Children's health
26 May 2008
Excess weight in adolescence linked to childhood eating patterns
Research suggests that the weight of adolescents is related to the types of food they ate as children. A study undertaken by Associate Professor Lynn Moore at the Boston University School of Medicine showed that 13 year olds who consumed low levels of dairy foods from age 3 until age…
Children's health
25 May 2008
Scientists find protein may be key to new therapies for elevated triglycerides
Diabetes researchers at the John G. Rangos Sr. Research Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have identified a potential target for the development of new therapies to treat hypertriglyceridemia, a lipid disorder commonly seen in people who are obese and diabetic. Results of their study are published in…
Children's health
10 May 2008
New technique determines that the number of fat cells remains constant in all body types
The radioactive carbon-14 produced by above-ground nuclear testing in the 1950s and ’60s has helped researchers determine that the number of fat cells in a human’s body, whether lean or obese, is established during the teenage years. Changes in fat mass in adulthood can be attributed mainly to changes in…
Children's health
08 May 2008
Too much or too little weight gain poses risks to pregnant mothers, babies
Women who gain more or less than recommended amounts of weight during pregnancy are likely to increase the risk of problems for both themselves and their child, according to a new report by the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center. The report, which was supported…
Cancer
26 Mar 2008
Genetic Testing for Hereditary Diseases
Genetic testing involves analysing a person's DNA. It can be used to assess their risk of hereditary (genetic) conditions such as cystic fibrosis.
Children's health
22 Feb 2008
Genetic and environmental hormonal response to stress in children depends on family context
A study conducted on 346 19-month-old twins by an international team led by Universite Laval professor of psychology Michel Boivin reveals that the genetic and environmental bases of hormonal response to stress depend on the context in which a child grows up. This is the first time such an effect…
Children's health
15 Feb 2008
Stutterers aren’t anxious
University of Canterbury research is challenging the notion that stuttering in children could be linked to personal anxiety. Bianca Phaal, a masters student in the Department of Communication Disorders, has just completed a study looking at the anxiety levels of a group of three and four-year-olds who were at the…
Bone
12 Feb 2008
Hormone crucial for skeletons
Researchers at the University of Otago, Christchurch have broken new scientific ground with discoveries regarding a previously little understood heart hormone, showing how it is crucial for bone development and growth after birth. Working with other scientists in the USA, Professor Eric Espiner and Dr Tim Prickett are leading world…
Blood
06 Feb 2008
Biosimilars
Biosimilars are protein drugs that are similar to existing products that cannot be copied identically. They are the equivalent of generic non-protein drugs.
