Pediatric News articles from August 2003

Pediatric News archives from August 2003

White coat fear is overestimated; first study of its kind.(News)
August 1, 2003... GREENWICH, CONN. -- Children are not frightened by white coats, contrary to what most pediatricians believe. In fact, many children would prefer to see you wearing one. "Many pediatricians abandon their white coats so as not to strike fear...

Target dyslipidemia in children with diabetes, says ADA: concensus statement: there is growing recognition of the benefits of addressing nonglycemic problems.(News)
August 1, 2003... Management of dyslipidemia helps minimize cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents with diabetes, according to a new consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association. In 2001, the association formulated lipid guidelines and...

Fifth DTaP dose gains approval from FDA: Infanrix gets parity with Tripedia: some say loyalty to single brand not needed.(News)(Pediarix (diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and acellular pertussis vaccine) dosage)
August 1, 2003... In July, the Food and Drug Administration approved a fifth dose for a second diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and acellular pertussis vaccine on the U.S. market. Approving a fifth dose of Infanrix, the DTaP vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline,...

Top 10 drugs mentioned during pediatric office visits in 2002.(Vital Signs)
August 1, 2003... Top 10 Drugs Mentioned During Pediatric Office Visits in 2002 Percent of all Drug mentions: Amoxicillin 5.2% Amoxil 4.7% DtaP 3.1% Augmentin 2.8% Poliomyelitis...

Primary care office-based vision screening methods often lack sensitivity, specificity: poor follow-up also a factor.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Vision screening methods used in the primary care office lack sensitivity and specificity, Dr. T.C. Wall reported in a poster presentation at the southern regional meeting of the American Federation for Medical Research. In...

Diagnostic dilemma.(News)(tracheal web)
August 1, 2003... A 9-year-old girl presented with a history of asthma treatment since age 18 months with little improvement in her symptoms of chronic coughing, chronic sputum production, and shortness of breath with exertion. She also had a history of...

Type 2 diabetes comorbidity higher in adolescents: psychiatric disorders, sleep apnea.(News)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Type 2 diabetes has distinctive features in adolescents, Dr. Phil Zeitler reported at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. Adolescents generally are more obese, are more sedentary, and have...

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease seen in type 2 diabetics; consider biopsies in some.(News)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis appears to be an underrecognized manifestation of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents, Dr. Ron Newfield said in a poster presentation at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes...

Keep to normal vaccine schedule for preemies: new AAP guidelines.(Infectious Diseases)(American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases)(Calendar)
August 1, 2003... Premature and low-birth-weight infants should for the most part receive their immunizations in the standard doses and at the standard times based on chronologic age, according to a newly published report from the American Academy of Pediatrics...

Fever, not circumcision, predicts UTI in male infants: empiric antibiotics recommended.(Infectious Diseases)(urinary tract infection)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Unexplained fever in an uncircumcised male infant less than 2 months old has a 35% chance of being a urinary tract infection when the fever is greater than 39[degrees] C, according to the first prospective multicenter study of...

Food exposure tied to antibiotic resistance; never used tetracycline.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Tetracycline-resistant bacteria persisted in the mouths of children who were not likely to have been exposed to tetracycline, Holli Lancaster said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. Although most...

Addition of Prevnar upset vaccination schedule; hepatitis B most likely to get bumped.(Infectious Diseases)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- The addition of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to the immunization schedule may have been the unintended cause of some Massachusetts' children not getting their scheduled vaccinations at the proper time, Dr. Karen C. Lee said at...

Staphylococcus aureus infection resists vancomycin; first reported VRSA case.(Infectious Diseases)(vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The first case of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to vancomycin, which is considered the most reliable drug for treating infections caused by the bacterium, has been confirmed. The affected patient had undergone multiple metatarsal...

Rapid test for West Nile virus wins FDA approval; upsurge of cases is expected in August.(Infectious Diseases)(West Nile Virus IgM Capture ELISA from Pan-Bio Ltd. )
August 1, 2003... Federal health officials are hailing blood screening assays and the first rapid 'laboratory test for diagnosis of West Nile virus as major developments in the fight against the summer scourge, but they warn that early signs point to...

Research on a vaccine and therapeutics for West Nile virus is already underway: future strategies.(Infectious Diseases)
August 1, 2003... Human clinical trials of a West Nile virus vaccine could begin by the end of the summer, according to Dr. James Meegan, virology program officer of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. On the therapeutic front, an...

Survey on access to condoms and sexual activity: less unprotected sex.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Adolescents in schools where condoms were available were no more likely to be sexually active than those in schools that did not offer condoms, while students with access to condoms were twice as likely to use them during their most recent...

Treatment of HBV may be warranted in some; consider Tx if risk of cirrhosis, hepatitis.(Infectious Diseases)(hepatitis B infection)
August 1, 2003... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Treatment of hepatitis B infection is generally not warranted in children, but there are exceptions to this rule, Dr. Steven R. Martin said at the annual Digestive Disease Week. Lamivudine and interferon have been the...

Douching post-sex is associated with bacterial vaginosis; study of 213 young women.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Young women, and teens who douche after sex are twice as likely to have bacterial vaginosis as those who douche at other times, Dr. Tina Simpson said at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Of 213 females...

Children tend to respond well to hepatitis C Tx: consider social, public health issues.(Infectious Diseases)
August 1, 2003... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Much remains to be learned about the natural history of hepatitis C infection in children, but there are some good arguments for treating these patients, Dr. Barbara Haber said at the annual Digestive Disease Week. First,...

The bite of Ixodes tick can harbor three infections; looks like Lyme disease.(Infectious Diseases)(Lyme disease, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, and babesiosis)
August 1, 2003... BALTIMORE -- In theory, one bite from a single Ixodes tick can transmit three distinct diseases, Dr. George K. Siberry reported at a meeting on pediatric trends presented by Johns Hopkins University. The three diseases in question are Lyme...

Culture blood for suspected endocarditis: new heart murmur after fever.(Infectious Diseases)
August 1, 2003... BALTIMORE -- An office blood culture should be the first step in evaluating a child with a new heart murmur following a fever, Dr. William Ravekes said at a meeting on pediatric trends sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. The specific...

Bullous myringitis causes more suffering than AOM alone; more than 500 children studied.(Infectious Diseases)(acute otitis media)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Children with acute otitis media who also had bullous myringitis experienced more physical suffering than children with acute otitis media alone, had higher body temperatures, and had more severe otoscopic findings, Dr. Kokab Saeed...

FDA excludes major target group for FluMist.(ID Consult)(not approved for use by children aged 1-5 years)
August 1, 2003... The approval of FluMist has given us a highly effective, easily administered, non-invasive, and basically safe alternative for protecting children against influenza. I am disappointed that it wasn't approved for the critical population that...

Early respiratory illness impacts asthma risk; add day care to the complex picture.(Infectious Diseases)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- The connection between asthma and day care has a new wrinkle, one that further supports the idea that early immune system exposure is critical in the development of asthma, but also adds a level of complexity. Looking at the...

Folliculitis common after smallpox vaccination: from papules to pustules without scarring.(Infectious Diseases)
August 1, 2003... Folliculitis is a common and benign eruption that should be added to the list of possible cutaneous complications following administration of smallpox vaccine, reported Dr. Thomas R. Talbot of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville,...

Spotting metapneumovirus.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The most common clinical manifestations of human metapneumovirus infection in children are cough, rhinorrhea, fever, and wheezing. These were the findings in the first reported study of the organism in the United States, based on data collected...

Sharing Shigella in daycare.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Children exposed to dirty diapers in daycare centers may have contributed to an outbreak of 1,642 cases of Shigella sonnei in the Cincinnati area between May 1 and Sept. 7, 2001, said Dr. Andi L. Shane of the Centers for Disease Control and...

No epinephrine for bronchiolitis.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Children with bronchiolitis who received nebulized epinephrine did not have significantly reduced hospital stays, compared with children who received a placebo, said Dr. Claire Wainwright of Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, and...

GABHS and osteomyelitis.(Clinical Capsules)(group A [beta]-hemolytic Streptococcus)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Consider group A [beta]-hemolytic Streptococcus in preschool and school-aged children with possible acute hematogenous osteomyelitis who have high fever and marked leukocytosis, said Dr. Ekopimo O. Ibia of Children's National Medical Center,...

New rotavirus vaccine.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Many pediatricians would use a new rotavirus vaccine if one was available and recommended routinely, according to recent survey results, said Dr. Martha Iwamoto of Emory University, Atlanta, and her colleagues. Of 319 pediatricians eligible to...

Anxiety disorders have many different facets; key to distinguish from ordinary anxiety.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
August 1, 2003... MIAMI BEACH -- It is important for clinicians to be able to recognize the signs of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents and to distinguish them from the ordinary anxieties of growing up, Dr. Eugenio M. Rothe said at a meeting on mood...

Keep conduct disorder in context.(Behavioral Consult)
August 1, 2003... William sits sullenly in your office with fists clenched and eyes averted from his very agitated mother. Yes, he's in trouble again, and this time it's serious. When enough Williams of the world find their way to your office, sooner or...

Maternal pessimism fosters depression in girls: impacts child's persistence.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
August 1, 2003... TAMPA, FLA. -- Maternal behavior might contribute to girls' heightened risk for depression, according to the results of a new study. The study, which investigated maternal characteristics and child helplessness as risk factors for...

SSRI treatment is advocated for adolescent depression: called moderately effective, safe.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are appropriate for use in adolescents: They have modest efficacy and they are safe, Dr. Chistopher K. Varley said at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. In Texas,...

Signs of autism present as early as 6 months: first longitudinal study of high-risk sibs.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
August 1, 2003... TAMPA, FLA. -- Children who are ultimately diagnosed with autism show developmental abnormalities as early as 6 months of age, Rebecca J. Landa, Ph.D., said at a meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. In the first...

Social phobia patients respond well to fluoxetine; less effective for anxiety.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Children with social phobia or generalized anxiety disorder responded clinically to fluoxetine, but those with social phobia were the only ones who had significant functional response to fluoxetine, according to Dr. Boris Birmaher and his...

The pause that refreshes.(Letters From Maine)
August 1, 2003... To an occasional reader, I may seem to be a discontented, middle-aged curmudgeon who has nothing better to do than complain about the current state of pediatrics, but those of you who are regular readers of this column understand that I love,...

Education before economics.(Letters)(work hours for residents)
August 1, 2003... Dr. Lawrence G. Smith appears to admit that limitations of resident work hours are necessary. He also "strongly oppose[s] micromanagement" of work hours ("Limiting Resident Work Hours," Guest Editorial, June 2003, p. 14). His objection was...

Palivizumab clinics.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... I read with interest the article "Giving Infants Palivizumab at Home Improves Compliance" (June 2003, p. 8). Home visitation is far more convenient for patients' families, but there are some practical issues to consider. We have found it...

Talk back online.(Opinion)(physicians on vaccine counseling)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Talk Back Online Will you personally counsel more parents about vaccines if the code is implemented? (July 2003, p. 2) Yes 67% No 33% To Talk Back, visit www.epediatricnews.com Note: Table made from pie chart.

Is intracapsular tonsillectomy an appropriate replacement for total tonsillectomy?(Pro & Con)
August 1, 2003... [YES] As a practicing pediatric otolaryngologist, I developed the concept of intracapsular tonsillectomy in 1996 in response to a specific case of an 11-month-old boy who had documented sleep apnea secondary to enormous tonsils and a large...

One pediatrician's picks of top research articles: try duct tape for warts.(Clinical Rounds)(various articles on pediatric care)
August 1, 2003... VANCOUVER, B.C -- A study comparing extended-use epinephrine with albuterol for acute viral bronchiolitis in infants was one of the most clinically useful articles of 2002, Dr. Nita Jain said at a meeting sponsored by the North Pacific...

Emergency contraception awareness rose among teen girls; from 1996 to 2002.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- Teenage girls knew more about emergency contraception in 2002 than in 1996, but they still have a way to go, according to surveys done with about 100 girls each year at one medical center. Since 1996, adolescent girls have...

EC availability: no increase in unprotected sex: nor did it affect condom use in teen moms.(Clinical Rounds)(emergency contraception )
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Providing emergency contraception to adolescents before it was needed did not result in increased unprotected sex or decreased use of condoms, according to a randomized trial of 160 teens who were already mothers. "Provision of...

New contraceptive options for sexually active adolescent girls: compliance more likely.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- New contraceptive technologies are providing a wider array of options for sexually active adolescent girls, Dr. Linda Grant said at a meeting on clinical pediatrics sponsored by Boston University. After years of...

Popularity of pubic hair shaving raises risk of folliculitis: poor technique often used.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- The female fight against unwanted hair has descended to the pubic region: Many teens are now removing all of their pubic hair, increasing their risk of developing vulvar folliculitis. "Grooming of the pubic hair can now be...

Automated defibrillators OK for 1- to 8-year-olds: with or without pediatric pad.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... Automated external defibrillators may be used for children as young as 1 year of age, concluded the Pediatric Advanced Life Support Task Force of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. The task force also recommended that a...

Topiramate gets additional safety information; oligohidrosis risk.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... Patients who take the anticonvulsant topiramate--especially children--may be at risk for developing oligohidrosis and hyperthermia, according to new safety warnings and precautions released by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, and the Food and Drug...

Health gains overshadowed by escalating obesity; childhood mortality at record low.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... Obesity is emerging as a serious health problem in children's health, as the number of teen births and adolescent smokers continues to drop, according to 'America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2003," the seventh annual...

Child booster seats reduce injury risk by 59%; study of insurance claims from 15 states.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... Children aged 4-7 years who use belt-positioning booster seats axe 59% less likely to suffer injuries, compared with their counterparts who wear regular seat belts. This finding from a large cross-sectional study highlight the importance...

ATV injuries on the rise in children, teens: head injuries most common.(Clinical Rounds)(All-terrain vehicles )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- All-terrain vehicles are an increasing cause of injuries among children and teens, Dr. B.L. Passmore reported at the southern regional meeting of the American Federation for Medical Research. In fact, those under 16 years...

More time needed for adverse events reporting; drugs granted pediatric exclusivity.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... GAITHERSBURG. MD. -- The Food and Drug Administration should require an additional year of pediatric adverse event reporting on three drugs that received pediatric exclusivity in 2002, the FDA's pediatric subcommittee of the Anti-Infective...

Probiotics protect against childhood atopic eczema: 4-year follow-up.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... The protective effects of perinatal probiotics extend to age 4 years in children at risk for atopic eczema, said Dr. Marko Kalliomaki of the University of Turku (Finland) and associates. Probiotics provide beneficial microorganisms that...

Knee radiograph rules hold true for children; study indicates rules are 100% sensitive.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- The Ottawa rules for determining which knee injuries deserve an x-ray to check for a fracture can be applied to children, Dr. Blake Bulloch said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. As in adults, the rules...

Ankle injury study identifies factors predicting fractures; may reduce unnecessary x-rays.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- A prospective trial may have identified simple clinical prediction rules for determining if a child who has had an ankle injury has a possible ankle or foot fracture and needs an x-ray, Dr. Peter S. Dayan said at the annual meeting...

Scores predict need for tenotomy with clubfoot; prior to Ponseti procedure.(Clinical Rounds)(tendon surgery)
August 1, 2003... NEW ORLEANS -- It is possible to predict the additional need for a tenotomy at the onset of the Ponseti procedure for treatment of clubfoot, Dr. David Scher said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. ...

Newborn screenings for errors of metabolism steadily growing: development of a uniform panel underway.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SAN DIEGO -- Nearly half of all babies born in the United States are being screened for inborn or inherited errors of metabolism through the use of tandem mass spectrometry, which allows clinicians to screen for up to 30 disorders, Dr. Piero...

Poor outcomes tied to delay in care for shaken babies; one day vs. hours with accidents.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Shaken babies may fare so poorly because they are not brought to the hospital promptly, Dr. Michael A. Stoiko said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. Dr. Stoiko, an emergency room physician at DeVos...

Early solids risk GI obstruction; intussusception.(Clinical Rounds)(gastrointestinal)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- The presence of diarrhea and the introduction of solids during the first 4 months of life are the two key risk factors for developing intussusception in infants and young children under 5 years old, Dr. Ahdi Amer reported ih a poster...

Skull deformities rise with prone sleeping; AAP offers Tx recommendations.(Clinical Rounds)(American Academy of Pediatrics)(treatment)
August 1, 2003... The success of the American Academy of Pediatrics "Back to Sleep" campaign has some infants bent out of shape. Since the AAP's 1992 recommendation that parents place babies on their backs to sleep to reduce the risk of SIDS, there has been...

Immunization guidelines: Shots 2003 4.1.(Digital Assistance)
August 1, 2003... Overview: Shots 2003 is a free, easy to use immunization reference guide specifically for Palm OS handheld devices. Childhood and adult immunization schedules are included, as well as immunization information relevant to particular medical...

Expert panel tackles heat-related illnesses; first-ever such consensus statement.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... Not long ago, it was considered macho for young athletes to abstain from taking water breaks during team practices in the sweltering summer heat. "It was just the 'wusses' who drank the water," recalled Dr. Stephen Cantrill, associate...

Glucose sensors perform poorly in small study; companies provide data to the contrary.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Neither the GlucoWatch G2 biographer (Cygnus) or the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (Medtronic MiniMed) appears to be accurate enough to provide normative glycemic levels in nondiabetic children, Dr. Nelly Mauras reported at...

New & approved: Duragesic * Zestril.(Clinical Rounds)(drugs for pediatric hypertension and pain)
August 1, 2003... Duragesic (fentanyl transdermal system, Janssen Pharmaceutical Products LP) The FDA issued a supplemental new drug approval for use of Duragesic in pediatric patients age 2 years or older with chronic pain. * Recommended Dosage: An...

Don't delay asthma diagnosis in wheezing infants; onset in 40% before age 3.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- Don't be afraid to use the "A" word when discussing very young children with frequent wheezing, Dr. Suzanne Steinbach advised at a meeting on clinical pediatrics sponsored by Boston University. Although the...

Caution urged when diagnosing asthma in obese children; wheezing not definitive.(Clinical Rounds)
August 1, 2003... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Be cautious about attributing wheezing and dyspnea in obese children to asthma, a condition that is often erroneously overdiagnosed in obese children, Dr. Susanna A. McColley said at a pediatric pulmonary meeting sponsored...

Proposed Medicare enrollment policy a 'burden': especially onerous for pediatricians.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2003... Fearing additional burdens on their practices, physician groups are asking the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to withdraw its proposal on a new Medicare enrollment policy. The proposed enrollment form for physicians "contains 12...

State legislatures revisit benefit cuts, tort reform; reductions to Medicaid, SCHIP.(Practice Trends)(State Children's Health Insurance Program)
August 1, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Budget cuts and tort reform are the hot health care items on legislators' plates so far this year, just as they were last year, Susan Laudicina said at a press briefing sponsored by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ...

Pediatric Medicaid increase saves public health dollars; study in two states.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2003... SEATTLE -- Two states actually saved public health dollars by increasing pediatrician Medicaid reimbursement rates in the year 2000. North Carolina increased its Medicaid reimbursement rate from 90% of the Medicare reimbursement rate to...

Over 20,000 international adoptions annually spawn new specialty area; pre- and postadoption counseling.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2003... MIAMI BEACH -- The number of children adopted internationally is growing to the point where most pediatricians will likely be called upon to counsel prospective parents both before and after a child is brought to the United States, Dr. Donna...

Few contact providers via Internet: national survey.(Practice Trends)(online health care information services and medical care utilization)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Use of the Internet and e-mail does not have a large impact on patients' utilization of health care, Laurence Baker, Ph.D., of Stanford (Calif.) University, and his colleagues reported. But the Internet is still a good tool for...

Feds take slow approach to HIPAA enforcement; compliance update.(Practice Trends)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
August 1, 2003... SAN ANTONIO -- After 3 months of required compliance for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, it appears that physicians are erring on the side of caution while the government continues to err on the side of gentle...

Hope for HIPAA compliance.(Policy & Practice)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Nearly all physicians who participate in Medicare expect to be able to comply with the electronic transaction requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) by the Oct. 16 deadline, a survey by the...

Birth rate drops.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The U.S. birth rate is at its lowest point since national data have been available, statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say. The birth rate was 13.9 per 1,000 persons in 2002 (about 4 million births), a drop of 1%...

Diabetes on the rise.(Policy & Practice)
August 1, 2003... One in three babies born in 2000 will develop diabetes, according to a CDC study presented at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes incidence has increased 50% in the past decade, the agency says. The...

Vending machines in schools.(Policy & Practice )(soft drinks, sweet snacks, and candy banned)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... New York City this summer became the most prominent school district to ban soft drinks, sweet snacks, and candy from its vending machines. The New York City Department of Education has mandated that by August 29 all schools remove unapproved...

Kraft against junk food.(Policy & Practice)(health promotion campaign by Kraft Foods Inc. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Kraft Foods Inc. launched a program to make its products less of a contributor to the obesity crisis in the United States. Starting next year, the processed food giant will limit portion sizes of single-serve packages, improve the nutritional...

Parents don't know lead.(Policy & Practice)(lead poisoning risks)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Doctors have about an even chance of learning from parents whether their house was built before 1950 and is at risk of containing lead-based paint, reports Dr. Lea T. Schwab and her associates at the Medical University of South Carolina,...

Two-parent families.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Nearly 70% of the nation's 72.3 million children under age 18 years lived with two parents in 2002, a Census Bureau report on children's living arrangements says. About 20% of all children under age 15 lived with stay-at-home mothers, while...

Higher physician supply tied to caps on damages; medical malpractice.(Practice Trends)
August 1, 2003... The physician supply is 12% higher in states that impose limit on noneconomic damages than in those without caps, a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality said. In 2000, states with caps on average had 135 physicians per...

Midrange-dose acne tablets.(Products)(Adoxa (doxycycline) tablets from Bioglan Pharmaceuticals Co.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Adoxa (doxycycline) tablets are now available in a 75-mg dose, along with 50- and 100-mg doses, for the treatment of acne. For more information, contact Bioglan Pharmaceuticals Co., 888-246-4526, www.bioglan.com.

Vest for airway clearance.(Products)(in-home respiratory therapy device from Advanced Respiratory Inc. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Vest is an in-home respiratory therapy device for children who either have retained secretions in the lungs because of a disease that creates more mucus than the body can cough out, or who have a condition that impairs the cough reflex....

Germicidal hand wipes.(Products)(Hibistat germicidal hand rinse from Regent Medical)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Hibistat germicidal hand rinse now comes in a towelette application. Users should rub their hands vigorously with the towelette for 15 seconds for thorough cleansing. The hand rinse provides rapid bacterial action with a persistent...

Push button blood collection.(Products)(BD Vacutainer push button blood collection set )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The BD Vacutainer push button blood collection set retracts the needle with the push of a button when collecting blood samples, protecting healthcare workers from accidental needle sticks. Contact Becton, Dickinson & Co., 888-237-2762,...