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Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet study examines childbirth practices and the relationship between these practices and maternal and perinatal outcomes in nine Asian countries, as assessed by a WHO global survey. Based on the analysis of over 107,000 deliveries, the authors conclude, "To improve maternal and perinatal outcomes, caesarean section should be done only when there is a medical indication" (Lumbiganon et al., 2/6). These findings "should help us to prioritise our strategies to reduce unnecessary interventions in childbirth," write the authors of a Lancet comment.

5 Feb 2010

EBMT honours abstract on Defibrotide in Hepatic VOD prevention with the Van Bekkum Award

Gentium S.p.A. today announced that the abstract titled, "Defibrotide prevents hepatic VOD and reduces significantly VOD-associated complications in children at high risk: final results of a prospective phase II/III multicentre study," has been awarded the Van Bekkum Award for the best abstract submitted to the physician's program for the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation's (EBMT) 36th Annual Meeting, to be held in Vienna, March 21-24, 2010.

5 Feb 2010

Exposure to agricultural chemical atrazine linked to birth defect gastroschisis

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will unveil findings that demonstrate a link between the birth defect gastroschisis and the agricultural chemical atrazine.

5 Feb 2010

World Heart consortium awarded $5.6M NIH contract for developing PediaFlow VAD

World Heart Corporation ("WorldHeart") announced today that it was part of a consortium awarded a $5.6 million, 4-year contract by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further develop the PediaFlow™ VAD to clinical trial readiness.

5 Feb 2010

Implanted ventricular assist heart pump for infants project awarded $5.6M federal contract

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and their collaborators have been awarded a $5.6 million federal contract to pursue the continued development of an implanted ventricular assist heart pump for infants and small children with congenital or acquired heart disease. The project aims to provide much-needed access to the sophisticated technologies that have saved the lives of older heart failure patients.

5 Feb 2010

Researchers may have discovered how hormone progesterone prevents preterm birth

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine believe they may have discovered how the hormone progesterone acts to prevent preterm birth.

5 Feb 2010

NHLBI awarded four contracts to test new devices to help children with congenital heart defects

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded four contracts totaling $23.6 million to begin preclinical testing of devices to help children born with congenital heart defects or those who develop heart failure.

5 Feb 2010

Relationship between HIV-infected children and their caregivers is crucial for child’s development

A new study of children in Ukraine has found that for the growing number of HIV-infected children, the quality of care and the relationship between children and their caregivers play an important role in their development.

5 Feb 2010

Opinions: G8 and maternal, child mortality; rebuilding Haiti

In a National Post opinion piece, Canadian Member of Parliament Keith Martin, "who chaired the drafting committee at the 2009 G8 International Parliamentarians' Conference in Rome, which put together a plan of action to reduce maternal and infant mortality," welcomes the recent announcement by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper that maternal and child mortality will be a focus of the G8 summit this summer.

5 Feb 2010

Study suggests sensitive children are more likely to do well when raised in supportive environments

Children who are especially reactive to stress are more vulnerable to adversity and have more behavior and health problems than their peers. But a new longitudinal study suggests that highly reactive children are also more likely to do well when they're raised in supportive environments.

5 Feb 2010

Study finds high levels of depression among children abused in the first five years of their lives

Although children can be depressed for many reasons, new evidence suggests that there are physiological differences among depressed children based on their experiences of abuse before age 5. Early abuse may be especially damaging due to the very young age at which it occurs.

5 Feb 2010

Early stage trial finds malaria vaccine effectively protected young children, study says

An experimental vaccine was found to effectively protect young children from malaria in Mali, Reuters reports. According to the news service, "The vaccine, which uses an immune system booster called an adjuvant from British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, targets the malaria parasite as it is actively infecting red blood cells and causing fever and illness" (Steenhuysen, 2/3).

5 Feb 2010

Children exposed to acetaminophen prenatally more likely to have asthma symptoms at age five

Children who were exposed to acetaminophen prenatally were more likely to have asthma symptoms at age five in a study of 300 African-American and Dominican Republic children living in New York City.

5 Feb 2010

Secretaries to release new report on children’s health insurance

One year after President Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will visit the Mazique Parent Child Center to discuss efforts to identify and enroll children in health coverage and announce new steps the Departments are taking to insure more kids.

4 Feb 2010

Ohio undertakes statewide initiative to reduce early scheduled births

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will unveil findings that detail an initiative in the state of Ohio to reduce the number of near-term scheduled births that did not have an appropriate medical reason.

4 Feb 2010

Genes of mother and fetus linked to risk of preterm labor and birth

New evidence that genetics play a significant role in some premature births may help explain why a woman can do everything right and still give birth too soon.

4 Feb 2010

Anomalies causing motivational deficiencies may also cause ADHD

Until now, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was related to alterations in the brain affecting attention and cognitive processes. Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital for the first time have discovered anomalies in the brain's reward system related to the neural circuits of motivation and gratification. In children with ADHD, the degree of motivation when carrying out an activity is related to the immediacy with which the objectives of the activity are met. This would explain why their attention and hyperactivity levels differ depending on the tasks being carried out.

4 Feb 2010

Regular physical activity prevents chronic illness: Surgeon General urged to make outdoor time a health priority

National Wildlife Federation (NWF), more than 200 health, conservation, youth, and other organizations, and 16,300 Americans are urging the new surgeon general to make time outdoors a health priority for children.

4 Feb 2010

Vaccination against seasonal influenza produces protective immune response in infants

Vaccination against seasonal influenza is safe and produces a protective immune response in infants as young as 6 to 12 weeks, concludes a study in the February issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

4 Feb 2010

Researchers use 3D ultrasound methods to predict pre-term birth

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will unveil findings that show that measuring the fetal zone of the adrenal gland is a better predictor of pre-term birth than measuring cervical length.

4 Feb 2010

Child Health News

Recent releases in Global Health

EBMT honours abstract on Defibrotide in Hepatic VOD prevention with the Van Bekkum Award

Exposure to agricultural chemical atrazine linked to birth defect gastroschisis

World Heart consortium awarded $5.6M NIH contract for developing PediaFlow VAD

Implanted ventricular assist heart pump for infants project awarded $5.6M federal contract

Researchers may have discovered how hormone progesterone prevents preterm birth

NHLBI awarded four contracts to test new devices to help children with congenital heart defects

Relationship between HIV-infected children and their caregivers is crucial for child’s development

Opinions: G8 and maternal, child mortality; rebuilding Haiti

Study suggests sensitive children are more likely to do well when raised in supportive environments

Study finds high levels of depression among children abused in the first five years of their lives

Early stage trial finds malaria vaccine effectively protected young children, study says

Children exposed to acetaminophen prenatally more likely to have asthma symptoms at age five

Secretaries to release new report on children’s health insurance

Ohio undertakes statewide initiative to reduce early scheduled births

Genes of mother and fetus linked to risk of preterm labor and birth

Anomalies causing motivational deficiencies may also cause ADHD

Regular physical activity prevents chronic illness: Surgeon General urged to make outdoor time a health priority

Vaccination against seasonal influenza produces protective immune response in infants

Researchers use 3D ultrasound methods to predict pre-term birth

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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