News

Rhinovirus infections, diesel exhaust particles, bacterial endotoxin and mouse allergens may all be associated with the development or worsening of asthma symptoms, according to research presented at the 2008 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this month.

Up to two and a half percent of the diagnosed autism cases may be because of one specific gene disruption, a recent study found.

Children with a genetic mutation in their hemoglobin have an increased number of abnormally small red blood cells, which protects them from severe malarial anemia due to a lower concentration of hemoglobin per red blood cell, according to a report published online March 18 in PLoS Medicine.

Two types of leukemia that predominantly strike at the opposite ends of the age spectrum -- acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which peaks in prevalence between the ages of 2 and 5 years, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is typically diagnosed in patients' 70s -- are the subject of overviews in the March 22 issue of The Lancet.

In the United Kingdom, Virgin Health Bank's model of keeping one-fifth of cord blood for private use while making the remainder available for public use could help solve the supply problem, according to an analysis published in the March 22 issue of BMJ.

Among survivors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the risk of developing subsequent treatment-related solid tumors remains elevated for up to 30 years after the initial diagnosis, according to an article first published online March 17 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Research exploring the mechanism by which peanut allergy develops as well as a potential desensitization treatment for peanut allergic individuals were among study findings presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this month.

Chronic otitis media in one ear usually signals disease in the contralateral ear, according to the results of a study published in the March issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.

Rhinoviral wheezing infections in young children usually lead to asthma by age 6, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Using a novel yeast system, small molecule inhibitors of bacterial toxins have been identified, according to research published in the February issue of PLoS Genetics.

A new Web-based tool, ASTHMA IQ, helps asthma specialists apply newly updated asthma guidelines into their clinical practice with the goal of improving the quality of care delivered to patients with asthma. ASTHMA IQ was unveiled at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this month.

Community-acquired pneumonia caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium has been estimated to account for 3 percent to 5 percent of all cases, but the actual figure may be significantly higher and may include infections caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains, according to research presented this week at the 2008 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the NovoLog insulin pump in pediatric patients, aged 4 to 18.

Leafy greens account for an increasing proportion of food-borne disease outbreaks that is not entirely due to an increase in leafy green consumption, according to research presented this week at the 2008 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.

It's time for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide on the type of study design it finds acceptable for the approval of new antibiotics, urges a Leading Edge editorial in the April issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) for children under age 5 in 2000, rates of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) have significantly declined in all age groups while rates of IPD caused by non-vaccine strains have increased modestly, according to research presented this week at the 2008 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.

According to a new survey, allergies may be causing some children problems at school during the day, and denying them sleep at night.

Four single nucleotide polymorphisms of the FKBP5 gene -- which is involved in glucocorticoid signal transduction -- may predict the development of adult post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients who experienced severe physical or sexual child abuse, according to research published in the March 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Growth hormone increases lean body mass but probably does not enhance athletic performance, according to research published online March 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

There are several, identifiable risk factors for postburn pathologic scarring, and early identification of patients most at risk can help ensure they get optimum treatment, according to a report published in the March/April issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

Quitting smoking during pregnancy reduces a mother's chances of giving birth to a baby with problem behavior, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Susceptibility to vitiligo appears to be associated with a major recessive gene, although environmental factors play a key role in onset of disease, according to a study published in the March issue of the Archives of Dermatology.

Data announced at the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology's annual meeting suggests that triamcinolone acetonide is safe for young children with year-round allergic rhinitis.

Obese children and those with an accelerated body mass index gain are more likely to have recurrence of sleep-disordered breathing after adenotonsillectomy, according to research published in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

A Boston Globe investigation casts doubt onto whether Senator Hillary Clinton (D, N.Y.) was as integral to the creation of SCHIP as she has claimed on the campaign trail.

Black children with Hodgkin's lymphoma have lower event-free survival but similar overall survival as white children with lymphoma, researchers report in the March 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Due to the risk of febrile seizures, officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer have a preference for the combination measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine over the MMR vaccine plus the varicella vaccine, according to a report in the March 14 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Among children who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home, toddlers are more likely than older children to absorb high levels of nicotine and have high levels of inflammatory markers that could increase their later risk of developing heart disease, according to research presented this week at the American Heart Association's 48th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), measured in urine, provide an earlier biomarker of acute kidney injury after cardiopulmonary bypass than serum creatinine in a pediatric population, according to research published online March 12 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

A mother's obese status has only a small effect on a child's obesity, according to a new study in PLoS Medicine...