PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New clinical practice guideline may help reduce the pain of childhood immunization

2010-11-23
(Press-News.org) A new evidence-based clinical practice guideline will help doctors, healthcare providers and parents reduce the pain and distress of immunization in children, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj092048.pdf.

Immunization injections are the most common source of physician-induced pain in childhood and are given many times to most Canadian children. Pain from vaccine injections needs to be addressed at an early age to avoid needle fears and anxiety at future procedures, and non-compliance of immunization schedules.

A panel of experts from across Canada with expertise in immunization, pediatrics, pain, evidence-based medicine, education, knowledge translation, health policy and guideline development created the guideline. It is based on 71 studies including 8050 children.

Recommendations were organized into categories (infants and neonates, injection procedure process, parent-led strategies, pharmacotherapy, and psychological strategies.) Suggestions to reduce pain include breastfeeding infants during immunization, using the least painful brand of vaccine, vaccinating rapidly in children, use of topical anesthetics and more. In addition, the different strategies can be combined in order to further improve pain relief.

"The information contained in this guideline is generalizable to healthy children receiving immunization injections worldwide," writes Dr. Anna Taddio, Adjunct Scientist and Pharmacist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Associate Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto with coauthors. "Suggestions are offered to assist in the implementation of the guideline in different immunization settings. Not all of the recommendations may be appropriate or effective in all situations or for all children. The pain-relieving method should be tailored to the individual child"

New vaccine administration technologies, such as microneedles, and needle-free administration techniques, such as nasal sprays, also need additional research as alternatives to injections.

"What is now needed is a knowledge translation strategy aimed at facilitating the uptake of these recommendations in clinical practice," conclude the authors.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New function of gene in promoting cancer found by VCU researchers

2010-11-23
Richmond, Va. (Nov. 22, 2010) – Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have discovered that a gene well known for its involvement in tumor cell development, growth and metastasis also protects cancer cells from being destroyed by chemotherapy. By inhibiting the expression of this gene, doctors may have a new viable and effective approach for treating aggressive cancers such as breast, liver and prostate carcinomas, malignant gliomas and neuroblastomas that result from high expression of this cancer-promoting gene. The new study was reported the week of Nov. 22 ...

Muscle cells point the finger at each other

2010-11-23
A new study reveals that muscle cells fuse together during development by poking "fingers" into each other to help break down the membranes separating them. The study appears online on November 22, 2010 in the Journal of Cell Biology(www.jcb.org). During muscle development, individual muscle cells fuse together to form long myotubes containing multiple cell nuclei. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, fusion occurs between two different types of muscle cell: founder cells and fusion-competent myoblasts. Using electron microscopy to analyze developing fly embryos, ...

Flying snakes, caught on tape

Flying snakes, caught on tape
2010-11-23
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 22, 2010 -- Five related species of tree-dwelling snakes found in Southeast and South Asia may just be the worst nightmares of ophidiophobes (people who have abnormal fears of snakes). Not only are they snakes, but they can "fly" -- flinging themselves off their perches, flattening their bodies, and gliding from tree to tree or to the ground. To Virginia Tech biologist Jake Socha, these curious reptiles are something of a biomechanical wonder. In order to understand how they do what they do, Socha and his colleagues recently studied Chrysopelea ...

A divide and conquer strategy for childhood brain cancer

2010-11-23
Boston, Mass. – Medulloblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumors of childhood, with 40 to 50 percent overall mortality. One of the greatest challenges in treating them is that they vary substantially from patient to patient. In the largest genomic study of human medulloblastomas to date, researchers from Children's Hospital Boston, together with collaborators, have identified six subtypes with distinct molecular "fingerprints" that will improve doctors' ability to direct and individualize treatment. The study, reported online November 22nd in the Journal of ...

Black children more likely to die from neuroblastoma, study finds

2010-11-23
Black, Asian, and Native American children are more likely than white and Hispanic children to die after being treated for neuroblastoma, according to new research on the pediatric cancer. The study, of more than 3,500 patients with the disease, is the largest ever to look at racial disparities in risk and survival for the most common solid cancer found in young children. The study also found that black and Native American children are more likely to have the high-risk form of the disease and show signs of resistance to modern treatment. Those biological characteristics ...

Successful treatment for mice with beta-thalassemia

2010-11-23
Beta-thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that results in chronic anemia. A major complication of the condition is iron overload, which damages organs such as the liver and heart. The iron overload has been linked to low levels of the protein hepcidin, a negative regulator of intestinal iron absorption and iron recycling. A team of researchers, led by Stefano Rivella, at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, has now shown that increasing the concentration of hepcidin in beta-thalassemic mice limits iron overload and markedly reduces their anemia. They therefore ...

Study ties parental divorce in childhood to stroke in adulthood

2010-11-23
Children who experience a parental divorce are over twice as likely to suffer a stroke at some point in their lives, according to new research presented in New Orleans at The Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting. This finding is based on a representative community sample of over 13,000 people from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey. The data analysis was conducted by Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD, and a team of colleagues at the University of Toronto. "We were very surprised that the association between parental divorce and stroke ...

True whole-body field view using PET/CT could allow doctors to more accurately manage cancer patients

2010-11-23
When using combined positron emission tomography (PET) computed tomography (CT) imaging, adopting a true whole-body field of view in the imaging of cancer patients could lead to more accurate staging and restaging than achieved with the routinely used limited whole-body field of view, according to a study in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (www.ajronline.org). PET/CT is a dual imaging technique that is used to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers. "Use of the routine field of view for whole-body FDG PET/CT ...

MIT study: Adding face shields to helmets could help avoid blast-induced brain injuries

2010-11-23
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — More than half of all combat-related injuries sustained by U.S. troops are the result of explosions, and many of those involve injuries to the head. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, about 130,000 U.S. service members deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan have sustained traumatic brain injuries — ranging from concussion to long-term brain damage and death — as a result of an explosion. A recent analysis by a team of researchers led by MIT reveals one possible way to prevent those injuries — adding a face shield to the helmet worn by military personnel. In ...

High alpha-carotene levels associated with longer life

2010-11-23
High blood levels of the antioxidant alpha-carotene appear to be associated with a reduced risk of dying over a 14-year period, according to a report posted online today that will be published in the March 28 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Oxygen-related damage to DNA, proteins and fats may play a role in the development of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer, according to background information in the article. Carotenoids—including beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lycopene—are produced by plants and microorganisms ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Did lead limit brain and language development in Neanderthals and other extinct hominids?

New study reveals alarming mental health and substance use disparities among LGBTQ+ youth

U.K. food insecurity is associated with mental health conditions

At least eight bat species commute or forage over pig farms in Northern Italy

Ancient teeth reveal mammalian responses to climate change in Southeast Asia

Targeting young adults beginning university may be especially effective for encouraging pro-environmental behaviors

This robotic skin allows tiny robots to navigate complex, fragile environments

‘Metabots’ shapeshift from flat sheets into hundreds of structures

Starting university boosts recycling and greener travel, a University of Bath study finds

How cilia choreograph their “Mexican wave”, enabling marine creatures to swim

Why women's brains face higher risk: scientists pinpoint X-chromosome gene behind MS and Alzheimer's

Ancient lead exposure shaped evolution of human brain

How the uplift of East Africa shaped its ecosystems: Climate model simulations reveal Miocene landscape transformation

Human Organ Chip technology sets stage for pan-influenza A CRISPR RNA therapies

Research alert: Bacterial chatter slows wound healing

American Society of Anesthesiologists names Patrick Giam, M.D., FASA, new president

High-entropy alloy nanozyme ROS biocatalyst treating tendinopathy via up-regulation of PGAM5/FUNDC1/GPX4 pathway

SwRI’s Dr. Pablo Bueno named AIAA Associate Fellow

Astronomers detect radio signals from a black hole tearing apart a star – outside a galactic center

Locking carbon in trees and soils could help ‘stabilize climate for centuries’ – but only if combined with underground storage

New research shows a tiny, regenerative worm could change our understanding of healing

Australia’s rainforests first to switch from carbon sink to source

First-trimester mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and risk of major congenital anomalies

Glucose-lowering medication classes and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes

Rising seas and sinking cities signal a coastal crisis in China

Discovery of hundreds of new human gut viruses provides a new approach to studying the gut microbiome

Study indicates dramatic increase in percentage of US adults who meet new definition of obesity

Astrocytes are superstars in the game of long-term memory

WSU study finds positive framing can steer shoppers toward premium products

Study finds ending universal free school meals linked to rising student meal debt and stigma

[Press-News.org] New clinical practice guideline may help reduce the pain of childhood immunization