Pediatric News articles from April 2005

Pediatric News archives from April 2005

Panel supports teen pertussis vaccines.((Infectious Diseases))(Adacel, Boostrix)
April 1, 2005... BETHESDA, MD. -- Two candidate adolescent pertussis booster vaccines have been endorsed for U.S. licensure by the Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. Both Adacel, from Sanofi Pasteur...

Black boxes added to labels for Elidel and Protopic: increased use, greater cancer risk is cited.(News)
April 1, 2005... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- The Food and Drug Administration is adding a black box warning to the health professional labels of pimecrolimus and tacrolimus and is recommending that the topical formulations be prescribed only as directed and only as...

Fasting plasma glucose test called inadequate.(News)
April 1, 2005... QUEBEC CITY -- The fasting plasma glucose test is inadequate, compared with the oral glucose tolerance test, in screening high-risk pediatric patients for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, according to results of a new study. "This is...

Congress mulls increase in FDA authority over drug companies.(News)
April 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Congress is considering giving the Food and Drug Administration more authority over the pharmaceutical companies it deals with, but some legislators are warning against doing too much too fast. "Changes to drug safety... must...

Seizure control helps neurobehavioral symptoms tied to refractory epilepsy.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Controlling seizures often lessens behavioral and neuropsychological problems that are ubiquitous in children with refractory epilepsy, said Marc Boel, M.D., of University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium. Among 573 such children...

Delayed vaccinations leave many underprotected.(News)
April 1, 2005... Most children in the United States are significantly undervaccinated during their first 2 years because of delayed immunization schedules, according to results of a new study. "Few children receive all vaccinations on time. Moreover we...

Bright futures' future is more evidence based.(News)
April 1, 2005... MIAMI BEACH -- The future of the Bright Futures program will include more evidence-based support of pediatric preventive services and well child care, according to a presentation at a pediatric update sponsored by Miami Children's Hospital. ...

Supreme Court ruling ends juvenile execution.(News)
April 1, 2005... Psychiatrists across the country, having argued for years that adolescents' brains function differently from those of adults, applauded last month's Supreme Court ruling that abolished juvenile executions. In a 5-4 vote, the court...

Phenergan contraindicated under age 2.(News)
April 1, 2005... Phenergan (promethazine) is now contraindicated in children younger than 2 years because of possible fatal respiratory depression and should be used cautiously in other pediatric patients, according to a new black box warning recently requested...

Treat tinea capitis outside and in for good effect.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. -- Tinea capitis is the most common dermatophytic infection of childhood, Sheila Fallon Friedlander, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association. She answered some pediatricians' and family...

FDA panel: study hepatitis B drug in children: entecavir was approved for chronic HBV infection therapy in adults subsequent to the panel meeting.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- Entecavir, an oral antiviral drug that has several advantages over currently available treatments for chronic hepatitis B, should be studied in pediatric populations, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel...

Intracranial infection can mimic hypoxic injury on imaging.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO -- What looks like damage from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy on neonatal brain imaging actually can be caused by intracranial infection, Robert A. Zimmerman, M.D., said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology,...

Stumped when it's not mumps? Time to check for other viruses.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Children vaccinated for MMR who present with mumps-like illnesses have other identifiable viral etiologies about 14% of the time, according to results of a Finnish study. "When one is trying to establish the cause of mumps-like symptoms in...

Fewer doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine may work.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... A 2-plus-1 dosing schedule of the commonly used heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine showed satisfactory antibody responses to all serotypes of the bacteria, comparable with published immunogenicity studies on the 3-plus-1 dose schedule...

Shorter antibiotic course for UTIs may be possible.(Infectious Diseases)(urinary tract infections )
April 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- The treatment and diagnosis of urinary tract infections in young children are undergoing dramatic changes, Aaron L. Friedman, M.D., said at a pediatric update sponsored by Phoenix Children's Hospital. Urinary tract...

Pediatric HIV still a problem.(ID Consult)
April 1, 2005... We've made great strides in combating pediatric HIV/AIDS in the last few years, but children living with HIV still face enormous difficulties. Indeed, the number of new cases of vertical transmission has dropped to an all-time low, from...

Single-dose azithromycin OK for acute otitis media.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... Treatment of uncomplicated acute otitis media with single-dose azithromycin proved comparable in efficacy to the standard high-dose amoxicillin in an international trial of young children. Azithromycin treatment for acute otitis media (AOM)...

For parents, efficacy of STI vaccine is key factor.(Infectious Diseases)(sexually transmitted infections)
April 1, 2005... Parents of adolescents appear to accept the idea of vaccinating their teens against sexually transmitted infections, expressing the most concern about the efficacy of the vaccine and the severity of the infection it could prevent, rather than...

The best papers of 2004: the ID Oscars go to ...: infectious disease studies may change practice in gram-positive infections, varicella vaccinations.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... BAL HARBOUR, FLA. -- One of the most interesting pediatric infectious disease papers in the past year--according to Ralph D. Feigin, M.D.--suggests that cephalosporins are superior to penicillin for the treatment of group A beta-hemolytic...

Catheter-related bacteremia is common in hemodialysis.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... BAL HARBOUR, FLA. -- Catheter-related bacteremia affecting catheter survival occurs frequently in children on hemodialysis, results of a recent study suggest. A review of the charts of 60 children who had chronic hemodialysis catheters at...

Blacks in L.A. make unexpected vaccination gains.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- A door-to-door survey found higher immunization rates among African American toddlers in Los Angeles than expected and revealed ways to improve vaccination rates further, Alvin Nelson El Amin, M.D., said at the annual meeting of...

Expert: vaccinate all children for hepatitis A.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Vaccination for hepatitis A should be extended to children above the age of 2 with catch-up immunization for older children and adolescents, William F. Balistreri, M.D., advised. "We need to rethink the vaccine strategy...

Wide variation seen in hepatitis A vaccination.(Infectious Diseases)
April 1, 2005... Immunization rates for hepatitis A in children aged 24-35 months vary widely across areas and populations in the United States. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. In 1999, the CDC recommended routine immunization against...

Flu vaccine maker back on track for 2005.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Chiron's license to manufacture influenza vaccine, which was suspended in October as a result of contamination at the companys Liverpool England, facility. has been reinstated and vaccine manufacturing for the coming season will proceed. ...

Salmonella from turtles.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Small pet turtles were linked to four cases of salmonella in children in 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the public health departments of Wisconsin and Wyoming (MMWR 2005;54:223-6). A 4-year-old girl from...

Oseltamivir eases asthma during flu.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2005... Treatment with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) within 24 hours of the onset of flu symptoms reduced exacerbations of asthma in children aged 6-12 years, wrote Sebastian L. Johnston, M.D., of Imperial College, London, and his associates (Pediatr. Infect....

Bacterial infections rare with flu.(Clinical Capsules)
April 1, 2005... Serious bacterial illness occurred in only 16 of 163 (9.8%) children with influenza, compared with 153 of 542 (28.2%) children without flu in a retrospective study of 705 infants aged 0-36 months, according to Hannah F. Smitherman, M.D., and...

Teens unaware of hepatitis risk.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Adolescents showed a significant lack of understanding of the risk of hepatitis B from contaminated piercing and tattoo tools, as well as from infected needles and risky sexual behaviors, wrote Amy B. Slonim, Ph.D., of the Michigan Public...

Balance SSRI benefits with risks for children.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors )
April 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- It is important to balance risks with benefits when considering a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor to treat a child or adolescent, several experts said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent...

Better school readiness with nurse home visitation.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
April 1, 2005... A Program that sends nurses to visit economically disadvantaged, single mothers during pregnancy and for the child's first 2 years can have longterm benefits, recent data show. The analysis, which was recently commissioned by the Washington...

Teen addiction to cybersex pervasive.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
April 1, 2005... COLORADO SPRINGS -- Children--and middle school aged boys in particular--are becoming addicted to sex on the Internet in numbers that would startle most clinicians and parents, Ann Freeman said at a symposium on addictive disorders sponsored by...

Weighty problems may underlie obesity.(Behavioral Consult)
April 1, 2005... When I speak with fellow pediatricians about the epidemic of obesity among children, I hear alarm in their voices, but also a heavy note of despair. This is an issue we know we need to own. If we could prevent healthy babies from becoming...

Preventive medicine for the mind.(Editorial)
April 1, 2005... Can mental health conditions be prevented as part of pediatric well-child care? Certainly, little can be done about the genetic and biological bases of entities such as depression, attention-deficit disorder, or oppositional defiant...

Signs of the times.(Letters From Maine)(medical practice)
April 1, 2005... One day last week I forgot my key to the back door of the office and was forced to enter through the main entrance. As I passed the sign that stands out front, I noticed that more than 2 decades of sun and snow had taken a toll on my shingle....

Cardiac abnormalities may appear late in KD.(Clinical Rounds)(Kawasaki disease)
April 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Cardiac abnormalities in patients with Kawasaki disease may appear well after their short-term treatment phase, even in those with no previous evidence of cardiac involvement, results from a follow-up study show. The results...

Ethnic differences of Kawasaki.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- African American children with Kawasaki disease are more likely to have higher documented fevers in the hospital, higher erythrocyte sedimentation rates, and higher C-reactive protein levels than their white counterparts, Ian C....

Gait analysis called useful outcomes tool: after surgery in cerebral palsy patients, gait analysis showed strong correlations with other tests.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Gait analysis is a promising outcomes assessment tool for children undergoing orthopedic surgery, Norman Y. Otsuka, M.D., said at the annum meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Results of a study comparing...

Tiptoe walking requires extensive evaluation only after 2 years of age.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... BAL HARBOUR, FLA. -- Tiptoe walking in young children is troubling to parents, but an extensive evaluation is necessary only in those over age 2 years, Stephen Stricker, M.D. said at the annual Masters of Pediatrics conference sponsored by the...

Psychiatric conditions common in epilepsy.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Comorbid psychiatric conditions appear to be very common among children with medically refractory epilepsy, Jay A. Salpekar, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In a...

Allergy season.(Beyond Chicken Soup)
April 1, 2005... It's spring and a parent's thoughts turn to... hay fever and hives. While medical therapy has come a long way for the treatment for these ailments, home remedies to ease the sniffling and itching still abound. Hay Fever While hay...

Breast-feeding may protect against cutaneous drug reactions.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... VICTORIA, B.C. -- A prospective study of cutaneous drug reactions in hospitalized children suggests that children who are not breast-fed may have a greater risk of a drug reaction, Danielle Marcoux, M.D., said at the annual conference of the...

Parents may seek alternative epilepsy medicines.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- More than one-third of children with chronic neurologic conditions are exposed to some form of alternative or complementary medicine, sometimes without their physician's knowledge, Laurie A. Yuncker reported in a poster at the...

Consider surgery earlier for intractable seizures.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Epilepsy surgery should be recommended earlier for children with intractable seizures, rather than be reserved as a treatment of last resort, Mary L. Zupanc, M.D., reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the American...

Take it slow when inducing ketogenic diet.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- A gradual induction of the ketogenic diet that spares children the need to fast is just as effective in seizure reduction as the traditional protocol, Christina Bergqvist, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy...

Clarinex-D 24 hour, fluzone.(New & Approved)
April 1, 2005... Clarinex-D 24 Hour Extended Release Tablets (desloratadine 5-mg and pseudoephedrine sulfate 240-mg extended release tablets, ScheringPlough Corp.) The Food and Drug Administration approved Clarinex-D 24 Hour Extended Release Tablets...

Contraceptive choice affects weight gain in obese gifts.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Obese adolescent girls using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate for contraception gained significantly more weight over 18 months than did obese girls using oral contraceptives or no hormonal contraception, Andrea Bonny, M.D.,...

Genetic diabetes responds to tailored therapy.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... QUEBEC CITY -- The identification of patients with genetic forms of diabetes is pointing the way to more effective treatments for many of these patients, according to Ewan Pearson, M.D. "Research in the last year has enabled us to identify...

Islet transplantation an option in type 1 diabetes.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- Formidable-obstacles continue to prevent pancreatic islet transplantation from having a major impact on type 1 diabetes despite the spectacular technical advances of the past 4 years, Ronald G. Gill, Ph.D., said at a...

Diabetics' memory deficits localized in brain.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... QUEBEC CITY -- Magnetic resonance imagery and spectroscopy of the brain show decreased hippocampal volume in children with type 1 diabetes, and evidence of neuronal damage in a subgroup of those children who have hypoglycemic seizures,...

Noninvasive screens miss diabetic neuropathy.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... QUEBEC CITY -- Noninvasive methods for identifying pediatric diabetic neuropathy are not as sensitive as conventional nerve conduction studies and should not be considered for screening purposes, Daniele Pacaud, M.D., said at the joint annual...

Dermabond is popular alternative to sutures.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- The tissue adhesive Dermabond has gained popularity, especially in pediatric and emergency settings, because of its short application time and improved cosmesis over older adhesives, and despite its limitations, the product...

New technology may expand newborn screening: the committee is recommending routine screening of 29 of the 78 conditions that they analyzed.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Rapid expansion and new technologies are changing the face of newborn screening in the United States, experts and policy makers agreed at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Michael...

Watch nutrient levels in preemies sent home.(Clinical Rounds)
April 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Physicians must keep a close eye on levels of vitamins and minerals in preterm infants after they are sent home, Angela Wilks, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the National Medical Association. Formulas for preterm infants...

Bouncing back from serious illness.(The Rest of Your Life)
April 1, 2005... In 1989, Ken Duckworth, M.D., had just started his fellowship in child psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center when he was diagnosed with an early stage of testicular cancer. "I felt a lump and 'pow!' My life changed in a short...

Respectable match day returns.(Policy & Practice)(medical students)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Pediatric residency programs drew a respectable number of graduating seniors in this year's resident match, according to data released by the National Resident Matching Program. General pediatric programs filled 2,211 slots, 48 more than in...

Obesity on the rise.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... More rural students are becoming overweight, a study conducted by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania seems to indicate. An analysis of weight data collected from 151 school districts in the state between 1999 and 2001 showed that the number of...

Treating traumatic stress.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Social service agencies do little to assess and treat traumatic stress in children, according to a survey conducted by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Interviews with staff at more than 50 agencies in a variety of child service...

Legislating sex education.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Democrats in Congress are offering an alternative to the Bush Administration's proposal to spend $206 million on abstinence-only education. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) have introduced the "Responsible...

A plan to reform Medicaid.(Policy & Practice)
April 1, 2005... Governors were unable to reach a consensus with lawmakers on Medicaid reform at their annual meeting, but they're pushing their own plan to modernize the program. In the report, "Medicaid in 2005: Principles and Proposals for Reform," the...

Most after-hours calls are not that urgent.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2005... During just 1 year, Colorado's statewide after-hours call-in system handled almost 142,000 night and weekend calls from parents and other caregivers seeking medical advice for children, Shira Belman, M.D., and colleagues reported. Although...

Volunteering teaches pediatric residents cultural sensitivity.(Practice Trends)
April 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- Providing family-centered, culturally sensitive care is a cornerstone of the American Academy of Pediatrics national medical home initiative, yet it is one that can be difficult to teach. Recognizing that cultural sensitivity is...

While on hold....(Efficient Pediatrician Practices)
April 1, 2005... When patients and parents call your office, what do they listen to while on hold? Undoubtedly many offices don't offer anything special for them to listen to; they have silence, and an opportunity to be frustrated by not having an immediate...

Instant topical anesthetic.(Products)
April 1, 2005... Pain Ease is an instant topical anesthetic for use on skin, minor open wounds, and mucous membranes. The anesthetic comes in a mist or medium spray and controls pain associated with injections, minor wounds, minor surgical procedures, IVs, and...

Phototherapy for jaundice.(Products)
April 1, 2005... The neoBLUE mini LED phototherapy device emits blue light to help in the breakdown of bilirubin and the treatment of newborn jaundice. For more information, contact Natus Medical Inc. by calling 650 802-0400 or visiting www.natus.com.

Rapid Strep A test.(Products)
April 1, 2005... The Directigen EZ Strep A test provides results in 5 minutes. The rapid strep A test has an overall accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 97.7%, 95.2%, and 99.0%, respectively. For more information, contact Becton, Dickinson & Co. by...

Antimicrobial hand wipes.(Products)
April 1, 2005... Sani-Dex antimicrobial alcohol gel hand wipes kill bacteria and remove soil from hands. The Sani-Dex antimicrobial wipes use the natural friction caused by the wiping action. The wipes come in quick-pull canisters or pocket packs. For more...

Pediatric vision test system.(Products)
April 1, 2005... The Enfant pediatric vision testing system can be used to test preverbal children for visual deficits. The Enfant system can be used for children who are as young as 6 months of age. For more information on this product, contact Diopsys Inc. by...

Cleansing cloths for acne/rosacea.(Products)
April 1, 2005... Plexion (sodium sulfacetamide 10% and sulfur 5%) cleansing cloths are indicated for the treatment of acne and rosacea. The cloths come packaged individually with 30 in a box. For more information on the Plexion cleansing cloths, contact Medicis...

Nasal mask minimizes contact.(Products)
April 1, 2005... The ComfortLite nasal mask is smaller and lighter than others in the Comfort mask series. It offers two interchangeable cushions to provide minimal mask contact. For more information on the ComfortLite nasal mask, contact Respironics Inc.,...

Swabs for culture collection.(Products)
April 1, 2005... The CultureSwab MaxV comes in a gas-impermeable package that is flushed with nitrogen to protect the media from oxidation and moisture exposure. For more information, contact Becton, Dickinson, and Co., by calling 800-638-8663 or 410-316-4000.

Doxycycline blister packs.(Products)
April 1, 2005... Two new blister packs--Adoxa Pak 1/100 mg (31 tablets) and Adoxa Pak 2/100 mg (60 tablets)--are available for adjunctive oral acne therapy. For more information, contact Doak Dermatologics at 800-405-3625 or customerservice@doakderm.com.