CT scans can triple brain cancer risk in kids

Kids who undergo two or more head CT scans have triple the risk of developing brain cancer, a new study has revealed.

According to the first large-scale study, children having multiple CT scans are also at greater risk of leukaemia.

Researchers estimate that for every 10,000 head CT scans given to children aged ten years or younger, one more case of leukaemia and one more brain tumour would be diagnosed as a result.

But they said that CT scans are lifesaving and the absolute risk of developing cancer is very small.

They also said restrictions on their use in the UK mean doctors are more cautious about giving children CT scans than in other countries.

“CT scans are accurate and fast, so they should be used when their immediate benefits outweigh the long-term risks,” the Daily Mail quoted Dr Mark Pearce, lead author of the study from Newcastle University, as saying.

“We have now shown that they increase the risk of cancer, but these are rare diseases. It’s a tripling of a small risk, but we have to still be aware that any risk is a risk,” she said.

In the study researchers from Newcastle University and the National Cancer Institute in the US looked at 175,000 children and young people under 21 being treated on the NHS who received their first CT scan between 1985 and 2002.

They estimated the amount of radiation received at different sites in the body and found a link between the dose and the risk of brain tumours and leukaemia over the next ten years.

The risk of brain tumours rose threefold after an absorbed dose to the head of 50 to 60 milligray – a unit of absorbed radiation. This is an exposure level of around two to three head CT scans.

The same dose to bone marrow would be produced by five to ten head CT scans, which would triple the risk of leukaemia.

A Department of Health spokesman said CT scans were carried out only when ‘clinically justified’. Cancer rates in those aged up to 19 are three brain tumours and 4.5 leukaemia cases per 100,000 people.

The study has been published in The Lancet.

How to make kids eat their veggies

Most children, who are sensitive to bitterness, often run away from eating greens but adding a small amount of dip to their serving of vegetables can tempt them to eating more of them, a new study has revealed.

Research has found that sensitivity to bitterness could be one of the reasons
why kids do not eat their vegetable and the reason is fairly common among children – about 70 percent have it.

A new study led by Jennifer Orlet Fisher, director of the Family Eating Laboratory at Temple’s Center for Obesity Research and Education, took into consideration 152 pre-school aged children in the Head Start program who were served broccoli at snack time over a 7-week period.

The study found that offering 2.5 ounces of ranch dressing as a dip increased broccoli consumption by 80 percent among bitter-sensitive children. Low-fat and regular versions were tested, and both were equally effective.

“We know that children can learn to like vegetables if they are offered frequently, without prodding and prompting,” said Fisher.

“Children with a sensitivity to bitterness may avoid certain vegetables, but offering a low-fat dip could make it easier for those foods to become an accepted part of children’s diet.”

She added that parents do not necessarily need to stick to dressings high in fat and salt to see a positive effect.

“Try applesauce, hummus, or a low-fat yogurt-based dip for more calcium,” she said.

Dislike of the bitterness in some foods may stem from the ‘TAS2R38’ gene, which influences how we perceive bitter tastes.

To determine which children in the study had this sensitivity, researchers offered each child a cup with increasing amounts of a bitter-tasting compound common in green vegetables.

After each cup, the child was asked whether the fluid tasted like water, or was ‘bitter or yucky’. About 70 percent of the children responded in the latter.

“Parents and caregivers do not make laboratory measurements of children''s bitter sensitivity, but most will know if their child is wary of vegetables.”

“Our research shows that offering dip is another tool that parents can use to help children learn to eat their vegetables,” Fisher added.

The study has been recently published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Dread talking to your kids about sex?

Parents often wait too long to discuss sex with children, with the result that a significant number of kids become sexually active before the chat, says a new US study.

Researchers at Harvard University questioned 141 teenagers in the ages of 13 to 17 and their parents to come up with their findings. It was found that 40 percent of boys and 46 percent of girls had already become sexually active before their parents could talk to them about sex. Two-thirds of the boys reported they had not spoken to parents about condom use before having intercourse.

"I think parents today want to talk to kids but they don''t know where to begin," the New York Daily News quoted Dr. Mark Schuster, co-author of the study and chief of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Boston, told ABC News.

He added: "They're afraid they'll make mistakes or don't know the facts, afraid to admit that their kids are growing up. They avoid the topic altogether."

Alan Hilfer, director of psychology at Maimonides Medical Center in New York, told US News and World Report: "It''s a hard subject for many parents to broach, but the level of sexual activity in many kids has moved up in terms of initiation. It''s younger…talking about it is very helpful in terms of disease prevention, unwanted pregnancy and even issues around relationships."

Megan Beckett, co-author and a social scientist from the Rand Corp, has called upon parents to kick off the "talk", "earlier than (they) think."

Authoritative parents good for kids

A new study has found that children whose parents have a firm parenting approach allowing them to test the rules and learn from it are more likely to assume Parentingleadership roles as adults.

For the new study published in a recent edition of The Leadership Quarterly, researchers used data from a long-term Minnesota study of twins. Apparently children raised by “authoritative” but supportive parents assumed more leadership roles at work and in their communities later in life.

While these children were also less likely to engage in serious rule-breaking, children who did engage in serious rule-breaking were less likely to assume leadership roles.

Children challenging the boundaries set out by their parents learn why the rules are in place and then learn from their parents how to achieve their goals without breaking the rules.

Maria Rotundo, a professor at the Rotman School of Management said: “Some of these early examples of rule-breaking behaviour, more the modest type, don’t necessarily produce negative outcomes later in life – that was fairly intriguing. “It doesn’t mean all children of authoritative parents are going to become leaders, but they are more likely to.”

The study seems to suggest the saying that leaders are raised more than they are born. Also, behavioural genetics has shown that innate factors account for only 30 per cent of who will end up in leadership positions and people’s leadership styles.

Teeth Health Tips for Kids

Teeth health begins with proper eating habits and not necessarily with the avoidance of sweets, including chocolate candy, candy cane, candy bar or hard candy, but the clue is getting the balance right. When it comes to choosing the food for your kids, consider sweet candy as part of their diet, teaching them to keep healthy teeth.

Caring for teeth requires your children brush their teeth twice a day, no matter if they eat chocolate candy or just other types of foods during the day. A Candy cane is not a tool to clean their teeth, as many kids believe playing with it in their mouth. Anyone who eats foods high in sugar is required to brush daily.

Sweet candy plays a part in tooth decay. The best way to keep smiling is using fluoride toothpastes. Help children develop a teeth brushing routine, limiting candy bars and hard candy intake during the day, and never after brushing their teeth at bedtime to avoid microorganisms working on their mouth by night.

The American Dental Association has animations and games online aimed to teach children how to brush and other fundamentals of oral health care. They teach kids to be aware of the damage that chocolate candy, candy cane, candy bar, hard candy and other sweet candy may cause in the long run if cleaning regularly is practiced.

The best way to encourage kids' dental hygiene is by providing them with flavored fluoride toothpaste to make brushing a more enjoyable experience. In fact, many dentists recommend changing the taste and appearance of toothpaste on a regular basis for better results.

Research has found children who like to brush twice each day, do it for longer periods of time when the toothpaste is flavored because they associate the taste with sweet candy. Appropriate brushing prevents gum disease, cavities and other dental health issues caused by the consumption of a candy bar or chewable hard candy.

Kid’s age 6 or less should brush using no more than a pea-sized dab of toothpaste to remove plaque. This simple action is enough to provide the necessary fluoride protection against chocolate candy, candy cane and regular food that is stuck to teeth during the day.

Healthy eating habits contribute to healthy teeth, because the snacks that kids eat are basically made of sweet candy, the more they eat the more risk of leading to formation of cavities. Limit your children's snacks is not a good idea because they need food for energy, but substituting candies for nutritious foods such as vegetables sticks are best.

Natalie Aranda writes on family, health http://www.rectonet.com/Health-19/ and child education. Sweet candy plays a part in tooth decay. The best way to keep smiling is using fluoride toothpastes. Help children develop a teeth brushing routine, limiting candy bars and hard candy intake during the day, and never after brushing their teeth at bedtime to avoid microorganisms working on their mouth by night.

Technology taking kids away from nature

According to Nathan G. Freier, assistant professor of HCI in the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication, with a joint appointment in Information Technology, at Rensselaer, through past centuries, technologies have offered enormous benefits to children.

But now is the time to strike a balance in terms of interaction. "Technology is good and it can help our lives, but let''s not be fooled into thinking we can live without nature," said co-researcher Peter H. Kahn Jr.

"We are losing direct experiences with nature. Instead, more and more we''re experiencing nature represented technologically through television and other media.

"Children grow up watching Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, playing with robotic pets, and taking virtual tours of the Grand Canyon on their computers.

"That''s probably better than nothing. But as a species we need interaction with actual nature for our physical and psychological well-being," he added.

Freier focussed his research on human-computer interaction with emphasis on technologies for children, social robotics, and value sensitive design.

Traditionally, the field has considered the human relationship to technology to be one of ''use''; but the field is expanding to address the many facets of human-technology interaction that include a focus on emotional, social, and moral experiences, which account for this complexity in the design and evaluation process.

According to their research, today''s technology is more sophisticated and invasive.

Children play multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), which allows for large numbers of players to interact by controlling and developing their fictional characters in adventurous game settings.

Also, video games dominate children''s media entertainment. In more recent years, inexpensive
robot pets and online virtual pets have become increasingly popular.

"It is obvious that today''s children are coming of age in yesterday''s science fiction future," Freier said.

"Children today know no other way of being, no other way of existing in the world. Our faith in the benefits of those who play a significant role in shaping our technological force is often balanced with the fears of the unknown and uncontrollable sinister force embedded within the technologies, often unbeknownst to the designers themselves.

"This process of balance - which leads to children''s intellectual, social, and moral development - will be, and already is, strongly shaped by the technological environments children inhabit.

World school girl dragged to Madh resort, Raped

A 13-YEAR-OLD student of an international school was yanked into an autorickshaw at Charkop market around noon on Tuesday, taken to a Madh Island resort, and raped by her 25-year-old kidnapper. The case was filed at Charkop police station around midnight.

The Std VIII girl said she did not know the man. But armed with a sketch based on her description of the accused, the police arrested a drunk Pritesh Dinesh Doshi from his Malad house and booked him for kidnapping and rape. Doshi already has cases of theft registered against him.

Don't scream

The girl was hanging out at the Charkop market with two of her friends, both younger, when Doshi came in an auto and dragged her inside. He throttled her neck and asked her not to scream.

He then took her to a resort at Dana Pani near Madh Island and allegedly raped her. At around 3 pm, an auto driver found the girl crying on the road and took her home. She told the story to her worried mother who was looking for her after hearing about her abduction from her friends.

The mother then informed her husband, an interior decorator who was out for work in Nagpur, and took the girl to the police station. The auto driver who helped the girl led the police to the auto driver who had helped kidnap her. After that, tracing Doshi was easy.

"The police were slow on getting into action. They moved only after local people gathered to protest," said a neighbour, requesting not to be named. "We will take Doshi for medical test at Nagpada. The girl has also been sent for a medical test to the Nagpada hospital," said police sub-inspector from Charkop Anil Survase.