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WASHINGTON, DC - For the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending that pediatricians screen all children for food insecurity. In a new policy statement identifying the short and long-term adverse health impacts of food insecurity, the AAP also recommends that pediatricians become familiar with and refer families to needed community resources, and advocate for federal and local policies that support access to adequate, nutritious food.

WASHINGTON, DC - Efforts to educate parents about the importance of vaccinations for their children might be more effective if they begin prior to pregnancy, according to findings of a new study to be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON, DC - Researchers already knew that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was the most common behavioral health diagnosis among children enrolled in Medicaid. A new study to be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2015 National Conference & Exhibition in Washington, DC, found that children in foster care were three times more likely than others to have an ADHD diagnosis.

In a recent study, stopping breastfeeding due to pain or physical difficulties predicted an increased risk of postnatal depression, but stopping for other reasons, such as social reasons or embarrassment, did not.

The findings highlight the importance of support for women who experience difficulties during breastfeeding.

Ant queens stay close to home in their hunt for a mate and as a result produce thousands of inbred offspring, a study led by a University of Exeter biologist has found.

The research, published this week in the journal American Naturalist, found that that the queen will often only fly as far as 60 metres before finding a mate, and as a result may well be related to him. A queen mates only once, can live up to 30 years, and will continue re-producing long after her male mate is dead using the original sperm.

Kidney transplants saves lives and dramatically improve quality of life, but transplant recipients often must take dozens of pills a day to keep their new kidney functioning and prevent complications. Now, three new studies led by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa show that three of these drugs are not nearly as effective as previously thought and may have serious side-effects. The results are expected to change medical practice around the world.

Plague infections were common in humans 3,300 years earlier than the historical record suggests, reports a study published October 22 in Cell. By sequencing the DNA of tooth samples from Bronze Age individuals from Europe and Asia, the researchers discovered evidence of plague infections roughly 4,800 years ago. But it was at least another thousand years until the bacterium that causes the disease, Yersinia pestis, acquired key changes in virulence genes, allowing it to spread via fleas and evade the host immune system.

Montreal, October 22 2015 - A team of international scientists led by Dr. Martin Olivier from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) uncovered an important mechanism behind Leishmania, a deadly parasitic disease transmitted by sandflies that affects over 12 million people worldwide, and with more than 1.3 million new cases reported every year. In a new study published today on the website Cell Reports, researchers described how key molecules known as exosomes, boost the process by which the Leishmania parasite infects humans and other mammals.

Montreal, October 22 2015 - A team of international scientists led by Dr. Martin Olivier from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) uncovered an important mechanism behind Leishmania, a deadly parasitic disease transmitted by sandflies that affects over 12 million people worldwide, and with more than 1.3 million new cases reported every year. In a new study published today on the website Cell Reports, researchers described how key molecules known as exosomes, boost the process by which the Leishmania parasite infects humans and other mammals.

The concept that biodiversity feeds upon itself is not uncommon in the world of evolution. The problem is a lack of hard data that shows this process to be naturally occurring.

However, recent research by a team of scientists, including a Michigan State University entomologist, finds that recent evolutionary changes - in this case in a new species of fruit fly - have an almost domino effect on a number of species.

New treatment options are badly needed for acute myeloid leukemia, a relatively rare form of cancer. The malignancy begins in the bone marrow, and from there can spread rapidly to the bloodstream, depriving the body of the essential blood cells that carry oxygen and fight infections.

Now, new work from a team lead by Rockefeller University researchers has revealed a potential genetic weakness of the disease, offering insights into the molecular mechanisms behind acute myeloid leukemia and suggesting a new target for drug development.

The equipment used to farm geoducks, including PVC pipes and nets, might have a greater impact on the Puget Sound food web than the addition of the clams themselves.

That's one of the findings of the first major scientific study to examine the broad, long-term ecosystem effects of geoduck aquaculture in Puget Sound, published last week in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea's Journal of Marine Science.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- The innocent days when antibiotics worked reliably and scientists could assume they worked directly -- like popping a balloon -- are fading. As resistance mounts, understanding how antibiotics really work could be the key to sustaining their efficacy. A new study provides direct evidence that antibiotics sometimes don't kill outright. Rather, they create conditions for bacterial demise by upsetting their metabolism, leading bacteria to a state of oxidative stress that ultimately breaks down their DNA and other key molecules.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A banana a day may not keep the doctor away, but a substance originally found in bananas and carefully edited by scientists could someday fight off a wide range of viruses, new research suggests.

And the process used to create the virus-fighting form may help scientists develop even more drugs, by harnessing the "sugar code" that our cells use to communicate. That code gets hijacked by viruses and other invaders.

A single blood test could reveal whether an otherwise healthy person is unusually likely to die of pneumonia or sepsis within the next 14 years. Based on an analysis of 10,000 individuals, researchers have identified a molecular byproduct of inflammation, called GlycA, which seems to predict premature death due to infections.