Childrens Health:Exploring the teenage brain--Saliva test to diagnose autism--Teens increasingly sleep deprived--Drug exposure to autism-like effects

Exploring the teenage brain, and its drive for immediate reward  Teenage exploration and risk taking could be explained by dramatic brain changes that allow planning and encourage the need for immediate reward, according to a neuroscientist  Continue Reading

Researchers may develop saliva test to diagnose autism  A spit test may one day be able to diagnose autism according to new research. Scientists have published the first study showing that children with autism spectrum disorder have differences in protein levels in their saliva when compared to typically developing children. Continue Reading

Teens increasingly sleep deprived  A new study found that female students, racial/ethnic minorities, and students of lower socioeconomic status are less likely to report regularly getting seven or more hours of sleep each night compared with their male counterparts, non-Hispanic white teenagers, and students of higher socioeconomic status, respectively. The largest decrease in the percentage Continue Reading

Tadpole model links drug exposure to autism-like effects  In utero exposure to the epilepsy drug VPA appears to elevate the risk to babies of developing an autism spectrum disorder. A new study used a tadpole model to investigate VPA's effects on developing neural physiology and behavior. Researchers now hope to use the model to develop an intervention and to learn more about the underlying causes of neurodevelopmental disorders more broadly.  Continue Reading

1/26/13 Health News: Factory Worker Arrested Over Food Poisoning - Saliva Test Asthmatic Kids Exposure To Second Hand Smoke - Contact Lens Helps With Diabetes

Factory worker arrested over Japan food poisoning

Japanese police on Saturday arrested a factory worker for allegedly poisoning frozen food with pesticides, in a case that sickened more than 2,800 people across the nation, news reports said. Gunma Police Department arrested the … continue reading

Saliva Reveals Asthmatic Kids' Smoke Exposure

Asthmatic children who are exposed to cigarette smoke are more likely to make repeat trips to the hospital for breathing problems. But researchers say asking parents about kids' smoke exposure may not yield the most reliable information. In a recent study, saliva revealed exposure to tobacco smoke in roughly 80 percent of children brought to the hospital for asthma or breathing problems. But only about a third of parents said their children came in contact with smoke. What's more, finding evidence of nicotine, a chemical in tobacco, in children's saliva was a better predictor of whether they would need to come back to the hospital, compared to the information parents gave to doctors. /Continue Reading

'Smart Contact Lens' Could Help Millions With Diabetes

Google has announced it's testing a smart contact lens that can help measure glucose levels in tears. The contacts contain a tiny wireless chip and a sensor. The company is hoping the technology could lead to a new way of helping people with diabetes manage their disease. Continue Reading