Pediatric News articles from January 2006

Pediatric News archives from January 2006

Panel backs new rotavirus vaccine.(News)
January 1, 2006... Bethesda, MD. -- A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee has given unanimous backing to a rotavirus vaccine, Merck and Co.'s RotaTeq. In two 10-0 votes, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee said that...

Methylphenidate patch: committee supports warning: sensitization possibility raised concern.(News)
January 1, 2006... Gaithersburg, MD, -- A federal advisory committee has supported approval of a transdermal methylphenidate patch for treating ADHD in children--with a caveat. Because of the patch's potential to cause sensitization to methylphenidate, the...

Expanded use of FluMist in children upheld by data.(News)(cold-adapted influenza vaccine, trivalent)
January 1, 2006... Washington -- A new refrigerator-stable version of the live, attenuated intranasal influenza vaccine is significantly more effective than the standard injectable vaccine in preventing the flu in children aged 6-59 months, according to data from...

Women make inroads into pediatric subspecialties.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
January 1, 2006... VITAL SIGNS Women Make Inroads Into Pediatric Subspecialties Women Graduates Subspecialty Before 1987 1987-2003 Cardiology (n = 1,577) 21% ...

Two new vaccines in 2006.(News)
January 1, 2006... The 2006 Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for the United States adds two newly licensed vaccines and expands the use of another. Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) is now shown with two bars indicating that it...

Teens" illicit drug use dropping, Rx abuse up.(News)
January 1, 2006... Washington -- Use of illegal drugs among adolescents continues to decline modestly, but abuse of some prescription drugs is increasing, according to a survey of 49,000 students in 400 secondary schools nationwide. Overall, the use of any...

Flu-related deaths in children: the results are in.(News)
January 1, 2006... One hundred fifty-three laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated deaths in children were reported during the 2003-2004 influenza season based on enhanced surveillance for such deaths, likely exceeding childhood mortality associated with any...

VLBW infants: opportunistic fungi a danger.(very-low-birth-weight)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... San Francisco -- Very-low-birth-weight infants have immature skin that leaves them vulnerable to opportunistic fungi, Dr. Lawrence F. Eichenfield said at a meeting sponsored by the Skin Disease Education Foundation. Such fungal infections...

ADHD linked to sleep-disordered breathing in adolescents.(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
January 1, 2006... DENVER -- Adolescents who had symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing had a 2.5-fold increased prevalence of inattention-type attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in the first large, population-based study to examine this relationship, Eric...

Tamiflu prophylaxis expands down to age 1.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2006... The Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approval of oseltamivir to include prophylaxis in children as young as 1 year who have had close contact with someone infected with influenza A or B. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) has until now only...

Today's rapid strep tests may obviate backup cultures.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2006... CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Backup throat cultures following negative rapid group A strep detection tests may no longer be necessary in some practices, Michael Pichichero, M.D., said at a conference on pediatric infectious diseases. To determine...

Imported congenital rubella syndrome case seen in N.H.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Consider congenital rubella syndrome in infants with compatible signs, particularly immigrants from countries without rubella control programs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised. In 2004, a 10-week-old infant born to a...

Hot topics (other than influenza).(ID CONSULT)
January 1, 2006... Influenza is the big 2005 infectious disease story that will continue into 2006. Here are some other important cur rent ID topics that you may have heard less about: * Empyema. Routine use of the conjugate pneumococcal vaccine does not...

All-time low in measles cases reported in 2004.(ID CONSULT)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Measles cases in the United States have hit an all-time low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. During 2004, just 37 cases of measles were reported to the CDC. This number-the lowest ever reported in I year in the...

New C. difficile strains traced to antibiotic use: fluoroquinolone use may be involved in the development of the newer, more virulent strains.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2006... Fluoroquinolone use may be driving the emergence of newer and more virulent strains of Clostridium difficile, Dr. John G. Bartlett and Dr. Trish M. Perl said in an editorial accompanying two simultaneous reports in the New England Journal of...

Young patient age is a new C. difficile risk factor.(Infectious Diseases)(Clostridium)
January 1, 2006... The diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated disease should be considered in patients with severe diarrhea, even if they don't have traditional risk factors such as recent hospitalization or antimicrobial use, the Centers for Disease...

Pneumococcal parapneumonic empyema up in some areas.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- The incidence of pediatric pneumococcal parapneumonic empyema doubled in Utah and surrounding areas since introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Carrie L. Byington, M.D., said in a poster presentation at the annual...

West Nile incidence on the rise, CDC reports.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2006... California reported one-third of the 2005 U.S. total of West Nile virus cases through December 1 and 25% of the cases of the viral neuro-invasive disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. A total of 2,744 human...

Oral nystatin cuts neonatal Candida risk.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... ST. LOUIS -- A medical practice intervention reduced the incidence of Candida species from 36% among 45 control neonates admitted between Jan. 1, 1995, and June 30, 1996, to 6% among 69 neonates admitted between July 1, 1996, and December 31,...

Pediatric myositis, pyomyositis may be increasing.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- An increase in community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus over the past 5 years was accompanied by an increase in myositis and pyomyositis in children at one hospital, reported Dr. Pia S. Pannaraj. ...

Flu shots are key for children with NNMD.(Infectious Diseases)(neurologic and neuromuscular diseases)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Flu shots are de rigueur for children with neurologic and neuromuscular diseases given their high risk of influenza-related respiratory failure. "Children with pulmonary disease, cardiac disease, or NNMD [neurologic and neuromuscular...

Vaccine contains measles in School.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The largest reported school-based measles outbreak in the United States since 1998 was limited to nine cases eight students and one adult staff" member--in a boarding school of more than 600 students, said Dr. Lorraine F. Yeung of the Centers...

Lack of follow-up for chlamydia.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The majority of adolescents received appropriate antibiotics for chlamydia an average of 6 days after testing positive, but few received other types of follow-up care, based on a study of 122 patients, said Dr. Loris Y. Hwang and colleagues at...

Hepatitis in child care settings.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Routine implementation of the hepatitis A vaccine contributed to historically low levels of infection--6/100,000 people--in Maricopa County, Ariz., said Hesha Jani Duggirala, Ph.D., of Tulane University, New Orleans, and the Maricopa County...

FluMist program cuts illness rates.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Use of live, attentuated flu vaccine significantly reduced the rates of fever and respiratory illness in a pilot study of 185 school-aged children, said Dr. James C. King Jr. of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and his associates. ...

Storm alert.(Letters From Maine)
January 1, 2006... As I sit at the receptionist's desk, watching a heavy wet snow blanket the trees and shrubs in front of the office, I can tell by the unusually deliberate pace of the cars creeping out of the staff parking lot that the roads have gotten...

Don't compromise on vaccination.(Letters)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... I agree with Dr. Karen E. Breach's argument about the vaccination controversy ("Is it appropriate for a physician to dismiss a family for refusing all vaccinations?" Pro & Con, November 2005, p. 23). It is important to give parents time to...

Avoid unnecessary risks to children.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... Dr. Karen E. Breach and Dr. Charles A. Scott, arguing opposing points of view, did not address a fundamental aspect of the debate on vaccinations ("Is it appropriate for a physician to dismiss a family for refusing all vaccinations?" Pro & Con,...

School health club tackles obesity.(Letters)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... My solution for working on the obesity problem is continual 2-3 minute counseling with every child who comes into my office at school ("Getting Out of the Office," Letters from Maine, August 2005, p. 20). As a school nurse, I see what these...

Age matters in treating dental injuries.(Letters)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... An important issue was omitted in your recent article on the proper management of tooth avulsions and extrusions ("Fast Care on Sidelines Vital for Dental Injuries," August 15, 2005, p. 41). In the article, you failed to address the issue...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2006... In the article "Pentacel Vaccine Safety, Efficacy Data Mounting" (November 2005, p. 22), the company that makes the vaccine should have read sanofi pasteur. Sanofi pasteur also was the company to apply to the Food and Drug Administration for...

New approach to ADHD treatment tested.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Children with ADHD were effectively treated on 50% of their optimal stimulant dose by pairing placebo pills with their stimulant medication, Dr. Adrian Sandler reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and...

Child's behavior, parental expectations clash.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Parents who fret over one of several child behaviors may not realize that their expectations, rather than the behavior, are setting the stage for conflict, Dr. Barry S. Zuckerman said at a lecture series sponsored by the Los...

Making the most of referrals.(Behavioral Consult)
January 1, 2006... The decision to refer pediatric patients for mental health evaluations can be clear-cut. If children are at risk for self-harm, suffer from an eating disorder, or fail to function in day-to-day life, you are duty bound to find help for...

How to help parents prevent obesity in toddlers.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Recognize parenting strategies that hinder or support the development of healthy eating patterns, and you can help prevent obesity in toddlers, Jennifer Orlet Fisher, Ph.D., and Susan L. Johnson, Ph.D., said in a presentation at...

Effect on the skin barrier defines efficacy of AD Tx.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2006... GLASGOW, SCOTLAND -- A rational approach to the treatment of atopic dermatitis is to use calcineurin inhibitors and topical corticosteroids in different therapeutic niches, based on a scientific understanding of the effects of the drugs on the...

Prenatal factors set up continued trend toward childhood overweight.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2006... Factors such as race, maternal prepregnancy weight, and smoking during pregnancy all exert a significant, long-lasting influence on childhood weight by creating an early tendency for a child to become overweight, which carries forward as the...

Big tonsils? Screen closely for sleep apnea.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2006... DENVER -- Aggressive screening for the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea is warranted in all children with large tonsils, Dr. Joseph E. Modrak said at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Scrutiny of the...

First gastric-banding trial for teens underway.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2006... SALT LAKE CITY -- Recruitment is underway for participants in the first U.S. study of laparoscopic adjustable banding for obese adolescents, Dr. Ai-Xuan Le Holterman said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the North American...

GI complaints in schoolchildren common, improve with time.(Clinical Rounds)(gastroenterologic)
January 1, 2006... SALT LAKE CITY -- Abdominal pain and other gastroenterologic symptoms commonly occurred in 48 schoolchildren but improved with time and did not keep the students out of school, according to results of a prospective study. Previous...

Iplex.(New & Approved)(mecasermin rinfabate)
January 1, 2006... Iplex (mecasermin rinfabate [rDNA origin] injection, Insmed Inc.) The Food and Drug Administration approved Iplex (mecasermin rinfabate [rDNA origin] injection) for treatment of growth failure in children with severe, primary insulinlike...

Very high testosterone may be linked to SIDS.(Clinical Rounds)(sudden infant death syndrome)
January 1, 2006... Abnormally high testosterone levels may play a part in sudden infant death syndrome, Michael Emery, Ph.D., and colleagues reported. Their postmortem serum analyses of SIDS infants showed that testosterone levels in some males were...

Steroids may ease pain after tonsillectomy.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Los ANGELES -- In a recent metaanalysis, steroid use was shown to be associated with reduced postoperative tonsillectomy pain, Dr. Chad Afman said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation....

Any ibuprofen may be too much in the young.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2006... SALT LAKE CITY -- Pediatricians sent four children aged 16-36 months to the emergency department of one hospital over a year's time because the children began vomiting blood after just one or two doses of ibuprofen, Marvin S. Medow, Ph.D.,...

Warn parents: often missed home toxins.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Pediatricians should be on the lookout for patients who have ingested one of many common household substances that parents may not realize are potentially lethal, Dr. Angela Anderson said at a meeting sponsored by the Los Angeles...

When signs point to Mercury; do the test.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2006... Mercury spills and exposures are seemingly uncommon but occur with enough regularity to consider toxic exposure to the metal in patients who have headaches, rashes, skin desquamation, and behavioral or psychiatric changes, according to a report...

Hyperabduction of Brace curbs clubfoot relapse.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Hyperabduction of the last brace to 60%-70% significantly reduces the risk of relapse and the need for surgery in children who are treated for clubfeet with the Ponseti method, Matthew E. Lovell said at the annual meeting of the...

Clubfoot surgery functionally solid after 15 years.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Children who underwent surgical correction for clubfoot demonstrated significant improvement at 15 years of follow-up, based on clinical evaluation and functional scores, Dr. Peter Smith said at the annual meeting of the American...

Healthy Steps materials online.(FYI)(Healthy Steps for Young Children)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Healthy Steps for Young Children and the Commonwealth Fund have made Healthy Steps LINKletters, Parent Prompt Sheets, Parent Handouts, Quick Check Sheets, and a few illustrative pages from the Child Health and Development Record available for...

Talking with children about cancer.(FYI)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The American Society of Clinical Oncology offers several online resources for how to talk to children and teenagers about cancer. The organization's Web site includes information on how a child understands cancer, cancer and siblings, and...

Asthma control test.(FYI)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Parents can assess whether their child's asthma is under control by answering a five-question online quiz. The results provide information for discussing options for better management of asthma symptoms. The quiz can be accessed by visiting...

Campaign targets underage drinking.(Ad Council)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council have launched a national campaign to encourage parents of children aged 11-15 years to talk to their children about alcohol. The "'Start Talking Before They Start Drinking"...

Hope for physical deformities.(Fresh Start Surgical Gifts)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Fresh Start Surgical Gifts is offering a patient outreach program to inform U.S. families of children with physical deformities about free reconstructive plastic surgery and related medical services available from the nonprofit group. The...

Web site explains hospital visits.(FYI)(www.kidshealthgalaxy.com)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has developed an interactive Web site to help prepare children for hospital visits. The narrated virtual tour of the hospital is designed for children aged 6-12 years and includes games and activities. To...

Pediatric hearing loss resource.(FYI)
January 1, 2006... "Hear the Difference" is a free DVD resource about oral deaf education for physicians. The resource provides evidence-based information on early identification, hearing aids and cochlear implants, and intensive oral deaf education. More...

Overcoming addiction: three physicians' stories.(The Rest of Your Life)
January 1, 2006... When Dr. Michael W Sullivan started taking hydrocodone to cope with the pressures of his 100-plus hours a week ob.gyn. residency in Cincinnati in 1996, he knew he was hooked. "It was love at first sight," he recalled. "'That...

My stress-induced drug problem.(The Rest of Your Life)(Brief Article)(Column)
January 1, 2006... In the mid-1980s, I was under a lot of stress from a divorce and trying to build a busy medical practice. Back then, it was not uncommon for drug company reps to come in and leave 100 bottles of Xanax in the office. I started taking...

Alcohol, drugs, and a residency.(The Rest of Your Life)(Column)
January 1, 2006... I am a juvenile-onset drug addict. As a kid who grew up in Detroit in the 1940s, I had a great deal of difficulty learning and remembering things. When I was 12 years old, a pharmacist dispensed some benzedrine for me and told me that it would...

AAP policy on pertussis.(Policy & Practice)
January 1, 2006... A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends universal immunization with the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine at the 11-12 year-age visit, as well as catch-up...

Food Allergen Labeling.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... All food labels now must clearly state if a product contains any ingredients with protein derived from the eight major allergenic foods. Under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), manufacturers are required...

Improving food marketing.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Food and beverage marketing targeted to children aged 12 years and under encourages them to consume high-calorie, non-nutritious products, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine. Although some companies and restaurants have begun...

Mental health screening snapshot.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... More than half the states provide education or information to primary care providers to help them focus on young children's mental health development, according to a survey from the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP). As part of...

Big Apple tackles obesity.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has launched a series of physical activity and education campaigns to prevent childhood obesity. Training has begun for close to 500 pre-kindergarten teachers in the SPARK program...

Data on youth suicide attempts.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... About 900,000 children aged 12-17 planned to commit suicide during their worst or most recent episode of major depression, according to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Of those who planned suicide,...

Video-induced seizure risks.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The Epilepsy Foundation has released recommendations for reducing seizures triggered by flashing images and other patterns on television and in video games and computers. The guidelines, which appeard in the September issue of Epilepsia and on...

Office synchronization, part II.(Efficient Pediatrician Practices)
January 1, 2006... Last month I discussed office personnel interactions and offered some suggestions to make your office more efficient. This month I'll touch on the actual examination. The Visit For the visit itself, I suggest not using an overqualified...