Children's health
13 Mar 2008
Time to be aware of kidney health
World Kidney Day, which falls today, is an important reminder for all Australians to be aware of the importance of taking care of their kidney health. One in seven Australian adults has some sign of chronic kidney disease and one in 35 actually has serious kidney disease. Primary causes…
Children's health
13 Mar 2008
Preschoolers benefit from daycare program to prevent obesity
A preschool-based intervention program helped prevent early trends toward obesity and instilled healthy eating habits in multi-ethnic 2- to 5-year-olds, according to a report presented at the American Heart Association’s Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism. "Nobody would dispute that we are experiencing an epidemic of obesity in this…
Blood
06 Mar 2008
Leukaemia therapy with imatinib during pregnancy may cause infant abnormalities
While doctors already face many challenges in treating patients with cancer, treating pregnant women with the disease, in particular, can be quite difficult as studies suggest that certain therapies can harm developing foetuses. According to the results of a study prepublished online in Blood, the official journal of the American…
Children's health
06 Mar 2008
Eating breakfast helps teenagers to stay slim
American scientists say teenagers who believe cutting out breakfast will help them lose weight are deluding themselves. The researchers say the opposite is the case and those who skip breakfast end up weighing more. A five year study conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota found teenagers who…
Children's health
06 Mar 2008
Does your kid just have growing pains – or arthritis?
It might not surprise you to know that arthritis is the most debilitating disease in this country, affecting some 46 million adults in the U.S. alone. You probably don’t know that arthritis also affects children – sending nearly a million of them to the doctor’s office for treatment each year.
Bone
06 Mar 2008
Preventing burns from electric dental handpieces
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning dental professionals about serious patient injuries caused by poorly maintained electric dental handpieces. Some patients have experienced third degree burns that needed plastic surgery. The burns have occurred during tooth extraction, when cutting teeth and bone, and during other surgical procedures, but…
Children's health
05 Mar 2008
Energetic toddlers growing up on milk and junk food
A recent study published in Nutrition & Dietetics found that Australian toddlers are consuming more energy than they need.1 This is an important finding, as excess energy intake can lead to overweight and obesity over time. Researchers from Sydney undertook an 18 month assessment of the diets of 429 children…
Children's health
03 Mar 2008
Data show a decline in cystic fibrosis since introduction of prenatal carrier screening
A brief report in the February 28, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine, led by researchers at the New England Newborn Screening Program (NENSP) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), indicates a declining incidence of a genetic disease, providing what may be the first demonstration of a link…
Children's health
03 Mar 2008
Adding therapy helps adolescents with depression not responding to SSRIs
For adolescents with depression not responding to an initial treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), switching medications and adding cognitive behavioural therapy resulted in an improvement in symptoms, compared to just changing medications, according to a study in the February 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the…
