The Nebraska state’s Chief Medical Officer is calling for more public awareness of the dangers of bed-sharing after six deaths in the past six weeks of Nebraska babies that appear to have involved co-sleeping with parents.

"Bed-sharing increases the risk of suffocation and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). It’s important that parents and other caregivers understand the danger," said Dr. Joann Schaefer, the state’s Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Division of Public Health of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. "Sleeping with an infant can be comforting to both the baby and the parents, but it can be deadly."

Between one-third and one-half of Nebraska infant deaths attributed to SIDS every year are associated with co-sleeping. In 2007, of 20 sleep-associated or SIDS deaths, eight of the infants were known to be bed-sharing. Provisional data from 2007 show that of 13 sleep-associated or SIDS deaths, at least five involved bed-sharing.

In 2007 the Legislature passed a bill requiring that hospitals, birthing centers and other medical facilities show each mother and father a video presentation and provide written information approved by DHHS on the dangers of SIDS, including information about the danger of having infants sleep in the same bed with adults or other children. The written information is also required to cover the dangers of shaking children and measures to prevent SIDS.

DHHS is sending an informational letter to health care providers across the state, urging them to work with their patients to ensure that babies are sleeping safely.

Dr. Schaefer offered this advice to parents of infants: Have nothing but the baby in the crib when he or she is sleeping—no bumper pads, blankets, toys or articles of clothing.

Other advice:

?* Put a baby to sleep on a firm surface, not in an adult bed or on a couch or futon.

?* Always place a baby on his or her back to sleep.

?* Provide a smoke-free environment. Exposure to secondhand smoke doubles a baby’s risk of SIDS.

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Consumers Showed a Strong Interest in Purchasing DNA Test Kits in Retail Stores During 2007 West Coast Test-Market Launch. Product Sold Briskly, and Identigene Has Been Inundated with Inquiries About DNA Test Availability.

Identigene, an industry leader in DNA identification testing, today announced that its Identigene DNA Paternity Test Collection Kit is now available for over-the-counter purchase at all Rite Aid drug stores throughout the U.S. with the exception of stores in New York state. The Identigene DNA Paternity Test Collection Kit was the first DNA test ever sold in retail stores when it was offered on a trial basis beginning November 2007 in California, Washington and Oregon. Demand has been very strong, store sales are brisk and Identigene has been inundated with questions regarding the product’s availability.

"Over-the-counter sales offers a completely new marketing channel for DNA testing. It makes the process more convenient and affordable while ensuring reliability and confidentiality," said Doug Fogg, COO of Identigene. "We learned that people are extremely receptive to the idea of purchasing a DNA paternity test kit while shopping at one of the nation?s leading drug store chains." Outside New York state, Rite Aid has 4,363 stores in 30 states and the District of Columbia. Fogg said he anticipates the Identigene DNA Paternity Test Collection Kits will be sold in New York state at a later date.

In the past, to obtain a DNA paternity test often required involvement of doctors or lawyers, weeks of waiting for results and a cost of multiple hundreds of dollars. "Because of my personal circumstances, the day I left the hospital after my son was born I turned in case papers for a paternity test," said Natalie Maynes of Vancouver, Wash. "Two months went by with no word, so I called. They told me with their waiting list, test results could be up to six months away. That night on the news, I learned I could buy an Identigene DNA Paternity Test Collection Kit at Rite Aid. Taking samples was easy, and it was nice to be able to do it ourselves. Five days later, we had our results."

With an Identigene DNA Paternity Test Collection Kit, participants of the test collect a DNA sample by rubbing a swab inside their mouth. The samples, along with consent forms and a lab fee are sent in an enclosed postage-paid return envelope to Identigene for processing. Results are available from Identigene within three to five business days of receipt. Customers can choose to receive results by mail, email, or online through a secured Web service. All information remains strictly confidential.

Suggested retail price for an Identigene DNA Paternity Test Collection Kit is $29.99, and the laboratory processing fee is $119.

Identigene, a Sorenson Genomics company, was founded in 1993 and was the first DNA testing laboratory in the world to commercially use modern STR technology for paternity testing. Identigene offers a full range of DNA testing services including tests used to determine paternity, siblingship and other familial relationships, as well as DNA tests for purposes of immigration, child custody, settling estates and other family-related situations. Additional information about Identigene and its DNA testing services is available by visiting www.dnatesting.com

Many parents are convinced that the brains of their teenage offspring are different than those of children and adults. New data confirms that this is the case. An article by Jay N. Giedd, MD, of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), published in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health describes how brain changes in the adolescent brain impact cognition, emotion and behavior.

Dr. Giedd reviews the results from the NIMH Longitudinal Brain Imaging Project. This study and others indicate that gray matter increases in volume until approximately the early teens and then decreases until old age. Pinning down these differences in a rigorous way had been elusive until MRI was developed, offering the capacity to provide extremely accurate quantifications of brain anatomy and physiology without the use of ionizing radiation.

Writing in the article, Dr. Giedd comments, "Adolescence is a time of substantial neurobiological and behavioral change, but the teen brain is not a broken or defective adult brain. The adaptive potential of the overproduction/selective elimination process, increased connectivity and integration of disparate brain functions, changing reward systems and frontal/limbic balance, and the accompanying behaviors of separation from family of origin, increased risk taking, and increased sensation seeking have been highly adaptive in our past and may be so in our future. These changes and the enormous plasticity of the teen brain make adolescence a time of great risk and great opportunity."

In an accompanying editorial, Elizabeth R. McAnarney MD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, comments, "Finally neuroscientists are able to go under the ‘…leathery membrane, surrounded by a protective moat of fluid, and completely encased in bone…’ to provide new insights into brain development. Changes in the brain during childhood and adolescent development that are being documented through exquisite imaging by Giedd and others hold the promise for the development of hypotheses about the potential origins of behaviors that we have observed clinically for years…."

"Novelty seeking/sensation seeking and risk taking," Dr. McAnarney continues, "is the basis for considerable growth during adolescence, as well as for the seemingly reckless behavior of some adolescents. Novelty seeking/sensation seeking and risk taking are topics of growing interest as adolescent brain development is defined better and as morbidity from adolescent risk taking mounts….The implication of our growing knowledge of brain–behavior mechanisms of adolescent conditions should provide insights into the risk of particular adolescents for morbidity and mortality. Preliminary data are promising so that as we begin to understand the complexity of and specificity of each of these conditions, we shall be able to diagnose and treat conditions earlier."

The NIMH Longitudinal Brain Imaging Project began in 1989. Participants visit the NIMH at approximately two-year intervals for brain imaging, neuropsychological and behavioral assessment and collection of DNA. As of September 2007, approximately 5000 scans from 2000 subjects have been acquired. Of these, 387 subjects, aged 3 to 27 years, have remained free of any psychopathology and serve as the models for typical brain development.

Three themes have emerged from this and other studies in this new era of adolescent neuroscience. The first is functional and structural increases in connectivity and integrative processing as distributed brain modules become more and more integrated. Using a literary metaphor, maturation would not be the addition of new letters but rather of combining earlier formed letters into words, and then words into sentences and then sentences into paragraphs.

The second is a general pattern of childhood peaks of gray matter (frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe and occipital lobe) followed by adolescent declines. As parts of the brain are overdeveloped and then discarded, the structure of the brain becomes more refined.

The third theme is a changing balance between limbic/subcortical and frontal lobe functions that extends well into young adulthood as different cognitive and emotional systems mature at different rates. The cognitive and behavioral changes taking place during adolescence may be understood from the perspective of increased "executive" functioning, a term encompassing a broad array of abilities, including attention, response inhibition, regulation of emotion, organization and long-range planning.?

Preliminary research from the Department of Respiratory Disease Research at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) suggests that a rapid antigen assay test developed by Arbor Vita Corporation (AVC) shows promise as a useful diagnostic for the detection of the avian influenza virus in humans. Researchers from NHRC reported their findings last week at the 2008 International Conference>Bird Flu Detection

The AVC test differs from other rapid-antigen assays in that it detects the NS1 protein, as opposed to the nucleoprotein (NP). Antigen capture is mediated through a PDZ protein, which binds the C-terminal region of the NS1 protein. As the C-terminal region of the NS1 protein differs for each influenza sub-type, a PDZ protein with high affinity to NS1 protein of H5 strains was chosen for assay development.

The format of the developed assay is the familiar lateral-flow rapid antigen assay. However, the role of the ‘capture’ antibody is performed by a PDZ protein, which provides superior specificity and binding affinity. Lateral flow assays have several advantages that make them appealing for field deployment and far-forward mission use. These include: ease of use, time to results, cost, lack of cold-chain requirements and portability.

NHRC’s archive of respiratory pathogens was used to evaluate the performance of the AVC avian influenza diagnostic against clinical samples. Two hundred samples from two years of surveillance were tested with the assay following procedures provided by AVC.

In addition, NHRC collaborated with Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU3), located in Cairo, Egypt. NAMRU3, which is the WHO collaborating site for the African continent and Middle East region, has conducted surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild and domestic birds, as well as human populations and has access to isolate H5N1 material. Twenty-eight different H5N1 isolates from avian and human sources were tested with the AVC assay. Results of the AVC assay were presented at ICEID that showed no false positives against the respiratory clinical panel. Of the 28 H5N1 cultures tested, 26 gave positive results on the assay (sensitivity = 93%).

The researchers concluded that the “PDZ based assay produced by AVC shows promise as a useful diagnostic in our vigilance against avian influenza. The sensitivity of the assay towards avian strains is robust and the format of the test favors easy deployment.” NHRC and NAMRU3 will continue to collaborate to evaluate this assay against other grown strains (H7, H9 etc.) as well as in actual outbreak situations.

Tyler is 9 years old — and hungry. Pushing dirty dishes aside, he climbs up on the kitchen counter. One by one, he opens and closes each cabinet and peers inside. Nothing. Helplessly, he looks over at his mother. Turning over on the couch, she buries her face deeper into the stained pillow. He starts toward her and then, remembering her twisted look and angry words the last time he woke her to tell her he was hungry, he stops in his tracks. Sighing, he settles back into his regular spot on the worn carpet in front of the TV. He knows if he waits a little while the stomach pains will go away.

Every day, children are born into families that are unprepared to meet even their most basic needs. Many of these children are severely neglected. Some live in constant fear of abuse. Most have no family or friends to turn to for help. All of them suffer at the hands of those who are supposed to nurture and care for them. The void created by neglectful, abusive and absent parents yawns wide for these children.

Attempting to Fill the Void

Barium Springs Home for Children throws a lifeline to many of them. "Some of the kids we see have never known what it’s like to be cared for, to live a day without fear," says Sharon Bell, spokesperson for Barium Springs Home for Children. "They’re just relieved to have a clean bed and regular meals. By teaching them, keeping them safe and loving them, we give them something they likely haven’t felt before — hope."

Founded in 1891, Barium Springs Home for Children provides services to more than 700 children each year. In addition to offering a loving home to abused and neglected children, Barium Springs Home for Children provides early childhood development for low-income families, foster family programs, behavior treatment in a school setting for troubled teens, and early intervention for children still living in the community.

Lives Touched, Lives Changed

The positive effect of Barium Springs Home for Children’s services can be seen in children across the region. Nicholas*, age 10, suffered abuse so severe that he developed post-traumatic stress disorder, making him prone to violent outbursts. Desperation has led him to consider suicide. Regular counseling provided in a group-home setting taught him to cope with anxiety and manage his emotions. The curtain of fear gently pulled away, revealing a charming sense of humor.

Raped at age 11, Allison was forced to deal with the trauma without parental support. Seeking to ease her pain, she quickly turned to drugs. Authorities called Barium Springs Home for Children when, drug-addicted, Allison (now age 14) stopped attending school. There was nothing to pack to prepare for her move to Barium Springs. No clothes, no toiletries, no sheets and blankets. Her house was as empty as her heart. After a long struggle, Allison is now drug-free and is getting the support she needs to build a better life for herself.

Barium Springs staff members have countless similar stories. The quiet little girl with shining brown eyes who hunches protectively over the food she gets in preschool. The formerly downtrodden teen who now dreams of being an astronaut. The 12-year-old who looks forward to going to "regular" school again, once he can learn to control his anger.

Due to the ever-changing field of funding and funding cuts, Barium Springs Home for Children relies more and more on support from the community. "Our supporters help us grow each year-nearly doubling in size over the past three years," Bell says. "We are growing so we are able to help more children and families. And that’s what it’s all about, what it’s always been about — helping the children."

The spreading out of cities’ residential, commercial, recreational and public spaces, otherwise known as urban sprawl, poses a special risk for teen drivers according to a new University of Virginia Health System study. Dr. Matthew Trowbridge, emergency medicine physician and lead researcher, found that sprawl results in more miles driven by teens, who have a higher rate of fatalities per miles driven than adults. His results appear in the March 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

"While sprawl has been examined for its public health risks including the driving hazards it presents for adults; no>teen drivers in the United States" he added.?

New research suggests that comprehensive sex education might lead to less teen pregnancy, and there are no indications that it boosts the levels of sexual intercourse or sexually transmitted diseases.

“It is not harmful to teach teens about birth control in addition to abstinence,” said study lead author Pamela Kohler, a program manager at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Parents and educators have long argued over whether students should get instruction in birth control or simply learn how to say no. At issue is which approach will best postpone sex.

Kohler and colleagues examined the results of the 2002 national survey and focused on heterosexual teens ages 15 to 19. The findings — based on responses from 1,719 teens — appear in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

After reviewing the results, which researchers weighted to reflect the U.S. population better, the researchers found that one in four teens received abstinence-only education. Nine percent — particularly the poor and those in rural areas — received no sex education at all. The other two-thirds received comprehensive instruction with discussion of birth control.

Teens who received comprehensive sex education were 60 percent less likely to report becoming pregnant or impregnating someone than those who received no sex education.

The likelihood of pregnancy was 30 percent lower among those who had abstinence-only education compared to those who received no sex education, but the researchers deemed that number statistically insignificant because few teens fit into the categories that researchers analyzed.

While they also did not reach statistical significance, other survey results suggested that comprehensive sex education — but not abstinence-based sex education — slightly reduced the likelihood of teens having engaged in vaginal intercourse. Neither approach seemed to reduce the likelihood of reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases, but again the results were not statistically significant.

The findings support comprehensive sex education, Kohler said: “There was no evidence to suggest that abstinence-only education decreased the likelihood of ever having sex or getting pregnant.”

Don Operario, Ph.D., a professor at Oxford University in England, said the study provides “further compelling evidence” about the value of comprehensive sex education and the “ineffectiveness” of the abstinence-only approach.

Still, the study does not show how educators should implement comprehensive sex education in the classroom, said Operario, who studies sex education. “We need a better understanding of the most effective ways of delivering this type of education in order to maximize audience comprehension and community acceptability.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital physicians have demonstrated that children with bilateral Wilms tumor, a cancer of the kidneys, can retain normal function in both kidneys by undergoing a procedure called bilateral nephron-sparing surgery, even when preoperative scans suggest that the tumors are inoperable.

Between 1999 and 2007, all St. Jude patients with bilateral Wilms tumor exhibiting favorable histology (cell characteristics) underwent bilateral nephron-sparing surgeries, or partial nephrectomies. Nephron-sparing surgery is designed to remove the malignant tumor, sparing as much healthy kidney tissue as possible. In all 10 instances where the procedure was used, the surgery was successful, often despite preoperative imaging studies suggesting that kidney preservation might not be possible.

"Many times, physicians will look at a child’s scans and assume that it is impossible to remove the tumor while preserving some uninvolved kidney, but our study indicates that surgeons should not rely solely on the imaging to make that decision," said Andrew Davidoff, M.D., division chief of St. Jude General Pediatric Surgery and the senior author of a retrospective study that appears in the advance online publication of the journal "Cancer."

Traditionally, patients with bilateral Wilms tumor have one — and sometimes both — kidneys removed in an attempt to eradicate the cancer. If one kidney is removed and the cancer recurs in the other kidney, the possibility of losing renal function is high. If both kidneys are removed, the child must endure dialysis and a possible kidney transplant.

"In most cases, the surgeon will be able to save normal kidney on both sides," Davidoff said. "The study indicates that, when combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, this surgical approach provides an opportunity to preserve renal function while maintaining a high probability of cure."

White Hat Brands, the makers of Dog>kids’ health and wellness by providing parents with smart and nutritious beverage alternatives for their children. To underscore that commitment, strategic partners include the JDRF, the world’s leading supporter of medical research on type 1 diabetes and related complications, and the American Camp Association, a network of nearly 2,500 camps nationwide whose purpose is to promote human development and enrich the lives of children through the camp experience.

The New Mexico Department of Health advises families to avoid potential exposure to Salmonella by not giving baby chicks and ducklings to children as Easter gifts. For the past three years, New Mexico has had salmonella cases related to baby chicks, including four cases last year and seven cases in 2007.

“Some of the risk factors for people getting sick with Salmonella from baby chicks were keeping them inside the house and allowing small children to handle and snuggle with the baby birds,” said Dr. Paul Ettestad, state public health veterinarian at the Department of Health. “Some small children didn’t handle the baby birds at all, but their parents did not wash their hands properly after handling the birds and gave the infection to their children indirectly.”

Ettestad said many chicks and young birds carry Salmonella in their droppings and it is difficult to know if animals are carrying Salmonella because they will not usually show signs of illness. “While there are many legitimate reasons to purchase baby chicks to raise for food, we are asking feed stores around the state to strongly discourage people from buying baby chicks as pets, especially if they have young children,” Ettestad said.

Early symptoms of Salmonella in people include fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain. These symptoms develop within one to three days after exposure to baby chicks and their droppings. Other symptoms might be nausea, chills or headaches.

Important preventive measures people can take include the following:

? Do not purchase live animals as Easter gifts. Give stuffed toy animals instead.

? Do not keep chicks or ducklings if you have children younger than five.

? Always wash your hands with soap and water after touching chicks or ducklings or anything in their environment.

? Supervise hand washing for small children to make sure it is adequate.

? Do not eat or drink around your chickens.

? Keep chickens away from food preparation areas.

? Do not allow chickens to roam freely in the house.

? Visit your physician if you experience abdominal pain, fever and/or diarrhea.