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Researchers recommend vaginal delivery for breech babies

Most babies are delivered head-first, but in about 4% of all deliveries babies are "born breech" ― with their buttocks or feet first. Doctors usually exercise caution and use caesarean sections (C-sections) as the delivery method of choice for such births, believing it safer for the baby. After a large-scale international study in 2000, C-sections became the near-universal choice for such births.

27 Oct 2010

Study demonstrates changing levels of nitrite and nitrate in breast milk

Ask someone in the know to list the substances in breast milk that make it the ideal food for newborns and you may hear about proteins that guard against infection, fats that aid in the development of the nervous system and carbohydrates that promote the growth of healthy bacteria. But, you may not hear too much about the nitrite and nitrate in breast milk and their contributions to developing gastrointestinal, immune and cardiovascular systems.

27 Oct 2010

Bayer launches unique fitness program for hemophilia A children

Bayer HealthCare is introducing a fitness program to help children ages 7-12 and young adults ages 13-16 with hemophilia A live active lives. "Living Fit! A Joint Effort" is a unique strength training, fitness and wellness program created to increase awareness of the importance of exercise and nutrition among this population and their caregivers.

27 Oct 2010

Child abuse prevention programs promised by the Coalition

The Coalition has promised an expenditure of $50.5 million to take on child abuse in Victoria, if it wins next month's election. The claims made say that the aim would be to try for early intervention, aimed at reducing the rates of abuse.

26 Oct 2010

Racial disparities among children with frequent ear infections can influence access to health care resources

Ear infections are one of the most common health problems for children, with most kids experiencing at least one by their third birthday. Annual costs in the United States alone are in the billions of dollars.

26 Oct 2010

72 million children to be immunized against polio across 15 African countries

This week, Africa seizes an unprecedented chance to drive out polio when 15 countries across the continent launch a synchronized mass immunization campaign to reach 72 million children, capitalizing on gains made this year. A total of some 290 000 vaccinators have been mobilized to go door-to-door to deliver two drops of oral polio vaccine (OPV) to every child under five in areas considered at "highest risk" of polio transmission.

26 Oct 2010

Place of birth, low SES and exposure to pests associated with asthma in U.S.-born children

Researchers from Tufts University pooled data from five previous epidemiological studies to investigate the prevalence of asthma in children in the Boston neighborhoods of Chinatown and Dorchester. Among children born in the United States, low socioeconomic status (SES) and exposure to pests (mice and cockroaches) were both associated with having asthma. Neither association was present in children born outside of the United States. The study was published online in advance of print in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.

26 Oct 2010

Researchers identify signaling pathway that promotes metastasis of pediatric bone cancer

Researchers have identified an important signaling pathway that, when blocked, significantly decreases the spread of pediatric bone cancer. Their research showed that the Notch pathway and Hes1 gene play a key role in promoting the metastasis of osteosarcoma, the most common form of bone cancer in children.

26 Oct 2010

School leaving grades can predict suicide risk in young people

School leaving grades can be an indicator of an increased risk of suicide at a young age. A new study from the medical university Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, shows that young people leaving the Swedish elementary school (year nine at age 16) with the lowest average grades, run approximately three times the risk of committing suicide compared with those who graduate with top or very high grades.

26 Oct 2010

Survey highlights emotional impact of psoriasis on school children

Almost half of children with psoriasis surveyed by the National Psoriasis Foundation report being bullied at least once in the last six months. The Psoriasis Foundation surveyed parents of kids with psoriatic disease and found that 44 percent of children have been bullied by their peers, and 38 percent of kids say the abuse was a direct result of their disease.

26 Oct 2010

Behavioral economics and school nutrition

Don't ban it, move it. This is one conclusion of a new Cornell University study. In one set of schools, sales of fruit increased by 100% when it was moved to a colorful bowl. Salad bar sales tripled when the cart was placed in front of cash registers.

26 Oct 2010

Knowledge gaps and unjustified fear common among caregivers of children with MRSA

Knowledge gaps and fear - some of it unjustified - are common among the caregivers of children with a drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA, according to the results of a small study from the Johns Hopkins Children Center. These caregivers thirst for timely, detailed and simple information, the researchers add.

26 Oct 2010

Eye-gaze technology opens world of communication for Rett Syndrome children

Special eye-gaze technology now being used in the Department of Neurology at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) is revealing the hidden, inner world of children who have Rett Syndrome, a rare and severe autism spectrum disorder that primarily affects little girls. It is a neurological disease in which mobility and autonomic functions are severely impaired, seizures and orthopedic problems are common, and the children lose functional hand use and the ability to speak.

26 Oct 2010

Sleep disorders threaten kids with premature heart disease and stroke

Poor sleep patterns and lack of proper sleep could be threatening thousands of Canadian adolescents with premature heart disease and stroke, warns Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher Dr. Brian McCrindle, a pediatric cardiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

26 Oct 2010

AAHP highlights safety of homeopathic children's medicines

The American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (AAHP), representing the major manufacturers and distributors of homeopathic drugs, highlights the safety of homeopathic children's medicines in response to the recall of Hyland's Teething Tablets. The AAHP supports the efforts to protect the safety of children by both the Standard Homeopathic Company and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

26 Oct 2010

To reach MDGs, citizens must demand more from political leaders, former U.N. Secretary-General tells U.N. Foundation board meeting

At a U.N. Foundation board meeting in Ghana to discuss Millennium Development Goal progress, which concluded on Saturday, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan "called on the citizenry to demand the attainment of these set goals from their political leaders," the Accra Mail reports. "It is only through this that we can put pressure on the politician to work towards achieving these goals," he said, according to the newspaper.

26 Oct 2010

In India, major reduction seen in polio since 2009, WHO says on World Polio Day

There has been a significant reduction in the number of polio cases diagnosed in India this year compared with the same time last year, the WHO said on World Polio Day Sunday, IANS/Sify News reports.

26 Oct 2010

Researchers investigate impact of fungal toxin on birth defects

A Creighton University School of Medicine researcher has been awarded a $2.7 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a possible link between the ingestion of tortillas and corn-based food products contaminated with a fungal toxin and increased risk for birth defects.

26 Oct 2010

Fluoride consumption can cause mild enamel fluorosis

Young children who consume substantial amounts of fluoride through infant formula and other beverages mixed with fluoridated water or by swallowing fluoride toothpaste have an increased chance of developing mild enamel fluorosis, according to research published in the October issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association and supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

26 Oct 2010

Junk food taxes not the answer for childhood obesity: Report

A Productivity Commission report, “Childhood Obesity: an Economic Perspective”, released this Monday said that junk food taxes were not a cure for childhood obesity. It read, “Bans or taxes on particular energy-dense nutrient-poor foods, for example, face design difficulties, affect all consumers regardless of their weight status, and in the case of taxes, can have perverse budgetary and health effects particularly for the neediest groups.”

25 Oct 2010