Children's health
07 Dec 2007
Kids ‘eating their way into middle-age disease’
Both New Zealand and Australia are seeing the same lifestyle-related diseases that are occurring throughout the world, together with increasing disparities in health status. The 2007 Joint New Zealand & Australian Nutrition Societies Conference & Annual Scientific Meeting, entitled "Is the Quest for the Idyllic Lifestyle Killing Us?" and held…
Children's health
04 Dec 2007
How Much Sleep do Children Need?
Sleep problems are common in childhood. In fact, sleep is one of the most common concerns that parents voice to the doctor during an office visit. Children function better when they sleep well. Most children sleep thought the night, and younger kids may also take a nap during the day.
Blood
04 Dec 2007
Folic Acid Lowers Blood Arsenic Levels in Bangladesh
A new study conducted in Bangladesh finds that folic acid supplements can dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in individuals chronically exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Arsenic is a toxic element that is naturally present in some soils and water. Arsenic-contaminated drinking water is currently a significant public health problem in…
Children's health
03 Dec 2007
Skin Cells Reprogrammed to Behave like Embryonic Stem Cells
When University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers succeeded in reprogramming skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells, they also began to redefine the political and ethical dynamics of the stem-cell debate, a leading bioethicist says. R. Alta Charo, a UW-Madison professor of law and bioethics, says the scientific finding could have…
Children's health
03 Dec 2007
Tinea of the Nails Underdiagnosed in Children
Two doctors from Hospital del Mar in Barcelona and Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona professors have observed, through a research carried out during the past 9 years, an increase in the number of children affected by tinea of the nails, as well as an underdiagnosis of this affection by paediatricians. In…
Children's health
03 Dec 2007
Ear Infection Superbug Resistant to all Paediatric Antibiotics
Researchers have discovered a strain of bacteria resistant to all approved drugs used to fight ear infections in children, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). A pair of paediatricians discovered the strain because it is their standard practice to perform an uncommon…
Children's health
03 Dec 2007
Exercise Improves Thinking, Reduces Diabetes Risk in Overweight Children
Just three months of daily, vigorous physical activity in overweight children improves their thinking and reduces their diabetes risk, researchers say. Studies of about 200 overweight, inactive children ages 7-11 also showed that a regular exercise program reduces body fat and improves bone density. “Is exercise a magic wand that…
Children's health
03 Dec 2007
Are Children’s Growing Pains Real?
Your 8-year-old can’t sleep because his legs ache. Your friend’s 5-year-old daughter wakes up crying in the middle of the night with the same complaint. After mom or dad massages their legs, the children are able to fall asleep and awake in the morning feeling fine. By adolescence, the sporadic…
Children's health
30 Nov 2007
Combination Vaccine Okay for Infants
A University of Rochester study brings relief to new parents who, while navigating a jam-packed childhood vaccine schedule, can expect to soothe their newborn through as many as 15 “pokes” by his or her six-month checkup. The study, recently published in The Journal of Pediatrics, shows that no efficacy or…
