Children's health
12 Sep 2006
Rotavirus: Messy nappies may be sign of severe intestinal infection
Anyone who’s ever cared for an infant or young child knows what it’s like to change the occasional smelly, messy nappy. While mild bouts of diarrhoea aren’t uncommon in young children, moderate to severe diarrhoea, lasting several days, could be a sign a dangerous infection in the intestines known…
Children's health
12 Sep 2006
Study Identifies New Genetic Risk Factor for Schizophrenia, Particularly in Females
UCLA scientists have discovered that infants who possess a specific immune gene that too closely resembles their mothers’ are more likely to develop schizophrenia later in life. Reported in the October issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, the study suggests that the genetic match may increase foetal susceptibility…
Children's health
12 Sep 2006
What is childhood depression?
Depression in children has dramatically increased in recent years with approximately 3 to 5 percent of preteens and up to 15 percent of teenagers suffering from depression. The good news is that awareness and intervention from parents or other adults can help children with depression live normal, happy, functioning lives.
Children's health
12 Sep 2006
Fact or fiction: Somatoform disorders explored
Sometimes a child complains continually of a pain or physical disability for which a physician cannot find a physical cause or the cause found does not account for the level of impairment experienced by the child. The pain or disability, however, is very real to the child. When pain…
Children's health
12 Sep 2006
Food Allergies: Sending your child with food allergies to school
Food allergies develop when the immune system – the body’s protection from foreign substances – gets mixed up and fights against a particular food protein even though it’s harmless. Many people have food intolerances, which result in conditions such as minor skin rashes or gastrointestinal upset. But food allergies,…
Cancer
11 Sep 2006
Study Links Lead Exposure to Brain Cancer in Adults
People who are routinely exposed to lead on the job are 50 percent more likely to die from brain cancer than people who are not exposed, according to a University of Rochester Medical Centre study. More than 18,000 brain and spinal cord tumours will be diagnosed in the United…
Blood
11 Sep 2006
New study identifies teens at risk of developing heart disease
Queen’s University researchers have developed new criteria to identify teenagers with abnormal blood cholesterol levels that place them at risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Co-authored by Professor Ian Janssen and Master of Science student Courtney Jolliffe from the university’s School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, the study…
Children's health
11 Sep 2006
Study shows prenatal diagnostic tests have low risk of miscarriage
Pregnant women who seek prenatal diagnostic testing to identify genetic or chromosomal abnormalities have a lower risk of miscarriage than previously believed, according to a UCSF study. The findings are published in the September 2006 issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynaecology.Two standard tests-amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS)-are…
Children's health
11 Sep 2006
Study shows link between morbid obesity, low IQ in toddlers
University of Florida researchers have discovered a link between morbid obesity in toddlers and lower IQ scores, cognitive delays and brain lesions similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s disease patients, a new study shows. Although the cause of these cognitive impairments is still unknown, UF researchers suspect the metabolic…
