News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms August 22, 2008

News to know:
Latest celebrity Mommy-Come-Lately:Singer Gwen Stefani, 38, gave birth to her second son on Thursday. Zuma Nesta Rock joins big brother Kingston.

Vaccine-wary parents spark public health worrySmall but growing clusters of parents seek exemptions to keep their kids from being vaccinated.Skeptical of government mandates and leery of feared links to disorders from asthma to autism, parents say they’re exercising their rights to protect their kids from risk.But health officials say there’s no question that the risk of vaccination is far outweighed by the benefits of inoculation. Officials also believe that children who aren't immunized are at risk, while also endangering the collective resistance that keeps everyone else safe, too.

France ban broadcast of TV shows for babies Concerned about channels dedicated to 24 hours a day baby-targeted programming, France's broadcast authority has banned French channels from airing TV shows aimed at children under 3 years old.

Want to boost kids' grades? Get them movingMiddle-school students who performed best on fitness tests — which gauged aerobic capacity, strength, endurance, flexibility and body composition — performed better academically as well, according to recent research linking physical activity with better academic performance.Results from the study, which included 317 students in grades six through eight, showed that the fittest group of students scored almost 30 percent higher on standardized tests than the least fit group.

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms May 12, 2008

News to know:

Emily, Jacob most popular baby names
For the 12th straight year, Emily topped the list of most popular baby girl names in 2007. Jacob led among names for boys for the ninth year in a row, according to the latest list released by the Social Security Administration.
Only one name — Elizabeth — is new to the top-10 list, returning after a two-year absence. Samantha, which previously ranked 10th, dropped to No. 12.


Families make case for vaccine link to autism
Families claiming thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in vaccines, triggers autism take their case to federal court today.
Overall, nearly 4,900 families have filed claims with the U.S. Court of Claims alleging that vaccines caused autism and other neurological problems in their children. Lawyers for the families will present three different theories of how vaccines caused autism. Monday's case focuses on the second of those theories: that thimerosal-containing vaccines alone cause autism.
Thimerosal has been removed in recent years from standard childhood vaccines, except the flu shot.

Very premature baby survival not improving
Research published in the British Medical Journal found survival rates for babies born at 22 and 23 weeks has not changed between 1994 and 2005.
A study of 650,000 births during the 12 years covered showed clear improvements in survival rates for infants born after 24 and 25 weeks' gestation.