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Researchers develop social competence curriculum for autistic children

As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders continues to increase, the one thing that won't change is the need for those children to develop social skills. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are developing an effective social competence curriculum, with a virtual classroom component, that could help educators meet the demand of this growing population.

20 Nov 2010

Doctors provide tips to protect children from seasonal flu

Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center want to make sure children are protected from influenza this flu season. The flu is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs caused by a variety of strains of influenza viruses. While the flu typically causes mild symptoms, it can be severe enough to cause hospitalization or even death. Flu most commonly occurs in the winter and early spring.

20 Nov 2010

New initiative to help improve oral health for North Carolina children

The North Carolina Head Start-State Collaboration Office and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), today announced the launch of the Head Start Dental Home Initiative to improve oral health for North Carolina children.

20 Nov 2010

Childhood obesity linked to adult metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular disease

Mounting evidence linking childhood obesity to an increasing risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in adulthood is clearly presented in a comprehensive review article in the current issue of Childhood Obesity, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free online.

19 Nov 2010

ENERCA network organizes European Symposium on rare anemias

It is estimated that rare diseases -those whose frequency is under 5 cases / 10,000 people- affect about 6% of the European population. In the field of anemia, 1% of couples are at risk of having a newborn with a severe syndrome of hemoglobin. More than 330,000 children are born worldwide each year affected by one of these diseases, being the most common disorders sickle cell anemia and thalassemia syndromes.

19 Nov 2010

CINJ experts to comment on importance of blood donation

Every two seconds, there is someone in the United States in need of blood. According to the American Red Cross, 65 percent of the American population is eligible to donate blood, but only five percent actually do. In New Jersey only two and a half percent of eligible donors will donate, while nine out of ten New Jersey residents will need blood at least once in their lives.

19 Nov 2010

New book for parents of premature infants

Years after the homecoming, parents of premature infants frequently report difficulty explaining the concept to their children, and are unprepared to handle their strong reactions.

19 Nov 2010

COG to conduct Phase I REOLYSIN trial in pediatric patients with solid tumors

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced today that the Children's Oncology Group (COG) intends to conduct a Phase I trial of REOLYSIN in combination with cyclophosphamide in pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory solid tumors.

19 Nov 2010

Study reveals higher levels of body fat among South Asian children living in the UK

South Asian children living in the UK have higher average levels of body fat than white European and black African Caribbean children in the UK. The findings show that body mass index (BMI), the most widely used tool to measure body composition, underestimated their body fat, and add to doubts about its use as a measure.

18 Nov 2010

Children with severe congenital heart defects show high risk of emotional reactivity

Research from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) shows that children with severe congenital heart defects have twice the risk of anxiety at 18 months of age compared to healthy children. Children with mild and moderate heart defects, on the other hand, did not show an increased risk of anxiety.

18 Nov 2010

History of child abuse linked to alcohol abuse in women

Women who suffered sexual or physical abuse as children are more likely to abuse alcohol than are others, according to a new study of 3,680 women.

18 Nov 2010

Study finds Hispanic children are susceptible to develop fatty liver disease

Two studies from the Childhood Obesity Research Center at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) have found evidence that Hispanic children and adolescents are genetically predisposed to developing fatty liver disease a condition that can lead to cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

18 Nov 2010

March of Dimes reports decline in Colorado’s premature birth rate

Premature birth in Colorado has declined along with three key contributing factors, it was reported today by the March of Dimes in its annual assessment, the Premature Birth Report Card. However, despite these improvements (and for the third straight year), the state's overall grade is a "D."

18 Nov 2010

Children's heart disease affects mental health of mothers

Mothers of children with severe heart disease are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than mothers of healthy children, even once any medical interventions are over.

18 Nov 2010

UC Berkeley receives $16.5 million to support three research centers to examine children's health

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health are getting $16.5 million to support three research centers as part of a federal initiative to examine the environmental factors influencing children's health.

18 Nov 2010

School vending machines influence dietary intake of students

Vending machines in public schools influence the diets of school children and can affect overall dietary intake and health, depending on what foods they contain.

17 Nov 2010

8 states get better grade on 2010 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card

Eight states earned a better grade on the 2010 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card and 32 others and the District of Columbia saw their preterm birth rates improve.

17 Nov 2010

New method to improve coordinating care in children with chronic conditions

Children with chronic health conditions such as cystic fibrosis, type 1 diabetes, sickle cell diseases and cerebral palsy represent less than two percent of the population but can consume more than 50 percent of resources at children's hospitals throughout the country. Coordinating care for these children has historically been difficult because hospitals have varying methods to identify them in their systems.

17 Nov 2010

Pre-term births are leading cause of health problems in infants and cost the U.S. over $26 billion annually

The Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) based at the University of Michigan today released its Prematurity Issue Brief that shows pre-term births --- births at less than 37 weeks of gestation --- are the leading cause of health problems in infants and estimated to cost the U.S. more than $26 billion annually. In addition, the report shows that a black infant in Michigan is 70% more likely to be born prematurely than an infant of any other race.

17 Nov 2010

Otoscopic exams critical for accurate diagnosis of ear infections in children

Among the findings of an analysis of previous studies regarding ear infections in children are that results from otoscopic exams (an instrument for examining the interior of the ear) are critical to accurate diagnosis and antibiotics are modestly more effective than no treatment, with most antibiotics demonstrating similar rates of clinical success among children at normal risk, according to an article in the November 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Nov 2010