The dangers of heat stroke in school athletes
August 15th 2008As schools begin to prepare their teams for the upcoming season, they need to be aware of the dangers of heat and heat illness. While not as prevalent as it has been in past years, cases of heat stroke are still among the most dangerous things that can happen to an athlete during summer practices, according to the Annual Survey of Football Injury Research.
APA: Otitis Media Is Novel Risk Factor for Obesity
August 14th 2008A history of ear infections in childhood may damage the sense of taste, which causes changes in the sensory properties of foods, increases liking for energy-dense foods and caloric intake, and ultimately produces weight gain, according to research presented at the American Psychological Association annual convention held Aug. 14 to 17 in Boston.
Early Diagnosis Could Cut Bird Flu Deaths in Indonesia
August 14th 2008About 80 percent of human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) confirmed in Indonesia between June 2005 and February 2008 were fatal, with early antiviral treatment improving the likelihood of survival, according to a report published online Aug. 14 in The Lancet.
Report on Infant Heart Transplants Sparks Debate
August 13th 2008A Brief Report by Mark M. Boucek, M.D., and colleagues from the Denver Children's Hospital Pediatric Heart Transplant Team published in the Aug. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine is the basis for an extended discussion of the ethics of organ procurement in three accompanying Perspective articles, an editorial, and an online roundtable discussion.
Zimbabwe Health Care in Shambles Due to Atrocities
August 13th 2008The recent violence and human rights abuses in Zimbabwe have resulted in the breakdown of the country's health system, according to an editorial published online Aug. 12 in BMJ, which says the international medical community should condemn the atrocities, support human rights and help rebuild the country's health infrastructure.
School Program Offers Some Help to Violence-Affected Kids
August 12th 2008After a school-based psychosocial intervention, children exposed to armed conflict had improvements in post-traumatic stress symptoms, but showed no significant changes in several other outcomes, according to research published Aug. 13 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Wars Create Two High-Risk Mental Health Populations
August 12th 2008Rates of post-traumatic stress disorder are high among two previously under-recognized groups -- former combatants who experienced sexual violence and former child soldiers, according to two studies published in the Aug. 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Decreasing trends in HIV- and STD-related behavior among high school students
August 8th 2008The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) administered between 1991 and 2007 and found a 12% decrease in US high school students who have had sexual intercourse. The percentage of students that are currently sexually active is down 7%, the report showed.
AAP does not support routine ECG screening in children before ADHD therapy
August 8th 2008The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has stated it does not support the routine use of electrocardiogram (ECG) screening before initiating treatment with stimulants for children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Valganciclovir May Benefit Liver Transplant Patients
August 7th 2008In pediatric liver transplant patients who are infected with Epstein-Barr virus, treatment with valganciclovir may help clear the virus and decrease the risk of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, according to the results of a study published in the August issue of Liver Transplantation.
Physical Therapy May Prevent Deformational Plagiocephaly
August 7th 2008Among infants with positional preference, treatment with physical therapy may reduce the risk of developing severe deformational plagiocephaly, and in infants with deformational plagiocephaly, molding helmet therapy may be a more effective non-surgical intervention than repositioning therapy, according to two studies published in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Over 1 Billion U.S. Doctor, Hospital Visits Logged in 2006
August 7th 2008In 2006, patients made an estimated 1.1 billion visits to physician offices and hospital emergency and outpatient departments in the United States, which was an average of four visits per person, according to health care statistics released Aug. 6 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sedentary Behavior Common Among Immigrant Children
August 7th 2008Compared to children born in the United States, immigrant children are significantly more likely to be physically inactive and not participate in sports, according to an article published in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
AIDS: Global Initiative Needed to Prevent HIV Infections
August 6th 2008To combat the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic, comprehensive prevention strategies are urgently needed, according to a series of six articles published online Aug. 6 in The Lancet and presented this week at AIDS 2008, the International AIDS Conference held in Mexico City.
Absence of Eye Contact Useful Autism Measure in Toddlers
August 6th 2008Autistic 2-year-olds make significantly less eye contact with approaching adults than their developmentally delayed but not autistic and typically developing counterparts, according to an article published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Malaria Prevention Strategies Involve Multiple Factors
August 6th 2008In short-term travelers, malaria prevention strategies vary according to the location of the trip and the travelers' medical history, according to a Clinical Practice article published in the Aug. 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.