Day cares lack outdoor play

A team led by Kristen Copeland, MD, reports that a lack of outdoor activity at many day care centers traces back to parental fears of injury, boring playground equipment and concerns about academic readiness. Findings published online Jan. 4 in Pediatrics.
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HPV vaccine confusion

Some girls mistakenly think the HPV vaccine also can protect them from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, according to a study led by Tanya Kowalczyk Mullins, MD. Most of the 339 girls surveyed reported a continued need to practice safer sexual behaviors. A subset of adolescents, however, perceived less need for safer sexual behaviors after their first HPV vaccination. Findings were published online in January 2012 in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Asthma and single-parent homes

Children from single-parent homes admitted to the hospital for asthma or wheezing are 50 percent more likely to return to the hospital within a year than children from two-parent homes.

Terri Moncrief, MD, Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s, presented study results Nov. 5 and 6 at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) in Boston.

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Cardiac research news

Three Cincinnati Children’s studies, presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in November, shed new light on preventing sudden death from restrictive cardiomyopathy, detecting early signs of heart failure in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and preventing damage from acute kidney injury after cardiac procedures.

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Degen named AAAS fellow

Sandra Degen, PhD, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  Degen is associate chair for academic affairs at Cincinnati Children’s and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati (UC).  This honor reflects Degen’s research on blood proteins and coagulation, her service as an administrator and her mentorship of students interested in science careers.
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BPA affects behavior

Findings published Oct. 24 in Pediatrics detail how children can be affected by BPA exposure during pregnancy, but not during childhood.

Kimberly Yolton, PhD, a co-author of the study, leads a team at Cincinnati Children’s that tracks how environmental toxicants can affect the developing fetus and growing children in ways that might not affect adults – from language and motor skills to behavior control.

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Obesogens and puberty

An alarming number of girls are reaching puberty at younger and younger ages, some as young as 7 or 8. Why is this happening?

Frank Biro, MD, and a team of researchers at Cincinnati Children’s are examining how a class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals called obesogens may be affecting the timing of puberty and reprogramming how our fat cells work.

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Rapamycin may help prevent preterm birth

Groundbreaking mouse model study, published Oct. 24 in PNAS, reveals that a low dose of rapamycin can stop the early aging of uterine cells and premature birth. More study needed to confirm effect in humans.
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Targeting biliary atresia

A surprising finding reported by Jorge Bezerra, MD, in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, may lead to a new therapeutic target for biliary atresia, the most common cause of severe liver disease in children.
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Genes affect ADHD drugs

Children with certain dopamine system gene variants respond better to methylphenidate – the most commonly prescribed medication for ADHD -- a finding that could help eliminate guesswork from prescribing effective medications.

Results from a study led by Tanya Froehlich, MD, division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, were posted Oct. 21 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
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