Tucking a pacemaker inside an antibiotic-soaked mesh envelope before implanting it inside your body can drastically reduce your risk of a dangerous infection, a new study shows. About 1.7 million patients receive cardiac implants like pacemakers or defibrillators every year worldwide, and doctors use preoperative antibiotics to lower the chances of infection. Nonetheless, about 1.2…  read on >

Teenagers often struggle with questions of identity. For adopted teens, the struggle may be harder than it is for their non-adopted peers. When dealing with questions of identity, the Children Welfare Information Gateway suggests: Talk to your teen about his or her birth parents. Develop a lifebook of personal history. Connect the youth to cultural,…  read on >

FRIDAY, March 15, 2019 (American Heart Association News) — Overweight children may be more likely than normal-weight children to develop life-threatening blood clots as adults, a new Danish study suggests. The good news is, getting to a healthy weight by age 13 eliminated the extra risk. For the study, published Friday in the Journal of…  read on >

Autism exacts a heavy toll on the families of teens who struggle with the disorder, but the fight to get treatment and services is even harder among minorities who live in poverty, new research suggests. “We must understand that many families parenting teens on the autism spectrum are also struggling to make ends meet while…  read on >

Drowning can be swift and silent, making it a leading cause of accidental death among children. To help parents protect their kids in and around the water, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its water safety recommendations. Drowning is the third-leading cause of accidental injury-related death among 5- to 19-year-olds. Nearly 1,000 children…  read on >

No type of bullying is acceptable, but cyberbullying can be harder for parents to spot because it takes place via cellphone, computer or tablet, often through social media. Cyberbullying can be a hateful text message or post of embarrassing pictures, videos and even fake profiles of the victim. Victims are often bullied in person, too,…  read on >

More than 6 million American children aged 3 to 11 get head lice each year. Because children often play closely, lice can travel from child to child. For children with head lice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises parents: Apply treatment products only to the scalp. After rinsing the product from the scalp, remove…  read on >

No amount of alcohol is safe to drink during pregnancy, experts say. Even small or moderate amounts pose a risk, says the American Pregnancy Association. Risks to offspring include, but are not limited to: Physical abnormalities. Poor coordination and memory. Hyperactive behavior. Learning, speech and intellectual disabilities. Problems with the heart, kidneys or bones. Source:…  read on >

There was a significant increase in the number of infants in Japan who had surgery for complex congenital heart disease after the nuclear accident in Fukushima, a new study finds. The disaster happened in March 2011 after a tsunami and earthquake hit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, causing a meltdown and release…  read on >

Though coaches and parents are more alert to the need for emergency attention after young athletes suffer a concussion, many may not realize how long symptoms and other effects can linger. A study in JAMA Pediatrics found that 31 percent of concussion victims had persistent symptoms after four weeks, as well as lower quality-of-life scores…  read on >