Health News

Maternal Stress During Pregnancy Can Affect Baby's Iron Status

Date: May-01-2012
Newborns whose mothers are under stress during the first trimester of pregnancy may be at risk for low iron status, which could lead to physical and mental delays down the road, according to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston. Iron plays an important role in the development of organ systems, especially the brain. Well-known risk factors for poor iron status in infants are maternal iron deficiency, maternal diabetes, smoking during pregnancy, preterm birth, low birthweight and multiple pregnancy. This study, conducted by researchers from...

Anticipation Of Cell Phone Use May Contribute To Motor Vehicle Crashes

Date: May-01-2012
It's well-known that using a cell phone while driving can lead to motor vehicle crashes. New research - presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston - shows that even anticipating calls or messages may distract drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. Jennifer M. Whitehill, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center at the University of Washington, and her colleagues sought to determine whether compulsive cell phone use is associated with motor vehicle crashes. They enlisted undergraduate students to complete the Cell Phone...

Unruly Kids May Have A Mental Disorder

Date: May-01-2012
When children behave badly, it's easy to blame their parents. Sometimes, however, such behavior may be due to a mental disorder. Mental illnesses are the No. 1 cause of medical disability in youths ages 15 and older in the United States and Canada, according to the World Health Organization. "One reason we haven't made greater progress helping people recover from mental disorders is that we get on the scene too late," said Thomas R. Insel, MD, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the featured speaker at the American Academy of Pediatrics' Presidential Plenary during...

Underage Drinking: Minors Who Recognize Ads For Beer And Spirits Are More Likely To Drink

Date: May-01-2012
Minors who were familiar with television alcohol advertisements were more likely to have tried alcoholic beverages and binge drink than those who could not recall seeing such ads, according to a study to be presented Sunday, April 29, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston. "Underage drinking remains an important health risk in the U.S.," said lead author Susanne E. Tanski, MD, MPH, FAAP, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. "In this study, we have shown a link between...

Neurofibromatosis: Fruit Fly Study Provides New Knowledge About Uninhibited Cell Growth

Date: May-01-2012
In a new study, scientists at the University of Copenhagen show that a specific type of carbohydrate plays an important role in the intercellular signalling that controls the growth and development of the nervous system. In particular, defects in that carbohydrate may result in the uninhibited cell growth that characterizes the genetic disease neurofibromatosis and certain types of cancer. The results have just been published in the well-reputed journal PNAS. Scientists from The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen have put a special type of fruit fly under...

Research May Lead To Treatments For The Complications Of Obesity And Malnutrition

Date: May-01-2012
Medical researchers at the University of Sheffield have defined the structure of a key part of the human obesity receptor - an essential factor in the regulation of body fat - which could help provide new treatments for the complications of obesity and anorexia. This major advance in research, published in the journal Structure, will greatly enhance the ability to generate drugs which can both block and stimulate the receptor for the obesity hormone leptin. This could have life-changing effects on people suffering from the complications of obesity and malnutrition. Researchers have solved the...

Study Finds Accreditation Improves Safety Culture At Nursing Homes

Date: May-01-2012
Accredited nursing homes report a stronger resident safety culture than nonaccredited facilities, according to a new study published in the May 2012 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. The study shows that senior managers at more than 4,000 facilities across the U.S. identify Joint Commission accreditation as a positive influence on patient safety issues such as staffing, teamwork, training, nonpunitive responses to mistakes, and communication openness. The findings that accreditation stimulates positive changes in safety-related organizational structures and...

Obesity In Pregnancy, Fetal Growth And Stillbirth

Date: May-01-2012
Obesity during pregnancy puts women at higher risk of a multitude of challenges. But, according to a new study presented at the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine annual convention, fetal growth restriction, or the poor growth of a baby while in the mother's womb, is not one of them. In fact, study authors from the University of Rochester Medical Center found that the incidence of fetal growth restriction was lower in obese women when compared to non-obese women. Researchers, led by senior study author and high-risk pregnancy expert Loralei Thornburg, M.D., conducted the study...

Parents' Poor Math Skills May Lead To Medication Errors

Date: May-01-2012
Many parents cringe when their child asks for help with math homework. New research shows that poor math skills can cause another difficulty for caregivers - measuring the right amount of medicine. In fact, parents with math skills at the third grade level or below were five times more likely to measure the wrong dose of medication for their child than those with skills at the sixth grade level or higher, according to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston. "Parents face many challenges as they seek to administer medications to their children in a...