Parenting Bulletin - July 2013 Archives

Kids' allergies may correlate with omega-3, omega-6 lipid levels in cord blood (7/31/2013)

Children with high proportions of poly-unsaturated fatty acids in cord blood at birth are more likely to develop respiratory and skin allergies in their early teens, according to research published July 10 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Malin Barman and colleagues from the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. ...> Full Article

'Kangaroo care' offers developmental benefits for premature newborns (7/30/2013)

In the article, "Kangaroo Care as a Neonatal Therapy," Susan Ludington-Hoe, RN, CNM, Ph.D., FAAN, from Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, describes how Kangaroo Care delivers benefits beyond bonding and breastfeeding for a hospital's tiniest newborns. ...> Full Article

3-D-printed splint saves infant's life (7/29/2013)

Matthew Wheeler, a University of Illinois professor of animal sciences and member of the Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering research theme at the Institute for Genomic Biology, worked with a team of five researchers to test 3-D-printed, bioresorbable airway splints in porcine models with severe, life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia. ...> Full Article

Overnights away from home affect children's attachments, U.Va. study shows (7/29/2013)

In joint custody arrangements, infants who spent overnights away from their mothers had less attachment to their mothers, a University of Virginia study shows. ...> Full Article

Ketamine as anesthetics can damage children's learning and memory ability (7/28/2013)

Recent studies have found that anesthesia drugs have neurotoxicity on the developing neurons, causing learning and memory disorders and behavioral abnormalities. Ketamine is commonly used in pediatric anesthesia. A clinical retrospective study found that children below 3 years old who receive a long time surgery, or because of surgery require ketamine repeatedly will exhibit the performance of school-age learning and memory disorders and behavioral abnormalities. ...> Full Article

Tots who sleep less have more behavior problems, says study (7/28/2013)

Four-year-olds with shorter than average sleep times have increased rates of "externalizing" behavior problems, reports a study in the July Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. ...> Full Article

Unraveling the scientific basis of the infant feeding axiom 'breast is best' (7/27/2013)

Scientists are making strides toward unraveling the surprisingly complex chemistry underpinning that axiom of infant feeding "breast is best," according to an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. ...> Full Article

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy affects learning and memory function in offspring? (7/27/2013)

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy has detrimental effects on fetal central nervous system development. Maternal alcohol consumption prior to and during pregnancy significantly affects cognitive functions in offspring, which may be related to changes in cyclin-dependent kinase 5 because it is associated with modulation of synaptic plasticity and impaired learning and memory. ...> Full Article

Obese dads pass on predisposition to obesity and metabolic disorders to their kids (7/26/2013)

If you are obese and hope to be a father, here's another reason to lose weight: your children and grandchildren may inherit your waistline or metabolic disorders. Scientists have discovered in mice that obese fathers, even those with no symptoms of diabetes, passed this negative trait on most frequently to their daughters. Sons don't dodge this genetic bullet either -- both sons and daughters of obese fathers have increased risks of developing metabolic diseases. ...> Full Article

Parental divorce in childhood is linked to raised inflammation in adulthood (7/25/2013)

People who experience parental divorce during childhood have higher levels of an inflammatory marker in the blood which is known to predict future health, according to new research from UCL. ...> Full Article

Later cord clamping after birth increases iron levels in babies (7/24/2013)

Delaying clamping of the umbilical cord after birth benefits newborn babies, according to a systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. The authors found babies' blood and iron levels were healthier when the cord was clamped later. ...> Full Article

Women at risk of developing postpartum psychosis need close monitoring, says new review (7/23/2013)

There are clear risk factors for postpartum psychosis that all women should be asked about antenatally to ensure early recognition and prompt treatment of the condition, says a new review published today (12 July) in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist. ...> Full Article

Cry analyzer seeks clues to babies' health (7/22/2013)

Researchers at Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital have developed a new tool that analyzes the cries of babies, searching for clues to potential health or developmental problems. Slight variations in cries, mostly imperceptible to the human ear, can be a "window into the brain" that could allow for early intervention. ...> Full Article

Moms need help to overcome breastfeeding worries, study says (7/21/2013)

More support is needed to help women overcome doubts in the hope that they will breastfeed their babies for longer, says a University of Alberta nutrition researcher. ...> Full Article

The allergist is listening: 5 things they need to hear, from your child (7/20/2013)

A study published in the July issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology highlights the importance of doctors asking both parents and children about asthma symptoms. ...> Full Article

Note to teens: Just breathe (7/19/2013)

UCLA researchers have found that a workshop for adolescents that teaches skills to keep impulsive acts under control, is effective. Such impulsive behavior often leads to negative acts including substance abuse and violence. ...> Full Article

Dip, dip, hooray -- Kids eat more veggies with flavored dips (7/18/2013)

Many parents have a difficult time persuading their preschool-aged children to try vegetables, let alone eat them regularly. Food and nutrition researchers have found that by offering a dip flavored with spices, children were more likely to try vegetables -- including those they had previously rejected. ...> Full Article

Infants' food linked to higher, lower Type 1 diabetes risk (7/17/2013)

Infants who get their first solid food before 4 months of age and after six months may have a higher risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. The risk goes down if the mother is still breast-feeding the baby when solid foods, particularly those containing wheat or barley, are introduced into the diet. ...> Full Article

Ethical quandary about vaccinations sparked by tension between parental rights and protecting public health (7/16/2013)

Increased concerns about the perceived risk of vaccination, inconvenience, or religious tenets are leading more US parents to opt-out of vaccinating their children. Parents are increasingly able to do so in states that have relatively simple procedures for immunization exemption, report researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center in the July issue of Health Affairs. Some states, fearing a public health crisis, have responded by putting in place more burdensome procedures for parents of school-aged children to opt-out. ...> Full Article

Low-cost in-vitro fertilization method may help couples in developing countries (7/15/2013)

A new low-cost method of in vitro fertilization developed at the University of Colorado Boulder that performed successfully in recent human clinical trials in Belgium may help thousands of infertile couples in developing countries. ...> Full Article

Immune cells essential to establishing pregnancy (7/14/2013)

New research from the University of Adelaide shows for the first time that immune cells known as macrophages are critical to fertility by creating a healthy hormone environment in the uterus. ...> Full Article

Violent video games don't always reduce subsequent helpfulness (7/13/2013)

Violent or antisocial video games like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto do not reliably reduce helpful behaviors in players shortly after playing, according to research published July 3 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Morgan Tear and Mark Nielsen from the University of Queensland, Australia. ...> Full Article

New study reveals important role of insulin in making breast milk (7/12/2013)

Why do so many mothers have difficulty making enough milk to breastfeed? A new study by scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of California Davis adds to their previous research implicating insulin's role in lactation success. ...> Full Article

Curcumin may protect premature infants' lungs (7/11/2013)

Curry spice provides protective qualities for premature infants' lungs. ...> Full Article

New evidence suggests impulsive adolescents more likely to drink heavily (7/10/2013)

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that young people who show impulsive tendencies are more prone to drinking heavily at an early age. ...> Full Article

Getting kids to eat their veggies: A new approach to an age-old problem (7/9/2013)

Every parent has a different strategy for trying to get his or her kid to eat more vegetables, from growing vegetables together as a family to banning treats until the dinner plate is clean. New research suggests that teaching young children an overarching, conceptual framework for nutrition may do the trick. ...> Full Article

A look inside children's minds (7/8/2013)

Ever wondered what's going on inside young children's brains when they're looking at things? Researchers at the University of Iowa have used optical neuroimaging for the first time on 3-and 4-year-olds to determine which areas of the brain are activated in "visual working memory." ...> Full Article

UT study: Chemical in antibacterial soaps may harm nursing babies (7/7/2013)

A mother's prolonged use of antibacterial soaps containing the chemical triclocarban may harm nursing babies, according to a recent study from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. ...> Full Article

Babies can read each other's signals (7/6/2013)

Research shows that babies can understand each others emotional signals at five months of age. This study comes on the heels of research on infants' ability to understand the moods of dogs, monkeys and classical music. ...> Full Article

Teenage physical fitness reduces the risk of suicidal behavior later in life (7/5/2013)

Being in good physical shape at 18 years of age can be linked with a reduced risk of attempted suicide later in life. So says a study of over one million Swedish men conducted by researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. ...> Full Article

Daily iron during pregnancy linked to improved birth weight (7/4/2013)

Taking iron daily during pregnancy is associated with a significant increase in birth weight and a reduction in risk of low birth weight, finds a study published on bmj.com today. ...> Full Article

Giving children non-verbal clues about words boosts vocabularies (7/3/2013)

The clues that parents give toddlers about words can make a big difference in how deep their vocabularies are when they enter school, new research at the University of Chicago shows. By using words to reference objects in the visual environment, parents can help young children learn new words, according to the research. ...> Full Article

Rare pregnancy condition programs babies to become overweight in later life (7/2/2013)

Babies born to mothers who suffer from a rare metabolic complication during pregnancy are programmed to be overweight, according to a study part-funded by the Wellcome Trust. ...> Full Article

Breastfeeding boosts ability to climb social ladder (7/1/2013)

Breastfeeding not only boosts children's chances of climbing the social ladder, but it also reduces the chances of downwards mobility, suggests a large study published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. ...> Full Article