Paediatrics
Adolescence 'now lasts from ages 10-24'
January 24th, 2018 Adolescence now lasts from the ages of 10 to 24, although it used to be thought to end at 19, scientists write in The Lancet. Young people continuing their education for longer, as well as delayed marriage and parenthood, has pushed back popular...Double dose of vitamin D increases bone density in prem babies
If the standard supplementation of 400 IUs of vitamin D is increased to 800 IUs daily there are reductions in the number of premature and preterm babies with extremely low bone density, found a University of Nebraska Medical Centre...Impact of physical abuse and punishment on kids
Physical abuse was associated with decreases in children's cognitive performance, while non-abusive forms of physical punishment were independently associated with reduced school engagement and increased peer isolation. Sarah Font, assistant...
AAP guidelines on tattoos for young people
October 4th, 2017 Tattoos and body piercings are an increasingly popular form of self-expression, but it is important for young people to carefully consider the consequences and potential risks associated with body modifications, according to the first clinical...Inflammatory bowel disease in children increases cancer risk
Children diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease have an increased risk of cancer, especially gastrointestinal cancers, both in childhood and later in life, finds a study led by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. The increase...Anti-TB drug should be given to children, study says
An innovative anti-tuberculosis drug that represents a reprieve for adults whose disease does not respond to other treatments should also be made available to children aged 12 or older, according to findings from a study reported in the US Centres...
Digit length may link to muscular strength in adolescent boys
August 30th, 2017 The ratio of the length of the second (pointer) finger and the length of the fourth (ring) finger – is favourably related to muscular strength in boys, found a small US study. A father-son research partnership has found that athletic prowess...
Probiotic mixture reduces sepsis by 40% in infants
August 23rd, 2017 A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that sepsis and deaths in the first two months of infancy were reduced by 40%, following the administration for seven days of an oral probiotic mixture. A research team at the University...
Peanut allergy may be cured with probiotics and peanut oral immunotherapy
August 23rd, 2017 An oral treatment for one of the most deadly allergies, to peanuts, is still effective four years after it was administered, a study has found, an Australian study has found. Lead researcher Professor Mimi Tang said: ‘This is a major step forward...High levels of serotonin found in infants who died of SIDS
Blood samples from infants who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had high levels of serotonin, a chemical that carries signals along and between nerves, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The...
Soccer beats swimming and cycling for bone development in boys
July 19th, 2017 Playing soccer can significantly improve bone development in adolescent boys after one-year's training, compared to swimming, cycling and non-sport playing, University of Exeter research shows. Adolescence is the key period for bone development,...Most parents make medication measurement errors
More than 80% of parents make measurement errors with their children's medications, of which a third were large errors, suggesting the need for tools to better match prescribed dose volumes in order to prevent accidental overdoses, reported New...All children with possible penicillin allergy test negative - small study
Children who, according to their parents, had possible penicillin allergy on the basis of non-specific symptoms all tested negative for actual allergy, a small US study found. The study involved 100 children ages 4 to 18 years who had low-risk...Vibrating device with cold pack for easing catheter insertion pain in kids
A vibrating device, used with a cold pack, relieves a child's pain while emergency department caregivers insert an intravenous (IV) catheter, equally as well as the currently used anesthetic, topical lidocaine. The device can be used quickly,...
Pretoria teaching hospital rife with paediatric medication errors
May 17th, 2017 The incidence of medication errors in the neonatal intensive care unit and paediatric wards at a Pretoria teaching hospital was higher than values reported elsewhere globally, with one in three resulting in 'some level of harm', found a study...