News of Interest to Moms October 7, 2009

News to know:
Health secretary tries easing flu vaccine fears
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius declared the H1N1 flu vaccine safe and said it was important to protect the more vulnerable population such as children and pregnant women from the H1N1 flu.
Sebelius recommended people go to Flu.gov for information about H1N1.

Autism is on the rise (or is it?)
According to two new studies, the number of kids diagnosed with autism or a related disorder in the U.S. is close to 1 in 100, not the previously estimate 1 in 150 children.

The new statistic sparks continued debate: How many more children actually have autism now than had it in the past? And what are the underlying causes? The new numbers don't just fail to resolve either of these debates—they turn up the heat on both.

Internet addiction linked to ADHD, depression in teens
Children who are depressed, hostile, or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or social phobia are more likely to become addicted to the Internet than their peers, according to a new study.

Internet addiction usually includes symptoms such as:
~spending a lot of time on the Internet (especially more time than intended)
~an inability to cut back on usage
~a preoccupation with online activities
~symptoms of withdrawal such as anxiety, boredom, or irritability after a few days of not going online.

Researchers found that ADHD and hostility were linked to Internet addiction in children in general. In girls -- but not boys -- depression and social phobia also predicted problems.

News of Interest to Moms July 6, 2009

News to know:

Autism may be linked to mom's autoimmune disease

Mothers who have autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease increases their children's risk of having autism, according to a new study.

The study is the first to find a link between autism and celiac disease. People with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye and barley. The report is published in the July 6 online edition of Pediatrics.


Researches said the study reinforces the association between autism and a mother's autoimmune disease. But, they added the increased risk that autoimmune diseases contribute to autism is not huge.


Kids of parents who value exercise are more active

Both boys and girls are more likely to join a sports team or be active if their parents like team sports, according to a study in the July issue of Health Psychology.

Researchers found children of parents who valued high-intensity team sports watched less TV, spent less time on their computers, and were more active than other children.

The study involved 681 parents and 433 fourth- and fifth-grade students at 12 schools in Houston.

News of Interest to Moms May 11, 2009

Study links outbreaks to parents forgoing vaccinations

An increase in vaccine refusal in the United States and of geographic clustering of refusals results in outbreaks, according to a new study by the New England Journal of Medicine.



All states require children receive vaccinations, but 21 states allow parents to exempt their children for personal reasons. Some parents fear side effects from vaccinations and believe that mercury, previously used as a preservative in vaccines, is responsible for an increase in autism.

According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 2.8 percent of children in these states were not vaccinated in 2008 because of parents' beliefs, up from 1 percent in 1999. Outbreaks of diseases, such as measles and whooping cough, are growing in these states.


"People need to recognize that in the case of infectious diseases, what other people do impacts my child. If they live in a community that has a cluster of refusers, their risk of getting a vaccine-preventable disease goes up, just by virtue of who they play with," according to Saad Omer of Emory University, lead author of study.


Study suggests kids can 'recover' from autism

According to research presented at an autism conference, at least 10 percent of children with autism can “recover” from it — most of them after undergoing years of intensive behavioral therapy.

Previous studies suggested between 3 percent and 25 percent of autistic kids recover.
University of Connecticut psychology professor Deborah Fein's research included 20 autistic children who were no longer considered autistic years later. Fein says her studies have shown the range is 10 percent to 20 percent.


But even after lots of therapy — often carefully designed educational and social activities with rewards — most autistic children remain autistic.

Recovery is “not a realistic expectation for the majority of kids,” but parents should know it can happen, Fein said.


FDA: Kids at risk from testosterone gel

Adults using prescription testosterone gel must be extra careful not to get any of it on children, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Both boys and girls are at risk for serious side effects including:
~ enlargement of the genital organs
~aggressive behavior
~early aging of the bone
~premature growth of pubic hair
~increased sexual drive

Health officials are recommending that adults who use testosterone gel wash their hands with warm soap and water after each use and cover their skin after the gel has dried. Pregnant women, and those who may become pregnant, should avoid any exposure, since it could lead to birth defects. Also, since testosterone gel is usually applied to the upper arms or shoulders, adults must cover up to keep kids from accidentally touching a spot that has the medicine on it.

ABCNEWS.com Video: Children Start Troubling Internet Trend

ABCNEWS.com posted an interesting video about teenagers using social networking sites, like MySpace, for illegal acitivities.

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms December 1, 2008

News to know:

FDA sets safe level for infant formula chemical

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials set a safety threshold for the industrial chemical melamine that is greater than the amount of contamination found so far in U.S.-made infant formula.
The setting of the standard comes days after The Associated Press reported that FDA tests had found traces of melamine in the infant formula of one major U.S. manufacturer and cyanuric acid, a chemical relative, in the formula of a second major maker.
The FDA set a threshold of 1 part per million of melamine in formula, provided a related chemical isn't present. They insisted the formulas are safe.


New prenatal tests may show inherited diseases
Scientists may have found a way to diagnose in fetuses such "monogenic" diseases, which are caused by a single error in a single gene in the human DNA. Doctors may soon be able to diagnose inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia in fetuses by simply testing a blood sample taken from the mother. This is possible because fetal DNA circulates in maternal blood.

Study: Brains of autistic slower to react to sounds
The brains of autistic children react to sounds a fraction of a second slower than those of normal children,researchers found. This may help explain the communication problems associated with autism.
Researchers studied 30 autistic children age 6 to 15 listen to a battery of sounds and syllables while monitoring the tiny magnetic fields produced by the brain's electrical impulses. Autistic children's brains were anywhere from 20 percent to 50 percent slower to react than normal children's brains.

Low birth weight ups risk of infant skin tumors
The incidence of reddish skin tumors, known as infantile hemangiomas, has grown in recent years. Research published in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests low birth weight is the leading risk factor driving the increase.
Infantile hemangiomas are non-cancerous tumors that can grow rapidly during infancy, but usually resolve by 9 years of age. Hemangiomas are the most common tumors in infants and, aside from cosmetic concerns, most have no medical significance. However, some may cause medical problems or permanent scarring.

Study: Childhood sleep terrors inherited
Night terrors, which send children into sudden inconsolable screaming, are at least partially inherited, according to a study in the Journal of Pediatrics.
In a study of390 sets of twins researchers found identical twins were much more likely to both experience night terrors than fraternal twins. Identical twins have nearly identical genetic makeups, while fraternal twins do not.
Researchers also said environmental factors could be part of the cause of night terrors since the twins were being raised together in similar settings.