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Separation from parents linked with learning trouble in kids

In the wake of divorce, illness, violence and other problems that can unsettle homes, countless young children are liable to experience temporary separations from one or both parents before packing their knapsack for kindergarten. Published in the May/June issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics, a new, community-wide study from Rochester, New York, warns that such kids are at increased risk for learning difficulties and that these separations are good predictors of which children may require special educational interventions to succeed.

18 May 2008

Disease outbreak prevention crucial in China earthquake aftermath

Preventing communicable disease outbreaks is the key public health issue now facing the People's Republic of China in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the country's south-western region on 12 May.

18 May 2008

Heatwaves, floods and health concerns - special lecture on climate change and how we're dealing with it

Extreme floods, droughts and heatwaves, and how scientists are battling to deal with the effects of our rapidly warming planet, will be the subject of the first annual Grantham Lecture at Imperial College London on Thursday 22 May 2008.

15 May 2008

Too much water raises seizure risk in babies

It's a recurrent summer-time scenario in the pediatric emergency room and doctors from Johns Hopkins Children's are sounding the alarm on it: An otherwise healthy infant is brought in by panicked parents after suffering a seizure, which turns out to be caused by drinking too much water.

15 May 2008

Study implicates 350 gene regions in cancer development in the mouse

A large genetic study in mice has identified hundreds of genes involved in the development of cancer by examining the DNA of more than 500 lymphomas to find the cancer causing mutations.

15 May 2008

Prevalence of childhood obesity levels off in France

France may be the first country in the EU to see signs of a levelling off in the national prevalence of childhood obesity, according to the results of two new surveys.

15 May 2008

Tackling the 'sick note culture’

GPs should lend a hand to beat the 'sick note culture' that sees millions of working days lost every year, according to a survey of smaller business owners.

15 May 2008

Sexual offending in women and psychiatric disorders

Women who commit sexual offences are just as likely to have mental problems or drug addictions as other violent female criminals. This according to the largest study ever conducted of women convicted of sexual offences in Sweden.

15 May 2008

Sitting position can influence risk of whiplash

Women run a three times greater risk than men of incurring a debilitating injury in a rear-end collision. This is partly due to differences between the sexes regarding sitting position. This has been shown by Bertil Jonsson at Umea University in Sweden.

15 May 2008

Obesity and unhealthy lifestyles linked to more complex urinary problems

People who are obese and lead unhealthy lifestyles are more likely to suffer from a larger number of urinary problems, according to a population-based study of more than 5,000 men and women published in the May issue of the UK-based urology journal BJU International.

15 May 2008

New report details cancer prevention efforts

An annual report from the American Cancer Society highlights that long-term favorable trends have stalled for several factors that have been responsible for declining cancer death rates in the U.S.

15 May 2008

Study finds patients overestimate cancer screening history

A new American Cancer Society study finds female African American patients tend to overestimate their level of cancer screening, indicating that current estimates of screening based on self-reported data may be lower than reported.

15 May 2008

Discovery of 250 new genes potentially involved in leukemia

Researchers have found over 250 new genes that are potentially involved in the development of leukemia. The research was performed in close collaboration between the Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and the Wellcome Trust Institute (Cambridge, UK) and will be published in the Friday May 16th issue of the scientific journal Cell.

15 May 2008

Length of telomeres in blood cells tied to breast cancer survival rates

Researchers at Umea University in Sweden have shown that the length of telomeres in blood cells in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients is tied to survival rates. The study, published in the journal Cancer Research, was carried out by a research team headed by Professor Goran Roos at the Department of Medical Bioscience, Pathology.

15 May 2008

Research targets diabetes-related eye conditions

New research projects commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research's Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different screening tests used in diabetic eye care.

15 May 2008

Palatal surgery in less lexically advanced, younger children associated with better speech outcomes

A new study published in The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal has found that the timing of palatal surgery and size of lexicon, or vocabulary, in children are important factors to consider in determining the most beneficial management of children with cleft palate.

15 May 2008

Study finds new generation of drug-coated stent benefits heart patients

A two-year study comparing a new generation drug-coated stent, XIENCE, with a currently used drug eluting stent, TAXUS, has found that the XIENCE stent had superior benefits in more than 1,000 patients and is better at keeping the arteries of chest pain patients clear of blood clots.

15 May 2008

Bird flu pandemic would require multi-drug approach

Scientists have uncovered a change in the H5N1 bird flu virus which makes it resistant to the anti-viral drug Tamiflu. The mutation in the N1 component was found in human cases of the disease and suggests that a single drug approach is likely to be ineffective in case of a bird flu pandemic in humans. The findings by a team at the Medical Research Council's National Institute for Medical Research are published in Nature.

15 May 2008

Poorer children have more eye problems than those from affluent families

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to have certain problems with their eyes compared to children from more affluent backgrounds - a study in Bristol has reported. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are also less likely to be taken to see an optician who could correct the eye problems with glasses, or to a screening programme where children's vision is checked and any problems are referred for treatment.

15 May 2008

New Wilmot Cancer Center offers expanded care, research for cures

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) today celebrates the expansion of cancer care and research as it dedicates the new James P. Wilmot Cancer Center. The Center introduces leading-edge technology, greater access to multidisciplinary care, a new model for breast care, and more opportunities to receive tomorrow's therapies today.

15 May 2008