, specifically young people, in an attempt to change the public's attitude and behavior regarding the disease by 2010, Vietnam News Agency reports.

22 Mar 2007

Atorvastatin shows potential as a new treatment for spinal cord injuries

A multidisciplinary investigation led by Inderjit Singh, Ph.D, of the Medical University of South Carolina, has resulted in a new treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI). The study investigates the efficacy of atorvastatin (AT), (i.e. Lipitor) as a treatment for spinal cord injuries following trauma.

22 Mar 2007

Just 15 minutes of exercise lowers a child's chances of being obese by almost 50 per cent

Everyone knows children are getting fatter and that both a poor diet and a lack of exercise are to blame. But, what researchers have been unable to discover until now, is exactly how major a role activity plays in the battle to keep obesity at bay.

21 Mar 2007

Large trial demonstrates that the benefits of zinc supplementation for children

A clinical trial conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public concluded that daily zinc supplements reduced the risk of death among children aged 12 to 48 months by 18 percent.

19 Mar 2007

Dramatic increase of Type 1 diabetes in under fives

Researchers are calling for more work in to the reasons behind a big increase of young children with Type 1 diabetes. A new study, led by Bristol University, has discovered that the number of children under five-years-old with Type 1 diabetes has increased five-fold over 20 years.

19 Mar 2007

Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B cases at lowest levels ever reported

The three most common forms of acute viral hepatitis in the United States -- hepatitis A, B and C -- declined dramatically between 1995 and 2005, with hepatitis A and B at the lowest levels ever recorded since the government began collecting surveillance data more than 40 years ago, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hepatitis B and C are diseases that can lead to liver cancer and death.

15 Mar 2007