Children's health
28 Aug 2007
Structure of Protein Altered in Autism Revealed
As a result of mapping the structure of the protein complex implicated in autism spectrum disorders, a research team led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has discovered how particular genetic mutations affect this complex and contribute to the…
Children's health
28 Aug 2007
Crucial Progress in Understanding Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein
Researchers in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine have identified a new regulatory target for the Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), laying the groundwork for possible new treatments for Fragile X syndrome(FXS), the leading inherited form of mental retardation. The findings, published…
Children's health
24 Aug 2007
Genes Linked to Increased Asthma Risk
A University of Southern California-led study finds that certain genetic variations put children who live near a major roadway at a greater risk of developing asthma. Keck School researchers are trying to understand how traffic-related exposure interacts with genetic backgrounds.Children who carry variations in specific genes that metabolize vehicle emissions…
Children's health
24 Aug 2007
No Hiding for Child Abusers
People who shake children hard enough to cause brain damage may soon be unable to hide behind false defences in court, thanks to new University of Queensland research. Researchers from the University of Queensland have conducted tests on a true-to-life model of a baby to show exactly how shaking damages…
Children's health
24 Aug 2007
Teen Diets Can Hurt Their Lungs
For most teenagers in the United States and Canada, fish and fruit are not high on their delicious list. Also, many of them – about 20 percent of those under 18 – cough, wheeze, and suffer from asthma and bronchitis. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have…
Children's health
24 Aug 2007
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice: Health Differences in Newborn Girls and Boys
Two new studies seek to understand why death rates for female infants are higher after heart surgery and why female donor livers may be less effective for transplants. For generations, girls have whimsically been said to be made of “sugar and spice and everything nice,” and boys from “snakes and…
Children's health
24 Aug 2007
Young Africans Partner with Film Directors on HIV/AIDS Prevention
More than a decade ago – before the rise of the Internet – public health educator Kate Winskell and her husband were searching for innovative ways to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among young Africans. The old ways of trying to stop the spread of the disease, focusing only on…
Children's health
21 Aug 2007
Lead Exposure, the Facts : Q and A with Children’s Hospital Boston Toxicologists
Recent toy recalls may leave you wondering about your child’s exposure to lead. Read on to get the facts from Children’s Hospital Boston’s Michael Shannon, MD, MPH, an emergency physician, toxicologist and co-director of the Pediatric Environmental Health Center at Children’s Hospital Boston and Alan Woolf, MD, MPH, a paediatrician,…
Children's health
21 Aug 2007
International Experts Cite Shortcomings in Paediatric Pain and Palliative Care
Advances in pain and palliative care for adults have been significant in the past decade due in part to increased recognition, support and use by caregivers and patients. While acknowledging that lessons from adults can be borrowed to help paediatric patients, an international team of paediatric palliative care specialists is…
