Increased Pediatric Ingestion Related Injuries Due to Neodymium Supermagnets

The rise in popularity in the use of neodymium magnets as desktop ornaments and toys have lead to a rise in ingestion related injuries for toddlers and preteens. In a study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, 2,700 ingestions were observed over a ten year period and it was revealed that ninety four of the cases involved magnet ingestion.

The study also revealed that cases of magnet ingestion increased in the last three years of the study with the age of patients ranged from 7 months to 13 years.

Neodymium magnets are the most powerful magnets around. A neodymium magnet a few cubic centimeters small can cause bodily harm from pinching to even causing broken bones.

Magnets have been a popular accessory for preteens where they use the magnetic property to simulate a tongue stud, nose ring, or earring. This kind of use can lead to accidental ingestion or inhalation. Once ingested, they can cause the digestive tract to fold when pinched by two of these magnets which causes internal injuries or even death.

Antiseptic Baths Significantly Reduce Blood Infection Risk In Critically Ill Children

Antiseptic baths with diluted chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) safely reduces risk of bloodstream infection in critically ill children.

A bedside bath or sponge bath is an alternative to regular bathtub bathing or showering. It is usually done to patients where water immersion is challenging or may pose a health risk.

Sponge baths are important for bedridden patients not only for personal hygiene but also because of bedsores. Bedsores form when excess dirt and oil accumulate in the body because of limited mobility.

Bedside baths are done with a sponge, soap, and water. There are products that are specifically made for these kinds of baths. Regular soap tend not to rinse off well during bedside baths and may cause irritation.

Women Exposed To Herbicide Atrazine 80% More Likely Of Having Children With Rare Nasal Disorder, Choanal Atresia

Choanal Atrasia is a rare congenital disorder where the back of the infant's nasal passage is blocked. This area of the nasal system is called the choana.

Although rare, with 1 out of 7,000 births having this disorder, choanal atrasia is the most popular of nasal disorders among infants.

Choanal atrasia may affect only one nostril or both. Babies with both nostrils blocked tend to cry a lot because it is only when they cry that they are able to breath through their mouths. During delivery, these babies have difficulty breathing and immediately needs assistance and even resuscitation.

For some babies who have learned to mouth-breathe, the disorder becomes a problem when they sleep as they revert to nose breathing in that stage.

Choanal atrasia may be detected by physical examination and medical imaging techniques such as CAT scans, endoscopy, and x-rays. Once it is verified that the patient is suffering from the disorder, surgery is the recommended medical treatment.

Study: Exposure to herbicide may increase risk of rare disorder

A common herbicide used in the United States may be linked to an increased risk of a congenital abnormality of the nasal cavity known as choanal atresia, say researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and other Texas institutions.

The study by Dr. Philip Lupo, assistant professor of pediatrics – hematology/oncology at BCM and Texas Children's Cancer Center, is scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Release and Free Access of The Pediatric Cancer Genome Project Data Valuable To Cancer and Other Disease Research

Credit: Pediatric Cancer Genome Project

Genomics is the study of the the DNA structure of living organisms.

DNA contained in a cell makes up a genome. The human genom is comprised of around six billion individual chromosomes.

The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases; Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymine (T). Genomics studies these four bases and the sequence it takes in a DNA strand. It tries to see how each of these pass information to help each cell in the body work properly.

In cancer cells, changes in the dna sequence can cause the cell to behave erratically. It can produce a protein that can make cells grow quickly and cause damage to neighboring cells. By applying genomics to studying cancer cells, scientists can figure out what it is in the DNA structure would allow a cell to become cancerous.

The genome of a cancer cell can also be used to distinguish the different types of cancer. Studying and understanding the cancer genome can also help doctors in finding the best possible treatment for the patient.

World's largest release of comprehensive human cancer genome data helps speed discoveries

To speed progress against cancer and other diseases, the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project today announced the largest-ever release of comprehensive human cancer genome data for free access by the global scientific community. The amount of information released more than doubles the volume of high-coverage, whole genome data currently available from all human genome sources combined. This information is valuable not just to cancer researchers, but also to scientists studying almost any disease.

The release of this data was announced as a part of a perspective published in Nature Genetics online May 29.

The 520 genome sequences released today are matched sets of normal and tumor tissue samples from 260 pediatric cancer patients. The Pediatric Cancer Genome Project is expected to sequence more than 1,200 genomes by year's end. Each sample is sequenced at a quality control level known as 30-fold coverage, ensuring maximum accuracy. St. Jude researchers are analyzing the genomic sequences to determine the differences between each child's normal and cancerous cells to pinpoint the causes of more than a half-dozen of the most deadly childhood cancers, an effort which has already produced a number of key discoveries reported in top scientific journals.

Vitamin C Supplementation In Smoking Pregnant Women Improves Pulmonary Function in Newborns

Vitamin C is needed by the body for the growth and repair of tissues. It is a water soluble vitamin needed for growth and development.

Since vitamin C is water-soluble, they dissolve in water and excess amounts leave the body through the urine.

Vitamin C cannot be naturally produced by the body nor can the body store vitamin c. Because of this, it is important to include it in a person's daily diet.

Vitamin C also is used by the body in other ways such as:

• Part of the formation of a protein used to make skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels
• Heal wounds and form scar tissue
• Repair and maintain cartilage, bones, and teeth

Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. Antioxidants are nutrients that block some of the damage caused by free radicals. These free radicals are what causes the aging process, some cancers (according to studies), cardiovascular diseases, and athritis.

Vitamin C improves pulmonary function in newborns of pregnant smoking women

Vitamin C supplementation in pregnant women who are unable to quit smoking significantly improves pulmonary function in their newborns, according to a new study.

"Smoking during pregnancy is known to adversely affect the lung development of the developing baby," said Cindy McEvoy, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children's Hospital. "We found that daily use of vitamin C (500 mg/day) by smoking pregnant woman significantly improved pulmonary function tests administered to their offspring at about 48 hours postpartum."

The results will be presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference in San Francisco.

Folic Acid Reduces Risk of Kidney Cancer and Brain Tumors in Children

Folic acid is a B vitamin, specifically Vitamin B₉. Folic acid helps the body in manufacturing new cells. It is an essential vitamin. The body also produces folic acid in the form of folate.

For pregnant women, folic acid is especially important as it can prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain or spine.

Foods rich with folic acid are citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables, fruits, dried beans, peas and nuts. Enriched breads, cereals and other grain products also contain folic acid. The vitamin is also available as a dietary supplement.

Folic acid may reduce some childhood cancers

Folic acid fortification of foods may reduce the incidence of the most common type of kidney cancer and a type of brain tumors in children, finds a new study by Kimberly J. Johnson, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, and Amy Linabery, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota.

Incidence reductions were found for Wilms' tumor, a type of kidney cancer, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET), a type of brain cancer.

Since 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has mandated fortification of foods with folic acid because earlier studies show that prenatal consumption of folic acid significantly reduces the incidence of neural tube defects in babies.

Studies Show Pediatric Brain Tumors Are Diverse Enough To Require Different Treatments

A brain tumor is a space occupying lesion. It is a mass of unwanted tissue that is occupying space where the brain is supposed to be.

Pediatric brain tumors are one of the most common types of childhood cancers. Some of these tumors are benign which means that these aren't cancerous. Despite this, benign tumors can still be serious depending on the size and location. Malignant tumors are cancerous and are life threatening.

Brain tumors are initially detected through the symptoms being manifested. These symptoms might include:

• Headache
• Vomiting and nausea
• Personality changes
• Depression
• Trouble controlling muscles
• Seizures
• Vision or speech problems

Treatment for pediatric brain tumor sometimes differ from treatment of an adult brain tumor. The long term effect (or side effect) from the treatment and from the result itself is an important factor to consider since the brain can still be in a developing stage. Depending on the situation, surgical removal of the tumor, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are the considered options.

Children's brain tumors more diverse than previously believed

Paediatric brain tumours preserve specific characteristics of the normal cells from which they originate – a previously unknown circumstance with ramifications for how tumour cells respond to treatment. This has been shown by Uppsala researcher Fredrik Swartling together with colleagues in the U.S., Canada and England in a study that was published today in the distinguished journal Cancer Cell.

Every year, 80-90 children in Sweden are afflicted with brain tumours, a serious form of paediatric cancer. Today, three of four children who receive treatment survive.

Behavioral Problems In Children May Be A Sign Of Mental Health Problems

Mental health problems are conditions that can disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood and ability to relate to others.

There are many factors that can affect a child's mental health. Identifying these disorders is complicated when it comes to a child since children naturally experience physical, mental, and emotional changes in their growth and development. And at this stage, they are also in the process of learning how to cope, adapt and relate to others and the world around them.

Diagnosing a mental disorder in a child depends on the age of the child, the symptoms shown and how the child acts at home, within the family, in school, and with other children.

Unruly kids may have a mental disorder

When children behave badly, it's easy to blame their parents. Sometimes, however, such behavior may be due to a mental disorder.

Mental illnesses are the No. 1 cause of medical disability in youths ages 15 and older in the United States and Canada, according to the World Health Organization.

"One reason we haven't made greater progress helping people recover from mental disorders is that we get on the scene too late," said Thomas R. Insel, MD, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the featured speaker at the American Academy of Pediatrics' Presidential Plenary during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston.