Pediatric News articles from November 2005

Pediatric News archives from November 2005

ACIP: hepatitis A vaccine for all.(News)
November 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- All children should receive hepatitis A vaccine beginning at age 12-23 months, and the vaccine should be integrated into the routine childhood immunization schedule, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee...

HPV vaccine an help prevent early cervical ca: maker set to file for marketing approval.(News)
November 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- A multinational study of 11,502 young women showed for the first time that a vaccine for human papillomavirus can prevent precancerous cervical lesions and early in situ cervical cancers, Laura A. Koutsky, Ph.D., reported. ...

Guillain-Barre linked to meningococcal vaccine?(News)
November 1, 2005... Any physician with a patient who develops Guillain-Barre syndrome after receiving the meningococcal conjugate vaccine should report the case to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, according to an alert issued by the Food and Drug...

Children and elderly both benefit from pediatric influenza vaccine.(News)
November 1, 2005... WARSAW -- The decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to recommend influenza vaccination for healthy children 6-23 months old is likely to have an impact far beyond this young age group, according to Frederick L. Ruben,...

AAP policy on SIDS promotes pacifier use.(News)(American Academic of Pediatrics)(sudden infant death syndrome)
November 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Offer pacifiers to all infants up to 1 year of age when putting them on their backs to sleep to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, according to an updated policy statement from the American Academic of Pediatrics....

Insomnia prescribing all over the map in children.(News)
November 1, 2005... DENVER -- Child psychiatrists view insomnia as "a major problem" in nearly one-third of their patients, according to a national survey. The questionnaire survey completed by 1,271 actively practicing members of the American Academy of...

Less pertussis immunity exists in adolescent Hispanic mothers, newborns.(News)
November 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Low levels of immunity to pertussis in adolescent Hispanic mothers and their newborns may help explain their overrepresentation in pertussis cases and in deaths from the disease, C. Mary Healy, M.D., said in a poster...

Pulmonary complications common with MRSA.(News)
November 1, 2005... Children with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections are more likely to show abnormal pulmonary imaging than those with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus infections. The presence of genes encoding for Panton-Valentine...

MMRV recommended for routine immunization schedule.(News)(measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine)
November 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- The new combination measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine should be incorporated into the routine vaccination schedule for children aged 12 months to 12 years, according to a vote taken by the Centers for Disease Control and...

IVIG use recommended in VZIG shortage.(News)
November 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- Intravenous immune globulin should be the primary means of post-exposure prophylaxis among persons at high risk of severe varicella complications if there is a shortage of varicella zoster immune globulin, according to a vote by the...

Primary HHV-6 infection is linked with prolonged febrile seizures, study shows.(News)
November 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES -- Primary infection with human herpesvirus 6 is a common cause of prolonged febrile status epilepticus, according to interim data from an ongoing multicenter prospective investigation into the relationship between febrile seizures...

Pertussis vaccination in adults, adolescents helps children.(News)
November 1, 2005... A pertussis vaccine proved safe and effective in adolescents and adults in a recent study, and routine use in these populations might reduce overall disease burden and transmission to children, according to Joel I. Ward, M.D., of the University...

With trust, fearful parents will OK child shots.(Infectious Diseases)
November 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Even parents who don't trust vaccines might let you vaccinate their children if they trust you. That was the conclusion drawn from a survey of parents of 7,810 children aged 19-35 months from the 2001-2002 National...

S. aureus is agent of fatal syndrome.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Three children diagnosed with Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome died after rapidly progressive illness was traced to severe Staphylococcus aureus infection, said Patricia V. Adem, M.D., of the University of Chicago, and her associates. The...

Preschool-aged children are first to get flu.(Infectious Diseases)
November 1, 2005... Emergency department data demonstrate that preschool children are first to come down with influenza each year and could play an important role in the infection's spread, according to John S. Brownstein, Ph.D., of Children's Hospital Boston, and...

Vulvar/labial abscesses were MRSA.(Infectious Diseases)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- A recent series of "curious" cases of large vulvar or labial abscesses in previously healthy children were associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and represent the first reported cases of such abscesses in...

President unveils plan for pandemic flu response.(Infectious Diseases)
November 1, 2005... The long-awaited national pandemic influenza plan unveiled this month could also help solve chronic problems in production of seasonal flu vaccine. "We don't need to have a disaster to get a benefit from this influenza planning," said...

Possible avian influenza pandemic: doctors calmly prepare.(Infectious Diseases)
November 1, 2005... Warnings of a potential avian influenza pandemic have the nation and medical community on alert--but those who would be on the front lines appear to be taking the threat in stride. One of the few concrete steps physicians can take at this...

Five children in Minn. test positive for poliovirus.(Infectious Diseases)
November 1, 2005... A small outbreak of poliovirus infection has been reported among unvaccinated children in rural Minnesota. All cases to date have been linked to the live attentuated virus used in the oral polio vaccine, according to the Minnesota Department of...

Little threat to fetus with EBV in pregnancy.(Epstein Barr virus)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... ST. PETE BEACH, FLA. -- Maternal infection with the Epstein Barr virus does not appear to represent a major teratogenic risk, Meytal Avgil, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Teratology Society. The herpes virus--and the cause of...

Verbatim.(Infectious Diseases)
November 1, 2005... 'It's appropriate to dismiss a family from your practice when it disrupts the physician-patient/parent relationship. It comes down to a matter of trust. If the parents don't trust the physician on an issue as important to a child's health as...

Vibrio illness strikes after Hurricane Katrina.(Infectious Diseases)
November 1, 2005... In the wake of hurricane Katrina, 22 new cases of Vibrio illness with five deaths were identified during August 29 to September 11, according to government health sources. The illnesses were caused by Vibrio vulnificus, V....

Norovirus locates Katrina evacuees.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... An outbreak of norovirus occurred from Sept. 2-12, 2005, among evacuees from Hurricane Katrina who were temporarily sheltered at Reliant Park, a recreation and convention complex in Houston. During this period, about 6,500 of an estimated...

Amoxicillin ups fluorosis risk.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Use of amoxicillin in the first 6 months may increase the risk of fluorosis in permanent teeth, said Liang Hong, D.D.S., formerly of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and associates. Dr. Hong, currently of the University of Missouri, Kansas...

HPV transmits nonsexually.(Clinical Capsules)(human papillomavirus)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Anogenital warts in children with human papillomavirus were less predictive of sexual abuse with decreasing age, based on a review of 124 children younger than 13 years with anogenital and respiratory tract human papillomavirus (HPV)...

UTI prophylaxis choices.(Clinical Capsules)(urinary tract infections)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Children who received prophylactic antibiotics for urinary tract infections were significantly more resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, compared with those who didn't receive prophylaxis, said Stephanie A. Lutter, M.D., and colleagues...

Tale of two winter respiratory illnesses.(ID Consult)
November 1, 2005... November marks the season of two viral respiratory illnesses for which steroids are part of the treatment. But although the role of steroids is now established for croup, their use in bronchiolitis remains controversial. Croup, otherwise...

IM dexamethasone may shorten bronchiolitis course.(Infectious Diseases)
November 1, 2005... WARSAW -- A single intramuscular injection of 0.6 mg/kg dexamethasone decreased the duration of symptoms and hospital stay among young children with bronchiolitis in a randomized, placebo controlled trial, according to Jamaree Teeratakulpisarn,...

Pentacel vaccine safety, efficacy data mounting.(Infectious Diseases)
November 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Two phase II clinical studies of a combination vaccine suggest that it is safe and immunogenic, investigators reported in poster presentations at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. An open...

Missing in action.(Letters From Maine)
November 1, 2005... "Honey, I heard a heart murmur this morning!" I'm sure that every year hundreds of first-year medical students share this educational revelation with their spouses and significant others, but when a 60-year-old pediatrician is tempted to email...

Is it appropriate for a physician to dismiss a family for refusing all vaccinations?(Pro & Con)
November 1, 2005... YES It's appropriate to dismiss a family from your practice when it disrupts the physician-patient/parent relationship. It comes down to a matter of trust. If the parents don't trust the physician on an issue as important to a child's...

Before changing the periodicity schedule.(Guest Editorial)
November 1, 2005... There recently has been much discussion about the appropriateness of the current periodicity schedule for pediatric well-child care. In some ways, the current well-child visit schedule makes sense. It's front loaded, with the greatest...

A vote for concierge care.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... I have been in private practice for more than 15 years; 2 years ago I chose to drop all insurance plans ("Concierge Care Gives Time for Kids," September 2005, p. 1). I now see patients, almost 100% of the time, by same-day appointment, for...

Concierge care with time to spare.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... I have had a boutique, concierge, and low-income solo practice for nearly 24 years, and going strong ("Concierge Care Gives Time for Kids," September 2005, p. 1). I also have a 501(c)(3) charity, Step Up for Kids, supported by my...

Boutique critique.(Letters)
November 1, 2005... I found the article on concierge care quite disturbing ("Concierge Care Gives Time for Kids," September, 2005, p. 1). As a practicing general pediatrician, I can sympathize with Dr. Scott Serbin, who has started a concierge pediatric...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2005... Although S. Michael Marcy, M.D., noted in treatment for group A streptococcal pharyngitis that azithromycin and some cephalosporin antibiotics are approved for 5-day courses, treatment with penicillin or amoxicillin should always be for 10 days...

Concierge care: cherry-picking.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... Concierge care is very widespread, just not as blatant as in the case of Dr. Scott Serbin ("Concierge Care Gives Time for Kids," September 2005, p. 1). It is called cherry-picking or dumping. Dr. Serbin refuses difficult, low-paying,...

Atomoxetine warning: risk of suicidal ideation.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
November 1, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration's public health advisory on a potential increased risk of suicidal ideation in children and adolescents taking atomoxetine is a cautious move, given the paucity of data. But the data should not be ignored,...

Family meals offer insight into eating disorders.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
November 1, 2005... MONTREAL -- Treatment for anorexia nervosa might one day use videotapes of family meals to personalize therapy for patients, according to a pilot study. Family mealtimes play a central role in anorexia nervosa, not only because of their...

Family teasing hits home for teen girls.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... When family members teased middle school girls about their appearance, the teasing had a significant impact on the girls' dissatisfaction with their bodies, said Helene Keery, Ph.D., of the Eating Disorders Institute at Methodist Hospital, St....

Day care consult: preschoolers behaving badly.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
November 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- When you hear complaints of a preschooler's behavior at day care, the first step is to be objective, Heidi M. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Parents get a message from...

Money matters: what's the secret?(Behavioral Consult)
November 1, 2005... Perhaps even more than sex, money is a big intergenerational secret in American families, but I'm not sure why. Families may ask their pediatrician questions about how to handle a preschool-aged child's begging for toys while out shopping,...

Parental support in babyhood means better-behaved children.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
November 1, 2005... Parental emotional support of children as young as 1 year of age is associated with a lower incidence of externalizing problems later in childhood. "Our results are suggestive of very early parenting potentially having a long-term impact...

Exercise prescriptions: one size doesn't fit all.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- An exercise prescription for children should take into account the individual's body and personality type, current fitness level, and weight loss goals, Jordan D. Metzl, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of...

Be aggressive with suspected peanut allergy.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... YOSEMITE, CALIF. -- A 13-month-old girl eats one bite of a peanut butter sandwich and vomits immediately. Hives start to appear on her face and trunk, and her face starts to turn red. She also starts to cough and becomes irritable. If your...

Havrix, NovoLog.(New & Approved)
November 1, 2005... Havrix (hepatitis A vaccine, inactivated, GlaxoSmithKline) The Food and Drug Administration approved expanded use of Havrix (hepatitis A vaccine, inactivated) for prevention of hepatitis A in children 12 months and older. Previously,...

Relevance of x-rays tied to [O.sub.2] saturation.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Asthmatic children with low oxygen saturation were significantly more likely to have clinically relevant chest x-rays than were children with normal oxygen saturation, S.V. Joshi, M.D., reported in a poster presentation at the...

Study does not link OC exposure to birth defects.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... ST. PETE BEACH, FLA. -- Periconceptional exposure to oral contraceptives was not associated with any increased risk of adverse fetal outcomes, according to findings of a recent prospective study. Of the 45 women who participated in the...

Clinical pearls for diagnosing, treating dermatitis.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... BLAINE, WASH. -- Skin disorders such as dermatitis can be vexing to parents and children alike out of proportion to their seriousness, Marvin J. Scotvold, M.D., said at a conference sponsored by the North Pacific Pediatric Society. Dr....

Removing foreign bodies with magnets and butter: small disk batteries are challenging to remove, but you also may see bugs in the ear, things up the nose.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- All kinds of foreign bodies end up in children, but among the more challenging ones are the disk batteries that fuel watches, hearing aids, and other compact electronic devices, Angela Anderson, M.D., said at a meeting sponsored by...

Injured children fare best at pediatric trauma centers.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... PHOENIX -- Pediatric trauma patients are not usually brought to pediatric trauma centers and receive less than optimal treatment as a result, according to two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical...

Not all growth disorders reflect hormone deficit.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... BALTIMORE -- Consider a wide range of causes when evaluating a child for a growth disorder, Leslie Plomick, M.D., said at a meeting on pediatric endocrinology sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. Although growth hormone treatment is...

Bianchi may be bridge to small-bowel transplant.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... PHOENIX -- The Bianchi procedure can be a useful rehabilitative surgical procedure for short-bowel syndrome and may serve as a bridge to transplantation, Sonia R. Walker, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical...

Short-bowel syndrome: counting costs.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... PHOENIX -- Recent data suggest that home-based care for pediatric short-bowel syndrome may cost more than an intestinal transplant, Ariel U. Spencer, M.D., said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical...

Expert offers encopresis treatment pearls: clinician says this form of fecal incontinence is highly treatable, but can take 6 months to a year.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... BLAINE, WASH. -- Encopresis is one of the most vexing problems parents and children face, and soiling is one of the primary causes of child abuse, Nancy Glass-Quattrin, R.N., said at a conference sponsored by the North Pacific Pediatric...

Behavioral problems affect success of enuresis conditioning.(Clinical Rounds)
November 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO -- Children with higher levels of externalizing behavior problems were more likely to drop out of enuresis conditioning treatment, whereas children with internalizing behavior problems had more difficulty progressing in treatment,...

Tests help in the diagnosis of GER in children.(Clinical Rounds)(gastroesophageal reflux)
November 1, 2005... BLAINE, WASH. -- Several tests are available to help in the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux in infants and children, Dennis L. Christie, M.D., said at a conference sponsored by the North Pacific Pediatric Society. These include...

Storm-displaced doctors strive to stay in practice.(Practice Trends)
November 1, 2005... In the wake of the severe hurricane season on the Gulf Coast, thousands of displaced physicians are looking for ways to keep practicing medicine. For some, this means relocating to another part of the country or holding down a temporary...

Physicians share the rewards of volunteering: 'you have a feeling that you're doing something that needs to be done,' said Dr. Tom Connally.(The Rest of Your Life)
November 1, 2005... The first time Mark D. Dressner, M.D., joined a group of medical colleagues on a mission trip to Honduras in the early 1990s, he made house calls an hour and a half away from the group's base camp on horseback. "I had never ridden a horse...

Web site provides evacuee's medication history.(Practice Trends)
November 1, 2005... A broad coalition of public and private sector groups has launched a secure Web site where physicians and pharmacists can access medication histories for patients who were evacuated from their homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. ...

Group sees harm to kids in marriage amendment.(Practice Trends)
November 1, 2005... A Constitutional amendment specifying that marriage should be between a man and a woman would be harmful to children being raised by gay or lesbian parents, members of a pediatricians" group said in testimony before a Senate subcommittee. ...

Health IT could lead to billions in net savings.(Practice Trends)
November 1, 2005... The widespread implementation of electronic medical record systems by physicians could lead to $142 billion in net savings over 15 years, according to a study from the Rand Corp. And the implementation of hospital-based systems could mean a...

National Children's Study.(Policy & Practice)
November 1, 2005... Contracts have been awarded to six institutions to pilot and complete the first phases of the largest study undertaken by the federal government to assess the effects of the environment on child and adult health. "The National Children's Study...

Abstinence education.(Policy & Practice)
November 1, 2005... The federal government is awarding $37 million to 63 abstinence education grantees, the Department of Health and Human Services" Administration for Children and Families announced. The awards, from the Community-Based Abstinence Education...

Junk food prevalent in schools.(Policy & Practice)
November 1, 2005... Most schools continue to sell "competitive foods," foods that are not part of federally reimbursable school meals, the General Accountability Office reported in its review of six school districts. The nutritional value of these foods is highly...

Public favors EHRs.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Nearly three-fourths of Americans favor establishing a nationwide electronic information exchange to allow patient health records to be shared quickly among health professionals via the Internet, according to a survey of 800 adults sponsored by...

Pinpointing side effects.(Policy & Practice)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... In a bid to more quickly pinpoint potential side effects of drugs on the market, the Food and Drug Administration has contracted with several organizations to access their prescription drug data. Ingenix Inc., a unit of UnitedHealth Group Inc.;...

Medicaid: getting rid of 'One Size Fits All'.(Practice Trends)
November 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- States should have the flexibility to experiment with innovative measures to improve the Medicaid program, Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) said during a meeting sponsored by the Center for Health Transformation. "One size fits all"...

Oft-forgotten insurance.(Efficient Pediatrician Practices)
November 1, 2005... In recent columns, I discussed issues surrounding medical liability/malpractice insurance and lawsuits. I would now like to wrap up my discussion of insurance with a review of other types of coverage that any general pediatric practitioner...

Nonsteroidal cream for dermatitis.(Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Prescription-only Atopiclair nonsteroidal cream is available for the management of chronic symptoms of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis. The cream's safety has been demonstrated in babies as young as 1 month. For more information, contact...

Antimicrobial products for skin prep.(Products)
November 1, 2005... Chlorascrub products feature 3.15% chlorhexidine gluconate and 70% isopropyl alcohol for infection control. The swabs, swab sticks, and maxi swab sticks can be used for skin preparation for peripheral IVs, blood cultures, and minor surgical...

Irritant-free skin care for kids.(Products)
November 1, 2005... Dr. Bobby's Skin Caring for Kids line of skin care products is irritant free and suitable for all skin types. The line includes moisturizing cream, foaming hand wash, body wash, foaming shampoo, and a multipurpose balm in stick form. The...

Portable diabetes emergency kit.(Products)
November 1, 2005... The GlucaGen HypoKit (glucagon [rDNA origin] for injection) is available for use to treat severe hypoglycemic reactions that may occur in individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes. The GlucaGen HypoKit includes a syringe of sterile water for...

Mobile CME tool.(Products)
November 1, 2005... The MobileCME system allows physicians to take continuing medical education courses on handheld devices--Palm and Pocket PC-based operating system devices and smartphones. Content is delivered from several U.S. medical schools. The free pilot...

Transport pathogens at room temp.(Products)
November 1, 2005... BD Universal Viral Transport is a device that maintains the viability of viruses, chlamydia, mycoplasma, and ureaplasma during transport at room temperature. The device, which contains antimicrobial agents that suppress bacterial and fungal...

Happy toothbrush protector.(Products)
November 1, 2005... The Smiley Toothbrush Holder has a hinged cover to protect toothbrush bristles from airborne bacteria as well as vents in the cover, shaped like a smiley face, to allow enough ventilation for the bristles to dry. It is available in retail...