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New process removes allergy potential from peanut products

Scientists say a special fermentation process may significantly reduce the potential for allergic reaction to peanut products.

6 Jun 2005

West named inaugural George G. Graham Professor in infant and child nutrition

On May 27, 2005, Keith P. West, Jr., DrPH, MPH, RD, was installed as the inaugural George G. Graham Professor in Infant and Child Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. West is a professor with the Department of International Health and its Center for Human Nutrition.

6 Jun 2005

Basic sanitation must reach 138 million more people every year through 2015

...close to 2 billion in total - to bring the world on track to halve the proportion of people living without safe water and basic sanitation, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF warn in a new report.

6 Jun 2005

Study forecasts continuing slide in job-based health coverage

A study released Thursday, June 2 by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Working Partnerships USA, a consortium devoted to workforce issues, says that just a bare majority of adults likely will have job-based health insurance by 2010, with middle-income adults facing the sharpest coverage decline and lower-income adults being largely priced out of the market.

6 Jun 2005

Leading experts meet to discuss 'crisis' in child protection

Leading experts involved in the field of child abuse are gathering today at the Royal Society of Medicine - Monday 6 June - at a special conference to discuss the growing 'crisis' in child protection.

6 Jun 2005

57% of children are not read to daily by a parent or family member

According to a report released by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, opportunities for parents to develop their young child’s language development and eventual reading success are being missed – 57% of children are not read to daily by a parent or family member.

6 Jun 2005

Statisticians learn how to analyze huge quantities of genetic data

In a conceptual breakthrough, a team of researchers led by statisticians at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has figured out how to analyze huge quantities of genetic data, surpassing the capabilities of traditional techniques and speeding the quest for understanding the genetic basis of complex diseases such as asthma and diabetes.

6 Jun 2005

Boys are more reluctant than girls to swallow Jamie Oliver-style healthy school dinners

Cancer Research UK scientists found that more boys than girls, aged 4 to 16, liked fatty and sugary foods, meat, processed meat and eggs while more girls than boys liked fruit and vegetables which can help to reduce cancer risk in later life.

6 Jun 2005

New survey shows Americans falling short on sun protection

Over the past year, the number of Americans using sunscreen, a primary protector against skin cancer, has declined. At the same time, more Americans, including children, are being diagnosed with skin cancer than ever before.

6 Jun 2005

Childrens' mental development may be impaired by aircraft noise

A new study is suggesting that exposure to aircraft noise at schools located near major airports may affect the development of children's mental skills in an adverse way, and this applies especially to reading comprehension.

6 Jun 2005

A promising animal model demonstrates course of epilepsy

A promising animal model of epilepsy became even more valuable with the demonstration that the course of the disorder closely parallels that of one of the most common forms of epilepsy in humans.

6 Jun 2005

Current high school start times deprive adolescents of sleep

Current high school start times deprive adolescents of sleep and force students to perform academically in the early morning, a time of day when they are at their worst, according to a study in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics.

6 Jun 2005

Educating parents and physicians could reduce overuse of antibiotics in children

The most frequent reason pediatricians prescribe antibiotics to young children is for an ear infection (acute otitis media). With increased concerns about high rates of antibiotic use and resistance, recent guidelines suggest consideration of "watchful waiting" for some ear infections to see if they resolve without antibiotics.

6 Jun 2005

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have chronic sleep deprivation

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have a common ailment: chronic sleep deprivation. But some tired teens may actually have a medical condition such as depression, insomnia, narcolepsy or sleep apnea, warns a new report in Pediatrics.

6 Jun 2005

Children 14 and younger should not sit in the front passenger seat of cars equipped with air bags

The study, "Effects of Child Age and Body Size on Serious Injury From Passenger Air Bag Presence in Motor Vehicle Crashes," will be published in the June 6 edition of the American Academy of Pediatrics' journal Pediatrics.

6 Jun 2005

One-time whooping cough vaccination at 11 years of age may potentially be cost-effective

Despite childhood vaccination rates at all-time highs, pertussis (whooping cough) has re-emerged over the past two decades, especially among adolescents, adults, and young infants. Because of this resurgence, federal health policymakers are considering a national booster vaccination program.

6 Jun 2005

Neuroscientists redefine the dyslexic brain

The dyslexic brain may have a general problem forming perceptual categories, including the templates for printed letters and speech sounds, say University of Southern California (USC) neuroscientists.

5 Jun 2005

Link between childhood leukemia and power lines at the most, slight

In the on-going debate over whether proximity to high voltage power lines may be linked to childhood leukemia, researchers have found the association remains "slight" and "the relation may be due to chance."

5 Jun 2005

Doctors in the UK demand that junk food television advertisors pay for public health messages

Delegates to the British Medical Association's public health medicine and community health annual conference want a 'fairness doctrine' adopted by advertisers, and the motion has been backed and put forward by alcohol addiction and research council chairman Dr Noel Olsen.

5 Jun 2005

Whooping cough vaccine may be introduced in New Zealand

The New Zealand's Ministry of Health has confirmed, as a whooping cough epidemic continues to sweep the country, that a new vaccine to control the spread of whooping cough may be introduced next year.

5 Jun 2005