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School bullying and violence prevention programs

Key to a child's successful education is an environment in which he or she can learn safely. According to a report released today by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, only 26 percent of parents would give their child's high school an "A" for preventing bullying and school violence, and 38 percent of parents would give their child's elementary or junior high an "A."

9 Sep 2009

PacifiCord and Milkalicious to sponsor a debate on pediatric vaccines

Dedicated to serving the private cord blood banking needs of Southern California, PacifiCord (www.pacificord.com) announced they are partnering with Milkalicious, an Aliso Viejo-based breastfeeding boutique and education center, in sponsoring “The Great Vaccine Debate.”

9 Sep 2009

Lack of physical activity is linked to childhood obesity

It's the start of another school year and Canadian physiotherapists are taking this opportunity to talk tough about the epidemic of overweight and inactive children in this country. According to Statistics Canada about 25 percent of Canadian children are overweight. The Active Healthy Kids Canada 2009 Report Card found that only 13 percent of children and youth are getting the 90 minutes of physical activity recommended by Canada's Physical Activity Guide.

9 Sep 2009

Philadelphia MCAN project as model for managing childhood asthma and reducing H1N1 risk

Nearly a dozen 7th graders with asthma were welcomed along with other classmates back to school today by a special guest who had a message for them about staying healthy - Kathleen Sebelius, 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

9 Sep 2009

Major advance in understanding Friedreich's ataxia

University of Sydney researchers have made a significant advance in understanding the debilitating hereditary disease Friedreich's ataxia, offering hope that new forms of treatment will be developed.

8 Sep 2009

Contraband cigarettes undermine tobacco-prevention strategies

Consumption of contraband cigarettes amongst adolescent daily smokers in Canada accounts for 17% of all cigarettes smoked by this age group, and rises to more than 25% in Ontario and Quebec. This behaviour may be undermining tobacco-prevention strategies, as they focus on taxation and minimum age restrictions to curb and prevent smoking, states an article http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj090665.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.

8 Sep 2009

Chronic pediatric cough linked to reflux and allergies

New research shows that chronic cough in children is most often caused by gastroesophageal reflux and allergies. Researchers from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, evaluated 40 patients aged 5 to 12 years with chronic cough (> 8 weeks in duration) with no obvious cause. Each patient underwent extensive multispecialty testing. Results showed that reflux was the single most commonly associated factor of chronic cough by itself (27.5 percent), followed by allergy (22.5 percent).

8 Sep 2009

Brainwave opens a new facility in Birchwood

National charity Brainwave, which provides home based therapy programmes for children with cerebral palsy and other conditions such as development delay, is opening a third Centre in Birchwood, Warrington to cope with the increasing demand for its services.

8 Sep 2009

Benefits of early exposure to daycare not sustainable

New research hints that the common belief that kids who go to daycare have lower rates of asthma and allergy later in life might be nothing more than wishful thinking. While young children in daycare definitely do get more illnesses and experience more respiratory symptoms as a result, any perceived protection these exposures afford against asthma and allergy seem to disappear by the time the child hits the age of eight.

8 Sep 2009

Practitioners struggle to effectively manage child obesity

New research, led by Dr Katrina Turner from the University's Department of Community Based Medicine, has assessed primary care practitioners' views and experiences of treating childhood obesity.

7 Sep 2009

Better health system needed to identify and manage childhood obesity

A new study has revealed GPs and pediatricians believe their capacity to effectively identify and manage childhood obesity is limited, due to barriers such as time constraints. 65 per cent of the doctors also perceived a shortfall in public sector dietitians to assist them in managing overweight and obese children, according to the study in Nutrition & Dietetics, published by Wiley-Blackwell.

7 Sep 2009

Angiotensin II receptors not detectable in pregnant or preeclamptic women

A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine reveals a key component in the development of preeclampsia in pregnant women, a condition that can result in miscarriage and maternal death.

5 Sep 2009

Aflac Ford Fusion to sport 13-year-old cancer patient's paint scheme

On September 6(th), at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion will sport a colorful new look inspired by a 13-year-old patient at the Aflac Cancer Center. Aflac invited children at the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service to "Color Carl's Car" for the Labor Day weekend race.

5 Sep 2009

Alcohol is harmful for unborn babies

Learning disabilities, mental health issues and behavior problems are just some of the issues that afflict babies exposed to alcohol in the womb, yet some doctors still tell their patients it is safe to have a drink now and then while pregnant.

5 Sep 2009

Researchers discover the causes for the severity of RSV illness

Approximately one-half of all infants are infected with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during the first year of life, and almost all children have been infected at least once by the time they reach their second birthday. Researchers at West Virginia University have discovered what makes RSV such a severe and persistent illness.

4 Sep 2009

Solution for fecal incontinence in children

Encopresis isn't the sort of medical problem making headlines, but there's no mistaking the quiet emotional toll it takes on children as school resumes across the country. Bright, vivacious boys and girls in elementary school are becoming quiet, withdrawn and ostracized. After all, children can be cruel and nobody wants to associate with the "smelly kid" sitting all alone.

4 Sep 2009

The 2009 Heart and Stroke Foundation Report on health of Ontario's kids

In 1998, the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Report Card on Canada's Kids took a hard look at the heart health of Canadian children aged 6-12. More than 10 years later, the Foundation shines the spotlight on Ontario's kids - and will be issuing its own Report Card on the heart health of this young cohort.

4 Sep 2009

Google's Director of Technology commits $5M to the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation's children's hospital

Following the unimaginable loss of their son Sebastian less than two years ago, Horst and Luisa Ferrero created the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation with a mission to improve child patient safety and develop a full-service children's hospital. Today the stars have aligned for the Foundation with two significant steps forward.

4 Sep 2009

StemCells’ novel neuroprotective approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases

StemCells, Inc. today announced the publication of preclinical data demonstrating for the first time that transplantation of its proprietary, purified human neural stem cells delays the loss of motor function in a mouse model of infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL).

4 Sep 2009

Dentists recommend healthy foods for children’s oral hygiene

You wouldn’t send your children to school with a lunchbox full of candy bars, but you might be packing almost as much sugar when you send them off with some popular lunchtime classics. Considering most children brush their teeth in the morning and before bed, the sugar they put in their mouths at lunchtime could stay there for a while, and that worries some dentists.

4 Sep 2009