Hormone relaxin helps treat heart failure: study
Relaxin — a naturally occurring hormone that helps women adapt to pregnancy — is showing promise as a treatment for acute heart failure, a new study has found. The research, conducted by scientists from the United States and Italy and presented here Sunday at an annual conference of the American College of Cardiology, said the hormone helped patients to breathe more easily. Given in addition... Read more
Tonsillectomy linked to excess weight gain in kids
Children who undergo the surgical removal of their tonsils (tonsillectomy) with or without the removal of their adenoids (adenoidectomy) are at increased risk for becoming overweight in the years after surgery, according to a report in the journal Pediatrics. Prior research has linked tonsillectomy to accelerated weight gain, but whether it is a risk factor for becoming overweight was unclear, note... Read more
Child’s Food Allergies Take Toll on Family Plans
Two new reports show that food allergies can be a burden on a family’s finances and even its vacation plans. The studies, expected to be presented in Washington, D.C., at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, demonstrate how these common conditions can have a wide impact on a family’s quality of life. In looking at the lives of thousands of caregivers... Read more
Contact Lenses Boost Kids’ Self-Image
Compared to glasses, contact lenses improve how children feel about their appearance, their ability to play sports and their acceptance among friends, a study of 484 nearsighted children finds. “Many studies have examined the effect of spectacle wear on self-perception and the perception of others, but the majority of this research has been conducted on adults,” study leader Jeffrey J.... Read more
Watching R-Rated Movies Boosts Kids’ Smoking Risk
Children who are allowed to watch R-rated movies are more likely to smoke, say researchers who analyzed data from a four-year study of more than 1,200 Massachusetts youngsters. “We don’t know why this is so. It may have to do with a parenting style that is permissive of activities that are not age-appropriate. Or it may be an outcome of all the smoking scenes in R-rated movies,” lead... Read more
Respiratory virus common in U.S. children: study
A highly contagious respiratory virus is far more widespread among children than once thought and puts more of them in the hospital than influenza, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. They projected that the respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, affects 2.1 million children under the age of 5 each year. Over four years, from November through April, the virus was responsible for 20 percent... Read more
Smoking in pregnancy cuts blood flow to the fetus
Smoking during pregnancy reduces blood flow to the developing fetus and, in turn, retards growth, new research suggests. “We have known for 50 years that infants born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy have lower birth weights,” lead investigator Dr. Malene Rohr Andersen, from Gentoffe University Hospital in Hellerup, Denmark, said in a statement. “But this study provides a possible... Read more
Obesity can complicate teen pregnancy
Obesity has been linked to higher odds of several pregnancy complications, and a new study shows that the risks apply to teenagers as well as adults. In a study of teenage first-time mothers who gave birth at one urban hospital, researchers found that obese girls were at greater risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy or requiring a cesarean section during delivery. In the past, some of the main... Read more
Childhood Beach Vacations May Boost Melanoma Risk
Vacations at the shore during childhood may boost the risk of the deadly skin cancer melanoma later in life, a new study suggests. Researchers from Denver evaluated 681 children born in 1998 in Colorado, asking their parents about childhood vacation destinations and then conducting skin exams when the children were age 7 to look for nevi — commonly known as moles. These moles are a risk factor... Read more
Common Chemicals May Delay Pregnancy
Chemicals known as perfluorinated chemicals, which are pervasive in food packaging, pesticides, clothing, upholstery, carpets and personal care products, may delay pregnancy, a new study suggests. These chemicals are being phased out in the United States because of their toxic effects, and are expected to be completely gone by 2010. However, they remain in the environment and in the body for decades,... Read more