Pediatric News articles from April 2004

Pediatric News archives from April 2004

Opinions mixed on AOM guidelines: nontreatment option a concern for some.(acute otitis media )
April 1, 2004... Some child health experts are questioning the reliability of evidence behind at least one recommendation that is part of long-awaited guidelines released last month that outline diagnostic and treatment standards for acute otitis media. ...

Pediatric match day continues to attract seniors; filled 2,284 of 2,384: in particular, residencies allowing a move to subspecialities retain their popularity.
April 1, 2004... Pediatric residencies of all types continue to attract a healthy number of graduating seniors, filling 2,284 of the 2,384 positions offered, 77 more than last year, according to statistics supplied by the National Resident Matching Program. ...

FDA wants new warnings on ten antidepressants: other symptoms may emerge as well cites suicidality, worsening depression.
April 1, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration has asked the manufacturers of 10 antidepressant drugs to include on their labels stronger warnings about the need to monitor adult and pediatric patients for symptoms of worsening depression and the emergence...

Diagnostic dilemma.(News)
April 1, 2004... A 20-year-old white male university student comes to the office with the chief complaints of fever as high as 105[degrees] F, fatigue, cough, and pharyngitis. He had always been healthy, but for the past 6 weeks he has been tired. During that...

Pregnancies lead to more isotretinoin restrictions: current program ineffective.(News)
April 1, 2004... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- The current risk management program for isotretinoin has failed, and a more stringent program is needed to reduce fetal exposures to the drug, members of two Food and Drug Administration advisory panels agreed at a recent...

Pregnant women, children warned on eating fish: revised mercury advisory.(News)
April 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Women who are pregnant or lactating and those who may become pregnant should eat no more than 12 ounces (two average meals) of a variety of fish and shellfish per week, a new federal advisory recommends. No more than 6 of...

Autism and MMR link retracted by researchers: ethical breaches alleged.(News)(Measles-mumps-rubella vaccines)
April 1, 2004... British researchers who were charged with scientific and ethical misconduct in their study of autism have refuted the allegations and retracted only a single comment in the "interpretation" section of their paper linking autism to MMR...

Unique identifiers intended to simplify claims processing: one number for all health plans.(News)(National Provider Identifiers)
April 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- A new, simplified system for identifying providers should make claims processing easier for physicians. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in January issued a final rule that announced its adoption of National...

More frequent testing for helicobacter pylori urged: serious complications reported.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2004... MONTREAL -- Severe complications from Helicobacter pylori infection are possible in children and may be sufficient argument for an earlier detection and treatment protocol, Dr. Sabrina Ben-Zion said in a poster presentation at the annual...

Clinical judgment best for febrile infants: compared with guidelines.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2004... A large study analyzing how community-based pediatricians managed febrile infants found that although current guidelines were followed in fewer than half the cases, the pediatricians "detected as many cases of bacteremia/bacterial meningitis...

When the D-test is key.(ID Consult)
April 1, 2004... We recently saw a 4-month-old infant with a severe cellulitis that began as a tiny pacifier blister under his lower lip. Purulent exudate from the wound yielded methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus that was erythromycin resistant but...

Panel backs B-strain component for flu vaccine: 2004-2005 influenza vaccine.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2004... BETHESDA, MD. -- The influenza virus vaccine for the 2004-2005 influenza season should definitely include a new influenza B component, the Food and Drug Administration's vaccines panel has concluded. At a meeting of the Food and Drug...

A new rotavirus vaccine.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... A live, quadrivalent human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine was well tolerated and effective against rotavirus gastroenteritis in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial supported by a grant from Merck & Co., said H. Fred...

Antibiotic Rx decrease.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The number of antibiotic prescriptions given in physicians' offices, emergency departments, and hospitals declined from 1,405 to 1,088 per 1,000 children younger than 5 years old between 1994 and 2000, said Dr. Natasha B. Halasa and her...

Dexamethasone relieves mono.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... A single dose of dexamethasone provided short-term pain relief in children aged 8-18 years with sore throats and clinically suspected infectious mononucleosis, said Dr. Michel Roy and colleagues at the Universite de Montreal (Arch. Pediatr....

Chickenpox breaks through.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... A chickenpox outbreak occurred at an Oregon elementary school despite a 97% vaccination rate in children in kindergarten through sixth grade who had no prior history of chickenpox, reported Dr. Barna D. Tugwell and colleagues at the Centers for...

Experts preparing for West Nile, 2004 edition: risk factors, early diagnosis.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2004... ATLANTA -- As public health authorities brace for the possibility of another epidemic of West Nile virus this summer, researchers are racing to piece together the clinical, pathologic, and epidemiologic puzzles that the virus presents. ...

Probiotics' benefit in supplements may be small: more evidence of advantages in formula.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2004... STANFORD, CALIF. -- Probiotics seem to be safe and may carry long-term immunologic advantages for some infants who can't breast-feed, and there is evidence that when incorporated in infant formula, probiotics can prevent acute diarrhea and...

Try probiotics if viral diarrhea is suspected: cuts duration to 3 days.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... SEATTLE -- In the case of a child with diarrhea that is suspected to be viral, go ahead and prescribe some probiotics, Dr. Vera Hupertz said at a meeting sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics. In a randomized trial, Lactobacillus...

Ciprodex Otic for otitis externa, AOM with tubes: few adverse effects with topical therapy.(Infectious Diseases)(Acute oritis media)
April 1, 2004... MIAMI BEACH -- Fluoroquinolones are often safe and effective against both acute otitis media in children with tympanostomy tubes and acute otitis externa, Dr. Ramzi Younis said at a pediatric update sponsored by Miami Children's Hospital. ...

Rhinosinusitis guidelines aim for easier diagnosis: don't overuse antibiotics.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2004... The judicious use of antibiotics in the treatment of acute bacterial rhinosinusitis has received a boost from new guidelines that update the recommendations for treating mild to moderate forms of the common disease. These guidelines apply...

Rapid direct fluorescent testing aids adenoviral treatment: promising screening tool.
April 1, 2004... The direct fluorescent assay allows pediatricians to diagnose adenovirus more quickly than with clinical examination alone, according to Dr. Christian Rocholl of Brown University, Providence, R.I., and colleagues. Adenovirus (ADV) is often...

Emergencies in the office.(Guest Editorial)(Column)
April 1, 2004... One can hardly listen to the nightly news without hearing the word "preparedness." As America embraces a world of post-Sept, 11th preparedness for all types of emergencies, medical practitioners who care for our children remain woefully...

Once or twice a day?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... PEDIATRICS NEWS provided a nice summary of our report from a conference sponsored by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, except for one detail ("For AOM, Cefdinir Equals Amoxicillin/Clavulanate," February 2004, p. 20). The article...

What is safe?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... Terms such as protected sex and safe sex can be misleading to physicians and the general public as well. They are often used in a clinical setting to mean one thing, but are likely to be interpreted by our patients to mean another. When...

He 'leaped through the walls'.(Opinion)
April 1, 2004... I would like to personally thank Dr. Michael S. Jellinek for his sensible comments on "The Child Psychiatrist Shortage" (Behavioral Consult, January 2004, p. 19). His comments back up a long-standing belief that I have about my pediatric...

Reflections on a sunny afternoon.(Letters From Maine)(Column)
April 1, 2004... It was a day that felt and smelled like spring, but several inches of dirty brown snow underfoot were an unpleasant reminder that it was still February. It would have been easy to find a dozen other things to do on this sunny Saturday...

Performance-enhancing drug can be dangerous: look for clues that teens are using them.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
April 1, 2004... Anabolic steroids, ephedra, and creatine are top choices for teens who want to grow stronger or look better, said Dr. Reginald Washington, a pediatric cardiologist in Denver, Colo. More than 1 million 12- to 17-year-olds have taken...

FDA cracks down on androstenedione products on market: 23 manufacturers targeted.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
April 1, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration has begun a crackdown on companies that manufacture, market, and distribute products containing androstenedione, commonly known as "andro." The first step that the FDA took was to send warning letters to 23...

High anxiety in first grade impairs function years latin: seven-year follow-up study.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
April 1, 2004... MIAMI -- Highly anxious and/or shy first graders score significantly lower on reading and math achievement tests, experience lower social acceptance, and have more internalizing symptoms in eighth grade, according to a follow-up study. ...

Functional constipation linked with defecation anxiety, general anxiety: prospective, controlled study.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... PITTSBURGH -- Children who experience functional constipation also may have defecation anxiety and some symptoms of generalized anxiety, Gerard Banez, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral...

Providing care for the sexually abused.(Behavioral Consult)
April 1, 2004... Once it becomes known that a child has been sexually abused, the victim enters a labyrinthine system of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, school authorities, social workers, and counselors. The pediatrician, who may have made the call that...

Detecting toddlers who are at risk of autism: check finger pointing, joint attention.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Checklist for Autism in Toddlers)
April 1, 2004... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Signs associated with later development of autism are apparent even in babyhood, and a simple screening tool can detect toddlers at risk for the condition, Dr. Margaret Bauman said at a meeting on primary care pediatrics...

Binge drinking called 'most dangerous' to fetus: risks are mental retardation, delinquency.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
April 1, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- Binge drinking during pregnancy, but not the total amount of alcohol consumed, doubles the risk of mental retardation and delinquent behavior in children, Beth Nordstrom, Ph.D., reported in a series of posters at the annual...

Routine mental illness tests rare in primary care: only half are screening.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
April 1, 2004... Only half of the primary care physicians responding to a recent survey said they routinely screen their adolescent patients for mental illness and always ask them about their mental health. The doctors surveyed gave many reasons for their...

Handling kids' common behavioral problems in the office: temper tantrums.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
April 1, 2004... SAN DIEGO -- Children are very empowered these days--it's scary how early they can make decisions and think for themselves, Dr. Robert Wells said at a meeting sponsored by the Los Angeles Pediatric Society. To that end, Dr. Wells offered...

Extend neonatal intubation attempt to 30 seconds: develop teamwork, training.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... MAUI, HAWAII -- Allow half a minute to intubate a newborn, 10 seconds longer than the recommended limit, Dr. Neil N. Finer said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology, perinatal medicine, neonatology, and the law. The American Academy...

Heavy drinking during pregnancy changes infant nerve conduction: damage may be permanent.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Add abnormal nerve conduction to the list of neonatal problems resulting from heavy maternal drinking during pregnancy, according to Dr. Maria de los Angeles Avaria of the University of Chile, Santiago, and her associates. The first...

Newer devices help with neonatal resuscitation: T-piece resuscitation is one new option.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... MAUI, HAWAII -- Some recent technology improves upon the somewhat primitive techniques of neonatal resuscitation, Dr. Neil N. Finer said. Though not yet recommended in the American Academy of Pediatrics' Neonatal Resuscitation Program, a...

Data watch.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
April 1, 2004... DATA WATCH Rates of Selected Congenital Anomalies per 100,000 Live Births, 2002 Central Nervous System Anomalies Anencephalus 10 Spina bifida/meningocele 20...

Children who eat less dairy gain more weight: parents: get milk (or yogurt or cheese).(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Low dairy intake during the preschool years strongly predicted increased body fat over the next 8 years in a study of 99 children, Dr. Lynn Moore said at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the...

Guardian continuous glucose monitoring system.(New & Approved)(Medtronic MiniMed)
April 1, 2004... (Medtronic MiniMed) The Food and Drug Administration approved a glucose monitor that sounds an alarm when people with diabetes mellitus experience potentially dangerous fluctuations in blood sugar. * Recommended Usage: A subcutaneous...

Rebetol Oral Solution.(New & Approved)
April 1, 2004... (ribavirin, Schering-Plough) The first FDA approved therapy for children with hepatitis C, Rebetol Oral Solution (ribavirin), is now available. Rebetol is indicated for combination therapy with interferon alfa-2b in patients aged 3 years...

Limit activity for sports-related overuse injuries: little league shoulder.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Limiting or at least modifying athletic routines is always necessary when treating overuse injuries of the shoulder and elbow in children and adolescents, Dr. Brian Grottkau said at a meeting on primary care pediatrics...

Get back in action: managing Idiopathic Scoliosis: mild curves don't need surgery.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... MIAMI BEACH -- Scoliosis is a descriptive term, not a diagnosis, Dr. Carl Stanitski said at a pediatric update sponsored by Miami Children's Hospital. Treatment decisions should be based on a combination of factors, not simply the...

Icing no help to acute sports injuries, especially ankle sprains: take the ice out of 'RICE'.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Los CABOS, MEXICO -- The ice is out of RICE in the acute treatment of sports injuries, particularly ankle sprains, Dr. James G. Garrick said at a pediatric conference sponsored by Symposia Medicus. Immediate compression of the injury--the...

Shield booster seats can be dangerous: study finds specific injury patterns.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... Children weighing 20-40 pounds traveling in shield booster seats are at increased risk of injury to the head, chest, and abdominal/pelvic region, compared with those in forward-facing child safety seats, according to the results of a new study....

Assessing pediatric knee pain key as more kids play tough sports: structural vs. anterior.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Pediatric knee pain is quite common and continues to increase as more and more children participate in demanding sports and exercise regimens, Dr. Brian Grottkau said at a meeting on primary care pediatrics sponsored by...

Children in ED may be sent by their physician: top emergency medicine articles.(Clinical Rounds)(emergency department)
April 1, 2004... LOS CABOS, MEXICO -- Some of the recent literature reports in pediatric emergency medicine have not yet--but likely will--change standard practice, Dr. Ramon W. Johnson said at a pediatrics conference sponsored by Symposia Medicus. The...

Intratracheal hemangioma dx can be tricky: various presentations.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Pediatric dermatologists must work with pediatricians, family physicians, and other children's care providers to properly diagnose and treat intratracheal hemangiomas, Dr. Howard Pride said at a meeting of the Society for...

Trial and error sometimes necessary for eliminating warts: duct tape to immunotherapy.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... LAS VEGAS -- Since 1966, approximately 6,170 papers on the treatment of warts have appeared in the medical literature-yet successful treatment of warts is still a question of trial and error, Dr. Theodore Rosen said. Many of those studies...

Cyclic vomiting syndrome is underrecognized: can be partially alleviated.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... MONTREAL -- The prolonged arracks of severe nausea, vomiting, and exhaustion characteristic of cyclic vomiting syndrome can sometimes be partially alleviated with prompt antiemetic medication, followed by migraine prophylaxis. However,...

The common cold.(Beyond Chicken Soup)
April 1, 2004... Just about every culture has brewed up its own remedies for the common ld over the centuries, and every generation uses what is most immediately available to treat the common cold. My mother would send me off to school in the morning after...

Consider bedtime symptoms in asthma severity: underestimating severity is too common.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2004... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Many physicians do not ask about their patients' nighttime symptoms of asthma and, consequently, may underestimate disease severity, Dr. Janice H. Howell said at a conference on care of the sick child sponsored by the Nemours...

When do politics and patient care collide? Malpractice is driving factor.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2004... In a presidential election year that promises little hope for medical liability reform and other health policy breakthroughs, physicians are hoping that they can make a difference through one important tool: their patients. Cardiologist...

Establish a partnership for compliance: don't be paternalistic.(Practice Trends)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... PHILADELPHIA -- A partnership with the patient can help improve compliance, Dawn Oetjen, Ph.D., said at the annual conference of the Medical Group Management Association. The paternalistic model where the patient follows the physician's...

HIPAA privacy rule still raising questions: one-year anniversary.(Practice Trends)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
April 1, 2004... LA JOLLA, CALIF. -- One year into HIPAA, disaster has not occurred, Kirk Nahra said at a conference on health care law sponsored by the American Bar Association. "Despite a lot of concerns leading up to April 14, 2003, there were not...

Panel moves forward on CPT/EM code changes: testing underway.(Practice Trends)(current procedural terminology)(evaluation and management )
April 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- The effort to create new guidelines and coding descriptors for evaluation and management services is at a critical turning point. Last month, a joint panel of the American Medical Association and the Centers for Medicare and...

Too many pediatricians.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The number of general pediatricians will expand by more than 21,000 by 2020--an increase of nearly two-thirds over 2000 levels--while the population of children is projected to increase by only 9% over that period, according to a study. The...

Internet lawsuit site shuttered.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... A Web site that allowed doctors to look up names of patients who have filed malpractice suits has been shut down. The Texas-based founders of doctorsknowus.com posted a message on the site saying that it "has permanently ceased operations as of...

Against Florida's gay adoption law.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association has condemned the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the Florida law prohibiting gay people from adopting. Dr. Kenneth Haller, GLMA president, specifically chided Florida...

Protective eyewear for young athletes.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Children participating in sports should wear protective eyewear, and it ought to be required for those who are functionally one-eyed and whose ophthalmologists recommend such protection following eye surgery or trauma, according to a joint...

Asthma and homeless children.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Homeless children are more than six times more likely to have asthma than are typical children, according to a Columbia University, New York, study. Researchers randomly sampled 740 children at three New York City homeless shelters over a...

School nutrition, Texas-size.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Public elementary, middle, and high schools in Texas will no longer be able to serve students deep-fried foods. That is one of a series of regulations in the new policy from the state's Department of Agriculture that will go into effect in...

Parents set examples for kids.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... PARENTS SET EXAMPLES FOR KIDS Young children are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables if they see their parents eat them at mealtimes. Lucy Cooke, Ph.D., and her colleagues surveyed 564 parents and caregivers at 22 London preschools and...

Help children cope with crisis.(FYI)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... "An Activity Book for African American Families: Helping Children Cope with Crisis" was developed to help children make sense of reports of violence and increased threat alerts from the Department of Homeland Security. To order the activity...

CD teaches AED basics.(FYI)(compact disk)(automated external defibrillator)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... "Protest the Silence" is a CD-ROM (PC or Macintosh) intended to teach adolescents the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator use. The CD costs $19.95 and is available from the University of Pittsburgh...

FDA consumer campaign.(FYI)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration has launched a campaign that highlights the safe use of over-the-counter analgesics and antipyretics. The campaign materials, which include a brochure to be distributed by health care providers, are available at...

OTC information in Spanish.(FYI)(Over-the-Counter)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The Consumer Healthcare Products Association and the Food and Drug Administration have launched the Spanish edition of the brochure, "Over-the-Counter Medicines: What's Right for You?" including info on treating children with OTCs and avoiding...

Tourette's and Stuttering.(FYI)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... "Stuttering and Tourette's Syndrome" is a brochure that provides information for parents about these two conditions and the possible link between them. For a free copy, call the Stuttering Foundation at 800-992-9392, or download a copy from...

Milk Matters for youngsters.(FYI)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has added a new series of games to its "Milk Matters" Web site. The activities are designed to teach children and teens about the importance of calcium. For more information, go to...

Drug information in Spanish.(FYI)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Consumer information on drug interactions is now available in Spanish through the Food and Drug Administration's Web site. The fact sheet explains the types of drug interactions and provides common examples. Visit www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo...

Bilingual child stuttering.(FYI)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The Stuttering Foundation offers "Stuttering and the Bilingual Child," a brochure with tips for parents of children who are bilingual and stutter. The brochure can be downloaded at www.stutteringhelp.org.