Children's health
08 Feb 2008
Check immunization status for pertussis
Pertussis (whooping cough) is one of the leading causes of vaccine-preventable deaths worldwide, and its prevalence in the community is underestimated. Most deaths occur in young infants who are either unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated. A study published in the latest issue of Emergency Medicine Australasia, the journal of the Australasian…
Blood
08 Feb 2008
Risk factors for severe RSV infection in immunocompromised children
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital investigators and collaborators have shown how to predict if a child who is infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) while being treated for cancer or another catastrophic disease is at high risk for developing severe infection. The finding will help clinicians improve guidelines for managing…
Children's health
08 Feb 2008
Car seat inserts keep baby breathing
Babies travelling in car seats should be provided with additional support to prevent blocking of their airway, research suggests. A research team from The University of Auckland, Auckland Hospital and the New Zealand Cot Death Association found that breathing problems were significantly reduced when young infants were placed in a…
Cancer
30 Jan 2008
Exposure to smoking in movies influences kids lighting up
New research from Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) strengthens the case that children’s exposure to smoking in movies influences their decision to start smoking. It further suggests that smoking in movies seen in early childhood has an equally significant impact on that decision as movie smoking exposure closer to adolescence. The…
Children's health
21 Jan 2008
Epidural Analgesia
Epidural analgesia or epidural injection is a form of labour pain management. Pain relief medications are injected into the spine.
Children's health
21 Jan 2008
Tobacco marketers targeting teens near schools
Joe Camel may be long gone, but that doesn’t mean tobacco companies have abandoned their efforts to get young people hooked on smoking. A new Canadian study reports that tobacco marketers have found a way around tobacco advertising restrictions, reaching teens by marketing in retail shops located near high schools.
Children's health
11 Jan 2008
HRV Associated with Paediatric Respiratory Tract Infections
Using a rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive diagnostic tool called MassTag PCR, scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health’s Center for Infection and Immunity identified a new human rhinovirus in cases of severe paediatric respiratory tract infections in Europe. Their findings are published in the December 15 issue of…
Children's health
10 Jan 2008
Honey proves a better option for childhood cough than OTCs
Hershey, Pa. – Now that the safety and effectiveness of children’s cough medicines are in question, what can parents do to help their child deal with a troublesome cough? A new study by a Penn State College of Medicine research team found that honey may offer parents an effective and…
Children's health
10 Jan 2008
New PBS Listings for January 2008
People with pleural mesothelioma, eye conditions, those who want to stop smoking and infants with chest infections will benefit from changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). The listing of pemetrexed disodium (Alimta(R)) in combination with the drug cisplatin has been extended to include the treatment of pleural mesothelioma.