Concussions in children may have lingering effects

From MyHealthNewsDaily.com (12/11) :

Children who suffered concussions showed changes in their cognitive functioning and brain structure two weeks after their injuries, according to a study in the Journal of Neuroscience. Although other concussion-related symptoms waned after three months, brain scans revealed that children with concussions still had structural changes in the white matter.

http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/3357-concussions-kids-effects-brain-injuries.html

Prepregnancy obesity may affect children's cognitive ability

From PhysiciansBriefing.com/HealthDay News (12/10):

A 10-point increase in maternal body mass index before pregnancy was linked to a decline in their children's cognitive performance at ages 5 and 7, according to a U.K. study in the journal Pediatrics. Although the overall effect of prepregnancy weight on cognition was modest, the link seemed to strengthen as the children got older, researchers said.

http://www.physiciansbriefing.com/Article.asp?AID=671441

Antipsychotic therapy may lower iron levels in autism patients

From Family Practice News (12/18):

Children with autism spectrum disorders who took antipsychotics for 18 months were likely to have lower plasma ferritin concentrations, U.S. researchers found. They reported that rapid weight gain during antipsychotic therapy was linked to iron depletion. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry meeting.

http://www.familypracticenews.com/single-view/antipsychotics-may-increase-iron-depletion-in-autism/8b4f45f93014204fbdf5fcdc5baae9e4.html

Don't Blame Autism for Newtown - NYT article

Another Autism article related to Newtown from the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/opinion/dont-blame-autism-for-newtown.html?_r=0

Screen access in bedrooms may be tied to childhood obesity

From The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/The Hot Button blog (tiered subscription model) (10/22):

Children who had access to screens -- televisions, DVD players, video games, computers or cellphones -- in their bedrooms were more likely to be overweight than those without access, a Canadian study in the journal Pediatric Obesity found. Increased TV time at night also could increase the risk of childhood obesity, researchers said, because an extra hour of sleep curbed the risk of obesity by up to 30%.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/technology-in-kids-bedrooms-lead-to-poorer-health-study-suggests/article4629411/

Our thoughts and prayers...

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families in Newtown and all those affected in the wake of such a horrible tragedy.

As details continue to emerge, we wanted to share the following article from today's Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/violence-aspergers-syndrome-adam-lanza--newtown-shooting_n_2312545.html?

Prenatal exposure to oxygen deprivation may raise ADHD risk

From CNN/The Chart blog (12/10):

Health records of almost 82,000 5- to 11-year-olds showed that
those who were exposed to ischemic-hypoxic conditions while in the womb had a 16%

higher risk of having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder later in childhood. Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome carried the highest risk for ADHD, followed by preeclampsia and birth asphyxia, according to the study in the journal Pediatrics.

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/10/oxygen-deprivation-in-utero-linked-to-adhd/

Specific mold exposure during infancy increased childhood asthma risk

From the September 2012 issue of Infectious Diseases in Children:


Children exposed to three specific types of molds may be more likely to develop asthma during childhood, according to recent study results. 

http://www.healio.com/allergy-immunology/asthma-lower-airway-diseases/news/online/%7Bf733d25b-3fee-4132-805e-0b51250407fe%7D/specific-mold-exposure-during-infancy-increased-childhood-asthma-risk