Pediatric News articles from March 2008

Pediatric News archives from March 2008

Universal flu shots urged by 2009-2010.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ATLANTA -- The new recommendation by a federal advisory panel to expand annual influenza immunization up to 18 years of age is "an important advance for children," Dr. Joseph A. Bocchini Jr. said in an interview. ...

FDA panel backs two-dose oral rotavirus vaccine: concerns on G2 serotype may affect label.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- A federal advisory panel agreed that an oral live attenuated rotavirus vaccine that is administered in two doses was safe and effective in preventing gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus serotypes G1, G2, G3, G4, and G9. ...

MMRV vaccine may raise risk for febrile seizures.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- Data suggesting an increased risk for febrile seizures with the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine, compared with MMR and varicella vaccines given separately, have prompted a federal advisory panel to remove its usual...

Funding for retail prescription drugs.(VITAL SIGNS)
March 1, 2008... Funding for Retail Prescription Drugs 2005 2006 Other Public 7% 7% Medicaid 19% 9% Medicare 2% 18% Out of Pocket 24% 22% Privates insurance 48%...

Bacterial gastroenteritis appears to raise intussusception risk 30-fold.(News)
March 1, 2008... SALT LAKE CITY -- A young child who has a bacterial gastrointestinal infection may have a 30-times-higher risk of intussusception in the next 6 months, according to a study of cases from a large military database. "There is a significant...

Bush budget ups SCHIP, slashes related programs.(News)(State Children's Health Insurance Program)
March 1, 2008... In the final budget proposal of his presidency, President Bush is seeking close to $20 billion in increased funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, but critics charge the money would be inadequate to meet the growing needs of...

Children with epilepsy show bone deficits.(News)
March 1, 2008... A new study of children with epilepsy has found that their bone mineral density declines steadily relative to controls, starting perhaps even in the first year of treatment. The study compared 82 children with epilepsy with 32 age- and...

Two insulin analogs work equally well in pumps.(News)
March 1, 2008... Two types of insulin analogs were equally safe and effective when used in insulin pumps by children and adolescents aged 4-18 years, according to results from a study of 298 children. The popularity of continuous subcutaneous insulin...

Costs of gas pharyngitis pegged at $205 per case.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... The medical and nonmedical costs of group A streptococcal pharyngitis in American children and adolescents add up to an estimated $205 per case, or between $224 million and $539 million annually across the country, according to results of the...

More pediatricians than family physicians embrace RotaTeq.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- Pediatricians have embraced the current rotavirus vaccine to a much greater extent than have family physicians, Shannon Stokley said at the winter meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease...

Data show 'full' flu immunization prevents hospitalizations in infants.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- Full immunization against influenza is approximately 75% effective in preventing hospitalizations in 6- to 23-month-old children, Dr. David Shay reported at the winter meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of...

Midseason flu update: rates peak, but within normal range.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... Every state but Florida reported widespread influenza activity by the midpoint of the flu season in February, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We can't predict the severity and duration of an...

No routine MCV4 in 2- to 10-year-olds, ACIP says.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- Routine use of the conjugate meningococcal vaccine is not recommended for children aged 2-10 years, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided at its winter meeting. ...

Trio of new strains chosen for 2008-2009 flu vaccine.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- All three virus strains in the influenza vaccine for the 2008-2009 season will differ from this year's vaccine, based on a majority vote by an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration. The Vaccines and...

San Diego measles outbreak shows the effect of vaccine exemptions.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- The recent measles outbreak in San Diego--started by one child who imported the disease from Switzerland--reinforces the ongoing need to maintain high vaccination coverage, Dr. Jane Seward said at the winter meeting of the Centers...

Keyboards, mouses blamed in school's norovirus hit.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... An outbreak of norovirus in a District of Columbia elementary school last year was probably transmitted by unclean computer mouses and keyboards. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified after 27 students and two staff...

Adenovirus serotype 14: one of nature's pathogen cycles.(ID Consult)
March 1, 2008... Acute respiratory disease associated with emerging adenovirus serotype 14 that caused nine deaths last fall in the United States is a development worth noting, but there seems little reason to fear this strain will lead to larger ongoing...

Don't rule out retropharyngeal abscess in sore throats.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... Consider a retropharyngeal abscess when faced with a drooling child who has a severe sore throat, according to Dr. Marisol Figueira of Boston University. "Retropharyngeal abscess is a commonly seen pathology secondary to acute infection of...

Recent ID research tests antiemetics, steroids.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... Recent studies involving gastroeneritis, Kawasaki disease, and bronhiolitis represent notable advances in the field of pediatric infectious disease, according to Dr. Howard Bauchner, director of the division of general pediatrics at Boston...

Educational program reduces ED visits for otitis.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... An educational program for anticipating and managing ear pain, presented by nurses to parents at the 15-month well-child visit, significantly cut health care costs over the following year, especially for emergency department visits. ...

Oral sucrose eases immunization pain in infants.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... Oral sucrose is known to be an effective analgesic for neonates and infants undergoing painful procedures. Now a new study has shown that sucrose significantly decreases pain and distress when given to infants before immunizations. The...

Merck freezes Vaqta orders because of production delay.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... A production delay has caused Merck & Co. to temporarily stop accepting orders for the pediatric and adult vial formulations of Vaqta, the hepatitis A vaccine. It is estimated that the pediatric formulation of Vaqta will be available in the...

Living longer, HIV patients face new challenges.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... BOSTON -- The increased survival among HIV-infected children seen with effective prevention of perinatal transmission and the widespread adoption of highly active antiretroviral therapy has been accompanied by the emergence of a new generation...

Risk behaviors are key to HIV epidemic among U.S. youth.(Infectious Diseases)
March 1, 2008... BOSTON -- The adolescent HIV-1 epidemic as reflected in a multisite cohort of U.S. youth is changing from one of vertically transmitted infection to one where infection is acquired through risk behaviors, posing new challenges for providers and...

How to discuss a death with children.(Adviser's Viewpoint)
March 1, 2008... Picture this: It is a winter Monday afternoon and you are working your way through seeing all the children who have become sick since your office closed on Saturday. You have a first-year medical student observing you (through the clinical...

Ensuring continuity in your practice.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... I am doing some research for a pediatrician and I noticed that Dr. Charles A. Scott has written numerous articles for PEDIATRIC NEWS. The pediatrician, who is 53 years old, is a bit concerned that his practice is shrinking as new parents...

AAP had better stick to science.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... The American Academy of Pediatrics' stand on adolescent sexuality is unscientific and impractical ("AAP Updates Policy on Adolescent Contraception," December 2007, p. 6). Pontification is no way to address a biologic phenomenon governed by...

Agreed: MRSA is a superbug.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... Dr. Christopher J. Harrison might be a bit too casual in his outlook regarding methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ("MRSA Panic Unwarranted," ID Consult, November 2007, p. 16). First, the two most disturbing aspects of MRSA are its...

A vote for a Vaccine Czar.(Letters From Maine)
March 1, 2008... No one who knows me well would ever describe me as a political animal. As a registered Independent, I switch allegiances based on my gut response to a candidate's stated position, his voting record... and, of course, his or her hairstyle and...

CDC warns of deaths from the choking game.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
March 1, 2008... At least 82 children, adolescents, and young adults died from unintentional strangulation between 1995 and 2007 as a result of playing the so-called choking game in an attempt to get high, and most were alone at the time, according to a report...

Assessing functioning across domains: family.(Behavioral Consult)
March 1, 2008... Mental health professionals and pediatricians--influenced by training, practice, and rules of reimbursement--tend to see children's functioning through different lenses. Psychiatrists tend to think in terms of diagnosis and are alert to...

Sex harassment rates on social sites lower than expected.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Survey)
March 1, 2008... Use of social networking Web sites poses no greater risk of sexual solicitation and harassment of children than do other online behaviors, according to the results of an e-mail survey of 1,588 preteens and teens. "Our findings suggest that...

Studies aim to prevent abusive head trauma.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
March 1, 2008... SAN DIEGO -- Two federally funded studies are underway to test the effectiveness of abusive head trauma prevention efforts in Pennsylvania and in North Carolina. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] The studies, which received funding from the...

Expert discusses keys to effective trauma-focused care.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
March 1, 2008... SAN DIEGO -- Before Laura Merchant begins trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy with children and their caregivers, she provides an estimate for them of the number of treatment sessions that will be required for effective intervention....

In SSRI-resistant depression, switch to CBT and new drug.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Clinical report)
March 1, 2008... Adolescents with depression that fails to respond to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor show more improvement with a switch to cognitive-behavioral therapy and another medication regimen than with a switch to a medication regimen alone,...

Experts flag mild to moderate' hearing loss: the issue is often not addressed, causing significant problems in academic and social development.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... Many children and adolescents with "mild to moderate" hearing loss are not getting the help they need, either because their impairment is not recognized or because its consequences are not fully appreciated, according to several experts. ...

Caffeine benefits confirmed for apnea of prematurity.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
March 1, 2008... The benefits of caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity clearly outweighed the risks in the first large, randomized, placebo-controlled study to examine the risks and benefits of this long-used therapeutic approach. Caffeine therapy...

Asmanex Twisthaler, Moxatag.(New & Approved)
March 1, 2008... Asmanex Twisthaler (mometasone furoate inhalation powder, Schering-Plough Corp.) The Food and Drug Administration approved Asmanex Twisthaler for once-daily maintenance treatment of asthma in children aged 4-11 years. The agency...

Studies look at pediatric metabolic syndrome.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... Waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio appear to be better factors to identify patients with metabolic syndrome than using body mass index alone, according to one study reported in the Journal of Pediatrics. Another study published...

Steroids for infants' hemangiomas don't jeopardize height.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- Short-term treatment with oral corticosteroids doesn't appear to prevent infants with hemangiomas from achieving normal height, based on data from a study of 44 children with infant hemangiomas who were treated with corticosteroids...

Incidence of melanoma increases among children.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... ORLANDO -- Cancer already kills more children aged 1-14 years than does any other disease, and the incidence of childhood melanoma in the United States is on the rise, Dr. Jane M. Grant-Kels said at the annual meeting of the Florida Society of...

New MRI may replace biopsy for monitoring iron in liver.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- Children with sickle cell disease, [beta]-thalassemia, and other hematologic diseases no longer need to undergo painful and risky biopsies to assess the amount of iron accumulating in their liver as a result of therapeutic blood...

Monitoring children with traumatic brain injuries.(Special Needs: Realizing Potential)
March 1, 2008... A Child's successful passage through the milestones and illnesses of infancy and early childhood is a high point for parents and pediatricians alike. But for those involved with traumatic brain injuries, the respite is short lived. ...

FDA issues warning on botox injections, eyes label change.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning advising patients and physicians that botulinum toxins have in some cases been linked to respiratory failure and even death. Physicians should be vigilant for postinjection symptoms such...

Magnets from toys wreak havoc in kids' intestines.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... The small magnets that are so common in children's toys pose a unique hazard when they are swallowed. If they are swallowed with another magnet or a metallic object, the two can become attracted to one another and attach across loops in the...

Cystic fibrosis web site for children, teens.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... A new online resource for the cystic fibrosis (CF) community has been launched by Novartis. CFvoice.com features educational and entertaining activities for people with CF and their families and friends. For young children, CFvoice.com offers...

Correcting poor vision boosts preschoolers' performance.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Preschoolers with uncorrected vision problems performed at lower than normal levels on visual-motor function tests that are indicative of success in school performance, but their scores on those tests improved within...

Overweight children less healthy, surveys find.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... Overweight children have more chronic conditions and poorer health, compared with healthy-weight children, but there are no differences between the two groups in terms of health care expenditures in children. Those are key conclusions of a...

ATV injuries still high among U.S. children, teens.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... More than 39,000 injuries from all-terrain vehicle accidents were treated in children younger than 16 years in 2006, based on data from a report issued in February by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Consumer Product Safety...

Age determines management in pediatric acne.(Clinical Rounds)
March 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Children can get acne at any age, but what parents think is acne actually may be something else, Dr. Rebecca L. Smith said at a meeting sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. A good example is "neonatal ache."...

Medical liability matters.(On the Learning Curve)
March 1, 2008... Medical liability insurance and litigation linger in the back of many young physicians' minds. Once they leave the relative legal security of a residency program, many physicians are unclear how to best protect themselves and their practices....

Obesity: can weight be legislated?(Health Policy: The Fine Line)
March 1, 2008... More of the patients I am seeing are dearly overweight, with many of them frankly obese. What health policy options exist w curb this disturbing trend of increasing child obesity? Children are growing. Still upward, as they should. But now...

FDA would expand promotion.(Policy & Practice)
March 1, 2008... The Food and Drug Administration last month proposed draft guidance that would allow drug and medical device makers to distribute medical or scientific journal articles and reference publications that involve unapproved uses of FDA-approved...

Products threaten tobacco progress.(Policy & Practice)
March 1, 2008... An "insidious" new generation of tobacco products is threatening efforts to reduce tobacco use in the United States, warned a new report from a coalition of public health organizations. The report, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation...

ADA: amalgam fillings safe.(Policy & Practice)
March 1, 2008... Dental amalgam tooth fillings do not adversely affect children's brain development and neurologic status, researchers reported in the February issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association. The authors of the report studied the...

Early intervention in autism tested.(Policy & Practice)
March 1, 2008... Researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, are investigating the benefits of early parental intervention with young siblings of children who have autism spectrum disorders, in effect testing whether extra interaction between these...

Aetna to stop paying hospitals for 'never events'.(Practice Trends)
March 1, 2008... In a move that could have significant implications for physicians and hospitals, the insurer Aetna Inc. has said it will not pay its network hospitals for care necessitated by certain preventable errors. The announcement follows a policy...

The inspiring journey of a multiple amputee.(The Rest of Your Life)(pediatrician Kellie Lim)(Interview)
March 1, 2008... When Dr. Kellie Lim was an 8-year-old growing up in suburban Detroit, she acquired a case of bacterial meningitis so severe that one physician put her chances of survival at about 15%. The infection claimed both of her legs about 6 inches...

Childhood obesity guide.(FYI)
March 1, 2008... The American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians offers a pamphlet with tips for parents and health care providers for preventing and reducing obesity in children. Tips include limiting video and TV time to 2 hours daily and monitoring portion...

Preteen vaccine campaign.(FYI)
March 1, 2008... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a national campaign to inform parents, caregivers, and health care providers about recommendations for immunizing 11- and 12-year-olds with MCV4 (meningococcal conjugated vaccine) and...

ADHD Parents Medication Guide.(FYI)
March 1, 2008... The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association have jointly released the "ADHD Parents" Medication Guide." The guide provides information on symptoms, treatment options, types of medications,...

RSV-tracking database site.(FYI)
March 1, 2008... A redesigned Web site from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now provides data on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the United States, allowing parents and physicians to track the locations of virus outbreaks in their own state...