Pediatric News articles from December 2008

Pediatric News archives from December 2008

High ALT may not mark liver disease.(News)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ORLANDO -- Consider a diagnosis other than nonalcoholic fatty fiver disease when an obese child or adolescent presents with elevated levels of the fiver enzyme alanine aminotransferase, a retrospective study...

Added strains give PCV13 promising results in Europe: serotype 19A immunogenicity was high.(News)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- An updated pneumococcal conjugate vaccine containing 13 different bacterial strains appears to be safe and immunogenic, based on pilot data from four European studies including several hundred infants and toddlers. The data...

Immunotherapy cuts cost of care in allergic rhinitis.(News)
December 1, 2008... SEATTLE -- The Cost of allergy immunotherapy among children with allergic rhinitis is quickly surpassed by savings in other health care costs, new data suggest. "I am often asked by payers to justify the cost of allergy symptom treatments,...

Uninsured children with insured parents: 70% come from middle- and high-income families.(VITAL SIGNS)
December 1, 2008... Uninsured Children With Insured Parents: 70% Come From Middle- and High-Income Families poor 45% near poor 4% low 17% middle 10% high 25% Child uninsured all year (n = 653) Notes: 2002-2005...

MMRV vaccine-febrile seizure link eyed.(News)
December 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- The available evidence is insufficient for concluding whether children receiving the first dose of the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine have an overall increased risk for febrile seizures within 30 days of...

Taking sugary drinks out of schools has little impact.(News)
December 1, 2008... Although it's possible to get sodas and other sugary drinks out of a high school, their removal might not really affect how much soda students drink. In fact, according to a newly published study, community education seemed to affect...

Ample Tamiflu supply exists for 2008-2009 season.(News)
December 1, 2008... A sufficient amount of the prescription antiviral medication oseltamivir will be available throughout the United States during the upcoming flu season, according to a statement released by its manufacturer, Roche. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) can...

Obese kids' arteries are middle-aged, study says.(News)
December 1, 2008... NEW ORLEANS -- The arteries of obese and dyslipidemic children resemble those of middle-aged adults, possibly heralding the early onset of cardiovascular disease, according to a study presented at the annual scientific sessions of the American...

ACIP stands pat on lengths of needles for vaccinations.(News)
December 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- Despite new data suggesting that current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations regarding needle length for intramuscular vaccine injections might be flawed, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices...

Treating GERD in patients with asthma improves lung function.(News)
December 1, 2008... SEATTLE -- Treating gastroesophageal reflux disease in children with persistent asthma improves lung function in the long term, new data show. Moreover, medical and surgical treatments appear to work equally well. Roughly two-thirds of...

Antimicrobials: use with care to avoid side effects: the highest rate of ED visits for antimicrobial adverse effects is for children under 1 year of age.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2008... BOSTON -- The recent finding that adverse reactions to antimicrobial agents cause more than 142,000 emergency department visits per year in the United States, and that the highest rate occurs in children under 1 year of age should be a wake-up...

Embrace short-course therapy for strep.(ID Consult)
December 1, 2008... I'd like to clear up some of the controversy regarding short-course antibiotic therapy for streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis versus longer-term therapy. A meta-analysis published this summer from a group in Athens is the latest to call...

Study finds cleaning fails to disinfect pediatric office toys.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Parents are right to suspect that pediatric waiting room toys are germy: Researchers found viral RNA on 20% of toys in a sick child waiting room, based on samples from three different days in different seasons. "Mothers in...

19A linked to necrotizing pneumonia.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Serotype 19A of Streptococcus pneumoniae is the culprit behind some complicated cases of necrotizing pneumonia in young children, based on findings from four cases that occurred between September 7, 2007, and March 30, 2008, at a...

Coronavirus adds respiratory symptoms.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Two types of newly recognized coronavirus were identified in stool samples of patients with gastrointestinal disease, and more than half of those patients also had respiratory symptoms, based on data from more than 400 adults and...

Behavioral techniques can help clear sleep hurdles.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
December 1, 2008... STANFORD, CALIF. -- Teaching tired parents behavioral techniques can help the 25% of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep. Don't expect to squeeze this in with other topics during a brief...

Just imagine: the power of hypnosis.(Behavioral Consult)
December 1, 2008... If you still put hypnosis in the category of bizarre, unscientific hocus pocus, you might be interested to know it's cited in 11,480 PubMed articles, including studies of its usefulness in pediatric procedural pain, migraine, burn care, cancer,...

Genetic and EEG variations may signal risk for depression.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
December 1, 2008... BARCELONA -- Patients with childhood-onset depression who have a variant in the gene that codes for brain-derived neurotrophic factor also show unique variations in their electroencephalograms, opening the door to a possible screening tool for...

Are we home yet?(Honorable Mentions)
December 1, 2008... I think Robert Fulghum had it about right. Most of what we need to learn about how to function in our world involves becoming adept in interpersonal relationships, and a large portion of these skills could have--and should have--been learned by...

A firm foundation.(Honorable Mentions)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... As I reflect on my experiences with the medical home, a kazillion experiences come to mind that I would like to share. But I would be remiss if I didn't highlight the new relationship that has been formed with the parents of our patients with...

Home base.(Honorable Mentions)
December 1, 2008... The cozy warmth of a fireplace, cookies baking in the oven, and feelings of contentment and safety are but a few ingredients that make a house a home. In our attempt to make our pediatric office a medical home, my three colleagues and I...

Homeroom.(Honorable Mentions)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... My patients' medical home and my personal home are one and the same, and I've never regretted it. Since starting my medical practice in 1986, I have had an exam room in my home. Well visits and immunizations are given in my formal office suite,...

Where's the point?(Letters From Maine)
December 1, 2008... If you have given more than a thousand intramuscular injections, you have probably hit bone at least once or twice. This is not the "Eureka!" kind of discovery that one gets from striking oil or seeing that crimson flashback from a successful...

Gatekeeper in the growing flood of CAMs.(Special Needs: Realizing Potential)
December 1, 2008... All parents want to make sure they leave no stone unturned in the care of their sick child. This often leads to the use of complementary and alternative medicine, particularly for families of children with chronic illness or disability. The use...

Analyze for GERD after an apparent life-threatening event.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2008... DENVER -- A careful physical examination and history, with special attention to the family history, will detect most infants with gastroesophageal reflux disease who need an intensive workup following an apparent life-threatening event,...

Serial celiac screening urged in type 1 diabetes.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2008... KEYSTONE, COLO. -- All patients with new-onset type 1 diabetes should be screened for serologic evidence of celiac disease in the form of IgA tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies and, if seronegative and asymptomatic, screened again at least...

Apidra, Acanya Gel.(New & Approved)
December 1, 2008... Apidra (insulin glulisine, Sanofi-Aventis) The Food and Drug Administration approved a new pediatric indication for Apidra (insulin glulisine [rDNA origin] solution for injection). The rapid-acting insulin is indicated to improve...

AAP advises on sports for kids with medical issues: the updated policy statement on participation 'is not meant to replace' the physician's judgment.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2008... BOSTON -- The American Academy of Pediatrics" revised policy statement regarding medical conditions that affect sports participation is a resource to help physicians assess whether and under what circumstances a child with a health condition...

Take one for the team? Document it.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Some young athletes simply won't take no for an answer. "There will always be kids and parents who are willing to disregard medical advice against participation," said Dr. Rice. "When this happens, there is little more that you can do than to...

Dramatic skin changes with vascular tumor history may be Kasabach-Merritt.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2008... DESTIN, FLA. -- When Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon usually has a delayed presentation, it can look somewhat like cellulitis, so it should be considered in the differential diagnosis in young children presenting with skin changes and a history of...

Too little sleep in childhood ups risk of obesity.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2008... Too little sleep in childhood increases the long-term risk for obesity, and ensuring that children get adequate sleep may be a useful strategy for stemming the current obesity epidemic, results of a study suggest. Dr. Carl Erik Landhuis...

Asymptomatic proteinuria: transient or fixed?(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2008... STANFORD, CALIF. -- Rule out transient or benign orthostatic cases of asymptomatic proteinuria in children and adolescents before considering whether to refer them to a nephrologist. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends getting a...

Canadian hospital staff hesitant on pertussis shots.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- In a recent survey of Canadian hospital workers, most said they would be willing to be immunized against pertussis for free, but only a third said they would do so if the vaccine cost over $30. Moreover, despite a high level...

Serving those who serve.(On the Learning Curve)
December 1, 2008... Spending the past 4 months home on maternity leave has given me time to think about many things in a different way or just with a little more focus. This November, I was able to think more carefully about Veteran's Day as something other than a...

Diabetes prescriptions double.(Policy & Practice)
December 1, 2008... Children and teenagers aged 5-19 years doubled their use of type 2 diabetes medications between 2002 and 2005, according to a study published in the journal Pediattics. The rise in diabetes prescriptions was driven by huge increases in use of...

Hawaii ends child health care plan.(Policy & Practice)
December 1, 2008... Hawaii has stopped funding the only state universal child health care program in the country. The Keiki Care Plan (Keiki is the Hawaiian word for child) pilot project was intended to provide free health care coverage for children whose parents...

WVU creates pediatric institute.(Policy & Practice)
December 1, 2008... West Virginia University has launched the multimillion-dollar WVU Pediatric Research Institute, using a bequest from a well-known state physician and unclaimed settlement money from a class action lawsuit. Through a bequest from the late Dr....

U.S. gets 'D' on prematurity rate.(Policy & Practice)
December 1, 2008... The United States received a "D" on the Premature Birth Report Card issued recently by the March of Dimes. The report card compares actual preterm birth rates in each state with the national Healthy People 2010 objectives set by the federal...

TV sex tied to teen pregnancy.(Policy & Practice)
December 1, 2008... Teen pregnancy may be somehow linked to the amount of sex teens see on television, according to a provocative new study in the November issue of Pediatrics. The more exposure teens had to sexual content on television, the more likely they were...

Coping with the death of a child.(The Rest of Your Life)
December 1, 2008... Physicians' reactions to death vary, says Dr. Robert S. McKelvey, author of "When a Child Dies: How Pediatric Physicians and Nurses Cope" (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2007). Patient deaths tend to affect residents and early-career...