First treatment for progeria shows promise
In this photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 progeria sufferer Ontlametse Phalatse, is photographed in her "Hannah Montana" bedroom after a day at school. in Hebron, near Pretoria, South Africa.
/ AP Photo/Denis Farrell(CBS News) The first experimental drug for the treatment of progeria has brought hope for the families and people affected by the accelerated aging disease.
Progeria patients who used a farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTI) called lonafarnib were able to improve their cardiovascular health and increase their weight gain, problems usually associated with the condition. The drug was initially slated by manufacture Merck to treat brain cancer, but was found ineffective against that disease.
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"This is a fantastic first step," says Leslie Gordon, medical director for the Progeria Research Foundation, a physician at Boston Children's Hospital and Brown University and the mother of a child with progeria, told NPR.
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Active video games up kids' energy expenditure
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A new study shows that active video games -- such as "Dance Central" and "Kinect Sports: Boxing" - can increase oxygen intake, heart rate and energy expenditure in children, leading researchers to believe that the games may be a way to combat childhood obesity.
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"Although it is unlikely that active video game play can single-handedly provide the recommended amount of physical activity for children or expend the number of calories required to prevent or reverse the obesity epidemic, it appears from the results of this study that Kinect active game play can contribute to children's physical activity levels and energy expenditure, at least in the short term," the authors wrote.
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Pediatricians warn against using trampolines
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(CBS News) The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is discouraging the recreational use of trampolines, saying the activity poses a major injury risk for kids and there's no clear way to reduce chances of getting hurt.
The modern trampoline was patented by competitive gymnast George Nissen in 1945, designed for acrobats, gymnasts and eventually used by the military for training, according to the AAP. But at-home recreational trampoline use has increased in recent decades as the products have become more affordable.
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Despite statements from numerous medical groups that discourage trampoline use and warnings to exercise caution on trampolines at home or on the playground, the AAP says trampoline use and injuries remain a big problem.
The new guidance is published in the Sept 24 issue of the academy's journal, Pediatrics.
Infant swallows expanding ball, needs surgery
This images shows a 3.5 cm-round Water Balz toy after it was removed from an 8-month old girl's small intestine by doctors at Baylor College of Medicine.
/ PediatricsBut it's no simple choking hazard that's concerning doctors - as the small ball grows in size, it could potentially block a child's intestines, requiring surgery to remove it.
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That's what happened to an 8-month old infant. In case described in the Sept. 17 issue of Pediatrics, a little girl came to the emergency room 15 hours after swallowing a part of her sister's Water Balz expanding ball (from DuneCraft, Inc.,) that reportedly "grows to the size of a racquetball."
Pacifiers may hinder males' emotional growth
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Three separate experiments - two with college-aged students and one with 6 to 7-year-old boys - revealed that those who reported using pacifiers found it harder to mimic emotional expressions or scored lower on emotional intelligence tests. The study is the first to connect pacifiers with psychological effects.
"That work got us thinking about critical periods of emotional development, like infancy," lead author Dr. Paula Niedenthal, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc., said in the press release. "What if you always had something in your mouth that prevented you from mimicking and resonating with the facial expression of somebody?"
Continue »High levels of BPA linked to childhood obesity
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(CBS News) New research reports a link between the bisphenol A (BPA) chemical used in many types of food packaging and childhood obesity. The study found the link existed regardless of how many calories kids were taking in through their diets.
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The study, published online Sept. 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides the first look at a nationally representative sample of U.S. children and teens, according to its authors. Lead researcher Dr. Leonardo Trasande, an associate professor in pediatrics and environmental medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, told CBSNews.com that his study's findings lend support to efforts to get the chemical banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Study: Sexting teens may face real-world risks
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Rather than serving as a substitute for risky behaviors, the study of nearly 2,000 teens found kids who sent such messages were more likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as being sexually active and having unprotected sex, raising their risk for sexually transmitted diseases.
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"No one's actually going to get a sexually transmitted disease because they're sexting," Dr. Eric Rice, a researcher from the School of Social Network at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, told Reuters. "What we really wanted to know is, is there a link between sexting and taking risks with your body? And the answer is a pretty resounding 'yes.'"
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Healthier school lunches earn mixed grades
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(AP) ROTTERDAM, N.Y. - One student complains because his cafeteria no longer serves chicken nuggets. Another gripes that her school lunch just isn't filling. A third student says he's happy to eat an extra apple with his lunch, even as he's noshing on his own sub.
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Leaner, greener school lunches served under new federal standards are getting mixed grades from students piling more carrots, more apples and fewer fatty foods on their trays.
"Now they're kind of forcing all the students to get the vegetables and fruit with their lunch, and they took out chicken nuggets this year, which I'm not too happy about," said Chris Cimino, a senior at Mohonasen High School in upstate New York.
Continue »Signs your child is not adjusting to school
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Child anxiety specialist Rhonda C. Martin, a licensed professional clinical counselor and author of "Stuck" - a guide for kids and parents dealing with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders, compiled a list of warning signs that something might be amiss that's making your child unhappy. Keep clicking to see what behaviors should raise a red flag...
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Study: Whooping cough vaccine protection wears off
An empty bottle of Tetanus, Diphthera and Pertussis, (whooping cough) vaccine sits on display at Inderkum High School, Monday, Sept. 19, 2011, in Sacramento, Calif.
/ Rich PedroncelliThere are several formulations to get vaccinated for whooping cough, also known as pertussis. DTaP is a five dose series recommended at 2,4 or 6 months; 15 through 18 months and 4 through 6 years of age. Tdap is a booster dose given to people 11 to 12 years old, pregnant women and any adult that has not previously had been vaccinated.
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A study published online in the Sept. 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that the protective effect weakens dramatically soon after a youngster gets the last of the five recommended shots around age 6.
Sleep problems in kids can lead to other issues
"The take home from this is we need to be looking at these breathing and behavioral sleep problems at very young ages in these children," Karen Bonuck, a professor in the department of Family and Social Medicine at Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York, told HealthPop.
Continue »Mom's depression may affect kid's height
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A study found that kids of mothers who had postpartum depression were more likely to be shorter than their classmates.
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"Mothers with higher levels of depressive symptoms in the first year postpartum were more likely to have children who were shorter in stature in preschool and kindergarten age," study author Dr. Pamela Surkan, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore, said to HealthDay. "This study points to another reason why it's really important for mothers to get help for depression during the postpartum period."
Study: No long-term risks from infant sleep training
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Many pediatricians offer sleep training tips to new parents, but research on whether these techniques are beneficial in the long-term has been unclear. For the new study - published Sept. 10 in Pediatrics - Australian researchers tracked 225 kids with sleep problems from infancy through the time they turned 6 to see whether utilizing a sleep training program boosted children's mental health, their relationship with their parents and also whether it had any effect on their parents' mental health.
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"Based on earlier studies, we anticipated there would be no long-term negative effects but wanted to know whether the benefits to children's sleep and mothers' mental health extended past two years," study author Anna Price, a postdoctoral research fellow at Murdoch Children's Research Institute at the Royal Children's Hospital in Parkville Australia, told HealthDay.
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300,000 window blinds recalled after toddler's death
A recall of window blinds made by Blind Xpress was issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) after a 2-year-old child was strangled by the hanging cord.
/ CPSC(CBS News) The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and window blind manufacturer Blind Xpress issued a recall of their custom-made window blinds after a 2-year-old girl was strangled to death by the hanging adjustment cord.
The recall will affect about 39,000 vertical and 315,000 horizontal blinds made by the Michigan-based company. They were sold in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana from January 1995 through December 2011 and retailed for $16 to $380 each.
Continue »Popular high school students more likely to be smokers
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"Popularity is a strong predictor of smoking," study author Thomas Valente, professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, told HealthDay. "We haven't done enough to make it cool not to smoke."
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 80 percent of adult smokers began smoking before the age of 18. About 19.5 percent of high school students smoked at least one cigarette and about 8.9 percent used smokeless tobacco in the previous month before they were surveyed in 2009. On any given day, about 3,800 people under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette.
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