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Study discovers health care gap in treating young patients with thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is the third most common malignancy in children, and the incidence is rising approximately one percent per year. Now a new analysis published in the October issue of Annals of Surgical Oncology indicates that although the proportion of young patients undergoing total thyroidectomy increased by 34 percent between 1985 and 2007, a variety of hospital and patient factors—including disparities in access to surgeons and state-of-the-art care—affect whether a child actually receives this procedure or another less extensive operation.

16 Nov 2010

OtoSCOPE method offers single-run genetic testing for hearing loss

Pinpointing the exact genetic cause of inherited deafness has always involved sequencing one gene at a time, a process that can take up to a year and cost roughly $1,000 per gene. It would cost around $75,000 to test all known deafness causing genes using this approach. Now University of Iowa researchers working with colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine have developed a test that can screen all of the genes known to cause deafness in a single run, in one to three months and for about $2,000.

16 Nov 2010

Leaders speak at Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health conference

Education for women is the most important factor for positively influencing the health of women and children, Indian President Pratibha Patil said on Saturday at a meeting in New Delhi of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), IANS/Sify News reports. "Education is a powerful driver of health. The relationship between poverty, lack of education and limited access to health services, is well recognised," Patil said at the start of the two-day conference (11/13).

16 Nov 2010

Report shows spells of poverty may have lifelong health implications for children

Spells of poverty, even if temporary, may have lifelong health implications for children, according to the largest report so far reviewing the recent recession's effects on child well-being.

16 Nov 2010

New investigational drug is well tolerated in children with nmCF

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the publication of data from a Phase 2a clinical trial of ataluren in children with nonsense mutation cystic fibrosis (nmCF) in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

15 Nov 2010

Too many Ozzie kids can’t swim: 2010 National Drowning Report

Much to the concern of the Royal Life Saving Society, more and more Australian children do not know how to swim, or lack the skills to keep themselves alive in the water. It is estimated that up to 20 per cent of children finish primary school without the ability to swim the length of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. For example more than 50,000 or a fifth of NSW students will start high school next year unable to swim 50 meters.

15 Nov 2010

Shire announces FDA approval of Vyvanse Capsules CII for ADHD in adolescents

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the prescription medication Vyvanse® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules CII for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adolescents ages 13 to 17. The approval is based on study data demonstrating that Vyvanse improved ADHD symptoms compared to placebo in adolescents with ADHD. Vyvanse is also indicated for the treatment of ADHD in children ages 6 to 12 years, and adults.

15 Nov 2010

Aging changes how people view themselves and others through 'mind wandering'

Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center can now show, using functional MRI images, why it is that behavior in children and young adolescents veers toward the egocentric rather than the introspective.

15 Nov 2010

fMRI predicts response to 'talk therapy' in patients with pediatric anxiety disorder

A brain scan with functional MRI (fMRI) is enough to predict which patients with pediatric anxiety disorder will respond to "talk therapy," and so may not need to use psychiatric medication, say neuroscientists from Georgetown University Medical Center.

15 Nov 2010

New protocol reduces radiation exposure in pediatric electrophysiology procedures

A protocol that uses continuous real-time radiation monitoring, low-dose imaging programs and requires physician awareness of radiation dose, significantly reduced radiation exposure during electrophysiology procedures and catheter ablations to diagnose and treat heart arrhythmias in children, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010.

15 Nov 2010

Study finds children more likely to be allergic to amoxicillin

Children are more likely to have an allergy to amoxicillin than adults, according to a study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology annual meeting in Phoenix Nov. 11-16. Amoxicillin is a form of penicillin.

15 Nov 2010

Obese children with congenital heart disease face risk of heart disease as adults

Children with congenital heart disease are more overweight than similar children a generation ago, raising their risk of heart attack and heart disease as adults, according to a new study.

15 Nov 2010

SAMHSA awards grants to improve care for children with mental health challenges

Half of all lifetime cases of mental and substance use disorders begin by age 14 and three-fourths by age 24. Proven interventions can prevent future disorders and mitigate the symptoms. To support communities and help families with the best mental health services available for children, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is awarding nine new grants for a total of up to $70.9 million over the next six years to develop and expand systems of care for children and youth with serious mental health challenges and their families.

14 Nov 2010

Pneumonia Report Card shows prevention, treatment tools not widely adopted in countries where disease kills most children

In advance of World Pneumonia Day, the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) on Thursday released a report card showing that pneumonia prevention and intervention targets are not being met in the 15 countries where three-quarters of deaths in children under age 5 from the disease occur each year, IRIN reports.

14 Nov 2010

Behavioral intervention helps children to recover from autism: Study

A landmark study proves that children are capable of recovery from autism, or of making substantial gains in cognitive and adaptive functioning, as well as language skills, according to results released last night by Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh, founder of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD).

14 Nov 2010

U-M researchers develop simple mathematical model to predict whooping cough transmission

Strategies for preventing the spread of whooping cough on the rise in the United States and several other countries in recent years should take into account how often people in different age groups interact, research at the University of Michigan suggests.

12 Nov 2010

Mutual accountability on women's and children's health goals essential to Millennium Development Goal success

This year, governments, foundations, businesses, multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations and health care professional associations publicly pledged more than $ 40 billion* to improve maternal and child health and save million of lives.

12 Nov 2010

ACAAI scientific meeting to discuss pediatric allergies

Your child may be allergic to your holiday pumpkin pie, according to allergists at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Phoenix, Nov. 11-16. Hot topics discussed in pediatric allergies include pumpkin and caterpillar allergies, and outgrowing childhood allergies.

12 Nov 2010

Researchers study Rett neurons in a Petri dish

A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease.

12 Nov 2010

Weight bullying develops negative self image among children

Bullying about weight is not uncommon. Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders reports when children are teased about their weight, they are more reluctant to exercise or engage in physical activity.

12 Nov 2010