Children’s Health

England’s outgoing Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dame Sally Davies, the top doctor in the country, believes that snacking ought to be banned on public transport and additional taxes should be placed on unhealthy foods to make them less affordable, in order to fight the menace of childhood obesity. Davies wrote in her final report as

Cases of the flu are already on the rise around the nation as flu season begins. Johns Hopkins Medicine experts say now is the time to fight against the flu as the number of people getting sick from the potentially life-threatening virus will increase in the coming months. Doctors recommend everyone 6 months and older

Adding to what is known about the growing crisis of suicide among American teens, a team led by researchers at the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University have uncovered several troubling trends during the period of 1991-2017, among Black high school students in particular. The findings were published today (Oct.

Xenoestrogens are absorbed through the environment, especially through food. As estrogen-like substances, they can have a profound effect on the body’s hormonal balance. Zearalenone, the widespread food estrogen, is formed by fungi of the Fusarium genus and enters our body mainly via our diet through bread or muesli. The placental barrier offers the unborn child

Alagille syndrome is a rare pediatric genetic disorder that can affect the liver, heart, kidneys, blood vessels, skeleton and other tissues. One major characteristic of this condition is abnormalities in the ducts that carry bile, a yellowish liquid that helps to digest fats, from the liver to the gallbladder and the small intestine. The number

A collaborative study published today in the journal Cell Reports provides evidence for a new molecular cause for neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. The study, led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, integrates data from human brain autopsy samples and fruit flies

A new OECD report on the burden of obesity has been released this week. It provides evidence on how obesity and related conditions will kill 90 million people living in the OECD nations over the next three decades. If same situations persists, obesity and overweight could reduce the life expectancy by at least three years.

Perhaps you think of allergies as being most bothersome- and most likely to occur- during the spring and summer months, when pollens and molds are seemingly everywhere. But allergies can occur in the fall, too, and so if your child has allergies, it’s important that you make sure he or she continues to use prescribed

An unprecedented case at Boston Children’s Hospital shows that it’s possible to do something that’s never been done before: identify a patient’s unique mutation, design a customized drug to bypass it, manufacture and test the drug, and obtain permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin treating the patient — all in less

Most biology textbooks explain that the fetal immune system is largely undeveloped and that it learns after being exposed to the world at birth. New research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh challenges that paradigm, and provides the first comprehensive look at the immune system of the

Rotavirus infection may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, according to a front matter article published October 10 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Leonard C. Harrison of the University of Melbourne in Australia, and colleagues. Rotavirus remains the major cause of infantile gastroenteritis worldwide, although the advent of vaccination

Researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Iowa have identified a compound in human breast milk that fights infections by harmful bacteria while allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive. Human breast milk has more than 200 times the amount of glycerol monolaurate (GML) than is found in cows’ milk. Infant formula has none. GML

A vaccine for the common and sometimes deadly RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) has been elusive, but scientists say a new discovery puts them much closer to success. A new study from The Ohio State University provides a potential blueprint for finding the immunological sweet spot – a vaccine weak enough that it doesn’t make people

Surgery can mend congenital heart defects shortly after birth, but those babies will carry a higher risk of heart failure throughout the rest of their lives. Yet, according to a Science Translational Medicine study published today by UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh researchers, β-blockers could supplement surgery to regenerate infant heart muscle and mitigate the

As 5G wireless technology is slowly making its way across the globe, many government agencies and organizations advise that there is no reason to be alarmed about the effects of radiofrequency waves on our health. But some experts strongly disagree. Why do some people believe that 5G technology may harm our health? The term 5G

African-American and other ethnically diverse mothers know the value of a good night’s sleep, but they and their young children are at risk for developing sleep problems if they live in urban poverty, a Rutgers study finds. The study, published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, looked at the sleeping patterns of 32 women

The average American adult spends more than three and a half hours looking down at their smartphones every day. Looking down or slouching for long periods of time can not only cause chronic pain in the back, neck and knees, but it can lead to more serious health issues like circulation problems, heartburn and digestive

Researchers from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data on the effect of electrical stimulation therapies on spinal fusion. They found significant improvement overall in the rates of bone fusion following a course of electrical stimulation in both preclinical (animal) and clinical (human) studies. Detailed findings

A new study found that one in three young adults receive medication for opioid use disorder within 12 months of a non-fatal opioid overdose. The study, led by researchers at Boston Medical Center’s Grayken Center for Addiction, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), shows which medications – buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone

Bronchiolitis is a lung infection that mostly occurs in infants in the autumn and winter months, although adults may also develop it. This infection, which affects the lower airways, can be severe and often requires medical attention. Doctors often diagnose bronchiolitis in children under 2 years of age. Experts estimate that during a baby’s first