Pediatrics News and Research

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Small fragments of keratin protein in the eye play a key role in warding off pathogens

When it comes to germ-busting power, the eyes have it, according to a discovery by University of California, Berkeley, researchers that could lead to new, inexpensive antimicrobial drugs.

25 Sep 2012

Lonafarnib proves effective for children with progeria

Results of the first-ever clinical drug trial for children with Progeria, a rare, fatal "rapid-aging" disease, demonstrate the efficacy of a farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI), a drug originally developed to treat cancer. The clinical trial results, completed only six years after scientists identified the cause of Progeria, included significant improvements in weight gain, bone structure and, most importantly, the cardiovascular system, according to The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) and Boston Children's Hospital.

25 Sep 2012

PPI use linked with risk for infection in decompensated cirrhosis

Proton-pump inhibitors are associated with an increased risk for serious infections in patients with decompensated cirrhosis, research shows.

24 Sep 2012

Concentrated high-protein liquid fortifier boosts ICU babies’ growth

Breast milk fortified with an ultraconcentrated high-protein liquid increases growth and is well-tolerated by preterm babies in comparison with a lower-protein enriched powder alternative, research shows.

24 Sep 2012

Some children are less responsive to internal cues of hunger and fullness

When compared to their normal-weight siblings, overweight and obese children ate 34 percent more calories from snack foods even after eating a meal, reports a University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing researcher in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That can be enough calories, if sustained over time, to continue excess weight gain.

24 Sep 2012

Frontline health workers essential for newborn survival

"An infant's first moments and the twenty-eight days that follow are the most precarious, and her risk of death is never higher," but "[s]imple and inexpensive techniques, ... such as drying her, clearing her airway, keeping her warm or using a simple ventilation device to stimulate her breathing, can help," and frontline health workers "deliver these lifesaving techniques."

24 Sep 2012

Latest research on stem cells discussed at Einstein symposium

The promise of stem cells seems limitless. If they can be coaxed into rebuilding organs, repairing damaged spinal cords and restoring ravaged immune systems, these malleable cells would revolutionize medical treatment. But stem cell research is still in its infancy, as scientists seek to better understand the role of these cells in normal human development and disease.

24 Sep 2012

Researchers develop cranial neural crest cell lines

Researchers have successfully developed a stable population of neural crest cells derived from mice that can be grown in large quantities in the laboratory and that demonstrates the potential to develop into many different cell types needed throughout the body.

21 Sep 2012

FDA approves Acton’s AEROSPAN sNDA to treat asthma

Acton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sNDA (Supplemental New Drug Application) for AEROSPAN (flunisolide HFA, 80 mcg) Inhalation Aerosol, a hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) orally inhaled corticosteroid indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma as a prophylactic therapy in adult and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older.

21 Sep 2012

Therapeutic video games can show health-related benefits

Can video games help patients with cancer, diabetes, asthma, depression, autism and Parkinson's disease? A new publication by researchers from the University of Utah, appearing in the Sept 19 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, indicates video games can be therapeutic and are already beginning to show health-related benefits.

20 Sep 2012

Pacifiers may stunt emotional development of baby boys

Pacifiers may stunt the emotional development of baby boys by robbing them of the opportunity to try on facial expressions during infancy.

20 Sep 2012

Pediatric clearance for K2M’s treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

K2M, Inc., the largest privately held spinal device company in the world focused on developing innovative solutions for the treatment of complex spinal pathologies and minimally invasive procedures, today announced that it has received an additional clearance to treat adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

18 Sep 2012

Vitamin D deficiency common in critically ill children

Children who are critically ill frequently have low serum levels of vitamin D, report researchers.

18 Sep 2012

Two abnormalities associated with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes

A new University of Iowa study suggests there are two root causes of a type of diabetes associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). The findings, which already have sparked a clinical trial, may guide development of new treatments or even help prevent diabetes in patients with CF.

18 Sep 2012

Water mineral content link to alcoholic liver disease

Low magnesium content in water supplies may contribute to the development of alcoholic liver disease, say the authors of a UK study.

17 Sep 2012

Partner treatment essential to prevent recurrent sexually transmitted infections in teenagers

California's pediatricians-in-training are not adequately educated about the methods to prevent recurrent sexually transmitted infections in teenagers. That's the conclusion of a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital examining pediatric residents' knowledge of laws governing treatment of their patients' sexual partners.

17 Sep 2012

Conference to provide scientific research on shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma

On September 29, the Twelfth International Conference on Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)/Abusive Head Trauma will take place in the city where nearly 15 years earlier Louise Woodward was convicted of second degree murder in the shaking death of infant Matthew Eappen.

15 Sep 2012