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SPIN program highlights the importance of human milk for preterm babies

UC San Diego Medical Center recently launched a website dedicated to offering families and the medical community valuable information about the best way to provide human milk to premature and underweight infants. The website was developed with a $10,000 grant from The March of DimesSan Diego chapter.

12 Nov 2009

Almost 200m undernourished children worldwide, report says

In developing countries, almost 200 million children under the age of 5 "suffer from stunted growth and health problems due to poor nutrition in their early years," according to a UNICEF report released on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

12 Nov 2009

Childhood exposure to environmental pollutants could impact development in the long-term

Children who eat fish more than 3 times per week show a worse performance in the general cognitive, executive and perceptual-manipulative areas. Those with higher levels of exposure to mercury show a generalised delay in cognitive, memory and verbal areas. Mercury is a contaminant found especially in oily fish and canned fish and to a lesser extent in white fish.

12 Nov 2009

Gene variants which influence insulin metabolism can also affect birth weight

Low birth weight increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Until recently scientists had attributed this to maternal malnutrition during pregnancy. However, now it seems that genetic background may also play a major role. A research team of Technische Universität München and Helmholtz Zentrum München has now demonstrated, that gene variants which influence insulin metabolism can also affect birth weight.

12 Nov 2009

Series of holiday cards to help build ORBIS Kids Sight treatment centres launched

ORBIS Canada, a non-profit global development organization dedicated to saving sight worldwide, is launching a series of holiday cards available for purchase this season. Proceeds of these cards will be used to build ORBIS Kids Sight treatment centres in the developing world.

12 Nov 2009

FDA approves CSL Biotherapies' seasonal flu vaccine, Afluria for children

CSL Biotherapies, a subsidiary of CSL Limited, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of influenza vaccine, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company’s application for accelerated approval of its seasonal flu vaccine, Afluria® (Influenza Virus Vaccine) for use in the pediatric population aged 6 months and older.

12 Nov 2009

Children with developmental dyslexia have difficulties separating relevant auditory information from irrelevant noise

The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant, predictable and repeating auditory information, according to new research from Northwestern University.

12 Nov 2009

Physicians and researchers to develop kidney replacement device for children

When children need kidney dialysis because of disease or congenital defects, doctors are forced to adapt adult-size dialysis equipment. No FDA-approved kidney replacement devices exist that are specifically designed for children.

12 Nov 2009

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be associated with bipolar disorder in children

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be responsible for bipolar disorder in children. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry found four versions of the regulatory gene RORB that were associated with pediatric bipolar disorder.

11 Nov 2009

CHF commends the passage of health reform bill; disapproves move to eliminate CHIP

Children's Health Fund (CHF), a national organization that advocates for and provides clinical care to disadvantaged and medically underserved children, today issued a Report Card that graded the child health provisions in the Congressional Health Reform bill that was passed in the House of Representatives on November 7.

11 Nov 2009

Newborn and Parenting Resources: A new service from WellPoint for working mothers

WellPoint's affiliated Life and Disability Companies are pleased to announce Newborn and Parenting Resources - a new service designed to help new mothers adjust to their newborn baby and return to work after maternity leave. Newborn and Parenting Resources are available to all new and in-force short term disability plans offered by the affiliates effective 1/1/2010.

11 Nov 2009

Tel Aviv University develops innovative algorithms to combat Intra-uterine growth restrictions for healthy babies

When a fetus is smaller than expected for the number of weeks of pregnancy, due to associated problems like a poorly developed heart, health concerns as severe as brain damage can result.

11 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health: Child sexual abuse in Zimbabwe; dengue outbreak in Cape Verde; program reduces waste in Kenya slums

The Mail & Guardian examines how the "economic collapse" in Zimbabwe has contributed to rising numbers of children falling victims to sexual abuse. "A single clinic in the capital, Harare, says it has treated nearly 30,000 girls and boys who were abused in the past four years - an average of 20 per day." The article examines other contributing factors to the sexual abuse of children in Zimbabwe and a recent program that aims to make schools safe places for Zimbabwe's children (11/10).

11 Nov 2009

Children with autism have slower pupil responses to light change: Study

Autism affects 1 in 150 children today, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. Despite its widespread effect, autism is not well understood and there are no objective medical tests to diagnose it. Recently, University of Missouri researchers have developed a pupil response test that is 92.5 percent accurate in separating children with autism from those with typical development. In the study, MU scientists found that children with autism have slower pupil responses to light change.

11 Nov 2009

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment ineffective for children with autism

Research conducted by the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD), shines new light on the effects of a popular form of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatment for children with autism and related disorders. The "Randomized Trial of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Children with Autism" study reveals that HBOT, consisting of 24% oxygen delivered at 1.3 atmospheres of pressure, does not have a significant effect on symptoms of autism.

10 Nov 2009

"Science In Action: Saving the Lives of Africa's Mothers" report to be released at ASADI conference

Science In Action: Saving the Lives of Africa's Mothers, Newborns, and Children is being released on Nov. 9 at the fifth annual conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI) in Accra, Ghana.

10 Nov 2009

Study suggests a new improved treatment option for children with Hurler's syndrome

Researchers have transplanted genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells into mice so that their developing red blood cells produce a critical lysosomal enzyme - preventing or reducing organ and central nervous system damage from the often-fatal genetic disorder Hurler's syndrome.

10 Nov 2009

Affordable health care can save millions of women, newborns, and children in sub-Saharan Africa

The lives of almost 4 million women, newborns, and children in sub-Saharan Africa could be saved every year if well-established, affordable health care interventions reached 90 percent of families, according to a joint report by the national science academies of seven African countries.

10 Nov 2009

Children with ASD have problem with handwriting: Study

Handwriting skills are crucial for success in school, communication, and building children's self-esteem. The first study to examine handwriting quality in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has uncovered a relationship between fine motor control and poor quality of handwriting in children with ASD, according to research published in the November 10, 2009, issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Nov 2009

Children and young people with autism should be offered special teaching support

Teachers and parents must be vigilant in observing difficulties with language comprehension, reading and spelling in children and young people with autism, Asperger's syndrome and ADHD.

10 Nov 2009

Child Health News

SPIN program highlights the importance of human milk for preterm babies

Almost 200m undernourished children worldwide, report says

Childhood exposure to environmental pollutants could impact development in the long-term

Gene variants which influence insulin metabolism can also affect birth weight

Series of holiday cards to help build ORBIS Kids Sight treatment centres launched

FDA approves CSL Biotherapies' seasonal flu vaccine, Afluria for children

Children with developmental dyslexia have difficulties separating relevant auditory information from irrelevant noise

Physicians and researchers to develop kidney replacement device for children

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be associated with bipolar disorder in children

CHF commends the passage of health reform bill; disapproves move to eliminate CHIP

Newborn and Parenting Resources: A new service from WellPoint for working mothers

Tel Aviv University develops innovative algorithms to combat Intra-uterine growth restrictions for healthy babies

Also in Global Health: Child sexual abuse in Zimbabwe; dengue outbreak in Cape Verde; program reduces waste in Kenya slums

Children with autism have slower pupil responses to light change: Study

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment ineffective for children with autism

"Science In Action: Saving the Lives of Africa's Mothers" report to be released at ASADI conference

Study suggests a new improved treatment option for children with Hurler's syndrome

Affordable health care can save millions of women, newborns, and children in sub-Saharan Africa

Children with ASD have problem with handwriting: Study

Children and young people with autism should be offered special teaching support

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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