Pediatric News articles from January 2008

Pediatric News archives from January 2008

Experts divided on honey Rx for coughs.(News)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The public was agog over a new study suggesting that a teaspoon of honey helps a child with nighttime cold and cough, but the experts' reaction was more nuanced and varied. Dr. Lawrence Posen said that if he had...

Mean compensation for pediatric care specialist in 2006.(VITAL SIGNS)
January 1, 2008... Mean Compensation for Pediatric Care Specialist in 2006 Pediatrics: general (n = 3,128) $188,496 Pediatrics: infectious disease (n = 25) $186,872 Internal medicine: pediatrics (n = 106) $180,008 Family...

Congress extends SCHIP until 2009 as stopgap move: bill also addresses physician pay, Part B.(News)
January 1, 2008... After months of debate and two presidential vetoes, Congress has successfully voted to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program to April 2009. President Bush signed the legislation on Dec. 29. The SCHIP extension is included in...

Yoga, dance game highlight girls' weight-loss program.(News)
January 1, 2008... NEW ORLEANS -- Obese teenage girls who participated in an intervention program lost an average of 15 pounds in 6 months, compared with their matched controls who received no intervention and continued to gain weight during the same time. ...

States rapidly adopting CF newborn screening.(News)
January 1, 2008... SALT LAKE CITY -- Twenty-nine states required newborn cystic fibrosis screening as of last year, and more states are likely to do so soon. "Cystic fibrosis newborn screening is really taking off across the country," Dr. Michael Rock told...

Changes to the 2008 recommended immunization schedules for children, adolescents.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... Changes to the 2008 Recommended Immunization Schedules for Children, Adolescents Changes to this year's updated immunization schedules mainly involve three vaccines. The tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine is now recommended...

What to say and do when vaccine refusal occurs.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Communication skills are key when talking to parents who are reluctant to immunize their children, judging by results of one of the first observational studies of these encounters in private practice. A pilot study...

CDC says to defer most Hib vaccine boosters.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that providers temporarily defer administration of the routine Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine booster dose at age 12-15 months except to children in specific groups at...

Infectious diarrhea pathogens lurk at petting zoos, pools.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SAN FRANCISCO -- Go beyond the usual questions about travel to other countries or the keeping of nontraditional pets, when asking parents about potential environmental exposures to diarrhea-causing agents, Dr. Sarah...

What will rate in '08 as top concerns?(ID Consult)
January 1, 2008... Happy New Year! It's time again for my annual prognosis of the top 10 infectious disease issues likely to have an impact on our practices in the next 12 months. * 1. Local school-based immunization programs could become a reality....

Think about C. difficile and diarrhea with or without antibiotics.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Community-onset Clostridium dificile infection that is not antibiotic related has emerged as a multinational problem that can be life threatening, said Dr. Sarah S. Long, chief of infectious diseases at St. Christopher's...

'Fish tank granuloma' can mimic staph infection.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- A waterborne mycobacterium that infects humans through breaks in the skin causes lesions that easily are mistaken for staphylococcal infection, Dr. Peggy Weintrub said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of...

Ultrasound aids pediatric appendicitis diagnosis: a new classification eases surgical decision making by elevating the importance of secondary signs.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- A new ultrasound classification facilitates surgical decision making in the diagnosis or exclusion of appendicitis in children by elevating the importance of secondary signs, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of...

Top 10 causes of death for people aged 15-24 years (mortality rate per 100,000 population).(DATA WATCH)(Table)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Top 10 Causes of Death for People Aged 15-24 Years (mortality rate per 100,000 population) Accidents 37.0 Assaults 12.7 Intentional self-harm ...

ADHD in girls linked to mood, eating disorders.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2008... BOSTON -- Girls with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are significantly more likely than are girls without the condition to be diagnosed with major depression, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American...

Youths with cancer cope well, studies suggest.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Children and adolescents with cancer showed greater adaptive skills and social skills than expected in healthy children, and certain adaptive styles help them thrive psychologically, separate speakers said at the annual meeting...

Don't let myths thwart early referral for language delay.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2008... STANFORD, CALIF. -- Misconceptions about language delays may prevent pediatricians from referring children for full audiologic and speech assessments, Dr. Heidi Feldman said at a pediatric update sponsored by Stanford University. A common...

DEA rule allows more scrips for schedule II drugs.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2008... In a reversal, the Drug Enforcement Administration will now allow physicians to write up to three prescriptions for a 90-day supply of schedule II controlled substances. The final rule, published at the end of last year, is viewed as a...

Teens' illicit drug use data 'mostly good news'.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
January 1, 2008... The rates of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in the United States reporting illicit drug use are on the decline, with one exception: the use of ecstasy. In addition, the reported rate of cigarette smoking among those adolescents is at an...

Differential diagnoses for unpopularity.(Behavioral Consult)
January 1, 2008... When parents come to us with a child in pain, we immediately engage our much-honed skills in generating differential diagnoses. Is the pain acute or chronic? Localized or referred? Throbbing, aching, sharp? What are the...

Mean ages parents report children can be free of supervision.(DATA WATCH)(Table)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Mean Ages Parents Report Children Can Be Free of Supervision Bathe without an 6.7 years old adult in the room Cross a busy street 9.0 years old without holding hands Ride bicycle on a 12.2 years old busy street...

Unequal pay: the case for Medicaid reform.(Adviser's Viewpoint)
January 1, 2008... Although many of my voluntary activities in my professional life have been devoted to improving health care delivery systems for children and their pediatricians with local, state, and national activities through the American Academy of...

Check background before hiring.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... I enjoyed Dr. Charles A. Scott's informative article and he certainly had many useful suggestions ("Creating the 'Perfect Mesh,' Part 2," October 2007, p. 66). I wish to add one unfortunately important point to the discussion about...

Dealing with physician shortage.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... I am an international medical graduate, and I have been working in an underserved region of the United States for the last 5 years ("Strategies Offered to Address Physician Shortage," September 2007, p. 65). I know several IMGs who were...

Biding one's tongue.(Letters From Maine)
January 1, 2008... I glanced at the chief complaint scribbled on the top of the billing sheet before I entered the exam room. I usually ignore these little "heads-ups" from the receptionists because they often bear little if any resemblance to the parent's real...

Bone testing is urged for children with IBD.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2008... SALT LAKE CITY -- All pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease need to have a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry test, and if their bone density is low, which is common, then preventive steps must be taken, Dr. Helen Pappa said at the...

Detecting osteogenesis imperfecta.(Special Needs: Realizing Potential)
January 1, 2008... Osteogenesis imperfecta is one of the most common connective tissue disorders. It is a heritable and systemic disease characterized by bone fragility leading to recurrent bone fractures, as well as by dentinogenesis imperfecta, blue sclerae,...

Epilepsy dx after one seizure still controversial.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2008... PHILADELPHIA -- A new, operational definition of epilepsy may go a long way toward resolving the question of whether epilepsy can be diagnosed and treatment begun after a single seizure or whether two seizures are required. Under the new...

Epilepsy drug withdrawal an option after long-term control.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2008... PHILADELPHIA -- Most epilepsy patients whose seizures are completely controlled by antiepileptic drugs can eventually attempt withdrawal from treatment with a low risk of complications, Dr. Peter Camfield said at the annual meeting of the...

Derma-Smoothe/FS, Omnaris Nasal Spray.(New & Approved)
January 1, 2008... Derma-Smoothe/FS (fluocinolone acetonide topical body oil, 0.01%, Hill Dermaceuticals Inc.) The Food and Drug Administration approved Derma-Smoothe/FS (fluocinolone acetonide) Topical Oil, 0.01% for treatment of moderate to severe atopic...

For teen diet, go South (Beach), dietician urges.(Clinical Rounds)
January 1, 2008... SALT LAKE CITY -- A South Beach Diet-type program may be the one to recommend to adolescents who want to lose weight, says Sharon Weston, a registered dietician and pediatric nutrition specialist at Children's Hospital Boston. Current...

HHS names autism panel.(Policy & Practice)
January 1, 2008... The Health and Human Services department has named a new committee, authorized under the Combating Autism Act of 2006, to facilitate the exchange of information on autism activities among federal agencies as well as coordinate autism-related...

BadgerCare overhaul approved.(Policy & Practice)
January 1, 2008... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has given Wisconsin the go-ahead to restructure its BadgerCare State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover approximately 7,600 more children. BadgerCare now will enroll children in...

Parents don't see child's obesity.(Policy & Practice)
January 1, 2008... More than 40% of parents with obese children aged 6-11 years describe their child as being "about the right weight," according to a study from the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor. In fact, only 13% of parents with obese children...

WIC program adds healthy foods.(Policy & Practice)(women, infants and children)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... In the first overhaul of the federal food vouchers program for women and children in nearly 3 decades, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved new rules that provide beneficiaries with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The new rules...

Panel: more smoking prevention.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Smoking rates have leveled off after nearly a decade of declines, and the nation's progress in reducing smoking is at risk unless states significantly increase funding for programs to prevent kids from smoking and to help smokers quit, warns a...

FDA sets user fees for DTC ads.(Policy & Practice)
January 1, 2008... The Food and Drug Administration is charging pharmaceutical companies about $40,000 to review each of their direct-to-consumer television advertisements, according to a notice issued by the agency in December. Last September, Congress...

Protect e-mail to minimize medicolegal liability.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Give e-mail correspondence with patients the same care and attention you'd give to paper records, faxes, or phone calls in order to minimize medicolegal liability, advises Dr. Jeffrey L. Brown of the Cornell University Medical...

How to select books on parenting.(On the Learning Curve)
January 1, 2008... After several years of residency, maybe a few more of fellowship, and several more getting your feet off the ground as a young physician, nothing makes you feel as if you haven't learned a thing than when a parent asks you, "So, are there any...

It's 2008, and health politics is heating up.(Health Policy: The Fine Line)
January 1, 2008... Election year is here. Come early November, barring a repeat of extraordinary circumstances that again require Supreme Court intervention, there will be a new American president-elect awaiting inauguration the following January. In the...

Language, culture issues challenge pediatricians.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2008... STANFORD, CALIF. -- California's kindergartners speak 100 different dialects, in what may offer a preview for the rest of the changing nation, Dr. Fernando S. Mendoza said during a pediatric update sponsored by Stanford University. "Just...

A soaring passion for flight.(The Rest of Your Life)
January 1, 2008... During his senior year of high school in Seattle, Dr. Kevin Ware came across a classified ad in the aviation section of a local newspaper that read: "Guaranteed to solo: $99." He was making just $1.25 an hour as a gas station attendant in...