Humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes that carry instructions for assembling the proteins that do the work of cells. Work led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital found that children who inherit certain variations in four particular genes are at much higher risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)...

A simple saliva test could be an effective method in predicting aggressive behavior in boys, a new study suggests. The findings, published in the journal Psychiatric Quarterly, was led by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and reveal a direct link between salivary concentrations of certain hormones and aggression...

One in 50 school-aged kids has autism in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The finding came from a survey of parents which revealed that the number of American children with autism spectrum disorder has increased significantly since 2007. As of 2012, one in 50 kids aged 6 to 17 has a form of autism, vs. one in 88 children just five years prior...

Boston Medical Center pediatricians Laura Johnson, MD, MPH, Jenny Radesky, MD, and Barry Zuckerman, MD, the Joel and Barbara Alpert Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, have published a paper in the current issue of the journal Pediatrics that addresses how understanding the origins and goals of parenting behaviors can help pediatricians strengthen r...

New research presented at the at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that overall, sports and recreation musculoskeletal injuries have declined 12.4 percent in the U.S. over the past 10 years for children ages 5 to 14 years. However, injuries sustained during football and soccer continues to rise. In 2000, the U.S...

A new study conducted by monitoring the brain waves of sleeping adolescents has found that remarkable changes occur in the brain as it prunes away neuronal connections and makes the major transition from childhood to adulthood...

Pediatricians regularly dispense advice to parents of young children during well-child visits, but a new University of Michigan poll shows that many aren't following doctors' orders...

Mobile phoning, and even texting or emailing, while driving is common among Americans, according to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that finds these habits are more prevalent in the US than in several European countries. The report appears in the 15 March issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)...

In a report released today, 19-Mar-2013, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues concluded that the federal government would have to take multiple steps before anthrax vaccine trials with children could be ethically considered...

Below are some safety tips for families with children who plan to get away from the cold, dark days of winter and enjoy the sun. Sunny days mean children tend to be outdoors much more compared to the winter months. Increased exposure to direct sunlight does not only mean protecting one's skin and taking measures to prevent heatstroke and dehydration, but also protecting children's eyes...

Students who date in middle school have significantly worse study skills, are four times more likely to drop out of school and report twice as much alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use than their single classmates, according to new research from the University of Georgia...

Mindfulness is a form of meditation therapy focused on exercising 'attentiveness'. Depression is often rooted in a downward spiral of negative feelings and worries. Once a person learns to more quickly recognise these feelings and thoughts, he or she can intervene before depression sinks in...

Transplants of blood-forming stem cells from umbilical cord blood may be an effective alternative to transplants of matched donor bone marrow stem cells to treat children with a rare, debilitating disease known as Hurler's syndrome (HS), according to results of a study published online last week in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH)...

Both daughters and sons from divorced families are significantly more likely to initiate smoking in comparison to their peers from intact families, shows a new analysis of 19,000 Americans...

Transplants of blood-forming stem cells from umbilical cord blood may be an effective alternative to transplants of matched donor bone marrow stem cells to treat children with a rare, debilitating disease known as Hurler's syndrome (HS), according to results of a study published online in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH)...

Teens who were depressed as children are far more likely than their peers to be obese, smoke cigarettes and lead sedentary lives, even if they no longer suffer from depression. The research, by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Pittsburgh, suggests that depression, even in children, can increase the risk of heart problems later in life...

As success rates in treating childhood cancers have improved, greater emphasis is being placed on quality of life issues following successful treatment. Many cancer treatments can lead to infertility, but there are few methods to preserve the fertility of children who have not entered puberty...

College-age kids who don't consume at least three servings of dairy daily are three times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than those who do, said a new University of Illinois study. "And only one in four young persons in the study was getting the recommended amount of dairy," said Margarita Teran-Garcia, a U of I professor of food science and human nutrition...

Sexting: Involves sending sexually explicit messages and/or photographs, primarily between mobile phones using the SMS system was first reported in 2005. It is an obvious portmanteau of "sex" and "texting"; the word was added to the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary in August 2012...

A virus that most people have probably never heard of, yet most of us carry, is the number one infectious cause of congenital birth defects. One in 750 children are born with, or develop, permanent disabilities such as hearing loss or brain damage as a result of CMV (cytomegalovirus) infection in the womb. Major research efforts are underway to combat this invidious disease...