Children's Health: Pupils learn poorly when using most computer programs ♦ Obese children's health rapidly improves with sugar reduction unrelated to calories

The American Academy of Pediatrics tackles youth football injuries With football remaining one of the most popular sports for children and teens, the American Academy of Pediatrics is issuing new recommendations to improve the safety of all players while on the field.

Pupils learn poorly when using most computer programs  “Most digital learning tools used in schools are unsatisfactory and only test the knowledge the pupils already have”, says Björn Sjödén, who has reviewed a large number of computer programs in his doctoral thesis “What Makes Good Educational Software?”

Obese children's health rapidly improves with sugar reduction unrelated to calories Reducing consumption of added sugar has the power to reverse a cluster of chronic metabolic diseases in children in as little as 10 days

Limited use of general anesthesia with an infant does not cause developmental problems for the child. Limited use of general anesthesia with an infant does not cause developmental problems for the child, an international team of researchers is reporting. The study is the largest of its kind and the first randomized study to compare whether general anesthesia in infancy has any effect on neurodevelopmental outcome.

Health News: Frozen raw tuna likely source of salmonella infections ♦ Marine litter undermines benefits of coastal environments ♦ Electrical signals could help repair injured spinal cords

Frozen raw tuna likely source of salmonella infections As of July 14, 2015, 60 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+) have been reported from 11 states. Eleven ill people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. That’s according to the latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was posted July 15...

Marine litter undermines benefits of coastal environments Marine litter has the potential to undermine the psychological benefits of coastal environments.

Common diabetes drug can also treat liver cirrhosis Diabetes drug metformin can treat portal hypertension--high blood pressure in the liver resulting from cirrhosis, new research shows. This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing that use of metformin goes beyond treating type 2 diabetes.

Therapeutic target identified for treatment of spinal cord injuries Therapeutic target for the treatment of acute spinal cord injuries has been identified. According to research, conducted on mice, the administration of a drug that prevents loss of myelin -- the insulating sheath around nerve fibers that allows signals to be transmitted -- increases the mobility of the mice after an injury.

Electrical signals could help repair injured spinal cords Wichita State University's Li Yao is taking a special approach to the study of spinal cord injuries through research that uses an electrical signal to repair tissue damage.

Bilinguals of two spoken languages have more gray matter than monolinguals A new study suggests people who speak two languages have more gray matter in the executive control region of the brain

Senior Health: Alzheimer's disease works differently in patients with Down Syndrome ♦ Omega-3 supplements help with preclinical Alzheimer's disease ♦ Age-related cognitive decline tied to immune-system molecule

SSRI antidepressants taken for menopausal symptoms may boost bone fracture risk The class of antidepressants known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), taken to curb menopausal symptoms, may boost bone fracture risk.

Alzheimer's disease works differently in patients with and without Down Syndrome A study revealed differences in the way brain inflammation -- considered a key component of AD-- is expressed in different subsets of patients, in particular people with Down syndrome (DS) and AD.

Omega-3 supplements, antioxidants may help with preclinical Alzheimer's disease Here's more evidence that fish oil supplementation and antioxidants might be beneficial for at least some people facing Alzheimer's disease: A new report describes the findings of a very small study in which people with mild clinical impairment, such as those in the very early stages of the disease, saw clearance of the hallmark amyloid-beta protein and reduced inflammation in neurological tissues.

Older patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries less likely to get surgery Older patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries are less likely to receive surgery compared with younger patients and they experience a significant lag between injury and surgery.

Age-related cognitive decline tied to immune-system molecule A blood-borne molecule that increases in abundance as we age blocks regeneration of brain cells and promotes cognitive decline. The molecule in question, known as beta-2 microglobulin, or B2M, is a component of a larger molecule called MHC I, which plays a major role in the adaptive immune system. A growing body of research indicates that the B2M-MHC I complex, which is present in all cells in the body except red blood cells and plasma cells, can act in the brain in ways not obviously related to immunity--guiding brain development, shaping nerve cell communication, and even affecting behavior

Children's Health: Childhood adversities linked to later migraine ♦ Color of urine to be valid gauge for hydration in children ♦ Girls at higher risk for overuse injuries in high school sports

Color of urine to be valid gauge for hydration in children, More than half of American children are dehydrated, and a researcher has found an easy way for children to gauge hydration using established protocols already in place for athletes. The research also shows that children can accurately self-assess hydration levels using established methods. Mild dehydration in children has been linked to reduced cognitive functioning and is associated with poorer school performance in children.

Minority students are underrepresented in special education A new federally funded study finds that racial, ethnic, and language minority elementary- and middle-school students are less likely than otherwise similar white, English-speaking children to be identified as having disabilities and, as a result, are disproportionately underrepresented in special education. These findings differ from most prior education research and contrast with current federal legislation and policies.

Girls at higher risk for overuse injuries in high school sports When it comes to overuse injuries in high school sports, girls are at a much higher risk than boys, a new study shows. Overuse injuries include stress fractures, tendonitis and joint pain, and occur when athletes are required to perform the same motion repeatedly.

Childhood adversities, including witnessing parental domestic violence, linked to later migraines Adults who were exposed to childhood adversity, including witnessing parental domestic violence, childhood physical and sexual abuse have higher odds of experiencing migraine headaches in adulthood.

Childrens Health News: Reducing baseball Elbow Injuries ♦ Link between diet, Epstein-Barr ♦ Children with autism can learn to be social

Game played in sync increases children's perceived similarity, closeness Children who played a simple computer game together in sync felt a greater sense of similarity and closeness -- suggesting that time-based synchronized activities, including in music, dance and sports, could help bring children closer together.

Reducing baseball elbow Injuries A new approach to analyzing baseball-pitching biomechanics may one day give players more personalized feedback and help prevent elbow injuries. In a computer simulation study of baseball pitching, biomedical engineers found that the strength of the elbow muscles of a baseball pitcher likely play a bigger role in injury risk and prevention than previously thought.

Researchers shed light on link between diet, Epstein-Barr A new study is shedding light on the connection between diet and a common childhood disease. Using national health data, the researchers determined children who ate certain types of food or dealt with food insecurity may be more likely to contract the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). EBV is a common virus that often causes no symptoms on its own; it’s better known as a cause of infectious mononucleosis and having a connection to some cancers

Children with autism can learn to be social, Teachers and speech therapists can teach children with autism how to be social with their peers, a randomized trial shows. "We found that the children who participated in the social network not only made significant progress in social communication during the intervention but also made many more initiations to their peers in general," an author of the study said. "Teachers also reported that children in the intervention were more social and had better classroom behavior

Health News: Smartphones Quickly and accurately diagnoses disease ♦ Unsafe food ’growing global threat ♦ Predicting chronic pain in whiplash injuries

 Smartphones Quickly and accurately diagnoses disease and monitors treatment remotely Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and collaborators have identified a new biosensing platform that could be used to remotely detect and determine treatment options for HIV, E-coli, Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria  

Unsafe food ’growing global threat Eating food contaminated with bugs leads to more than half a billion cases of illness a year, the World Health Organization warns. It says this "global threat" contributed to 351,000 deaths in 2010. Unsafe foods, for example undercooked meat, can cause 200 problems - from diarrhoea to cancer

Innovative strategies needed to address US transplant organ shortage As the United States faces transplant waiting lists that continue to grow longer over time, there is increasing debate about the proper way to incentivize living donations. Due to organ shortages, thousands of Americans are on transplant waiting lists for 5 or more years as their health deteriorate

Generous welfare benefits make people more likely to want to work, not less Generous welfare benefit levels make people who are not in employment more likely to want to work rather than less. "Many scholars and commentators fear that generous social benefits threaten the sustainability of the welfare state due to work norm erosion, disincentives to work and dependency cultures,". "This article concludes that there are few signs that groups with traditionally weaker bonds to the labor market are less motivated to work if they live in generous welfare states."

Predicting chronic pain in whiplash injuries While most people recover from whiplash injuries within a few months, about 25 percent have long-term pain and disability for many months or years. Using special MRI imaging, scientists identified, within the first one and two weeks of the injury, which patients will develop chronic pain and disability. This is the earliest these patients have been identified and will enable faster treatment. The imaging revealed large amounts of fat infiltrating the patients' neck muscles, indicating rapid atrophy.

Costs of Injuries to Motor Vehicle Occupants

The health burden and medical costs resulting from nonfatal crash injuries in the United States are substantial. In 2012, an estimated 2.5 million ED visits occurred because of such injuries, of which approximately 188,000 were serious enough to require hospitalization. This is equivalent to 6,902 ED visits and 517 hospitalizations every day. With U.S. households averaging 5.7 vehicle trips per day, the risk for these injuries is widespread.

Motor vehicle crashes result in substantial mortality and years of potential life lost. This study shows that the nonfatal injury burden is also high. For each motor vehicle occupant killed in a crash in 2012, eight were hospitalized, and 100 were treated and released from the ED. The estimated lifetime medical cost of nonfatal crash injuries is similar to other serious, but perhaps more well-known, public health problems. For example, the estimated lifetime medical cost of crash injuries is approximately 50% higher than the estimated $12.6 billion cost for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States . On average, each crash-related ED visit costs $3,362, and each hospitalization costs $56,674.

These nonfatal crash injury costs can create both an immediate and lifelong burden for individuals and their families, as well as employers, and public and private healthcare payers. Although these are lifetime medical costs, the majority of medical costs (approximately 75%–90%) are estimated to occur in the first 18 months after the crash . In addition to the burden of medical costs, crash injuries cause a substantial lost lifetime productivity valued at $32.9 billion.

Teens and young adults aged 15–29 years accounted for a disproportionate share of the burden, comprising 21% of the population but accounting for 38% of both the treated and released visits and costs in this analysis. Other studies have shown that this age group has a higher prevalence of risk factors for crash injuries. In 2012, teens and young adults aged 16–24 years had the lowest prevalence of observed restraint use (80%) compared with all other age groups (87%–88%). In 2010, adults aged 21–24 years and 25–34 years had the highest self-reported prevalence of driving after having had too much to drink (3.6% and 2.6%, respectively) compared with adults aged 18–20 years (2.2%) and adults aged ≥35 years (0.8%–1.9%).

Older adults in this study were more likely to be hospitalized for a crash injury compared with other age groups. Increased frailty, rather than increased risk for crash involvement, likely accounts for the majority of increased fatality risks for adults aged ≥60 years, and might explain the increased proportion of ED visits that result in hospitalization among this age group.

Analyses of risk factors such as non use of restraints, alcohol use, and geographic location were not possible in this study. Although the Fatality Analysis Reporting System has national and state-level information on motor vehicle crash fatalities, including factors contributing to the crash, no single data source exists for risk factors and associated medical outcomes for nonfatal crash injuries. Also, the completeness of external cause-of-injury coding in existing state-based hospital discharge and ED data systems varies, making it difficult to monitor and assess motor vehicle crash injuries treated in hospitals in some state and local jurisdictions

This analysis suggests that states, employers, and individuals can avert substantial medical costs by adopting safety practices and policies shown to protect motor vehicle occupants. Primary seatbelt laws, child passenger restraint laws, ignition interlocks to prevent alcohol impaired driving, publicized sobriety checkpoints, and graduated driver licensing systems for teens all have demonstrated effectiveness to reduce crash injuries and fatalities

These interventions reduce injuries and result in economic savings. For instance, an estimated 54,000 serious injuries could be prevented annually if all occupants wore seatbelts, and 82,000 serious injuries could be prevented if all drivers had a blood alcohol content of <0.08 g/dL . The 2009 passage of a primary seat belt law in Minnesota is estimated to have increased seat belt use and averted $45 million in hospital charges, or roughly an estimated $36 million in hospital costs over a 2-year period . The presence of graduated driver licensing laws is associated with reduced injuries and reduced cost for private and public payers. A $30 booster seat is estimated to save an average of $245 in medical costs over 4 years of use). Finally, publicized sobriety checkpoint programs show benefit-cost ratios ranging from 2:1 to 57:1 . To date no state has implemented all of these safety measures in accordance with evidence and expert recommendation.