Pediatrics News and Research

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

10 rules to prevent child drownings

Summer has arrived, and UCLA emergency physicians would like to remind parents how to prevent drownings and water-immersion injuries involving children.

24 May 2007

Weill Cornell Medical College students help change global health policy

In a move to improve global public health, Weill Cornell Medical College students have helped place a lifesaving heart disease drug onto the World Health Organization's (WHO) list of essential medicines.

22 May 2007

Celecoxib offers promise for premature babies

Scientists have found evidence that the cox-2 inhibitor celecoxib, a common pain reliever used to treat arthritis, may offer a new way to reduce the risk of the most common cause of brain damage in babies born prematurely.

18 May 2007

Children with both autism and ADHD more likely to bully

Children with both autism and attention deficit or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders are four times more likely to bully than children in the general population, according to a study released in the journal, Ambulatory Pediatrics.

18 May 2007

Lack of association between Rh status, Rh immune globulin in pregnancy and autism

The increase in the number of diagnosed cases of autism in recent years has sparked concern that environmental toxins may cause this complex disorder.

17 May 2007

The risk of developing food allergy in premature or low-birth-weight children

Premature infants do not have an increased risk of developing food allergies than normal-birth-weight infants, according to new research in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI) .

17 May 2007

Clearer view of synaptic plasticity

Scientists are keenly studying how neurons form synapses--the physical and chemical connections between neurons--and the "pruning" of neural circuits during development, not least because synaptic abnormalities may partially underlie many developmental and neurodegenerative diseases.

17 May 2007

Environmental toxins may cause autism

The increase in the number of diagnosed cases of autism in recent years has sparked concern that environmental toxins may cause this complex disorder.

17 May 2007

Good news for for people with mild, persistent asthma

People with mild asthma that is well-controlled with twice-daily use of inhaled steroids may be able to reduce inhaler use to once a day, or switch to a daily pill, according to new research conducted at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and 20 other centers.

17 May 2007

Mild asthma can be controlled with once-a-day treatment

According to new research, for some people suffering from mild asthma which is controlled with twice-daily use of inhaled steroids, once a day may be enough.

16 May 2007

Complement receptor 3 sends a signal to dampen the immune system

Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and The University of Pennsylvania reported that complement receptor 3 (CR3), a protein found on cell surfaces, inhibits dendritic cells, the sentinels of the immune system, from setting off an alarm signal that brings on a full immune response.

16 May 2007

Low-birth-weight babies at significantly greater risk for early respiratory symptoms

Through age 5, children born at full term with low birth weight show significantly greater risk for developing respiratory symptoms, including wheezing, coughing and pulmonary infections, according to a large longitudinal study on birth weight and development.

16 May 2007

Study looks at traumatic brain injury - leading cause of abusive death in children

Confronted with the same hypothetical scenarios of traumatic brain injuries to children, pediatricians and pathologists were unable to agree half the time whether the deaths should be investigated as potential child abuse, researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine found.

16 May 2007

Peanut allergies overstated

Despite hundreds of families being told their children have peanut allergies every year, many of the children may be able to eat peanuts safely, a study by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Sydney Children's Hospital has found.

15 May 2007

Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative increases breastfeeding rates

A new study in the May issue of the Journal of Human Lactation reports that being born in a Baby-Friendly hospital gives babies the best possible chance of breastfeeding to 6 months.

15 May 2007

U.S. decline in the number of qualified allergists-immunologists

A growing shortage of allergists in the United States may soon impact the quality of patient care for asthma and other allergic diseases, according to a report published by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

15 May 2007

Simple procedural change may reduce cardiac arrests outside pediatric ICUs

A simple procedural change may significantly reduce cardiopulmonary arrests outside a pediatric hospital's intensive care unit, according to a study reported at the American Heart Association's 8th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.

11 May 2007

Novel catheter technique for patching holes in the heart

A novel catheter technique for patching holes in the heart may make it possible for many patients to avoid surgery altogether and others to regain enough strength to safely undergo surgical repair at a later date, according to a study reported at the 30th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

11 May 2007

ACP challenges Congress to make 'fundamental changes' in Medicare payment policies

"Congress has an historic opportunity to join with the American College of Physicians (ACP), other physician organizations and employers to redesign Medicare payment policies to provide incentives for patient-centered care," ACP told the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health in a written statement.

11 May 2007

Genetic component to autism

Using an innovative statistical approach, a research team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of California, Los Angeles, has identified two regions of DNA linked to autism.

10 May 2007