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Early education key to preventing melanoma

Melanoma is killing young people as never before, and a new educational program created in part by a group of medical students and dermatology faculty from Saint Louis University School of Medicine is hoping to reverse this deadly trend.

18 Jul 2007

Growth hormone for idiopathic short stature in children and adolescents

Growth hormone injections appear to boost height in extremely short, healthy children, according to a recent systematic review, but height gain appears to peak at about three inches - and those inches are expensive.

18 Jul 2007

Correcting birth defects

Traditionally when a baby was born with a malformation of the lung or esophagus, they had to undergo open surgery involving a large chest incision with risk for serious complications.

18 Jul 2007

Pediatricians say advice to obese kids and families falls on deaf ears

Pediatricians who talk to obese patients and their families about losing weight feel their conversation makes little difference in encouraging a lifestyle change, a small Saint Louis University study finds.

17 Jul 2007

New hope for childhood cancer sufferers

Scientists investigating drug therapies for children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) have presented new data demonstrating for the very first time that a small molecule called ABT-737 can increase the effectiveness of standard therapies.

17 Jul 2007

C-reactive protein may indicate cognitive impairment in children with obstructive sleep apnea

C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that is often used to detect cardiovascular disease, may also indicate cognitive impairment in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a new study of children ages 5 to 7.

17 Jul 2007

How children with brain tumors perform at school

While children who have had brain tumors perform worse in school than healthy kids, grades in foreign language are the most affected and girls have a harder time than boys in getting good grades, according to a study published in the July 17, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Jul 2007

Apraclonidine causes severe lethargy in infants

New research suggests that an eyedrop used to diagnose a rare syndrome in infants can cause severe lethargy lasting up to 10 hours and requiring hospital admission and oxygen administration.

17 Jul 2007

Fewer teens getting pregnant and more using condoms

According to a new report by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, in 2005 the teenage birth rate in the U.S. reached an all time low and more high school students were using condoms.

16 Jul 2007

Respiratory ailments are leading reasons for hospitalized children and teens

About 3 of every 10 children and teens who are admitted to the hospital from the emergency room have asthma, pneumonia, acute bronchitis or another respiratory disorder, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

16 Jul 2007

ACMG recognizes progress made in newborn screening

In support of the latest March of Dimes Newborn Screening Report Card, the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) strongly urges every state to require complete testing of all newborns for a 'core panel' of genetic and congenital conditions.

16 Jul 2007

Resource pack helps disabled children speak out

At present, many disabled children, particularly those children with limited vocal language, are excluded from being involved in decision-making processes in schools. Thanks to the launch of a new resource pack for teachers this Friday [July 13] children with little or no speech could soon be communicating their views.

12 Jul 2007

Free fruit scheme in schools may not help that much

The free fruit scheme in schools, introduced by the UK government in 2004, may confer no long term benefit, says a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health .

12 Jul 2007

40% of community pharmacists don't tell parents they are dispensing off-label drugs to children

Forty per cent of community pharmacists have dispensed an off-label drug to a child in the last month, according to research published in the July issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

12 Jul 2007

Free fruit at school - a fruitless exercise!

According to researchers a government scheme in Britain to hand out free fruit in schools has been fruitless! - as it has done nothing to encourage children to eat more healthily.

12 Jul 2007

Simple blood test for newborns would save lives

The president of the March of Dimes Dr. Jennifer Howse says a simple blood test could save many newborns from premature death or mental retardation.

12 Jul 2007

Kids who prefer evenings are more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior

A propensity for activities in the evening rather than in the morning may offer clues to behavioral problems in early adolescence, according to psychologists who have found that kids who prefer evenings are more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior, rule-breaking, and attention problems.

11 Jul 2007

Vitamin D deficiency remains an under-recognized problem in children

Many otherwise healthy children and adolescents have low vitamin D levels, which may put them at risk for bone diseases such as rickets.

10 Jul 2007

Democrats work to reauthorize, expand SCHIP while Bush administration tries to limit program growth

Congressional efforts to reauthorize SCHIP, which expires on Sept. 30, are "intensifying," but the Bush administration "has taken several steps to slow momentum for expansion of the program," the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 7/9).

10 Jul 2007

Summer is an opportunity for introducing more fruits and vegetables in children's diets

The abundance of summer's fresh produce - from farmer's markets to roadside stands - offers families the perfect opportunity to introduce the healthy habit of eating more fruits and vegetables, say UT Southwestern Medical Center clinical nutritionists.

9 Jul 2007