Children

Most autism spectrum disorders have a complex, multifactorial genetic component, making it difficult to find specific treatments. Rett syndrome is an exception. Babies born with this form of the disorder have mutations specifically in the MECP2 gene, causing severe impairment in brain development that primarily affects females. Yet there is still no treatment -; current

The study suggests that when new mothers exercise, they likely improve the newborn’s longer-term metabolic health A lipid metabolite called 12,13-diHOME is in human breast milk and appears to be associated with beneficial infant weight gain and body composition in the early postnatal period. Moreover, maternal fitness, specifically exercise, appears to boost levels of the

Researchers have studied the primary contacts of COVID-19 positive children in India in May 2020 and found all children to be asymptomatic, and only four of the parents became positive. Although this suggests lower transmission from children, no recommendations can be made yet on school reopening. The number of COVID-19 cases caused by the severe

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital recently identified genetic variants in childhood cancer survivors of African ancestry that increase their risk of treatment-related heart problems. The findings, which have implications for how the health of these survivors is monitored, were published online today in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer

Torey Watson is trained as a pharmacist but aims to do more than simply fill prescriptions. Pharmax Pharmacy — a small drugstore chain where Watson works as a clinical services coordinator, about an hour and 30 minutes southwest of St. Louis — will soon allow him to offer childhood vaccines to patients without a doctor’s

A new $2.1 million federal grant will give more of Louisiana’s children access to cutting-edge health research while training young scientists in pediatric research. The five-year National Institutes of Health award will focus on boosting clinical trial access in five areas: Care before and after birth Obesity Upper and lower airways Brain development Physical, mental,

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society discusses a steep drop off from prior years in the asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits at Boston Children’s Hospital during the spring 2020 COVID-19 surge and lockdown. In “Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Emergency Department Utilization for Asthma,” Tregony Simoneau,

In children with autism, repetitive behaviors and gastrointestinal problems may be connected, new research has found. The study found that increased severity of other autism symptoms was also associated with more severe constipation, stomach pain and other gut difficulties. The research, which appears in the journal Autism, found no association between social and communication difficulties

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was introduced in the United States for preteens more than a dozen years ago, yet adherence rates are still below those for other childhood vaccines. Researchers at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Emory University have received a major grant totaling $2.7 million from the National Cancer Institute/National

Cancer cases in adolescents and young adults have risen by 30% during the last four decades, with kidney cancer rising at the greatest rate, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine. The team said further research into screening, diagnosis and treatment are needed to address the growing trend in this age group. Dr.

Cormay Caine misses a full day of work and drives more than 130 miles round trip to take five of her children to their pediatrician. The Sartell, Minnesota, clinic where their doctor used to work closed in August. Caine is one of several parents who followed Dr. Heather Decker to her new location on the

Nov 27 2020 A Monash University project will look at reducing the long-term risk of adolescent mental health problems by enhancing parents’ ability to support their children throughout the pandemic. A digital mental health project led by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences and the Faculty of Information Technology, received a

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 24 2020 A new paper from the Department of Psychiatry and the Population Health program at University Hospitals (UH) Cleveland Medical Center, proposes a framework for eliminating defects in behavioral health treatment. Entitled “Eliminating Defects in Behavioral Health Treatment,” the paper was published online on Nov. 19 in the journal

Decreases in hospital attendances and admissions amid fears of COVID-19 may result in avoidable harm for under 16s say researchers, who warn against the “unintended consequences of pandemic control measures”. Research led by Dr Rachel Isba from Lancaster University, Dr Rachel Jenner from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, and Dr Marc Auerbach from Yale University analyzed

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 25 2020 Research indicates that starting school later in the morning yields health and academic benefits for high schoolers, whose natural body clock tends toward late-to-bed, late-to-rise habits. While parents raise concerns about drowsy driving, irritation and impaired school performance, a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 25 2020 expectancyA team that includes UCLA Fielding School of Public Health researchers has found American children whose educations have been disrupted by the pandemic, even as little as 2-4 months, may face shortened life spans. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States has extracted an enormous sacrifice from its

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 24 2020 A recent study evaluating the use of force by police against children found that Black and Hispanic adolescents are significantly more likely to die from shootings related to police intervention compared to non-Hispanic white adolescents. The findings, led by Children’s National Hospital researchers and reported online Nov. 24

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 23 2020 The brain controls weight by measuring levels of leptin in the blood, which is released by fat cells. In adults, leptin treatments have so far proved ineffective at treating obesity. New genetics research by scientists at the University of Copenhagen suggests that leptin plays a stronger role in

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 20 2020 Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Zokinvy (lonafarnib) capsules to reduce the risk of death due to Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome and for the treatment of certain processing-deficient progeroid laminopathies in patients one year of age and older. Zokinvy is not approved for use in patients with

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 20 2020 The results gained in a study involving approximately one million Danish children increase the understanding of how socio-economic differences in childhood affect the development of mental disorders in the Nordic countries. Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Aarhus University and the University of Manchester have investigated the link

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 20 2020 In a new publication from Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications, Lei Zhang, Tiewei Lv, Xiaoyan Liu, Chuan Feng, Min Zheng, Jie Tian and Huichao Sun from the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China and the Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, China consider a case of pediatric

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 19 2020 A UC Davis Health pediatric team presented a powerful case series of three teenagers who had unexplained breathing problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series highlighted the similarities between e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and COVID-19 symptoms and manifestations. EVALI and COVID-19 share many symptoms

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 18 2020 In a controlled study of smokers, nonsmokers, and e-cigarette users, University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers found that e-cigarette users exhibited significantly altered immune responses to a model of influenza virus infection, suggesting increased susceptibility to disease. The findings, published in the American Journal of Respiratory

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 17 2020 Studies have shown that food allergies negatively affect the quality of life of those who suffer with them. A new study being presented at this year’s virtual American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting reveals the impact on food allergy quality of life (FAQOL)

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 16 2020 Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and their colleagues have determined a key factor as to why COVID-19 appears to infect and sicken adults and older people preferentially while seeming to spare younger children. Children have lower levels of an enzyme/co-receptor that SARS-CoV-2, the RNA virus that

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 12 2020 For years, researchers have known through numerous studies that hearing and other sensory systems of adults and children who have autism differ from children or adults without autism. Now, University of Miami and Harvard Medical School researchers who explored responses to the standard hearing test administered to millions

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 12 2020 A new Vanderbilt-designed prediction model may make it easier to determine which infants will go on to develop neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdrawal syndrome in newborns that occurs after exposure to opioids during pregnancy. According to recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), most newborns

Environmental microorganisms play an essential role in human health – the diverse the consortium, the better. Diversity in the microorganisms helps the immune system to respond to pathogens. It also helps control overstimulation of the immune system in response to innocuous agents, such as dust particles, pollen, and sometimes, our cells – the latter manifesting