Pediatric News articles from July 2005

Pediatric News archives from July 2005

Getting through to overweight kids.(News)
July 1, 2005... AS Paul L. Rowland III, M.D., now sees it, pediatricians can talk to parents and their overweight children about diet and physical activity or they can really counsel--that is, ask, listen, listen some more, and talk. It's only through...

Top 10 drugs and vaccines mentioned by pediatricians in 2004.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Top 10 Drugs and Vaccines Mentioned by Pediatricians in 2004 Million of Mentions * Amoxicillin 8.0 Amoxil 7.5 Prevnar 5.1 DTaP vaccine 5.0 HIB vaccine 4.0...

Two oral agents benefit type 2 diabetes patients: glimepiride, rosiglitazone look good.(News)
July 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Two oral glucose-lowering agents that are commonly used in adults with type Z diabetes appeared safe and effective in children in two industry-funded studies presented at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes...

Clindamycin-resistant MRSA now spreading.(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus in both healthy and hospitalized children are increasing throughout the country, accompanied by small, but significant increases in strains that are resistant to both...

Exercise hones mind in obese.(News)
July 1, 2005... Boston -- A prescription for exercise may do more than boost obese children's physical health. It also may improve how they think, results of a study has shown. The findings are consistent with recent work demonstrating exercise-induced...

Flu vaccine doses may be tallied by August.(News)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The total number of doses of inactivated influenza vaccine available for the 2005-2006 season won't be known until August at the earliest. That's when it's expected that the Food and Drug Administration will have results from...

Medical error reporting bill under negotiation.(News)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The House and Senate are negotiating legislation that would establish a voluntary medical error reporting system with the goal of passing a consensus measure by the August recess, lawmakers and staffers say. Following a June...

Pulmonary HT in sickle cell underdiagnosed.(Pulmonary hypertension a common but often overlooked complication in adults and children)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Pulmonary hypertension is a common but often overlooked complication in adults and children with sickle cell disease, Claudia Morris, M.D., reported in a poster session at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology....

Metabolic syndrome found in elementary school children.(News)
July 1, 2005... NASHVILLE, TENN. -- Metabolic syndrome is now present in as many as 5% of elementary school children, potentially setting them up for an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and vascular disease in adulthood, Katrina...

Educate parents to back watchful waiting for AOM.(acute otitis media)
July 1, 2005... Watchful waiting for nonsevere acute otitis media can be as acceptable to parents as immediate antibiotic treatment--if parents are properly educated about the options, new study findings and survey results indicate. Parents' satisfaction...

Varicella vaccine was effective during outbreak.(Infectious Diseases)
July 1, 2005... Varicella vaccination was found to be highly effective during an outbreak of varicella among elementary school children in Utah, reported Maryam B. Haddad of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and associates. The...

Not all genital warts need to have treatment.(Infectious Diseases)
July 1, 2005... HOUSTON -- Whether to treat genital warts would seem like a no-brainer, but peter J. Lynch, M.D., has a list of reasons for not trying to eradicate some vulvar lesions. Many genital warts resolve spontaneously. The underlying cause, human...

The paradox of pertussis.(ID Consult)
July 1, 2005... Soon we will be routinely vaccinating our adolescent patients against pertussis. This will certainly go a long way to ward reversing the disease's recent upward trend, but there's still more we need to do. Specifically, physicians must not...

Poor guideline compliance on first urinary tract infection.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Guidelines for treating a first urinary tract infection were not followed in more than half of Medicaid-enrolled infants in Washington State, reported Adam L. Cohen, M.D., and his colleagues at the University of Washington, Seattle. ...

Treat chronic viral hepatitis in children?(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Although some therapies are available for treating chronic viral hepatitis, it remains unclear whether children should be treated, Frank R. Sinatra, M.D., said at a meeting on clinical pediatrics sponsored by the University of...

Appendectomies sometimes can wait, even after perforation.(Infectious Diseases)
July 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- A perforated appendix in a child need not mean an immediate appendectomy, Hanmin Lee, M.D., said at a meeting on clinical pediatrics sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. Some clinicians say that some...

Imaging can aid diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis.(Infectious Diseases)
July 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- While imaging isn't necessary in obvious cases of pediatric appendicitis, CT or ultrasound can be of great help in making a diagnosis, Hanmin Lee, M.D., said at a meeting on clinical pediatrics sponsored by the University of...

Stethoscope "rubbing" helps to counter bacteria.(Infectious Diseases)
July 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES -- One in five stethoscopes used by hospital physicians was contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, including one that harbored methicillin-resistant S. aureus, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society...

Do gonorrhea screening for high-risk girls.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Clinicians should perform routine screening of all sexually active women at increased risk for gonorrhea, because of the high risk for pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain associated with asymptomatic...

Pneumococcal serogroups emerge.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... In a retrospective review of Streptococcus pneumoniae cases from 1996 to 2003, the incidence decreased 27% after the introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7 or Prevnar) in 2001, reported Carrie L. Byington, M.D., of...

Procalcitonin predicts reflux.(procalcitonin concentration in children with reflux)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A high concentration of procalcitonin was a significant independent predictor of vesi-coureteral reflux (VUR) in a study of 136 infants aged 1 month to 4 years, said Sandrine Leroy, M.D., of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Hospital, Paris, and colleagues...

Strep lingers in nose.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An early clinical recurrence of acute otitis media (AOM) was significantly more likely if Streptococcus pneumoniae remained in the nose at the end of antibiotic treatment, said Shai Libson, M.D., and associates at Ben-Gurion University of the...

Streptococcal role in AOM.(Acute Otitis Media)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... AOM caused by Streptococcus pyogenes was associated with older age and higher rates of tympanic perforation and mastoiditis, compared with AOM caused by other pathogens, said Nili Segal, M.D., and associates at Ben-Gurion University of the...

Pentacel vaccine as safe as component vaccines: the investigation compared the combined results of three U.S. studies and one Canadian study.(Infectious Diseases)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Children who received a combined pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine experienced fever and injection site reactions at rates similar to, or less than, those seen in children who...

Protocol that saved rabies patient needs study.(Infectious Diseases)
July 1, 2005... The doctors who treated the first known patient to survive rabies without prior vaccination have published their aggressive and previously untested treatment protocol, but they caution that it requires further study. "Clearly, our...

Soft white cheese poses risk to newborns.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Soft white cheeses made with raw milk present a health risk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned. Such cheeses can cause listeriosis, brucellosis, salmonellosis, and tuberculosis. They pose a particular risk to pregnant...

Too close for comfort.(Letters from Maine)
July 1, 2005... The old highway sign--"Maine, the Way Life Should Be"--was hard to miss as one left the toll plaza in Kittery heading north toward Portland on I-95. Those of us fortunate enough to live here know that those words weren't simply a catch phrase...

Pertussis transmission begins at home: how do infants get pertussis? They get it from their family. That's right--their moms and dads, brothers and sisters, even grandma and grandpa!(Opinion)
July 1, 2005... According to a recent study of pertussis in 264 infants, a family member was identified as the source of the disease in three quarters of the cases. In fact, the infant's mother was positively identified as the source in 32% of the cases. In...

Measuring patient satisfaction.(Guest Editorial)
July 1, 2005... Every profession and industry has paid close attention to customer satisfaction for decades--every one, that is, except medicine. Though physicians have always been deeply concerned with the quality of their care, they have seldom if ever...

Pediatric SSRI use calls for intense monitoring.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
July 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Vigilantly monitor depressed children and adolescents during the first month of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor therapy--especially in the first 10 days, David Sack, M.D., said at a psychopharmacology congress sponsored by...

Teen suicide may leave unanswered questions.(Behavioral Consult)
July 1, 2005... Adolescent suicide is a matter of deep concern for anyone who cares about children: their families, their teachers and counselors, their friends. As pediatricians, the thought of one of our patients taking their own life by overt suicide...

National suicide surveillance system: the first results.(Behavioral Consult)
July 1, 2005... BROOMFIELD, COLO. -- Only 5.1% of all completed suicides in 2003 occurred in individuals age 19 years or younger, according to the first wave of data from the new National Violent Death Reporting System. The new violent death surveillance...

One smoke before age 11 predicts a later habit.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
July 1, 2005... BOSTON -- Children who experiment with smoking even minimally before age 11 are more likely to take up smoking as teens than are their nonexposed peers, Jennifer Fidler reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. ...

Smoking less is helpful, even in third term.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES -- A pregnant smoker who cuts back just one cigarette a day in the third trimester can increase her newborn's birth weight 24 g, according to a prospective study at the annual meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation....

Watch for these ADHD comorbidities.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)
July 1, 2005... HOUSTON -- "When I am asked whether I think [attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder] is overdiagnosed, I say that kids are underfoot now more than they used to be," Saundra Gilfillan, D.O., said at the annual meeting of the American Society...

Pediatric modafinil shows results in ADHD.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- Results from new research point to a possible alternative to stimulants for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Two phase III studies presented at the annual meeting of the...

Reboxetine may ease ADHD.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder who are resistant to methylphenidate showed significant improvement in their ADHD symptoms while taking reboxetine, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, said...

Straight talk can help dry up teen alcohol abuse.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
July 1, 2005... MIAMI BEACH -- Physicians can help teenagers who binge drink by asking about alcohol consumption, presenting the facts, and not giving lectures, Lorena M. Siqueira, M.D., said at a pediatric update sponsored by Miami Children's Hospital. ...

The role of glycyrrhetinic acid in the treatment of atopic dermatitis.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
July 1, 2005... In response to the urgent clinical need for nonsteroidal therapy to treat inflammatory skin diseases, scientists have focused on an anti-inflammatory agent with intriguing pharmacologic properties. Glycyrrhetinic acid is part of the triterpene...

Alcohol promotional items raise risk of drinking.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Auden C. McClure, M.D., and her colleagues noticed some time ago that children and young teens in their New Hampshire community and pediatric practice often wore T-shirts, hats, and other merchandise bearing alcohol brand names...

Substance abuse trajectory begins in early childhood.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Aspen, COLO. -- Surveys consistently show 90% of all youths have experimented with drugs and alcohol by finishing high school. Yet only a minority develop substance abuse problems, Paula D. Riggs, M.D., said at a psychiatry conference sponsored...

Web-based system identifies behavior concerns.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
July 1, 2005... LAS VEGAS -- A new interactive computer decision-support system is aiding pediatricians in addressing parental concerns about their child's behavior and development, as well as health risks, Barbara Howard, M.D., said at a meeting sponsored by...

Toddler food fussies: nothing to worry about.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
July 1, 2005... MONTREAL -- Parents of toddlers who refuse food or are picky eaters should not worry about this behavior affecting their child's health or weight, according to new research. They should, however, be more concerned about the subconscious...

Screening for long QT syndrome may cut SIDS.(Clinical Rounds)(sudden infant death syndrome)
July 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- An estimated 12%-15% of cases of sudden infant death syndrome are caused by the long QT syndrome, Marianne Arnestad, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society. These arrhythmic SIDS deaths are...

Many children manage own asthma medication: most families report good adherence when children are primarily responsible for taking own treatment.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Half of children aged 7-9 years are primarily responsible for taking their asthma medication, according to the results of one study presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. More than two-thirds of...

Schools fail to offer uniform services, policies for asthma.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- How well schools are doing helping children manage their asthma depends on the question that you ask, said one expert speaking at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. "We found that appropriate services,...

Persistent asthma associated with behavior problems, study finds.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Inner-city children with persistent asthma appear to have more problems with negative social skills, anxiety, and shyness than children without asthma, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic...

Reflux may lurk behind uncontrolled asthma cases.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. -- Physicians should consider the possibility of reflux in asthma patients who are not doing well on medication or who have recurrent pneumonias, Nemr Eid, M.D., said at a pediatric pulmonology meeting sponsored by the...

Exhaled nitric oxide may assess asthma best: many patients with symptoms have normal lung function tests but high levels of exhaled nitric oxide.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... SAN ANTONIO -- Exhaled nitric oxide, a marker of airway inflammation, is a much better measure of asthma than the assessment of symptoms or lung function tests, according to Joseph D. Spahn, M.D. "Measures like symptoms and lung function...

'Silver bullet' hopes in asthma are disappointments.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. -- A few years ago, many in the asthma research community were convinced that asthma care was poised for the same kind of advances that have occurred in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis with the introduction of the...

Top 5 recent changes in neonatal management.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... PORTLAND, ORE. -- The practice of medicine is changing constantly, and the management of newborn infants is no exception, Linda D. Wallen, M.D., said at a conference sponsored by the North Pacific Pediatric Society. "Many of these changes...

'Child-resistant' caps not so resistant.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Warning: Do not rely on child-resistant medication tops to prevent accidental ingestions. The reason is simple: Too many young children can open them, said Monisha Shah, M.D. When the pediatrician and her colleagues gave...

CDC issues lead testing guides for refugees.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
July 1, 2005... Refugee children who are at least 6 months old and up to 16 years old should be tested for blood lead levels upon their arrival in the United States and again after they have been here for 3-6 months, regardless of the results of their first...

Toys' noise exceeds OSHA thresholds.(Occupational Safety & Health Administration (US government) )
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Many toys are so loud that they can damage the developing ears of young children, David Clark, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. Dr. Clark tested 202 toys that produce noise and found...

Early diagnosis key to pediatric osteomyelitis: advanced MRI is overall the best diagnostic tool for pediatric acute hematogenous osteomyelitis.(magnetic resonance imaging)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- An astute physical examination and the appearance of deep soft tissue swelling on imaging are key to a prompt diagnosis of pediatric acute hematogenous osteomyelitis, John P. Dormans, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the...

Promote peak bone mass to cut later losses.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... MIAMI BEACH -- Pediatricians should promote peak bone mass in patients to prevent deleterious effects decades later, Ana L. Paredes, M.D., said at a pediatric update sponsored by Miami Children's Hospital. One major adverse effect of lower...

Osteogenesis imperfecta: focus on BMD treatment.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Bone mineral density is directly tied to functional outcome and ability in children with osteogenesis imperfecta, Robert Huang, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The findings lend...

Parents, geneticists at odds on newborn tests.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... GRAPEVINE, TEX. -- Parents of children with untreatable genetic disorders want newborn screening, but geneticists and genetic counselors are less inclined to see the benefits of such testing. University of Wisconsin researchers found the...

Adacel, Focalin XR.(New & Approved)(dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride)(tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine)
July 1, 2005... Adacel (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine, adsorbed, Aventis Pasteur) The Food and Drug Administration approved Adacel, a new vaccine for single booster immunization against pertussis (whooping cough)...

Quell adolescents' rebellion against diabetes.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... HOUSTON -- Psychiatric issues can loom large in the treatment of diabetes in adolescents, especially when barriers to compliance arise, Scot G. McAfee, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry. ...

Malignant melanomas rare, but keep an eye out.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Although childhood malignant melanomas are rare, physicians must keep an eye out for them, Ronald C. Hansen, M.D., said at a pediatric update sponsored by Phoenix Children's Hospital. About 2% of all melanomas appear...

Pediatric hypertension often missed.(Clinical Rounds)
July 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- A diagnosis of hypertension was missed in 85% of children with high blood pressure in a study of 287 children who were examined at two university-based, pediatric clinics. The problem with diagnosing hypertension in kids is...

FDA seeks proposals to improve drug safety.(Practice Trends)
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Acknowledging that its drug safety system is inadequate, several Food and Drug Administration officials told an Institute of Medicine panel examining the issue that the agency is ready for recommendations on how to better protect...

Academy chooses new leader.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Jay E. Berkelhamer, M.D., incoming leader of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that his primary goal is to improve the quality of health care for children. "As a community of physicians, we will partner to rise to the challenge and...

Children and pollution.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Air pollution harms children's lungs for life, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board, which has been conducting an ongoing study on children's health in 12 California communities for the past 14...

Preventing nontraffic deaths.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Three children are killed each week in preventable, nontraffic, auto-related incidents, according to Kids and Cars, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that no child dies or is injured in a nontraffic, noncrash motor...

Medicaid commission.(Policy & Practice)
July 1, 2005... To strengthen Medicaid, the Department of Health and Human Services established an advisory commission to identify reforms necessary to stabilize the program. The commission must submit two reports to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. The first,...

The chosen profession?(Policy & Practice)
July 1, 2005... Physicians don't necessarily want their children to follow in their footsteps. In a poll conducted by the Doctors Company, a physician-owned, medical malpractice insurance provider, two-thirds of the 973 physicians surveyed said they would...

AMA delegates diverge on pay for performance.(Practice Trends)(American Medical Association)
July 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- The American Medical Association's new policy on pay for performance will limit its ability to negotiate with Congress, several medical specialty society groups claim. Tensions surfaced at the annual meeting of the AMA's House of...

How to keep up with your reading: join a club.(The Rest of Your Life)
July 1, 2005... Richard Nixon was in the middle of his presidency when Richard J. Castiello, M.D., helped form a small dermatology journal club that still meets every month to discuss the latest research and development in the field. One of the founding...

Focus on data collection in articles.(Practice Trends)
July 1, 2005... The devil may be in the details, but when it comes to reviewing medical literature, Steve Simon, Ph.D., advises physicians to not get hung up on how data in a study were analyzed by the author or authors. For example, physicians may wonder,...

Most groups continue to use paper records.(Practice Trends)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Most group practices are still using paper medical records and charts, according to preliminary results from a survey by the Medical Group Management Association. "Paper is still the dominant mode of data collection," William F. Jessee,...

Answering service vs. machine.(Efficient Pediatrician Practices)
July 1, 2005... Most pediatricians use an answering service as their intermediary. Parents call the office number, and the service operator picks up. Simple questions--like those about office hours--can be answered directly, and some services will take...