Pediatric News articles from February 2006

Pediatric News archives from February 2006

Mass. 'hubs' speed mental health help.(News)
February 1, 2006... Imagine a system in which pediatricians can get in touch with a child psychiatrist within 30 minutes to answer any diagnostic or medication questions, or assess a patient's case--for free. Such an arrangement is currently in place in...

Antidepressant study may relieve suicide concerns; drugs cut risk 60% in first month.(News)
February 1, 2006... Psychiatrists are saying that a new study should help convince the public that newer antidepressants do not appear to be associated with a higher risk of suicide. One behavioral pediatrician contacted by this newspaper said the study did...

A new 'no' to cough medicines for children.(News)
February 1, 2006... Pediatricians should take to heart an explicit recommendation by the American College of Chest Physicians against the use of over-the-counter cough suppressants and medicines in children, according to pediatricians who have dealt with drug...

Vital signs.
February 1, 2006... Medicaid Is the Largest Individual Category Of All Spending by States Medicaid 23% Elementary and secondary education 22% Higher education 11% Transportation ...

If pneumonia therapy isn't effective, think legionnaires'.(News)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Consider the diagnosis of legionnaires' disease in any child with pneumonia who doesn't respond to [beta]-lactam antibiotic therapy, Dr. David Greenberg and his associates advised in a poster presented at the annual Interscience...

Drug package inserts soon will "highlight' safety.(News)
February 1, 2006... Prescription drug package inserts W will soon have a new format that U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials believe will reduce the risk of medical errors. A goal of the "major revisions" recently announced by the FDA is to prioritize...

When hypertension hits children, symptoms often escape detection; headache, chest and abdominal pain, and difficulty falling asleep are some of the undiagnosed symptoms.(News)
February 1, 2006... PHILADELPHIA -- Children with hypertension may have symptoms such as headache and chest and abdominal pain, but these are often overlooked, according to study results reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology. ...

Early-onset GBS down 31% since universal screening began.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The incidence of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease in the United States has dropped by a third since guidelines for universal screening of pregnant women were issued, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. ...

Valacyclovir clears EBV in mono, may also restrict spread.(News)(epstein-barr virus)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Valacyclovir appears to be an effective treatment for infectious mononucleosis and might also reduce the risk of transmission, Dr. Henry H. Balfour reported at the 45th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and...

Black box warning added to pimecrolimus, tacrolimus labels.(News)
February 1, 2006... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month approved updated health-professional labels for pimecrolimus and tacrolimus that include a new black box warning about a possible risk of cancer associated with the drugs. The boxed warnings...

Meningitis vaccine: targeting teens makes sense.(Infectious Diseases)
February 1, 2006... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Although adolescents are not the pediatric population at greatest risk for invasive meningococcal disease, advocating the use of the conjugate meningococcal vaccine in this patient population "makes perfect sense," said Dr....

Surest signs of meningococcal disease debated.(Infectious Diseases)
February 1, 2006... Recognition of the early meningooccal disease features of leg pain, cold hands and feet, and abnormal skin color may help get children to the hospital faster than classic symptoms that occur later in the illness, reported Dr. Matthew J....

Vapotherm devices contaminated with Ralstonia.(Infectious Diseases)
February 1, 2006... Vapotherm respiratory gas administration devices are being voluntarily recalled, following federal government reports that 29 hospitals in 16 states found Ralstonia organisms colonizing the devices, and cultures from approximately 40 pediatric...

Proquad MMRV accepted into vaccines program.(Infectious Diseases)(measles-mumpsrubella-varicella vaccine)
February 1, 2006... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added Merck & Co.'s quadrivalent measles-mumpsrubella-varicella vaccine, Proquad, to its Vaccines for Children contract. The approval will help set a standard of care for the vaccine...

Good, better, best: antibiotics for AOM.(ID Consult)(acute otitis media)
February 1, 2006... Upon returning from the annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, I wanted to share my view of what seemed to emerge as a theme from the many papers published on ear infection treatment. First, consensus...

Topical ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone good for AOM with otorrhea.(Infectious Diseases)(acute otitis media )
February 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Topical ciprofloxacin/ dexamethasone is effective in treating acute otitis media with otorrhea through tympanostomy tubes, Dr. Joseph E. Dohar wrote in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of...

Cephalosporins best penicillin for strep throat.(Infectious Diseases)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Oral cephalosporins, whether given for 5 or 10 days, are more effective than penicillin in the treatment of Group A streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis, Dr. Janet R. Casey and Dr. Michael E. Pichichero reported in a poster at the...

Vaccinating all toddlers cut hep A by 95%.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Vaccinating all toddlers against hepatitis A reduced the overall viral incidence by 95% in one Israeli community, Dr. Beth P. Bell said at the annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. In an...

Recognizing atypical Kawasaki disease in infants.(Infectious Diseases)
February 1, 2006... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Infants with prolonged, unexplained fever and laboratory evidence of systemic inflammation should undergo echocardiography to look for coronary changes suggestive of Kawasaki disease, even if there are no other clinical...

Experts list top articles in infectious disease: herpesvirus infections, meningococcal vaccines, GBS disease, and varicella were hot topics.(Infectious Diseases)
February 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- The most important recently published articles on pediatric infectious diseases include four articles on herpes viruses and two on meningococcal vaccines, two speakers said at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases...

Hyperglycemia linked to complications in septic neonates.(Infectious Diseases)
February 1, 2006... PHOENIX -- Critically ill infants on total parenteral nutrition may face more complications and worse outcomes as a result of hyperglycemia induced by overfeeding, reported Dr. Diya I. Alaedeen at the annual meeting of the American Pediatric...

Staged diagnostic testing proposed for encephalitis.(Infectious Diseases)
February 1, 2006... ASPEN, COLO. -- Dr. Mark J. Abzug has proposed a three-staged diagnostic approach to testing a child ill with encephalitis. Encephalitis has an extraordinary number of possible causes for which an ever-increasing number of tests are...

Vaccine effective against hMPV.(Clinical Capsules)(human metapneumovirus)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Lower respiratory tract infections associated with human metapneumovirus were reduced by 45%, and clinical pneumonia was reduced by 55% among non-HIV-infected children who had received at least three doses of 9-valent conjugate pneumococcal...

hMPV contributes to URIs.(Clinical Capsules)
February 1, 2006... Human metapneumovirus appeared in 5% of 2,384 nasal wash specimens from infants and children with upper respiratory tract infections, reported Dr. John V. Williams of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., and his colleagues. The...

Predictive model of lyme meningitis.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Three conditions--the presence of cranial neuritis, a long-lasting headache, and a predominance of cerebral spinal fluid mononuclear cells--can predict Lyme meningitis in children aged 2-13 years, said Dr. Robert A. Avery of the Alfred I....

Reflecting on education.(Letters From Maine)
February 1, 2006... If you have a minute--and I suggest that you not invest much more than a minute--turn to the commentary section in the back of the December 2005 issue of Pediatrics. There you will find an article by a physical therapist, Margaret M....

Dr. Smith to the rescue.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I am a pediatrician in a rural area, and a few days after I read Dr. Laurie J. Smith's advice, a 9-year-old girl with known peanut allergy walked in with a swollen face and itchy skin ("Be Aggressive With Suspected Peanut Allergy," November...

Don't X-ray children unnecessarily.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... A recent article summarized the results of a study in which a multivariate analysis was used to determine significant predictors of clinically relevant chest x-rays in children with asthma ("Relevance of X-Rays Tied to [0.sub.2] Saturation,"...

Families and anxiety.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I am convinced that the article about anxiety disorders and families, and the research on which it was based, have it backward ("Teens' Anxiety Disorders Can Burden Families," October 2005, p. 28). It seems to make much more sense to say...

Can't nap? No coffee? Try coughing.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I agree with Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins's recommendations, but when I'm driving home after a delivery at 3 a.m., a highway parking place (for a nap) or a fast-food resource (for coffee) is not available ("Don't Drive Drowsy: Nap, Coffee Help,"...

Treat patients, not family.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I am a neurodevelopmental pediatrician, and I was so tickled by one of Dr. William G. Wilkoff's columns that I had to share it with my daughter ("Too Close for Comfort," Letters From Maine, July 2005, p. 20). Several years ago, when I...

Pain relievers.(Opinion)(Cartoon)
February 1, 2006... "I know Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger and went to sleep for 100 years... but she wasn't diabetic." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Connecting the musical docs.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I was surprised to see the recent article on music, since I had just returned from playing in the 30th year of the Chicago "Do-It-Yourself Messiah" concerts--I play the trumpet ("Physicians of Note Share Their Love for Music," The Rest of Your...

Immunization access.(Guest Editorial)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... A public health access problem is looming as newer, more expensive childhood vaccines are being introduced into pediatric practice. Issues of most importance to pediatricians include recognition by the health payers that the vaccine is...

Play to strengths in counseling preteens, adolescents.(Guest Editorial)
February 1, 2006... Kids don't want to hear only what they're doing wrong, and what not to do. They want to hear what they're doing right, and what they should be doing. That's what a wise young patient of mine told me years ago when I asked her how I could...

Stimulant switch to atomoxetine OK in ADHD.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
February 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be successfully cross-tapered from a stimulant to atomoxetine with significant improvements in their ADHD symptoms, Dr. Humberto Quintana reported in a poster at the joint...

Girls differ in responses to methylphenidate.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Girls respond better to methylphenidate in the morning than boys do, but the drug's effectiveness also wanes more quickly in the afternoon for girls, Dr. Edmund Sonuga-Barke reported in a poster at the joint annual meeting of the...

For teen 'best pals,' depression can be catching.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Depression in a best friend was significantly associated with the development of depressive symptoms in adolescents under conditions of social anxiety, Mitchell Prinstein, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Association for...

Depression rate falls for whites, holds for blacks.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Depression scores among white girls and young women appear to decrease over time, but the scores tend to hold steady among their African American counterparts, reported Debra L. Franko, Ph.D., of Northeastern University, Boston, and her...

Treat persistent aggression in children early.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
February 1, 2006... YOSEMITE, CALIF. -- When it comes to recognizing and treating aggression in children, earlier is better because persistent aggression in children aged older than 6 years is linked to aggression in adolescence and adult life, Dr. Robert S....

Vigilance urged on global developmental delay.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
February 1, 2006... BLAINE, WASH. -- Pediatricians and family physicians need to be alert for the signs of global developmental delay in young children. Moreover, when these signs are found they must be carefully followed up, Dr. Forrest C. Bennett said at a...

For day care woes, rx may be dose of reality.(Behavioral Consult)
February 1, 2006... There is a shortage of day care in our country and an even more dire shortage of good day care. Almost no excellent day care is available. Parents who work outside the home can be desperate to find an empty day care slot for their child....

Two-stage surgery advocated in children for bone-anchored hearing aid implants.
February 1, 2006... Los Angeles -- Bone-anchored hearing aid implantation may be better performed in two stages in children to reduce postoperative complications, a retrospective study suggests. Postoperative complications reported in the literature vary...

Cochlear implant revision surgery beneficial.
February 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Revision surgery for cochlear implant is feasible and children will benefit with the new implant, according to a retrospective analysis of 27 cases. Postrevision cochlear implant was evaluated after a literature review...

Discerning the pathology of a heart murmur.(Clinical Rounds)
February 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Heart murmurs that seem to vary depending on a child's posture and respiration, that don't have any associated clicks or high-frequency "harsh" sounds, and that are not diastolic tend to be innocent rather than pathologic, Dr....

Fecal calprotectin level screens for inflammatory bowel disease.(Clinical Rounds)
February 1, 2006... SALT LAKE CITY -- A simple lab test for fecal calprotectin can differentiate between healthy children and children having a flare of inflammatory bowel disease, Dr. Dorota Walkiewicz-Jedrzejczak said at a poster presentation at the annual...

Be vigilant for depression in teens with inflammatory bowel disease.(Clinical Rounds)
February 1, 2006... SALT LAKE CITY -- Watch for signs of depression in adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease, especially if they are older, have more severe disease, are on steroids, or report family conflict, Dr. Eva Szigethy said. A study of 141...

Latest word in keeping preemies warm: 'plastic'.(Clinical Rounds)
February 1, 2006... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- New recommendations for resuscitating premature infants in the delivery room include advice to wrap them in plastic to help maintain body temperature, Dr. Jeffrey M. Perlman said. The recently published...

'Just growing pains' need further evaluation.(Clinical Rounds)
February 1, 2006... VERSAILLES, FRANCE -- Physicians should stop dismissing nighttime lower limb pain in children as just growing pains, Dr. Raju P. Khubchandani told attendees at the annual scientific meeting of the European Pediatric Rheumatology Congress. ...

Unintentional medication exposures still a threat.(Clinical Rounds)
February 1, 2006... An estimated 53,517 children aged 4 years and younger were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments for nonfatal, unintentional medication exposures each year in 2001-2003, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report....

Epilepsy is common after neonatal seizures.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- About 40% of infants with neonatal seizures will develop epilepsy, Dr. Gabriel Ronen wrote in a poster at the joint annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society and the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. ...

Update: treat status epilepticus in only 5 minutes.(Clinical Rounds)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Children with status epilepticus should be treated 5 minutes into a seizure, rather than waiting for 10 minutes to begin treatment, Dr. James J. Riviello Jr. said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. ...

MRI aids diagnosis of new-onset afebrile seizures.(Clinical Rounds)(magnetic resonance imaging)
February 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Magnetic resonance imaging is useful for identifying the etiology of new-onset afebrile seizures in infancy and, when available, should be included as a part of the standard diagnostic evaluation in this population, according to...

Seizures rarely due to brain tumors, but do occur.(Clinical Rounds)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Brain tumors account for just 2% of pediatric epilepsy, Dr. Anna Janss said at the joint annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society and the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. "If you're wondering when to worry...

Pediatric EM studies parallel community practice; a Syracuse, N.Y., emergency services director covers research topics from bacteremia to mononucleosis.(Practice Trends)
February 1, 2006... YOSEMITE, CALIF. -- "As you follow the research in pediatric emergency medicine, it really parallels the practice model of the community," Dr. Richard M. Cantor said during a pediatric conference sponsored by Symposia Medicus. On topics...

Youth health statistics.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Health trends among adolescents and young adults appear to be improving, Claire Brindis, Dr.P.H., codirector of the Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy at the University of California, San Francisco, reported during a National...

Drug labeling milestone.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The antiepileptic drug Trileptal has become the 100th medicine to have new information for children and teenagers included in its labeling, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (as amended...

Teen pregnancy legislation.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The latest effort to prevent teen pregnancy is new legislation, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last December, which would create grants to develop programs aimed at delaying sexual activity and helping parents communicate with...

Health care spending 2004.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Growth in U.S. health care spending slowed for the second straight year in 2004, increasing by only 7.9%, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' annual report on health care spending. This compares with the 8.2% growth...

Evidence-based research.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... More cost-effectiveness studies are needed to evaluate public health interventions, Barbara K. Rimer, Dr.P.H., a member of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, said at an audioconference sponsored by AcademyHealth, Washington. The...

Child safety seats via Medicaid urged as "vaccine".(Practice Trends)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Implementation of a Medicaid-funded program that would disburse child restraint systems to low-income children and educate families about their use would be more cost effective to Medicaid than are most currently administered...

Limiting topics during visit aids retention.(Practice Trends)
February 1, 2006... When providing parents with anticipatory guidance, less is apparently more. Parental recall of topics discussed during a well-child visit dwindles as the number of topics increases, Dr. Shari L. Barkin and her associates reported: Parents...

The challenges of caring for an aging parent.(The Rest of Your Life)
February 1, 2006... NOW in his fifth year of dementia, 86-year-old Leonard Winakur doesn't know what day it is. If he's not sleeping when his son, Dr. Jerald Winakur, drops by for a visit (as Dr. Winakur does nearly every day), sometimes he'll engage his son in...

FDA guidance lowers bar on early drug testing.(Practice Trends)
February 1, 2006... Researchers now have a pathway for conducting early clinical testing of rugs in a small number of human subjects under new guidance from the Food and Drug Administration. Officials at the FDA finalized guidance on exploratory...

Computerized drug orders cut hospital errors.(Practice Trends)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Aiming for computerization of physician order entry at health care institutions isn't the right course to take, Dr. Stephen T. Lawless said at a health care congress sponsored by the Wall Street Journal and CNBC. "That's the...

Office synchronization, Part III.(Efficient Pediatrician Practices)
February 1, 2006... Last month, I discussed the clinician's role in coordinating with the staff and disseminating information all staff should know. This month I'll address checkout and billing. Checkout The checkout area should be semiprivate if...