MedWorm: Child Development

Developing community-based preventive interventions in Hong Kong: a description of the first phase of the Family Project

BMC Public Health - Latest articles — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:50:35 +0100

Conclusions: This work has public health significance because of the global importance of parent-child relationships as a risk-factor for many outcomes in adulthood, the need to develop interventions with strong evidence of effectiveness to populations outside the West, the potential application of our interventions to universal populations, and characteristics of the interventions that promote dissemination, including minimal additional costs for delivery by community agencies, and high acceptability to participants. (Source: BMC Public Health - Latest articles)

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Quality of Care Indicators for the Rehabilitation of Children With Traumatic Brain Injury. - Rivara FP, Ennis SK, Mangione-Smith R, MacKenzie EJ, Jaffe KM.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:53 +0100

Rivara FP, Ennis SK, Mangione-Smith R, MacKenzie EJ, Jaffe KM; and the National Expert Panel for the Development of Pediatric Rehabilitation Quality Care Indicators. Quality of Care Indicators for the Rehabilitation of Children With Traumatic Brain Injury.... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Childhood aggression, callous-unemotional traits and oxytocin genes. - Beitchman JH, Zai CC, Muir K, Berall L, Nowrouzi B, Choi E, Kennedy JL.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:53 +0100

Given the known behavior effects of oxytocin, and in particular its putative effect on trust, affiliation and anxiety, we hypothesized that oxytocin may be involved in the development and expression of callous-unemotional traits in children with aggressive... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

DEVELOPMENT-NIGER: Three Million Children Threatened by Hunger

IPS Inter Press Service - Health — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:48 +0100

Women have been left in charge of many of the households in the village of Zamkoye-Koïra, in western Niger, as food shortages have driven male family members to leave in search of work elsewhere. A national survey of vulnerable households shows that 5.4 million people face food insecurity across Niger. (Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health)

Mothers' and Fathers' Parenting Quality and Toddlers' Interactive Behaviours in Dyadic and Triadic Family Contexts

Infant and Child Development — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study adds unique insights to the differences and similarities of parent–child dyadic and triadic interactions during toddlerhood. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Source: Infant and Child Development)

Longitudinal Assessment of Sleep–Wake Regulation and Attachment Security with Parents

Infant and Child Development — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The development of sleep–wake regulation occurs within the context of the infant–parent relationship. The present study investigated (1) patterns of change in night waking across infancy and attachment to parents and (2) if dependency, a characteristic of secure subgroup B4 and insecure‐resistant infants, accounted for differences in night waking. Forty‐six families reported on the number of infant night wakings at 7, 12, and 14 months of age. Attachment was measured at 12 (infant–mother) and 14 (infant–father) months. Findings suggest that infants with a secure (including the dependent‐secure, B4) pattern of attachment with mothers decreased in the number of night wakings over time, whereas infants with an insecure‐resistant pattern of attachment with mothers continued t...

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Physical punishment of children potentially harmful to their long-term development

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Canadian Medical Association Journal) An analysis of research on physical punishment of children over the past 20 years indicates that such punishment is potentially harmful to their long-term development, states an article in Canadian Medical Association Journal. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Kids Making Too Much Noise?

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:03:48 +0100

Try reading this story to your children if they sometimes make too much noise. Your discussion afterwards should be interesting. The story was written by a five-year-old boy who was trying to learn to tame his volume.read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

Summer Camps Make Kids Resilient

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:19:48 +0100

Speaking with 300 Camp Directors, I discovered that camps offer children 7 important things that make them more resilient. read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

What Are the Major Diseases Involving Copper Metabolism?

PediatricEducation.org — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:08:49 +0100

Discussion Nutritional problems can occur in all parts of the world and in all socioeconomic strata. Caloric and/or protein inadequacy unfortunately plagues too many people because of inadequate supplies or availability. Supplemental food programs around the world attempt to provide appropriate nutrition, but can be stymied because of war, political instability, economic instability and many other social factors. The most common specific nutrient deficiencies are iron and Vitamin D deficiencies. Minerals important for essential nutrition include copper, iodine, selenium and zinc. A typical mixed diet usually provides enough minerals. In the United States, mineral deficiencies are usually uncommon unless there is an underlying disease process or abnormal food restrictions or diet. Vegan an...

Birdbooker Report 208 | @GrrlScientist

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Compiled by an ardent bibliophile, this weekly report includes books about mosses, scientific art and stream ecology that have been newly published in North America and the UKBooks to the ceiling, Books to the sky,My pile of books is a mile high.How I love them! How I need them!I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. ~ Arnold Lobel [1933-1987] author of many popular children's books. Compiled by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, the Birdbooker Report is a long-running weekly report listing the wide variety of nature, natural history, ecology, animal behaviour, science and history books that have been newly released or republished in North America and in the UK. The books listed here were received by Ian during the previous week, courtesy of these various publishing houses. New and Recent ...

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Medical‐legal partnership: impact on patients with sickle cell disease

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:49 +0100

(Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

Development of a risk‐stratification tool for medical child abuse in failure to thrive

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:47 +0100

(Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

QTc values among children and adolescents presenting to the emergency department

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:45 +0100

(Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

Melatonin in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:44 +0100

(Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

Survival at 19 years of age in a total population of children and young people with cerebral palsy

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:42 +0100

(Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

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Abusive head trauma: recognition and the essential investigation

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:40 +0100

(Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

What causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:38 +0100

(Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

Test–retest reliability of the Xhosa version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:28 +0100

Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the test–retest reliability of the Xhosa version of the DISC‐IV is similar to the reliability reported in other translated versions of the instrument. The satisfactory reliability and straightforward application make this instrument suitable for use in South Africa. (Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

Stress, cortisol and well‐being of caregivers and children in home‐based child care: a case for differential susceptibility

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:26 +0100

Conclusions The findings point to differential susceptibility. Child care organizations and parents need to notice that a non‐stressful child care environment is in particular important for children with a difficult temperament. (Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

Editorial: Can we dissect the interplay of genes and environment across development?

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:40:51 +0100

(Source: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry)

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[Correspondence] Improving health: can Pakistan prioritise?

LANCET — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Pakistan lags far behind in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Neonatal mortality is responsible for 57% of all deaths in children younger than 5 years in the country, and Pakistan has the highest neonatal mortality rate in the region. The under-5 mortality rate has decreased by 24% since 1990. However, both rates have remained more or less static in the poorest income quintile. With the devolution of the Ministry of Health last year, Pakistan faces the challenge of developing the much needed provincial infrastructure that would integrate the comprehensive efforts of various stakeholders in promoting better health outcomes. (Source: LANCET)

[Comment] Behavioural problems from perinatal and neonatal insults

LANCET — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The nature, scale, and interactions of behavioural disorders after neonatal and perinatal insults, including preterm birth and infectious diseases, are not well understood. In The Lancet, Michael Mwaniki and colleagues present a broad systematic review of the type and probability of development of a range of neurodevelopmental sequelae, in which they have included 153 research studies and 22 161 liveborn children. The authors report a very high overall prevalence of at least one deficit in any domain (median risk 39·4%, IQR 20·0–54·8%). (Source: LANCET)

Genetic Variation inMMP20Contributes to Higher Caries Experience

Journal of Dentistry — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:20:26 +0100

ConclusionVariation inMMP20may be associated with caries experience mainly in Caucasian subjects with poor oral health habits (Source: Journal of Dentistry)

Expression and distribution of creatine transporter and creatine kinase (brain isoform) in developing and mature rat cochlear tissues

Histochemistry and Cell Biology — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:11:20 +0100

This study postulates that this CRT is developmentally regulated in the rat cochlea. CRT expression was measured by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry in the postnatal (P0–P14) and adult (P22–P56) rat cochlea. The maximum CRT expression was reached at the onset of hearing (P12), and this level was maintained through to adulthood. CRT immunoreactivity was strongest in the sensory inner hair cells, supporting cells and the spiral ganglion neurons. Cochlear distribution of the CK brain isoform (CKB) was also assessed by immunohistochemistry and compared with the distribution of CRT in the developing and adult cochlea. CKB was immunolocalized in the organ of Corti supporting cells, and the lateral wall tissues involved in K+ cycling, including stria vascularis and...

Criticizing (Common Criticisms of) Praise

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:52:30 +0100

Over the last few years I've had the odd experience of seeing my work cited with approval by people whose views on the issue in question are diametrically opposed to my own. The issue I have in mind is praise. I'm troubled by it, as are the people who quote me, but for very different reasons. read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

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Backhanded Compliments and Sugarcoated Hostility

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:45:39 +0100

Is there someone in your life who consistently makes you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster? Do you know a person who is friendly one day but sulks and withdraws the next? Chances are you may be interacting with a passive aggressive person.read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

Elevated serum homocysteine levels in paediatric patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon

Revista Brasileira de Reumatologia — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:19:07 +0100

CONCLUSION: Paediatric patients with RP have increased S-homocysteine levels, suggesting that homocysteine plays an important role in the development of vascular dysfunction, even at an early age (Source: Revista Brasileira de Reumatologia)

Residential exposure to outdoor air pollution from livestock operations and perceived annoyance among citizens.

Environment International — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:49:05 +0100

Authors: Blanes-Vidal V, Suh H, Nadimi ES, Løfstrøm P, Ellermann T, Andersen HV, Schwartz J Abstract Epidemiological studies have shown that residential exposure to livestock odors can affect the health and wellbeing of rural citizens. However, exposure-response models for this relationship have not been developed. One of the main challenges is to identify a compound that can be used as proxy for livestock odor exposure. In this paper we developed models that describe the relationship between long-term averaged outdoor residential ammonia (NH(3)) exposures and livestock odor annoyance experienced by rural residents, and investigated person-related variables associated with annoyance responses. We used emission-based atmospheric dispersion modeling data to estimate household-speci...

Childhood blood lead levels and intellectual development after ban of leaded gasoline in Taiwan: A 9-year prospective study.

Environment International — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:48:12 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Low-level postnatal BPb levels in children at 2-5years may have lagged effects on neurodevelopment in those at 5 to 8years. Action is warranted to reduce even very low environmental Pb levels to reduce the developmental burden of Pb on children. PMID: 22280932 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Environment International)

Mentoring Helps Survivors Of Violence, Child Abuse

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0100

Can mentoring relationships help female students who survive childhood abuse or domestic violence? Absolutely, according to new research from Concordia University, published in the Journal of College Student Development. "Studies have shown that childhood abuse unleashes a chain of negative emotions that can impact an individual's future, producing feelings of shame, isolation, self-loathing and educational underachievement," says first author Rosemary C. Reilly, an associate professor in the Concordia Department of Applied Human Sciences... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Study Of Human And Other Primate Brains Finds Extended Synaptic Development May Explain Our Cognitive Edge

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Over the first few years of life, human cognition continues to develop, soaking up information and experiences from the environment and far surpassing the abilities of even our nearest primate relatives. In a study published online in Genome Research, researchers have identified extended synaptic development in the human brain relative to other primates, a finding that sheds new light on the biology and evolution of human cognition. "Why can we absorb environmental information during infancy and childhood and develop intellectual skills that chimpanzees cannot?" asks Dr... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Fighting malaria with one hand tied back

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:29:00 +0100

Malaria does not just kill babies and children under five – it kills adults too, in nearly as large proportionsDecades of assumptions about the lethality of malaria have been overturned by the publication of a paper in the Lancet from an academic institute in Seattle which says the disease kills twice as many as everybody thought. Even more extraordinary – it would seem that conventional wisdom about the disease has been wrong all this time.It does not just kill babies and children under five — it kills adults too, in nearly as large proportions.The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation has astounded the global health community by claiming it has been fighting malaria apparently with one hand behind its back. The death toll has come down since 2004, thanks to huge efforts to get...

Parental Cancer: Catalyst for Positive Growth and Change

Qualitative Health Research — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Cancer is a disease that affects the entire family, with each member having unique psychological needs. To date, there has been limited research into the effect of parental cancer on adult children. Furthermore, existing research has largely overlooked the possibility of positive psychological growth in the adult offspring of cancer patients. To investigate the perceived benefits arising from parental cancer, 11 interviews were undertaken with adults whose parents had been diagnosed with cancer, to discuss their experiences of their parent’s illness, and their evaluation of both the positive and negative changes that had arisen. All participants were able to identify positive outcomes in direct response to their parent’s cancer. Frequently suggested changes included improved re...

[Original Articles] Protective Factors for Adults From Low-Childhood Socioeconomic Circumstances: The Benefits of Shift-and-Persist for Allostatic Load

Psychosomatic Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Identifying the health-related protective qualities that naturally occur in some low-SES individuals represents one important approach for developing future health improvement interventions for those who start out life low in SES. Moreover, the psychological qualities that are protective from future disease risk for those from low-SES backgrounds are different from those beneficial to high-SES individuals. (Source: Psychosomatic Medicine)

Altered frequency and phenotype of CD4+FOXP3+ T cells and its association with autoantibody production in HIV‐infected paediatric patients

Clinical and Experimental Immunology — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

SummaryThe association between immune dysfunction and the development of autoimmune pathology in patients with HIV/AIDS is not clear. The frequency and phenotype of regulatory T cells, as well as the presence of autoantibodies were evaluated in a paediatric cohort of HIV‐infected patients without clinical evidence of autoimmune disease. Lower absolute counts but higher percentages of total CD4+FOXP3+ T cells were recorded in children with severe immunosuppression than in those without evidence of immunosuppression. The frequencies of classical CD4+CD25+FOXP3+regulatory T cells were not altered, whereas CD4+FOXP3+CD25–T cells were found significantly increased in patients with severe immunosuppression. Like classical regulatory T cells, CD4+FOXP3+CD25–T cells display higher CTLA‐4 b...

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Little Pitchers Use Their Big Ears: Preschoolers Solve Problems by Listening to Others Ask Questions

Child Development — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Children ask questions and learn from the responses they receive; however, little is known about how children learn from listening to others ask questions. Five experiments examined preschoolers’ (N = 179) ability to solve simple problems using information gathered from listening to question‐and‐answer exchanges between 2 parties present in the same room. Overall, the ability to efficiently use information gathered from overheard exchanges improved between ages 3 and 5. Critically, however, across ages children solved the majority of problems correctly, suggesting preschoolers are capable of learning from others’ questions. Moreover, children learned from others’ questions without explicit instruction and when engaged in another activity. Implications for the development of p...

Early Action and Gesture “Vocabulary” and Its Relation With Word Comprehension and Production

Child Development — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Data from 492 Italian infants (8–18 months) were collected with the parental questionnaire MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories to describe early actions and gestures (A‐G) “vocabulary” and its relation with spoken vocabulary in both comprehension and production. A‐G were more strongly correlated with word comprehension than word production. A clear developmental pattern for the different types of A‐G was found. These findings are similar to those of different Western languages, indicating a common biological and cultural basis. The analysis of individual A‐G and their relations with early words with a related meaning showed interesting similarities between the production of A‐G with and without object manipulation and the comprehension and production of ...

The Mind Behind the Message: Advancing Theory‐of‐Mind Scales for Typically Developing Children, and Those With Deafness, Autism, or Asperger Syndrome

Child Development — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Children aged 3–12 years (n = 184) with typical development, deafness, autism, or Asperger syndrome took a series of theory‐of‐mind (ToM) tasks to confirm and extend previous developmental scaling evidence. A new sarcasm task, in the format of H. M. Wellman and D. Liu’s (2004) 5‐step ToM Scale, added a statistically reliable 6th step to the scale for all diagnostic groups. A key previous finding, divergence in task sequencing for children with autism, was confirmed. Comparisons among diagnostic groups, controlling age, and language ability, showed that typical developers mastered the 6 ToM steps ahead of each of the 3 disabled groups, with implications for ToM theories. The final (sarcasm) task challenged even nondisabled 9‐year‐olds, demonstrating the new scale’s sen...

Pioneering research will assess the effects of obesity on bone development

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(University of Sheffield) Researchers from the University of Sheffield are conducting ground-breaking research to determine how body weight and hormones affect bone health from childhood to adulthood. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Malaria kills twice as many people as previously thought, research finds

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:41:00 +0100

Malaria kills 1.2 million people every year, a finding that has implications for global efforts to eliminate the diseaseMalaria kills twice as many people every year as formerly believed, taking 1.2 million lives and causing the deaths not only of babies but also older children and adults, according to research that overturns decades of assumptions about one of the world's most lethal diseases.The findings from the research, published on Friday, which has reanalysed 30 years of data on the disease using new techniques, will force a rethink of the huge global effort that has been under way to eliminate malaria. That ambition now looks highly unlikely by the UN target date of 2015.It also raises urgent questions about the future of the troubled Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria, whic...

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Disorders of Sex Development

Springer Medicine titles — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:27:11 +0100

An Integrated Approach to ManagementThe birth of a baby with ambiguous genitalia triggers a chain reaction of difficulties that rapidly spread to the entire family and most medical attendants, leading to lasting effects on the gender identity, personality, and sexual functioning of the unfortunate individual. The rapid advances in medicine over the last 50 years have totally changed the outlook for children with disorders of ... (Source: Springer Medicine titles)

An essential role for p38 MAPK in cerebellar granule neuron precursor proliferation

Acta Neuropathologica — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:15:33 +0100

Abstract Development of the cerebellum occurs postnatally and is marked by a rapid proliferation of cerebellar granule neuron precursors (CGNPs). CGNPs are the cells of origin for SHH-driven medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children. Here, we investigated the role of ERK, JNK, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases in CGNP proliferation. We found high levels of p38α in proliferating CGNPs. Concomitantly, members of the p38 pathway, such as ASK1, MKK3 and ATF-2, were also elevated. Inhibition of the Shh pathway or CGNP proliferation blunts p38α levels, irrespective of Shh treatment. Strikingly, p38α levels were high in vivo in the external granule layer of the postnatal cerebellum, Shh-dependent mouse medulloblastomas and human medulloblastoma...

A Case Control Study on Specific Learning Disorders in School Going Children in Bikaner City

Indian Journal of Pediatrics — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:10:35 +0100

Conclusions The current study, therefore, is an attempt to identify children with learning disorders and explore the prevalence of the problem and etiological factors e.g., family environment, social factors and developmental issues of child and associated co-morbidities. More studies with larger sample size should be undertaken to get accurate picture of these disorders.There is also need for some community based programme to raise the level of awareness and knowledge about these disorders in general population. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-5DOI 10.1007/s12098-012-0699-7Authors Madan Gopal Choudhary, Department of Pediatric Medicine, S.P. Medical College and AG Hospital, Bikaner, 334001 Rajasthan, IndiaAdeesh Jain, Department of Ped...

Sleepy Teens

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:01:31 +0100

Can't get your teen out of bed to go to school? Maybe the problem isn't him. Maybe the problem is his changing body.read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

Video Game Addiction: Does It Occur? If So, Why?

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:19:42 +0100

The concept of "video game addiction" has been rejected by the American Psychiatric Association, by many video game researchers, and by many psychotherapists who work with video gamers. I reject it too. Here's why; and here's how you might help someone you know who spends lots of time at video games and seems unhappy.read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

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Owl Monkeys: Among the Most Amazing Mammal Fathers

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:04:47 +0100

Owl monkey fathers mostly take over feeding after weaning.read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

Lipid-Laden Alveolar Macrophages and pH Monitoring in Gastroesophageal Reflux-Related Respiratory Symptoms

Clinical and Developmental Immunology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:21:45 +0100

This study was conducted to prove a correlation between the detection of alimentary pulmonary fat phagocytosis and an increasing amount of proximal gastroesophageal reflux. It was assumed that proximal gastroesophageal reflux better correlates with aspiration than distal GER. Patients from 6 months to 16 years with unexplained recurrent wheezy bronchitis and bronchial hyperreactivity, or recurrent pneumonia with chronic cough underwent 24-hour double-channel pH monitoring and bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Aspiration of gastric content was determined by counting lipid laden alveolar macrophages from BAL specimens. There were no correlations between any pH-monitoring parameters and counts of lipid-laden macrophages in the whole study population, even when restricting analys...

The use of intravenous bisphosphonate therapy to treat vertebral fractures due to osteoporosis among boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Osteoporosis International — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:55:23 +0100

Conclusions Intravenous bisphosphonate therapy was associated with improvements in back pain and stabilization to improvement in vertebral height ratios of previously fractured vertebral bodies. At the same time, such therapy does not appear to completely prevent the development of new vertebral fractures in this context. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-9DOI 10.1007/s00198-012-1911-3Authors A. M. Sbrocchi, Division of Endocrinology, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Rd., Ottawa, ON, Canada K1H 8L1F. Rauch, Genetics Unit, Shriners Hospital for Children, Montreal, QC, CanadaP. Jacob, Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, CanadaA. McCormick, Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospita...

The Big Picture Part II

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:29:29 +0100

"My daughter has that blank look on her face. I'm wondering if Mallory is really paying attention or truly can't understand what I'm requesting?" "Jake just seems to ramble at times. At other times, he has trouble saying what he thinks. Jake also uses words like, ‘stuff,' and ‘that thing' a lot. He is so smart but you can't tell when he talks."read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

Evaluation of metabolic syndrome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children and adolescents

Pediatric Blood and Cancer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionsThe prevalence of MS was 32%, which was significantly higher than in a healthy pediatric population. We recommend prolonged follow‐up for transplant recipients, coupled with enforcement of preventive measures, such as early diagnosis and encouragement of a healthy lifestyle. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Source: Pediatric Blood and Cancer)

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Unresolved Attachment Status and Trauma-Related Symptomatology in Maltreated Adolescents: An Examination of Cognitive Mediators.

Child Psychiatry and Human Development — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study investigated the associations between unresolved/disorganized attachment, cognitive functioning, and dissociative symptomatology in a sample of 60 adolescents with a history of maltreatment. A model with cognitive efficiency as a mediator variable was tested using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, with a bootstrapping procedure to examine indirect effects. Results provided support for the association between unresolved attachment, cognitive efficiency (but not verbal or thinking ability), and dissociation. Working memory was a strong mediator of the link between attachment and dissociation. These results highlight the importance of assessing attachment status and cognitive functioning in the context of clinical work with maltreated youth. In addition, it is proposed tha...

A Risk‐Prediction Model for In‐hospital Mortality After Heart Transplantation in US Children

American Journal of Transplantation — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We sought to develop and validate a quantitative risk‐prediction model for predicting the risk of posttransplant in‐hospital mortality in pediatric heart transplantation (HT). Children <18 years of age who underwent primary HT in the United States during 1999–2008 (n = 2707) were identified using Organ Procurement and Transplant Network data. A risk‐prediction model was developed using two‐thirds of the cohort (random sample), internally validated in the remaining one‐third, and independently validated in a cohort of 338 children transplanted during 2009–2010. The best predictive model had four categorical variables: hemodynamic support (ECMO, ventilator support, VAD support vs. medical therapy), cardiac diagnosis (repaired congenital heart disease [CHD], unrepaired CHD vs...

Developmental Maturation of Dynamic Causal Control Signals in Higher-Order Cognition: A Neurocognitive Network Model

PLoS Computational Biology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

by Kaustubh Supekar, Vinod Menon Cognitive skills undergo protracted developmental changes resulting in proficiencies that are a hallmark of human cognition. One skill that develops over time is the ability to problem solve, which in turn relies on cognitive control and attention abilities. Here we use a novel multimodal neurocognitive network-based approach combining task-related fMRI, resting-state fMRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate the maturation of control processes underlying problem solving skills in 7–9 year-old children. Our analysis focused on two key neurocognitive networks implicated in a wide range of cognitive tasks including control: the insula-cingulate salience network, anchored in anterior insula (AI), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior...

Deprivation, ethnicity and the prevalence of intellectual and developmental disabilities

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Children whose development is already compromised (and especially children with less severe intellectual disabilities) are at increased risk of exposure to social conditions that are themselves inimical to healthy development. (Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health)

Socio-economic inequalities in healthy child development: the evidence grows

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

For those of us interested in socio-economic inequalities in healthy child development, this issue of the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health should strongly reinforce concerns we may have. As has been shown previously, there are large and avoidable inequalities in a wide range of healthy child development markers beginning at conception. In addition, it is well known that although not deterministic, conditions in early childhood cast a long shadow into later life, strongly shaping future trajectories of lifelong health, well-being and competence.1 What is striking is that for any given condition or deficit, as large as the inequalities are early in life, the differences tend only to widen as children grow and develop. Even in the more affluent countries of the world, these ineq...

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Age and Ethnic Differences in Cold Weather and Contagion Theories of Colds and Flu

Health Education — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Age and ethnic group differences in cold weather and contagion or germ theories of infectious disease were explored in two studies. A cold weather theory was frequently invoked to explain colds and to a lesser extent flu but became less prominent with age as children gained command of a germ theory of disease. Explanations of how contact with other people causes disease were more causally sophisticated than explanations of how cold weather causes it. Finally, Mexican American and other minority children were more likely than European American children to subscribe to cold weather theories, a difference partially but not wholly attributable to ethnic group differences in parent education. Findings support the value of an intuitive or naïve theories perspective in understanding developm...

Characterization of a novel KRAS mutation identified in Noonan syndrome

American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractNoonan syndrome (NS) is the most common non‐chromosomal syndrome seen in children and is characterized by short stature, dysmorphic facial features, chest deformity, a wide range of congenital heart defects and developmental delay of variable degree. Mutations in the Ras/mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways cause about 70% of NS cases with a KRAS mutation present in about 2%. In a cohort of 65 clinically confirmed NS patients of Japanese origin, we screened for mutations in the RAS genes by direct sequencing. We found a novel mutation in KRAS with an amino acid substitution of asparagine to serine at codon 116 (N116S). We analyzed the biological activity of this mutant by ectopic expression of wild‐type or mutant KRAS. NS‐associated KRAS mutation resul...

Dextrocardia, atrial septal defect, severe developmental delay, facial anomalies, and supernumerary ribs in a child with a complex unbalanced 8;22 translocation including partial 8p duplication

American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We report on a child with dextrocardia, atrial septal defect (ASD), severe developmental delay, hypotonia, 13 pairs of ribs, left preauricular choristoma, hirsutism, and craniofacial abnormalities. Prenatal cytogenetic evaluation showed karyotype 46,XY,?dup(8p)ish del(8)pter. Postnatal array CGH demonstrated a 6.8 Mb terminal deletion at 8p23.3–p23, an interstitial 31.1 Mb duplication within 8p23.1–p11, and a terminal duplication of 0.24 Mb at 22q13.33, refining the karyotype to 46,XY,der(8)dup(8)(p23.1p11.1)t(8;22)(p23.1;q13.1).ish der(8)dup(8)(p23.1p11.1)t(8;22)(p23.1;q13.1) (D8S504‐,MS607 + ,ARSA + ,D8Z1 + , RP115713 + +). Previous reports of distal 8p deletion, 8p duplication, and distal 22q duplication have shown similar manifestations, including congenital...

Scaling of pharmacokinetics across paediatric populations: the lack of interpolative power of allometric models

British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The current results indicate that irrespective of whether extrapolation or interpolation methods are to be applied during paediatric drug development, model predictions beyond the range of the data used for parameter estimation may be biased. For accurate inter‐ or extrapolation to different populations, the assumption of identical parameter‐covariate correlations across age groups may not be taken for granted.© 2012 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology © 2012 The British Pharmacological Society (Source: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology)

Early Nurturing Boosts Brain DevelopmentEarly Nurturing Boosts Brain Development

Medscape Today Headlines — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:18:17 +0100

New research shows a strong and clear link between supportive caregiving in early childhood and greater hippocampal volume later on; a finding with potentially 'profound' implications. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

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Tax and regulate sugar like alcohol and tobacco, urge scientists

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:16:00 +0100

Sugar is as toxic to the liver as alcohol and is at the root of obesity and certain types of liver disease, claim US scientistsSugar should be regulated in the same way as alcohol and tobacco because its increasing use in processed foods poses a significant danger to public health, according to a group of scientists. They advocate controlling sales to children under 17 and taxing sugary foods.Sugar, they argue, is as toxic to the liver as alcohol and overconsumption is at the root of growing public health problems including obesity and certain types of liver disease.In an opinion article for the journal Nature, Robert Lustig, Laura Schmidt and Claire Brindis of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), said that, over the past 50 years, consumption of sugar had trebled worldwide....

Review of Inhaled Nitric Oxide in the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Setting

Pediatric Cardiology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:13:49 +0100

Abstract Surgical intervention for congenital heart disease (CHD) can be complicated by pulmonary hypertension (PH), which increases morbidity, mortality, and medical burden. Consequently, postoperative management of PH is an important clinical consideration to improve outcomes. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is a widely accepted standard of care for PH and has been studied in the context of cardiac surgery for CHD. However, large randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trials in pediatric patients are limited. This review will provide an overview of the clinical studies in this setting and will discuss general treatment considerations to facilitate a better understanding of the clinical use of iNO for PH after pediatric cardiac surgery. Content ...

Development of the Healthy Pathways Parent-Report Scales

Quality of Life Research — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:09:30 +0100

Conclusions The Healthy Pathways Parent-Report Scales may be used to reliably, accurately, and efficiently assess unidimensional aspects of health, illness, well-being, and achievement in clinical and population-based research studies involving youth in middle childhood and adolescence. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-16DOI 10.1007/s11136-012-0111-0Authors Katherine B. Bevans, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USAAnne W. Riley, Department of Population Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USAChristopher B. Forrest, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Children’...

Mothers Who Eat Fish While Pregnant Produce Offspring With Better Cognitive Development

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0100

Does eating fish during pregnancy improve a child's intelligence? According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition the answer is yes. The study revealed that infants of mothers who consumed more fish during pregnancy achieved higher scores in verbal intelligence and fine motor skill testing, as well as having a higher pro-social behavior. The study is part of the NUTRIMENTHE project "Effect of diet on offspring's cognitive development", which focuses on the effects of genetic variants and maternal fish intake on the children's intellectual capacity... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Mars and Venus in the … Parking Garage?

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:18:23 +0100

In research just conducted in the United Kingdom, surreptitious surveillance of parking garages was used to compare the performance of men and women on a wide range of car-parking dimensions. What did the study find? And what do the findings tell us more generally regarding how we tend to think about sex differences?read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

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Familial 16q24.3 microdeletion involving ANKRD11 causes a KBG‐like syndrome

American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We present a mother and child with a heterozygous 365 Kb deletion at 16q24.3 containing ANKRD11, ZNF778, and SPG7 genes. The child presented with developmental delay, facial anomalies, hand anomalies, and a congenital heart defect. The mother has short stature, facial anomalies, macrodontia, hand anomalies, and learning disability. Both individuals had many findings reported in KBG syndrome and the family met the suggested diagnostic criteria. However, typical macrodontia with fused incisors, costovertebral anomalies, and delayed bone age were not present. We conclude that microdeletions involving ANKRD11 result in a phenotype similar to that of KBG syndrome. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Source: American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A)

Assessment of Toll‐like receptor‐4 gene polymorphism on pyelonephritis and renal scar

International Journal of Immunogenetics — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

SummaryThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the TLR‐4 gene TLR4 c.896A<G polymorphism on the development and clinical severity of urinary tract infections (UTI) and renal scar formations in children. The patients with first diagnosis of UTI (n = 112) and healthy controls (n = 93) were enrolled in the study. The TLR4 c.896A<G polymorphism was analysed in groups. The mean age of the patients in the study group was 8.1 ± 3.5 years and 9.2 ± 2.7 years for those in the control group. The TLR4 c.896A<G polymorphism was detected in 12.5% in the UTI group and in 15.1% of the control group. Forty patients showed pyelonephritis (PN) with scar tissue, 37 patients had PN without scars, and 35 patients had lower UTI. The TLR4 c.896A<G polymorphism was ...

Childhood obesity: a life-long health risk.

Acta Pharmacologica Sinica — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article reviews factors underlying the accelerated vascular disease development due to obesity. It also highlights the importance of recognizing childhood obesity as a disease condition and its permissive role in aggravating the development of other diseases. The importance of childhood obesity for disease susceptibility later in life, and the need for prevention and treatment are also discussed. PMID: 22301858 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Acta Pharmacologica Sinica)

Towards child versus adult brain mechanical properties.

Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Chatelin S, Vappou J, Roth S, Raul JS, Willinger R Abstract The characterization of brain tissue mechanical properties is of crucial importance in the development of realistic numerical models of the human head. While the mechanical behavior of the adult brain has been extensively investigated in several studies, there is a considerable paucity of data concerning the influence of age on mechanical properties of the brain. Therefore, the implementation of child and infant head models often involves restrictive assumptions like properties scaling from adult or animal data. The present study presents a step towards the investigation of the effects of age on viscoelastic properties of human brain tissue from a first set of dynamic oscillatory shear experiments. Tests were also...

Maternal Stress during Pregnancy, ADHD Symptomatology in Children and Genotype: Gene-Environment Interaction.

Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Maternal stress during pregnancy was associated with the development of ADHD symptomatology after controlling for family history of ADHD and other environmental factors. This association could partly be mediated through the DRD4 genotype. PMID: 22299010 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)

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Systemic Antibody Responses to the Immunodominant p23 Antigen and p23 Polymorphisms in Children with Cryptosporidiosis in Bangladesh.

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Borad AJ, Allison GM, Wang D, Ahmed S, Karim MM, Kane AV, Moy J, Hibberd PL, Rao Ajjampur SS, Kang G, Calderwood SB, Ryan ET, Naumova E, Khan WA, Ward HD Abstract Abstract. Cryptosporidium is a major cause of diarrhea in children in developing countries. However, there is no vaccine available and little is known about immune responses to protective antigens. We investigated antibody responses to p23, a putative vaccine candidate, in children in Bangladesh with cryptosporidiosis and diarrhea (cases) and uninfected children with diarrhea (controls), and p23 gene polymorphisms in infecting species. Serum IgM, IgG, and IgA responses to p23 were significantly greater in cases than controls after three weeks of follow-up. Cases with acute diarrhea had significantly greater serum...

Prognosis and Continuity of Child Mental Health Problems from Preschool to Primary School: Results of a Four-Year Longitudinal Study.

Child Psychiatry and Human Development — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Beyer T, Postert C, Müller JM, Furniss T Abstract In a four-year longitudinal study, changes in and continuity of behavioral and emotional problems were examined in 814 subjects from kindergarten to primary school. Mental health problems were assessed by means of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The distribution of the CBCL broadband groups revealed a high level of continuity of internalizing symptoms over the four-year period and a shift from externalizing symptoms at baseline towards a combination of internalizing and externalizing symptoms at follow-up. The presence of mental health problems at follow-up was correlated with gender (higher amongst boys), pre-existing mental health problems at baseline, and separation or divorce of the parents, but not with single-fa...

Age-associated DNA methylation in pediatric populations [RESEARCH]

Genome Research — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

DNA methylation (DNAm) plays diverse roles in human biology, but this dynamic epigenetic mark remains far from fully characterized. Although earlier studies uncovered loci that undergo age-associated DNAm changes in adults, little is known about such changes during childhood. Despite profound DNAm plasticity during embryogenesis, monozygotic twins show indistinguishable childhood methylation, suggesting DNAm is highly coordinated throughout early development. Here we examine the methylation of 27,578 CpG dinucleotides in peripheral blood DNA from a cross-sectional study of 398 boys, aged 3 to 17 years, and find significant age-associated changes in DNAm at 2,078 loci. These findings correspond well with pyrosequencing data and replicate in a second pediatric population (N=78). Moreover, we...

Enhancing Accurate Identification of Food Insecurity Using Quality-Improvement Techniques

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Application of quality-improvement methods in a primary care clinic increased ability to effectively screen and positively identify households with food insecurity in this population. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

Pediatric Self-management: A Framework for Research, Practice, and Policy

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Self-management of chronic pediatric conditions is a formidable challenge for patients, families, and clinicians, with research demonstrating a high prevalence of poor self-management and nonadherence across pediatric conditions. Nevertheless, effective self-management is necessary to maximize treatment efficacy and clinical outcomes and to reduce unnecessary health care utilization and costs. However, this complex behavior is poorly understood as a result of insufficient definitions, reliance on condition-specific and/or adult models of self-management, failure to consider the multitude of factors that influence patient self-management behavior, and lack of synthesis of research, clinical practice, and policy implications. To address this need, we present a comprehensive conceptual model ...

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An Integrated Scientific Framework for Child Survival and Early Childhood Development

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Building a strong foundation for healthy development in the early years of life is a prerequisite for individual well-being, economic productivity, and harmonious societies around the world. Growing scientific evidence also demonstrates that social and physical environments that threaten human development (because of scarcity, stress, or instability) can lead to short-term physiologic and psychological adjustments that are necessary for immediate survival and adaptation, but which may come at a significant cost to long-term outcomes in learning, behavior, health, and longevity. Generally speaking, ministries of health prioritize child survival and physical well-being, ministries of education focus on schooling, ministries of finance promote economic development, and ministries of welfare a...

Social-Emotional Screening for Infants and Toddlers in Primary Care

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Universal social-emotional screening in a busy pediatric practice is challenging. Significant percentages of children can be identified as being at risk for social-emotional problems, and colocation of a psychologist promotes the ability to effectively address young children’s social-emotional development within their medical home. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

The Diet Factor in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of dietary methods for treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when pharmacotherapy has proven unsatisfactory or unacceptable. Results of recent research and controlled studies, based on a PubMed search, are emphasized and compared with earlier reports. The recent increase of interest in this form of therapy for ADHD, and especially in the use of omega supplements, significance of iron deficiency, and the avoidance of the "Western pattern" diet, make the discussion timely. Diets to reduce symptoms associated with ADHD include sugar-restricted, additive/preservative-free, oligoantigenic/elimination, and fatty acid supplements. Omega–3 supplement is the latest dietary treatment w...

Prospective Study of Sunburn and Sun Behavior Patterns During Adolescence

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: With at least 50% of children experiencing sunburns before age 11 and again 3 years later, targeting children in pediatric offices and community settings regarding unprotected UV exposure may be a practical approach. Because periadolescence is a time of volatility with regard to sun behaviors, learning more about children who receive sunburns versus those who avoid them is a critical research task. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

Co-occurring Conditions and Change in Diagnosis in Autism Spectrum Disorders

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the presence of co-occurring psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions are associated with a change in ASD diagnosis. Questions remain as to whether changes in diagnosis of an ASD are due to true etiologic differences or shifts in diagnostic determination. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

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Prevalence, Patterns, and Persistence of Sleep Problems in the First 3 Years of Life

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Ten percent of children are reported to have a sleep problem at any given point during early childhood, and these problems persist in a significant minority of children throughout early development. Parent response to a single-item nonspecific sleep query may overlook relevant sleep behaviors and symptoms associated with clinical morbidity. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

Societal Values and Policies May Curtail Preschool Children's Physical Activity in Child Care Centers

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Societal priorities for young children—safety and school readiness—may be hindering children’s physical development. In designing environments that optimally promote children’s health and development, child advocates should think holistically about potential unintended consequences of policies. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

A National Profile of Childhood Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: In a nationally representative sample, children with seizures were at increased risk for mental health, developmental, and physical comorbidities, increasing needs for care coordination and specialized services. Children with reported prior but not current seizures need further study to establish reasons for their higher than expected levels of reported functional limitations. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

Social-Emotional Screening for Infants and Toddlers in Primary Care

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Recommendations in pediatrics call for general developmental screening of young children; however, research suggests social-emotional development, in particular, is important as an initial indicator of general well-being versus risk, and may warrant inclusion in screening protocols. Via a social-emotional screening program, significant percentages of children can be identified as being at risk for social-emotional problems, and colocation of an early childhood psychologist promotes the ability to effectively address young children’s social-emotional development within their medical home. (Read the full article) (Source: PEDIATRICS)

Prevalence, Patterns, and Persistence of Sleep Problems in the First 3 Years of Life

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Sleep problems are common during childhood, but screening for sleep problems in the clinic setting is often cursory. Moreover, there are few longitudinal studies examining the prevalence and persistence of sleep problems in young children. Patterns of sleep problems vary across early development, but sleep problems arising in infancy persist in 21% of children through 36 months of age. Parent response to a nonspecific query about sleep problems may overlook relevant sleep symptoms and behaviors. (Read the full article) (Source: PEDIATRICS)

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Prospective Study of Sunburn and Sun Behavior Patterns During Adolescence

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Childhood UV light exposures, specifically sunburns, have been shown to be associated with melanoma development later in life. To date, most studies in this age group have been cross sectional in nature. This is the first prospective study of sunburn and sun behaviors in this age group. (Read the full article) (Source: PEDIATRICS)

Societal Values and Policies May Curtail Preschool Children's Physical Activity in Child Care Centers

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Three-fourths of US preschool-age children are in child care; many are not achieving recommended levels of physical activity. Daily physical activity is essential for motor and socioemotional development and for the prevention of obesity. Little is known about physical-activity barriers in child care. Injury and school-readiness concerns may inhibit children’s physical activity in child care. Fixed playground equipment that meets licensing codes is unchallenging and uninteresting to children. Centers may cut time and space for gross motor play to address concerns about school readiness. (Read the full article) (Source: PEDIATRICS)

A National Profile of Childhood Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder

PEDIATRICS — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Epilepsy/seizure disorder is known to be associated with a range of mental health and neurodevelopmental comorbidities, based on clinical studies, and on population studies largely conducted outside the United States. In a nationally representative sample of US children, estimated prevalence of reported lifetime epilepsy/seizure disorder was 1%, and of current epilepsy/seizure disorder was 6.3/1000. Developmental, mental health, and physical comorbidities are common, warranting enhanced surveillance, and an integrated service approach. (Read the full article) (Source: PEDIATRICS)

[Children should eat more fruit and vegetables : Results of PRO GREENS].

Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

[Children should eat more fruit and vegetables : Results of PRO GREENS]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz. 2012 Feb;55(2):254-9 Authors: Behrendt I, Krawinkel M Abstract A diet rich in fruits and vegetables in schoolchildren is important for the physical and cognitive development of the child as well as for the prevention of nutrition-related diseases. In Germany, 816 schoolchildren (boys and girls, aged 10-13 years) from 14 public schools in the central region of Hesse were asked about their fruit and vegetable intake in May 2009. The results show that the mean fruit intake is 185 g fruit per day and 83 g vegetables per day in all schoolchildren. There is no significant difference in the amounts of fruit consumed by boys and girls. Regard...

Fungi and allergic lower respiratory tract diseases

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Asthma is a common disorder that in 2009 afflicted 8.2% of adults and children, 24.6 million persons, in the United States. In patients with moderate and severe persistent asthma, there is significantly increased morbidity, use of health care support, and health care costs. Epidemiologic studies in the United States and Europe have associated mold sensitivity, particularly to Alternaria alternata and Cladosporium herbarum, with the development, persistence, and severity of asthma. In addition, sensitivity to Aspergillus fumigatus has been associated with severe persistent asthma in adults. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is caused by A fumigatus and is characterized by exacerbations of asthma, recurrent transient chest radiographic infiltrates, coughing up thick mucus plugs,...

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Child mortality in India: a complex situation.

World Journal of Pediatrics : WJP — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Apart from raising awareness among community leaders, family members responsible for care giving should be specially targeted for removal of hostile perceptions and barriers for improvement of child survival. Also there is need for developing new strategies for health education based on indigenous concerns, addressing socio-cultural barriers. PMID: 22282378 [PubMed - in process] (Source: World Journal of Pediatrics : WJP)

Survivors of violence benefit from mentoring

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Concordia University) Can mentoring relationships help female students who survive childhood abuse or domestic violence? Absolutely, according to new research from Concordia University, published in the Journal of College Student Development. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Association between parent reports of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder behaviours and child impulsivity in children with severe intellectual disability

Journal of Intellectual Disability Research — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Parent reports of ADHD symptoms in children with ID may be positively associated with data derived using clinical interview methods, but they may be less sensitive to developmental expectations when compared with observed child behaviour. Practical implications include the need for multiple sources of information and normative data for children with ID on simple experimental tasks that can be used to aid diagnosis of ADHD in clinical settings. (Source: Journal of Intellectual Disability Research)

Moderating role of the MAOA genotype in antisocial behaviour [PAPERS]

The British Journal of Psychiatry — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions The present findings add to the evidence suggesting that there is a stable G x E interaction involving MAOA, a range of adverse environmental and personal factors, and antisocial behaviour across the life course. These analyses also demonstrate the utility of using multiple environmental/personal exposures to test GxE interactions. (Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry)

Negative childhood experiences and mental health: theoretical, clinical and primary prevention implications [EDITORIALS]

The British Journal of Psychiatry — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

After decades of ignoring or minimising the prevalence and effects of negative events in childhood, researchers have recently established that a broad range of adverse childhood events are significant risk factors for most mental health problems, including psychosis. Researchers are now investigating the biological and psychological mechanisms involved. In addition to the development of a traumagenic neurodevelopmental model for psychosis, the exploration of a range of psychological processes, including attachment and dissociation, is shedding light on the specific aetiologies of discrete phenomena such as hallucinations and delusions. It is argued that the theoretical, clinical and primary prevention implications of our belated focus on childhood are profound. (Source: The British Journal...

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For Kids, Laughter Really May Be the Best Medicine

MedlinePlus Health News — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Scans show that humor activates parts of the brain linked to resilience, well-being in children Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Child Development, Child Mental Health (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Childhood aggression, callous-unemotional traits and oxytocin genes

European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:45:49 +0100

Abstract Given the known behavior effects of oxytocin, and in particular its putative effect on trust, affiliation and anxiety, we hypothesized that oxytocin may be involved in the development and expression of callous-unemotional traits in children with aggressive antisocial behavior. We recruited 162 children between the ages of 6 and 16. The majority of subjects were Caucasian (84.0%) compared to African-Canadian (4.9%) and others (11.1%). The oxytocin and oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms were genotyped and analyzed for possible association with child aggression in a case–control study design as well as with callous-unemotional traits in a within cases analysis. We did not have significant findings with our tested OXTR markers in the case–control analysis. We fo...

Handwriting—the Most Elegant Form of Communication

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:09:32 +0100

E-mailers, text messengers, and skeptics be damned. Handwriting—American style—is born again! read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

No Really: Teach Your Toddler Perfect Pitch

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:33:26 +0100

Conventional wisdom holds you're born with perfect pitch or you're not. The conventional wisdom is wrong. Here's how to train perfect pitch.For my book Brain Trust, I interviewed Diana Deutsch, University of California San Diego professor and president of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition, and she said the trick is pairing pitch with meaning -- early!read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

Support by Mom Raises Kids' Brain Volume (CME/CE)

MedPage Today Neurology — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0100

(MedPage Today) -- Maternal support and nurturing in early childhood can boost development of a brain region crucial for memory, stress, and emotion regulation, a prospective study found. (Source: MedPage Today Neurology)

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Psychologists Analyze The Development Of Prejudices Within Children

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Girls are not as good at playing football as boys, and they do not have a clue about cars. Instead they know better how to dance and do not get into mischief as often as boys. Prejudices like these are cultivated from early childhood onwards by everyone. "Approximately at the age of three to four years children start to prefer children of the same sex, and later the same ethnic group or nationality," Prof. Dr. Andreas Beelmann of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) states... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Mom's Support Tied to Child's Brain Development

eMedicineHealth.com — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0100

(Source: eMedicineHealth.com)

The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States and implications for prevention.

Child Abuse and Neglect — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Compared with other health problems, the burden of child maltreatment is substantial, indicating the importance of prevention efforts to address the high prevalence of child maltreatment. PMID: 22300910 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Abuse and Neglect)

Relational schemas, hostile romantic relationships, and beliefs about marriage among young African American adults

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The present study tests a developmental model designed to explain the romantic relationship difficulties and reluctance to marry often reported for African Americans. Using longitudinal data from a sample of approximately 400 African American young adults, we examine the manner in which race-related adverse experiences during late childhood and early adolescence give rise to the cynical view of romantic partners and marriage held by many young African Americans. Our results indicate that adverse circumstances disproportionately suffered by African American youth (viz., harsh parenting, family instability, discrimination, criminal victimization, and financial hardship) promote distrustful relational schemas that lead to troubled dating relationships, and that these negative relationship exp...

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Verbs and attention to relational roles in English and Tamil.

Journal of Child Language — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Sethuraman N, Smith LB Abstract ABSTRACTEnglish-learning children have been shown to reliably use cues from argument structure in learning verbs. However, languages pair overtly expressed arguments with verbs to varying extents, raising the question of whether children learning all languages expect the same, universal mapping between arguments and relational roles. Three experiments examined this question by asking how strongly early-learned verbs by themselves, without their corresponding explicitly expressed arguments, point to 'conceptual arguments' - the relational roles in a scene. Children aged two to four years and adult speakers of two languages that differ structurally in terms of whether the arguments of a verb are explicitly expressed more (English) or less (Tam...

My Parents Aren't Cool!

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:43:08 +0100

Parents must always remember that their children have many friends, but only 2 parents. As such, they must be willing to set limits and say no.read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

School's out, activities in

The Irish Times - Health — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:17:37 +0100

Playing video games might be good for children’s development, a new report has found, writesSHEILA WAYMAN (Source: The Irish Times - Health)

Identifying, Assessing, and Treating Early Onset Schizophrenia at School(Li et al.)

Springer Psychology titles — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:07:30 +0100

series:Developmental Psychopathology at SchoolBy itself or in combination with an affective disorder, early onset schizophrenia (EOS) — the onset of symptoms before 18 years of age — can create severe deficits in young people’s academic performance, family and peer relationships, and even the ability to acquire new skills. The relative rarity of the condition, meanwhile, can leave school personnel unsure of how to meet — or even recognize ... (Source: Springer Psychology titles)

Digitizing Sexual Health Promotion and HIV Prevention

Psychology Today Sex Center — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:05:33 +0100

At the IMPACT LGBT Health and Development Program at Northwestern University we have been focused on using the internet for sexual health education. Read about some of our approaches to promoting the sexual health of young people through videos and social media. read more (Source: Psychology Today Sex Center)

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Nurturing Moms May Help Their Child's Brain Develop

MedlinePlus Health News — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0100

Study found toddlers with loving mothers had more growth in key brain areaSource: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Child Development, Parenting (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

BPA and the Single, Spacey, Sex-Starved Male

Psychology Today Sex Center — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:27:46 +0100

Among the many subtle evils of BPA, a chemical used in food packaging, is its effect on manhood. What is it doing on a societal level? read more (Source: Psychology Today Sex Center)

Mom’s Support Tied to Child's Brain Development

WebMD Health — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:02:13 +0100

Moms who are more supportive of their young children through the stresses and frustrations of life are doing more than heading off full-blown tantrums. They may actually be encouraging healthy brain development, a new study shows. (Source: WebMD Health)

Rwanda: Country On Course to Reduce Infant Deaths, But Huge Task Ahead

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:20:12 +0100

Focus (Kigali)-One of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals is to reduce child mortality by ensuring that the number of children who die under the age of five is reduced by two-third, come 2015. So, how much progress has Rwanda made? (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Design of a novel mobility device controlled by the feet motion of a standing child. - Schoepflin ZR, Xi Chen, Ragonesi CB, Galloway JC, Agrawal SK.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:32:08 +0100

Self-generated mobility is a major contributor to the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development of infants and toddlers. When young children have disorders that hinder self locomotion, their development is at risk for delay. Independent mobili... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

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Opinions About Child Corporal Punishment and Influencing Factors. - Bell T, Romano E.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:32:08 +0100

The use of corporal punishment has been linked to negative developmental outcomes for children. Despite this finding, Section 43 of the Canadian Criminal Code permits the use of corporal punishment by parents for children 2 to 12 years of age. Therefore, t... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Longitudinal changes in cortical thickness in children after traumatic brain injury and their relation to behavioral regulation and emotional control. - Wilde EA, Merkley TL, Bigler ED, Max JE, Schmidt AT, Ayoub KW, McCauley SR, Hunter JV, Hanten G, Li X, Chu ZD, Levin HS.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:32:08 +0100

The purpose of this study was to assess patterns of cortical development over time in children who had sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) as compared to children with orthopedic injury (OI), and to examine how these patterns related to emotional contro... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Child development in developing countries: introduction and methods. - Bornstein MH, Britto PR, Nonoyama-Tarumi Y, Ota Y, Petrovic O, Putnick DL.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:32:08 +0100

The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) is a nationally representative, internationally comparable household survey implemented to examine protective and risk factors of child development in developing countries around the world. This introduction des... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Child development in developing countries: child rights and policy implications. - Britto PR, Ulkuer N.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:32:08 +0100

The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey was used to provide information on feeding practices, caregiving, discipline and violence, and the home environment for young children across 28 countries. The findings from the series of studies in this Special Sectio... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Can We Distinguish Juvenile Violent Sex Offenders, Violent Non-Sex Offenders, and Versatile Violent Sex Offenders Based on Childhood Risk Factors? - W.lyn SG, Ward AK, Cormier NS, Day DM, Newman JE.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:32:08 +0100

Understanding the developmental precursors of juvenile violent sex offending can contribute to the promotion of effective early intervention and prevention programs for high-risk children and youth. However, there is currently a lack of research on the ear... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

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Association of childhood abuse with homeless women's social networks. - Green HD, Tucker JS, Wenzel SL, Golinelli D, Kennedy DP, Ryan GW, Zhou AJ.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:32:08 +0100

OBJECTIVE: Childhood abuse has been linked to negative sequelae for women later in life including drug and alcohol use and violence as victim or perpetrator and may also affect the development of women's social networks. Childhood abuse is prevalent among ... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Adolescents and Bullying Coaches

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:30:50 +0100

The question put to me was basically this: "It's bad enough when students bully other students, but when it's an adult who does the bullying, it's even worse. My son has a bully for a coach at school. What should I do?"read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

Second Malignant Neoplasms in Digestive Organs After Childhood Cancer: A Cohort-Nested Case-Control Study

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:33:53 +0100

Conclusions: This study confirms that childhood cancer treatments strongly increase the risk of SMDO, which occur only after a very long latency period. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Good Kindergarten Attention Skills Predict Later Work-Oriented Behavior

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0100

Attentiveness in kindergarten accurately predicts the development of "work-oriented" skills in school children, according to a new study published by Dr. Linda Pagani, a professor and researcher at the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine. Elementary school teachers made observations of attention skills in over a thousand kindergarten children. Then, from grades 1 to 6, homeroom teachers rated how well the children worked both autonomously and with fellow classmates, their levels of self-control and self-confidence, and their ability to follow directions and rules... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Aluminum Adjuvant in Vaccines Causes Risk to Children According to New...

PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:31:07 +0100

A new Canadian study of the mechanisms of aluminum adjuvant toxicity in pediatric patients confirms that immune challenges during early development, including those vaccine-induced, can lead to...(PRWeb January 29, 2012)Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/1/prweb9146755.htm (Source: PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals)

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Pediatric Headache: Update on Recent Research.

Headache — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Hershey AD Abstract Primary headache are one of the most common health complaints in children and adolescents, yet there remain significant gaps in our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of these conditions. Recently, there have been several areas of research that have assisted with filling this gap in our knowledge. These areas include a better understanding of the disease characteristics including additional associated symptoms and the refinement of the description of related conditions and comorbidities; continued examination of the epidemiology of primary headaches; the progression of migraine across these developmental ages; the molecular and physiological changes; and the potential role for vitamins and cofactor deficiencies in the pathophysiology. These...

An association account of false belief understanding.

Cognition — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: De Bruin LC, Newen A Abstract The elicited-response false belief task has traditionally been considered as reliably indicating that children acquire an understanding of false belief around 4years of age. However, recent investigations using spontaneous-response tasks suggest that false belief understanding emerges much earlier. This leads to a developmental paradox: if young infants already understand false belief, then why do they fail the elicited-response false belief task? We postulate two systems to account for the development of false belief understanding: an association module, which provides infants with the capacity to register congruent associations between agents and objects, and an operating system, which allows them to transform these associations into incongr...

Molecular Relationship between Field and Vaccine Strain of Measles Virus and its Persistence in Pakistan

Genetic Vaccines and Therapy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Seroconversion and seroprevalence study of the vaccine and field strain of measles virus is needed to confirm whether its failure is due to service unavailability or vaccine in-affectivity.Key words: Measles, EPI, Outbreaks, Immunization, vaccines, Pakistan. (Source: Genetic Vaccines and Therapy)

Maternal smoking during pregnancy, prematurity and recurrent wheezing in early childhood

Pediatric Pulmonology — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionsWe demonstrated an interaction between maternal smoking during pregnancy and prematurity on childhood wheezing in this urban, multiethnic birth cohort. Pediatr Pulmonol. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Source: Pediatric Pulmonology)

Child Neurology: Paroxysmal stiffening, upward gaze, and hypotonia: Hallmarks of sepiapterin reductase deficiency

Neurology — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Neurology)

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Pediatric Headache: Update on Recent Research

Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Primary headache are one of the most common health complaints in children and adolescents, yet there remain significant gaps in our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of these conditions. Recently, there have been several areas of research that have assisted with filling this gap in our knowledge. These areas include a better understanding of the disease characteristics including additional associated symptoms and the refinement of the description of related conditions and comorbidities; continued examination of the epidemiology of primary headaches; the progression of migraine across these developmental ages; the molecular and physiological changes; and the potential role for vitamins and cofactor deficiencies in the pathophysiology. These studies continue to add to our fund ...

Attention‐Seeking During Caregiver Unavailability and Collaboration at Age 2

Child Development — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study attempted to measure these expectations in 102 toddlers (M age = 26.4 months) through observations of attention‐seeking (A‐S) behaviors during caregiver’s restricted availability. Child collaboration was coded during skill‐learning tasks (imitation and block building), and parent responsiveness was observed during dyadic activities. Different A‐S styles emerged, supporting the existence of both positive and negative expectations of responsiveness. A‐S quality statistically mediated the link between parent responsiveness and child collaborative outcomes, even after controlling for temperament and mood. This is the first study to show that toddlers’ expectations are a plausible mechanism linking parent responsiveness to child collaboration. (Source: Child Devel...

Adolescent Daily and General Maladjustment: Is There Reactivity to Daily Repeated Measures Methodologies?

Child Development — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The present study examined whether repeated exposure to daily surveys about negative social experiences predicts changes in adolescents’ daily and general maladjustment, and whether question content moderates these changes. Across a 2‐week period, 6th‐grade students (N = 215; mode age = 11) completed 5 daily reports tapping experienced or experienced and witnessed negative events, or they completed no daily reports. General maladjustment was measured in 2‐week intervals before, at the end of, and 2 weeks after the daily report study. Daily maladjustment either decreased or did not change across the 5 daily report exposures. General maladjustment decreased across the three 2‐week intervals. Combined, results indicate that short‐term daily report studies do not place yo...

Age Differences in Online Processing of Video: An Eye Movement Study

Child Development — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Eye movements were recorded while sixty‐two 1‐year‐olds, 4‐year‐olds, and adults watched television. Of interest was the extent to which viewers looked at the same place at the same time as their peers because high similarity across viewers suggests systematic viewing driven by comprehension processes. Similarity of gaze location increased with age. This was particularly true immediately following a cut to a new scene, partly because older viewers (but not infants) tended to fixate the center of the screen following a cut. Conversely, infants appear to require several seconds to orient to a new scene. Results are interpreted in the context of developing attention skills. Findings have implications for the extent to which infants comprehend and learn from commercial video. (Source...

Keep Your Middle Schooler Organized

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:32:55 +0100

How to help your middle schooler stay organized so they do the homework assigned and turn in the homework they do.read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

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Paroxysmal non‐epileptic motor events in childhood: a clinical and video‐EEG–polymyographic study

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:30:13 +0100

Aim The aim of this article was to describe the phenomenology and polymyographic features of paroxysmal non‐epileptic motor events (PNMEs) observed in a series of typically developing and children with neurological impairment.Method We conducted a retrospective evaluation of 63 individuals (29 females; 34 males) affected by PNMEs at the National Neurological Institute ‘C. Besta’ between 2006 and 2008. Individuals were included in the study if they had PNMEs documented by a video‐electroencephalography–polymyographic study and were aged between 1 month and 18 years (mean age at the time of video‐electroencephalography–polymyography: 5y 10mo).Results In 45 of the 63 participants (71%), PNMEs were associated with other neurological conditions (secondary) including e...

Experts recommend genetic counseling for young sarcoma patients

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:41:39 +0100

Genetic testing may help sarcoma patients and their famlies know their risk of other cancers later in life If your child is diagnosed with a sarcoma—a tumor in connective tissue like muscles or bones—it’s natural to become totally focused on his immediate recovery. But what if beating sarcoma wasn’t the only time your child might face cancer? Data shows that there is a link between sarcomas and Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare condition that raises a person’s risk of developing one or more cancers to as high as 85 percent. Cancers typically diagnosed in patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome include breast cancer, sarcomas, brain tumors, acute leukemia and adrenal cortical carcinoma. Recently, the list has been expanded to include colon cancer and stomach cancer. Li-Fraumeni syndrome m...

Friends Help Us To Negate Negativity

Health News from Medical News Today — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100

'Stand by me' is a common refrain when it comes to friendship but new research from Concordia University proves that the concept goes beyond pop music: keeping friends close has real physiological and psychological benefits. The presence of a best friend directly affects children going through negative experiences, as reported in the recent Concordia-based study, which was published in the journal Developmental Psychology and conducted with the collaboration of researchers at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Lifelong payoff for attentive kindergarten kids

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(University of Montreal) Attentiveness in kindergarten accurately predicts the development of "work-oriented" skills in school children, according to a new study published by Dr. Linda Pagani, a professor and researcher at the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Sex‐specific associations between umbilical cord blood testosterone levels and language delay in early childhood

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:06:02 +0100

Conclusion: These data suggest that high prenatal testosterone levels are a risk factor for language delay in males, but may be a protective factor for females. (Source: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry)

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Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis in Childhood

Current Rheumatology Reports — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:51:20 +0100

Abstract Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a rare yet frequently organ- or life-threatening systemic vasculitis affecting small- to medium-sized arteries in multiple organs. It characteristically leads to alveolar hemorrhage and destructive, pauci-immune glomerulonephritis. GPA is also characterized by granulomas in the upper and lower respiratory tract causing erosive sinusitis and nodular or even cavitating lesions in the respiratory tract. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, a hallmark of GPA, are likely integral to the pathogenesis and recently have become a therapeutic target. International collaborations in childhood vasculitis have led to the development and validation of childhood vasculitis classification criteria, advanced our understanding of the clin...

Missing content from health-related quality of life instruments: interviews with young adult survivors of childhood cancer

Quality of Life Research — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:42:26 +0100

Conclusions Existing HRQoL instruments do not take into account the progression and interdependence of emotional development impacted by a cancer diagnosis. The themes derived from our qualitative interviews may serve as a foundation for the generation of new items in future HRQoL instruments for YASCC populations. Further testing is required to examine the prevalence, frequency, and breadth of these items in a larger sample. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-8DOI 10.1007/s11136-012-0120-zAuthors Gwendolyn P. Quinn, Health Outcomes and Behavior, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, MRC CANCONT, Tampa, FL 33612, USAI-Chan Huang, Health Outcomes and Policy, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USADevin M...

Maternal eating disorders and infant temperament: Findings from the norwegian mother and child cohort study

International Journal of Eating Disorders — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Discussion:Mothers with eating disorders may rate their infants as more difficult because of information‐processing biases or because their infants are emotionally difficult. Maternal perception of infant temperament may be a risk factor for children's emotional development. © 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2012) (Source: International Journal of Eating Disorders)

Sign Of Autism Can Be Seen In Infants

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0100

A recent study that took place at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, and was published in the January edition of Current Biology, states that detecting autism symptoms in babies as young as 6 months old can help to determine how the autism will develop later in the child's life. The researches found that babies show signs of autism in their first year of life. When the babies are looked at, or when someone looks away from them, their brain responds differently compared to other babies... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Polymicrogyria: correlation of magnetic resonance imaging and clinical findings

Child's Nervous System — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:55:31 +0100

Conclusions Late presenting epilepsy may be a predictor of a unilateral polymicrogyria and is associated with relatively good prognosis. CMV infection and the presence of asphyxia are predictors of worse prognosis. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original PaperPages 1-5DOI 10.1007/s00381-012-1703-2Authors Ertugrul Mavili, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, 38039 Melikgazi, Kayseri, TurkeyAbdulhakim Coskun, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, 38039 Melikgazi, Kayseri, TurkeyHuseyin Per, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Erciyes University, Kayseri, TurkeyHalil Donmez, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, 38039 Melikgazi, Kayseri,...

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Antineoplastic agent busulfan regulates a network of genes related to coagulation and fibrinolysis

European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:52:03 +0100

Conclusions This is the first report that directly relates busulfan exposure to antifibrinolytic activity by PAI-1 and hypercoagulation possibly mediated by members of the TGF-β1 family. This suggests further research to evaluate activin A and TGF-β1 as potential targets for HVOD treatment. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory PharmacodynamicsPages 1-13DOI 10.1007/s00228-011-1209-yAuthors Janka Reimer, Research Center of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald, Greifswald, GermanySandra Bien, Research Center of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald, Greifswald, GermanySabine Ameling, Department of Functional Geno...

Autism detected in brains of six-month-old infants

NHS News Feed — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:53:00 +0100

Conclusion This small study highlights a potential method of identifying children who are likely to develop autism at 6-11 months, much earlier than the current method of diagnosis. The authors suggest this could potentially pave the way for more selective targeting of early intervention efforts and procedures to these children, increasing their life chances. While this study provides intriguing results it is important to bear in mind some practical limitations. For instance, while the average differences between the brain function of the infants that went on to develop autism compared to those that did not were significantly different, individual values from the two groups did overlap. This means that there is probably no useful clinical cut-off value to predict autism. Similarly, the res...

Link Between Prenatal Testosterone And An Increased Risk Of Language Delay For Male Infants

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100

New research by Australian scientists reveals that males who are exposed to high levels of testosterone before birth are twice as likely to experience delays in language development compared to females. The research, published in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, focused on umbilical cord blood to explore the presence of testosterone when the language-related regions of a fetus' brain are undergoing a critical period of growth... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Autism can be detected in babies, say scientists

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:42:03 +0100

Researchers used sensors placed on babies' scalps to measure the brain's response when the infants were shown facesSigns of autism can be detected in six-month-old babies by measuring their brain activity, research has shown.Scientists say the test could help identify infants most at risk of developing the disorder later in life.Autism, a lifelong developmental disability that impairs a person's ability to connect socially and communicate, is not officially diagnosed until after the age of two, but many experts believe children affected would benefit if therapy could be started at a younger age.An estimated 600,000 children and adults in the UK suffer from the condition, which covers a range of symptoms of varying severity.The research focused on six- to 10-month-old babies believed to be ...