Pediatric News articles from January 2007

Pediatric News archives from January 2007

AAP takes stand against retail care.(News)(American Academy of Pediatrics)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Retail-based clinics are gaining popularity in today's fast-paced world, and pediatricians should take notice. These commercial enterprises usually are staffed by nurse practitioners, with or without physician oversight, and are located in...

Despite stopgap funds, states face SCHIP woes; reauthorization slated for this year.(News)
January 1, 2007... Stopgap funding passed at the end of the last Congress may not be enough to keep the State Children's Health Insurance Program afloat until its expected reauthorization this year, experts said in interviews with Pediatric News. The...

Hypertension linked to sleep-disordered breathing.(News)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2007... San Antonio -- Hypertension in children and adolescents may constitute a novel risk factor for sleep-disordered breathing, Dr. Alisa A. Acosta said at a meeting of the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research. ...

Most pediatricians surveyed are satisfied with their jobs.(Vital signs)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Most Pediatricians Surveyed Are Satisfied With Their Jobs Very dissatisfied 4% Somewhat dissatisfied 20% Somewhat satisfied 28% Somewhat satisfied 47% Notes: Based on responses of 119 pediatricians. ...

Resistant infections rising in neonates.(News)
January 1, 2007... Indianapolis -- Treatment with certain broad-spectrum antibiotics may be contributing to an increased incidence of resistant infections among young children, according to study results presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Society for...

School-based flu vaccination may help reduce disease burden at home.(News)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... School-based influenza immunizations can directly and indirectly lessen influenza-like illness, reported Dr. James C. King Jr. and colleagues from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Researchers studied the effectiveness of school-based...

Feds plan stronger warnings for OTC drugs.(News)
January 1, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration is proposing that all over-the-counter analgesic, antipyretic, and antirheumatic drugs carry new, stronger warnings on the potential for hepatic toxicity and gastrointestinal bleeding. The warnings will be...

HIV/AIDS data show epidemic still worsening.(News)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The number of people living with HIV grew to 39.5 million in 2006, up by 2.6 million over the last 2 years, according to a report published by the World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. The number of...

Guidelines target postop nausea and vomiting.(News)
January 1, 2007... Chicago -- New guidelines for the prevention and management of postoperative nausea should help control an under-appreciated problem that affects half of children and 30% of adults undergoing surgery, Dr. Tong J. Gan said at the annuM meeting...

Prospects bright for pediatric drug development: recent efforts are changing a landscape that lacks clinical trials targeting children and adolescents.(News)
January 1, 2007... Tucson, Ariz. -- For many years, kids got no respect when it came to participating in clinical drug trials. But if recent legislative efforts in Europe and the United States come to fruition, the 2000s could become known as the decade of...

IV Dexmedetomidine safer than pentobarbital, study finds.(News)
January 1, 2007... Chicago -- Intravenous dexmedetomidine substantially reduces recovery time and is a safe alternative to pentobarbital for pediatric sedation during diagnostic CT imaging, Dr. Steven Zgleszewski reported. An initial trial with the...

Prescription drug abuse still popular with teens.(News)
January 1, 2007... More U.S. teens are saying no to illicit drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol, but they are abusing prescription drugs at about the same rate they did last year, the 2006 Monitoring the Future Survey shows. The annual assessment of adolescent...

Clinical scores clarify bacterial meningitis risk.(News)
January 1, 2007... The Bacterial Meningitis Score, which accurately predicted children at low risk for bacterial meningitis, could help physicians determine which children require hospital admission, according to Dr. Lise E. Nigrovic of Harvard Medical School,...

Guidelines map new horizons of travel medicine.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2007... New travel medicine guidelines issued by the Infectious Diseases Society of America clearly illustrate that the field has expanded far beyond simply giving a few exotic immunizations. "An awareness has developed among practitioners that...

Community, nosocomial MRSA forms are mixing.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2007... Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains that typically cause community-acquired infections are infecting patients in hospitals, and strains considered health care associated are infecting patients with no health care--related...

Sipping granules preferred for taking "Bitter" clarithromycin.(Infectious Diseases)(Drug overview)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2007... San Francisco -- Children with respiratory tract infection and their parents generally preferred treatment with clarithromycin granules sipped through a strawlike device than with conventional clarithromycin suspension syrup, Dr. Dieter Adam...

What's hot for the New Year?(ID Consult)
January 1, 2007... The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet. --William Gibson To answer the question of what's going to be hot in 2007, we need only look at the important advances in 2006. Listed below are my top infectious disease...

Flags cited for treating complex cases of acute otitis media.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2007... San Francisco -- Several factors can help guide empiric therapy for acute otitis media by flagging patients at higher risk for infection with multiple organisms or resistant organisms, Dr. Mendel E. Singer said in a poster presentation at the...

Urban study uses follow-up care to prevent RSV.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2007... Indianopolis -- A group of Chicago pediatricians has developed a cost-effective model for protecting preterm infants in urban settings against respiratory syncytial virus. "All of the challenges posed by respiratory syncytial virus...

Palivizumab cuts respiratory ills in infants with CF.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Montreal -- The use of palivizumab prophylaxis significantly decreased the hospitalization rate for acute respiratory illness in infants with cystic fibrosis, Dr. Karin Giebels said at the International Congress on Pediatric Pulmonology ...

Rapid flu test trims further tests, Tx.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Rapid viral testing for influenza as part of the routine care plan for febrile infants reduced antibiotic use, emergency department visits, and the use of additional tests, based on data from a prospective study of 206 infants during the course...

New coronavirus subtypes on rise.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Two recently discovered coronavirus subtypes, NL63 and HKU1, accounted for a majority of the 66 coronaviruses identified in a review of 1,043 samples from children with acute respiratory illness. Overall, coronavirus subtypes HKU1, OC43,...

Levofloxacin succeeds vs. AOM.(Clinical Capsules)(Drug overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Treatment with oral levofloxacin is safe and effective against bacteria in the middle-ear fluid of children with recurrent or persistent acute otitis media, based on data from children aged 6 months to 5 years. The open-label study,...

Low-impact parenting.(Letters From Maine)
January 1, 2007... Ask a group of primary care pediatricians who are old enough to have children in college and they will tell you that the mix of patients in their offices has changed significantly since they opened their practices. The increase in mental health...

Helping teens de-stress.(Guest Editorial)
January 1, 2007... Pediatricians and other health professionals have the privilege of interacting repeatedly and confidentially with adolescents. This positions us to offer important health-promoting messages and to steer teens toward safer behaviors. One of...

Vigintiphobia: the mongrel is back!(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Jaundice is probably good for you, up to a point, like fever, and can act as an antioxidant ("The Unjaundiced Eye," Letters from Maine, November 2006, p. 36). Our nurses can get a bilirubin sample at 5:00 a.m. when they draw the newborn...

Neglect of Jaundice may not be benign.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I was amazed that Dr. William G. Wilkoff has taken the benign neglect approach to jaundice ("The Unjaundiced Eye," Letters from Maine, November 2006, p. 36). His picture suggests that he has been in pediatrics long enough to have seen...

Children suffer for lack of vaccine.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I am so tired of hearing these reports about flu vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC Pushing New Strategies for Flu Vaccination," November 2006, p. 12, and "Few Young Children Got Flu Vaccine in 2004-2005,"...

Immunization can prevent AOM.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I enjoyed reading the article by Dr. Michael E. Pichichero wherein he discusses the necessity of using fluoroquinolones for otitis media caused by nonvaccine (Prevnar) serotype 19A pneumococcus which is resistant to most of the antibiotics...

Breast-feeding may help boost resilience to trauma.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2007... HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. -- Among children who were hospitalized for severe burns or other injuries, those who were breast-fed during infancy experienced significantly fewer symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder when queried 3 months after the...

Breast-feeding no aid to intelligence.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Breast-feeding has little or no effect on children's later intelligence, according to the largest study ever to address this question. The influence of breast-feeding on cognitive ability has been debated for more than 70 years, with...

Children living in a violent world.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2007... Pediatricians recognize that their patients are vulnerable to violence from infancy, both inside the home and just outside the front door. They may see violence in the home or, worse yet, be subject to physical abuse themselves. They may grow...

Multiple factors linked to teens' use of meth and stimulants.(Behavioral Consult)
January 1, 2007... Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants and methamphetamine by adolescents aged 12-17 years is significantly associated with use of marijuana and other illegal drugs and also with the use of mental health services, a study of more than 17,000...

Dextromethorphan abuse soars in 5-year span.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2007... Cases of dextromethorphan abuse reported to the California Poison Control System increased 10-fold in all age groups--and increased 15-fold in adolescents--between 1999 and 2004, reported Jodi K. Bryner, Pharm.D., of the University of...

ADHD preschoolers tolerate methylphenidate.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Drug overview)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2007... A dverse events were well tolerated in a majority of 3- to 5-year-olds who took methylphenidate for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, based on data from 183 children, said Tim Wigal, Ph.D., of the University of California, Irvine, and...

ADHD and TD comorbidity may be genetic.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Tourette's disorder and ADHD may not have the same genetic cause, but cases in which the two conditions occur comorbidly tend to run in families, said Dr. S. Evelyn Stewart of Harvard University, Boston, and her associates. Previous...

Violent video games affect brain, MRIs show.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2007... Chicago -- Adolescents who play violent video games demonstrate distinct alterations in brain activation on functional magnetic resonance imaging, investigators have shown for the first time. In a study of 44 healthy adolescents, the teens...

Deficits, disorganization in speech-control areas of the brain in children who stutter.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2007... Atlanta -- Children who stutter have been found to have deficiencies in white-matter organization in a tract that interconnects the frontal speech/motor planning region and the posterior speech comprehension region, suggesting that inefficient...

Children with delay learned to swallow pills.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... San Diego -- Pediatric epilepsy patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities were able to learn to swallow tablets, a small study showed. Dr. Jay A Salpekar and associates recruited 10 pediatric epilepsy patients with...

Dental defects imply undiagnosed celiac disease: enamel defects form when the permanent teeth first develop; aphthous ulcers are also tied to the disease.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... New York -- Dental enamel defects and aphthous ulcers are both strongly associated with celiac disease, and should be followed up with a full investigation for the disorder in undiagnosed people, Theologos Malahias, D.D.S., suggested at an...

Electrical therapy finds new use vs. slow colonic transit.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Boston -- A new non-invasive treatment--transcutaneous electrical stimulation--may relieve symptoms for several months in children with slow-transit constipation, Bridget Southwell, Ph.D., said at the Neurogastroenterology and Motility 2006...

Obesity interventions needed in preschool years.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Reno Nev. -- Efforts to prevent childhood obesity should start before children enter school, Leann Birch, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition. "If we wait until kids start school, we miss our best chance...

Mom's obesity dims child's weight-loss hopes.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Orlando -- Maternal but not paternal obesity increases the likelihood an overweight or obese child will be less successful in a multidisciplinary weight management program, Dr. Joseph A. Skelton said in a poster presentation at the annual...

Thermoplasty may reduce asthma exacerbations.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Salt Lake City -- Bronchial thermoplasty is an innovative outpatient procedure showing considerable promise as a long-term nondrug treatment for asthma, Dr. Michel Laviolette said at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest...

Managing ADHD in children with disabilities.(Special Needs: Realizing Potential)(Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)
January 1, 2007... Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder affects about 8%-10% of children in the general population and is three times more likely to occur in boys than girls. However, children with ADHD as well as mild to severe disabilities--including mental...

Lower oximetry alarm limits cut ROP incidence.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Lowering the oxygen saturation alarm limits for very-low-birth-weight infants can decrease the incidence of prethreshold retinopathy of prematurity, according to a study conducted by Dr. Deborah VanderVeen and her colleagues at Harvard Medical...

Back problems not uncommon in children, teens.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Las Vegas -- Not long ago, physicians were taught to believe that chronic back pain does not occur in children. "But that just isn't true," Dr. David L. Skaggs said at a meeting sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics and its...

Consult radiologist in work-up of limping child.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Las Vegas -- If a limping child presents to your office and imaging is being considered, make sure to consult a radiologist who has experience imaging the pediatric hip and spine, Dr. Melvin O. Senac Jr. advised at a meeting sponsored by the...

Biofeedback benefits recurrent abdominal pain.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Orlando -- Therapeutic biofeedback reduces pain intensity, pain frequency, and health care utilization among children with recurrent abdominal pain, according to two posters presented at the annual meeting of the North American Society for...

Abdominal pain interventions compared.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Orlando -- Children with ongoing, recurrent abdominal pain at 2 years were more likely to have been treated with low-dose tricyclic antidepressants than with education and reassurance, according to a retrospective study. Children treated...

Tips help to diagnose acute pediatric arthritis.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Amelia Island, Fla. -- Clinical acuity aids the differential diagnosis of acute arthritis in pediatrics, according to a presentation at a meeting on pediatrics for the primary care physician, sponsored by Nemours. "Acute" in rheumatology...

Food allergy survey in Europe finds diversity.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... Philadelphia -- Almost 2 million European children may be allergic to at least one food, according to the results of the first large-scale European population-based food allergy survey. The survey also found significant differences in...

Celiac disease may be common in type 1 diabetes.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2007... New York -- Diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic celiac disease in children with type 1 diabetes can result in significant improvement in growth parameters and symptom relief, according to a study from Denmark. "The data lend support to...

Emergency medicine a top pediatric subspecialty.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2007... Pediatric emergency medicine has grown to become the third most popular pediatric subspecialty choice, but experts say the reasons are unclear. Since 1997, the year in which the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) began tracking...

Resolved: to avoid burnout.(On the Learning Curve)
January 1, 2007... As I settled back into my routine after holidays and our busiest months ever in clinic history, I sat down to write my column, and the topic of physician burnout immediately came to mind. Burnout, as defined by "Merriam-Webster's Collegiate...

The role of community health centers.(Health Policy: The Fine Line)
January 1, 2007... Low reimbursement for pediatric services has made it difficult for me to treat Medicaid-enrolled children. I am considering referring some of these families, and uninsured families, to a nearby community health center. Tell me about CHCs. ...

Underage drinking legislation.(Policy & Practice)(Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Congress has passed legislation aimed at curbing teen drinking and better coordinating the efforts of federal agencies in this area. The legislation, the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act (H.R. 864), was expected to be...

CMS adds RVUs for four codes.(Policy & Practice)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In November, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services added relative value units (RVUs) to four CPT codes, ending months of negotiations between pediatricians and the agency. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the AMA had recommended...

Congress tackles prematurity.(Policy & Practice)(grant program for health professionals about the signs of preterm labor)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Members of Congress gave their stamp of approval to legislation aimed at expanding research into prematurity at the end of its last session. The Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Act...

Expanding autism research.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... President Bush recently signed legislation that authorizes a major expansion of autism research, education, and early detection efforts. The Combating Autism Act of 2006 (S. 843) calls for spending nearly $1 billion on activities and research...

Solitary substance abuse.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Eighth-graders who used alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana while alone were more likely to have health problems later in life, compared with adolescents who were social users only. according to a study from researchers at the Rand Corporation....

Alternatives to mental institutions.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Medicaid officials recently awarded $218 million in grants over 5 years to aid states in developing alternatives to institutionalization for children with mental illness. Ten states--Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland,...

Meningitis educational resources.(FYI)(Website overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A meningococcal disease educational video and patient recall letter are now available on the S.T.O.P. Meningitis! Web site, sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. The online resource tool kit offers disease information...

Child Trauma Institute programs.(FYI)
January 1, 2007... The Child Trauma Institute has new home study programs and workshops on treatment and behavioral control for professionals, paraprofessionals, parents, adults, and children available throughout the United States in 2007. For more information,...

Children's book on spina bifida.(FYI)(Right Under My Nose)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Children's Hospital Los Angeles is offering "Right Under My Nose," a free story and activity book about spina bifida. It is designed to maximize discussion between children with the condition and their families as well as help these children...

Free development, autism materials.(FYI)
January 1, 2007... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in conjunction with its "Learn the Signs. Act Early" campaign, has developed a free resource kit for child care providers and educators about child development and autism. It is hoped that the...

Measures of trauma in youth.(FYI)
January 1, 2007... The National Child Traumatic Stress Network is offering a searchable online database of tools for assessing children and teenagers who have experienced trauma and traumatic bereavement. The Measures Review Database has information on 62...

Pediatrics web site for parents.(FYI)(Website overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... PediatricPlanet is an interactive service by pediatricians to provide parents and caregivers information on child health and safety from infancy to age 18 years. Access to some parts of the site is free; to ask specific questions and receive...

Good communication helps to avert lawsuits; answer all your patients' questions, explain reasons for any poor results, and try never to appear rushed.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2007... Atlanta -- Being sued for medical malpractice is almost as inevitable as death and taxes. But taking the time to establish good communication with patients and their families may afford the best protection against a lawsuit, Dr. Robert A....

Some admire 'health courts' idea, but the jury is still out.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2007... Washington -- The concept of using administrative law judges instead of civil jury trials to settle malpractice suits has gained some admirers in the U.S. Congress and generated interest among state legislatures. But it is uncertain whether...

Med schools just say no to pharmaceutical gifts.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2007... Sacramento -- Another medical school has joined what could be a growing movement to ban faculty and residents from accepting any gifts whatsoever from drug company representatives. The University of California, Davis, Health System decided...

Consumer-driven insurance plans fall short in survey.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2007... American consumers and their employers are treading cautiously when it comes to switching from traditional, more comprehensive health insurance to consumer-driven health plans, with few actually adopting the new plans, according to survey...

Facial image system helps protect patient data, safety.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Electronic bar codes and radiofrequency microchips are all the rage in medical error prevention, but one research team thinks avoiding mistakes may be as easy as snapping a photo. Researchers with the MedStar Health network...

Consultation courtesies.(Efficient Pediatrician Practices)
January 1, 2007... The majority of my articles to date have been geared to the primary care pediatrician. I don't mean to ignore the pediatric subspecialists--I just happen to be a general, office-based practitioner and so my expertise revolves around my personal...