Ventricular Assist Device May Offer Hope for Youngest Heart Patients
John Foxx/Thinkstock(HOUSTON) — Just prior to her 5th birthday, Avery Toole had her first heart attack.Avery had told her parents that her stomach was hurting. When her mother Cheryl Toole looked at her, Avery’s skin was grayish. They brought her in t…
Sleep Loss Common Among Children with Asthma Who Live in Cities, Study Finds
Spike Mafford/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — New research shows that sleep loss is common among children with asthma who live in cities, and is a significant factor in missed school days, emergency room visits and lower levels of involvement in sports, Health…
NYC Hospitals’ Baby Formula Plan Rankles Mommy Bloggers
Image Source/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Breastfeeding experts are applauding New York City’s “Latch On NYC” initiative, which aims to encourage breastfeeding and curb baby formula use in hospitals, but some mommy bloggers are not happy,…
Whooping Cough Vaccine Too Weak to Protect Against Disease?
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(QUEENSLAND, Australia) — The United States might see the highest number of cases of whooping cough in more than five decades this year, possibly caused by a weaker vaccine, many experts say.The Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Per…
Working After Eight Months of Pregnancy is as Harmful as Smoking a Study Reports
Comstock/Thinkstock(LONDON) — A new study reports working after eight months of pregnancy is as harmful as smoking, according to The Guardian.Supposedly babies born to women who work after eight months pregnant are 0.5 lb lighter than those women who …
One Family, Five Heart Transplants
Stacy and Jason Bingham(HAINES, Ore.) — Stacy and Jason Bingham of Haines, Ore., already had endured the arduous transplant waiting list until their oldest daughter, Sierra, now 12, found a match for a new heart.Now, they may have to face four more ro…
Pertussis Outbreak May Be Worst in 50 Years, CDC Says
Hemera/Thinkstock(ATLANTA) — Reported cases of pertussis are at their highest level in 50 years, a top official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday, adding that outbreaks in several states should encourag…
Boy, 10, Treated Daily for Cystic Fibrosis, Bowls Perfect Game
The Grayston Family(LAGUNA HILLS, Calif.) — A 10-year old California boy who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as an infant is defying all the odds.Sam Grayston, 10, of Laguna Hills, Calif., bowled a 300 last Friday at the Forest Lanes Bowling Center…
Law Offers Drug Companies Vouchers in Exchange for New Cancer Drugs for Kids
Nancy Goodman/Kids v. Cancer(WASHINGTON) — President Obama signed a bill Monday that will provide incentives to drug companies to research and develop drugs for rare diseases.The Creating Hope Act grants pharmaceutical companies that create drugs for …
Dogs May Prevent Babies from Getting Asthma
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) — If you’ve ever worried about having your two-legged baby around your four-legged baby this may ease your fears. A new study from the American Society for Microbiology reveals that house dust from homes with …
Obesity and Bullying Top Voters’ Child Health Concerns
Digital Vision/Thinkstock(ANN ARBOR, Mich.) — The economy dominates this election season but it’s not the only issue that Americans are worried about.With the Supreme Court ready to rule on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, voter…
Vaccinations: Parents Put More Kids on ‘Shot-Limiting’ Schedules
Science Photo Library/Getty Images(SALEM, Ore.) — More and more parents in Oregon are choosing alternative vaccination schedules for their children, a practice known as shot-limiting, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics. Experts say the…
FDA Approves Meningitis Vaccine for Infants
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Thursday approved an infant vaccine that experts say will protect small children from two potentially fatal bacterial diseases.Menhibrix, manufactured by the Belgium-based comp…
Breast Milk Blocks HIV Transmission in Mice, Study Finds
George Doyle/Thinkstock(CHAPEL HILL, N.C.) — Women with HIV are often told by health care providers to refrain from breastfeeding for fear their breast milk will transmit the virus to their infants. But a new study released Thursday in the journal PLo…
Community Shows Support for 4-Year-Old with Terminal Cancer
ABC News(DALLAS) — People across the country are sending in pictures of themselves showing support for Dyrk Burcie, a 4-year-old from Texas with terminal cancer.Dyrk was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer when he was just 3 years old.“On Mar…
New Baby Genome Mapping to Detect Disorders in the Womb?
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(SEATTLE) — A new, noninvasive procedure may one day allow women to test their unborn babies for more than 3,500 genetic disorders. It could perhaps replace amniocentesis, in which a probe is inserted through a woman’s abdome…
CT Scans in Kids Linked to Leukemia, Brain Cancer Risk
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BETHESDA, Md.) — Gina Baker carefully weighed the pros and cons of a CT scan for her 1-year-old son.”His pediatrician said she wanted to do a scan to make sure everything was OK,” said Baker, explaining concerns that “the little…
Diabetic Alert Dog Saves 3-Year-Old Girl’s Life Countless Times
ABC News YORK) — A 3-year-old girl in Texas who suffers from a rare form of infant diabetes wouldn’t be alive today if she didn’t have a diabetic alert dog, her mother says.The little girl, Faith Wilson, has a severe condition that mu…
Leukemia Survival: The Younger You Are, the Better Your Chances
(NEW YORK) — In the 1950s — a heady time for scientific and medical advances — the color television was introduced to the American public and Jonas Salk discovered the polio vaccine. But a diagnosis of acute leukemia, the most common form of childho…
‘Sensory Integration Therapies’ Lack Evidence, AAP Says
File photo. Michael Blann/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Woody Sims was a gifted boy. His mother said he began reading at a very early age, and he was a bright student in preschool.To those around him, his development in his early years seemed normal. But in …