Pediatric News articles from October 2007

Pediatric News archives from October 2007

Mental health fits in medical homes.(News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "It will be almost mandatory for pediatric offices in the future to have access to an on-site mental health professional in order to meet the needs of our patients," Dr. Francis Rushton predicted. "An...

FDA approves FluMist for use in children aged 2-5: nasal vaccine may be available right now.(News)
October 1, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration has approved the nasal influenza vaccine FluMist for children aged 2-5 years, which could help push up childhood vaccination rates. FluMist manufacturer MedImmune Inc. said that it anticipated shipping the...

Most type 1 teens omit insulin to control weight.(News)
October 1, 2007... AMSTERDAM -- More than 90% of all teenagers with type 1 diabetes omit insulin doses at least occasionally in order to prevent weight gain, according to the results of an international observational study presented by Dr. Soren E. Skovlund at...

Surveys chart a rise in high blood pressure among children, adolescents.(News)
October 1, 2007... The prevalence of high blood pressure among children and adolescents rose during the late 1980s and into the early 2000s despite a downward trend that prevailed during much of the prior 30 years, according to the results of national surveys...

LAIV-T may protect via both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms.(News)
October 1, 2007... A single dose of trivalent live attenuated intranasal influenza vaccine administered to children during a 2003-2004 influenza outbreak was well tolerated and efficacious despite antigenic differences in the vaccine strain and the dominant...

Premature adrenarche linked with metabolic syndrome.(News)
October 1, 2007... Prepubertal girls with premature adrenarche have an increased prevalence of childhood metabolic syndrome, and this appears to be due mainly to their overweight and hyperinsulinism, according to a study. The findings suggest that clinicians...

Suicide rates among youth reverse long decline: hanging/suffocation was the most common method in girls, but "the choking game" is not a likely factor.(News)
October 1, 2007... Suicide among youth and young adults is again on the rise after a 13-year decline, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An analysis of annual data from the CDC's National Vital Statistic System (NVSS)...

'Healthy steps' pilot rated successful at 5.5 years.(News)(Healthy Steps for Young Children)
October 1, 2007... An office-based intervention that provides developmental counseling to parents of young children shows sustained effects in curbing severe discipline and improving parent satisfaction with health care, according to an evaluation conducted when...

Omega-3 fats may cut risk of diabetes in at-risk kids.(News)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... High dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids was linked to a lower rate of islet autoimmunity in children with a genetic predisposition to type 1 diabetes in a large prospective study. "Our data suggest that ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids...

Second malignancies common after childhood leukemia.(News)
October 1, 2007... LOS ANGELES -- Survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma have a 12% chance of developing a second malignant neoplasm within 30 years, according to results of a study Dr. Paolo Boffetta presented at the annual meeting of the American Association...

Physician groups join fight against SCHIP veto; 'we are going to very actively work with other child advocacy groups' to sway votes, AAP's president said.(News)
October 1, 2007... Soon after President Bush delivered on his promise to veto the bipartisan reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) on Oct. 3, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives vowed to round up the votes needed to...

FDA law signed: user fees renewed, authority bolstered.(News)
October 1, 2007... President Bush has signed into law legislation that reauthorizes the Food and Drug Administration's collection of fees from drug and device makers to review their products and gives it new safety monitoring and enforcement powers. The new...

Breaking an old habit.(ID Consult)
October 1, 2007... It's both surprising and humbling to realize that something we've been doing for the last 50 years appears to have been entirely unnecessary and possibly even harmful. We now know that's exactly the case when it comes to prescribing...

Flu vaccination rates low for infants, toddlers.(Infectious Diseases)
October 1, 2007... Influenza vaccination of children aged 6-23 months remains low, with only 21% of children in this age group being fully vaccinated against influenza during the 2005-2006 season, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and...

Very early pertussis vaccine confers protection.(Infectious Diseases)
October 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- Monovalent acellular pertussis vaccine given at birth and 1 month results in immunogenicity in infants by 2 months of age, according to data presented in a late-breaking poster at the annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial...

Tuberculosis infection growing among international adoptees.(Infectious Diseases)
October 1, 2007... Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is becoming increasingly common among children adopted from foreign countries, Dr. Anna Mandalakas and her colleagues reported. Because of this risk, international adoptees should receive tuberculin...

AAP update highlights hand hygiene in office.(Infectious Diseases)
October 1, 2007... Use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is the preferred method of hand hygiene in most situations in the office, according to a newly updated American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on infection prevention and control in ambulatory...

PCV7 reduces invasive pneumococcal disease.(Infectious Diseases)
October 1, 2007... The routine use of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine reduced the annual incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in young children from 62.5 cases per 10,000 patient-years to 15.3 cases per 10,000 patient-years over a 5-year period. ...

Child, teen immunization coverage mostly up.(Infectious Diseases)
October 1, 2007... Immunization coverage in 2006 for children aged 19-35 months held steady for most recommended vaccines and grew for several types, but more recent recommendations in coverage for adolescents aged 13-17 years have not yet reached the same levels...

Otolaryngologist gives sinusitis diagnosis clues.(Infectious Diseases)
October 1, 2007... MAUI, HAWAII -- Look for clues and comorbidities to diagnose sinusitis, a condition that is overdiagnosed and misdiagnosed in children. When examining with an otoscope or nasal speculum, look at the location and the character of the...

Studies cast doubt on steroids for dengue fever.(Infectious Diseases)
October 1, 2007... ASPEN, COLO. -- Corticosteroids have no current role in the management of dengue fever, Dr. Suchitra Rao said at a conference on pediatric infectious diseases sponsored by Children's Hospital, Denver, and the University of Colorado. ...

Expert: antibiotics-for-AOM study is year's best.(Infectious Diseases)
October 1, 2007... ASPEN, COLO. -- A Dutch meta-analysis addressing the long-controversial issue of antibiotics for acute otitis media tops one expert's list of the most important studies in the field of pediatric infectious diseases during the past year. ...

A closer look at the AOM guidelines.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... As a member of the AAP/AAFP Subcommittee on Management of Acute Otitis Media, which authored the 2004 AOM guideline, and as a community pediatrician, I am pleased to see a research group look at follow-up with clinicians from this guideline...

Deflating hyperactivity hype.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... As usual, Dr. William G. Wilkoff hit the nail directly on the head ("The ADHD Adult' Dilemma," Letters From Maine, June 2007, p. 17). Although there are a few children who fulfill the exact criteria for the diagnosis of ADHD and do well on...

It's hard to say goodbye.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... I liked Dr. Charles A. Scott's article about transitioning patients ("Transitioning Your Patients," Efficient Pediatric Practices, June 2007, p. 34). I tell my patients I will see them through college if they wish, not just to age 21. That...

Are warnings on antidepressants backfiring?(Expert Commentary)
October 1, 2007... Our ability to recognize and effectively treat mental health conditions has improved over the last 20 years. As a result, suicide rates across all age groups had been on a steady decline since the early 1990s. But recent data show a disturbing...

Vaccine strategy is costly.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... PEDIATRIC NEWS has published several articles recently citing lack of available funds for vaccinations, as well as articles endorsing increased use of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4). Per the manufacturer's response to my...

Reach out to the community.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... In Dr. Charles A. Scott's article on marketing your pediatric practice, he suggested that one can buy a readymade newsletter that can be custom designed for your practice to send to patients ("Marketing Yourself, Part 2," Efficient Pediatric...

Corrections.(Opinion)(Correction notice)
October 1, 2007... The photograph that accompanied "Universal Flu Shots Will Warrant All Hands on Deck" (July 2007, p. 16) should have been that of Cynthia M. Rand. Our apologies to both physicians. In an infectious disease article, the headline should have...

The cost of continuity.(Letters From Maine)
October 1, 2007... "Welcome to the Bowdoin Medical Group, Mrs. Talbot. We're happy you've chosen to bring your children to see us. You look familiar. Have you been living here in Brunswick for a while?" "Yes, we moved here about 6 years ago, but I got tired...

Autumn: a season for reflecting.(Adviser's Viewpoint)
October 1, 2007... It is the autumn of my life as a pediatrician, and I am given to reflect on a few of the changes in pediatrics that I have observed over the past 4 decades. Of these changes, certainly the most significant has been the change in disease...

"Why isn't my child doing ... X?".(Behavioral Consult)
October 1, 2007... When I was working in a clinic for teenage mothers, I used to relish the times when I would be asked, "Why isn't my child doing...?" Even if the question revealed a lack of knowledge about child development, it meant I was working with a...

Pre-bipolar diagnoses differ for children, adults.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... PITTSBURGH -- The pattern of psychiatric diagnoses preceding the diagnosis of bipolar disorder differs between adults and children, Pandurang M. Kulkarni, Ph.D., and associates reported in a poster at the Seventh International Conference on...

Half of youth bipolar diagnoses may be wrong.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Disease/Disorder overview)
October 1, 2007... Experts say the recent study reporting a huge increase in bipolar diagnoses in youths was not surprising. But it did leave some experts wishing they had more information on how often those diagnoses might be correct. "We know that more and...

Girls who start dieting also often start smoking.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Teenage girls who begin dieting are twice as likely to begin smoking cigarettes regularly, according to a longitudinal study. Among teenage boys, on the other hand, inactive dieters are significantly more likely to begin regular smoking,...

Teens' illicit drug use down, but Rx abuse up.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
October 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- There's good and bad news from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Overall drug use among adolescents has declined since 2002, but prescription drug misuse among young adults has skyrocketed. In the federally...

Task Force endorses schoolwide antiviolence programs.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
October 1, 2007... Universal school-based violence prevention programs are effective and should be used to prevent or reduce violent and aggressive behaviors, according to the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. But some experts argue that although...

Body dysmorphic disorder common with acne.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
October 1, 2007... LOS ANGELES -- Significant numbers of patients with acne have debilitating symptoms normally associated with body dysmorphic disorder, Dr. Whitney P. Bowe said at the annual meeting of the Society for Investigational Dermatology. In her...

ADHD effect on school performance is lasting.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
October 1, 2007... Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder significantly impairs long-term school outcomes, according to a large, retrospective, population-based study. In addition, stimulant treatment makes a difference and significantly improves some school...

Thimerosal: no causal neurologic effects found.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... A study of 1,047 children found no evidence of a causal association between exposure to ethylmercury from the preservative thimerosal in vaccines during the prenatal, neonatal, or first 7 months of life and neuropsychological outcomes at ages...

Encourage language-friendly upbringing for poor children.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
October 1, 2007... STANFORD, CALIF. -- Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds hear only about a third of the number of spoken words as do other children in their first 5 years of life, putting them at a significant disadvantage for language development, Dr....

Scalp nevi in children rarely warrant excision.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... NEW YORK -- Scalp nevi in young children almost always are benign and seldom warrant excision, Dr. Jean Bolognia said at the American Academy of Dermatology's Academy 2007 meeting. Despite the absence of medical necessity, many...

Growth hormone aids Turner syndrome toddlers.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... Early treatment with growth hormone can correct growth failure in infants and toddlers with Turner syndrome, allowing many of them to achieve normal height within a few years, Dr. Marsha Davenport and her colleagues reported. In their...

Low-fat diet from infancy effective and safe.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... Dietary counseling of Finnish families about diets low in saturated fats reduced cholesterol levels in children up to age 14 without affecting growth, development, or the onset of puberty The Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention...

Neuroimaging advances in cerebral palsy.(Special Needs: Realizing Potential)
October 1, 2007... The role of neuroimaging has taken on increasing importance in the diagnosis and management of children with cerebral palsy and other childhood neurologic disorders. Noninvasive techniques, such as MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and...

Zingo, Risperdal.(New & Approved)
October 1, 2007... Zingo (lidocaine HCI monohydrate powder intradermal injection system, Anesiva Inc.) The Food and Drug Administration approved Zingo (0.5 mg lidocaine HCl monohydrate) intradermal injection system for reduction of pain associated with...

Nasal fentanyl reduces severe pain.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... TORONTO -- An investigational nasal spray holds promise as an effective, noninvasive analgesia for children with painful orthopedic injuries, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. ...

Nearly 15% of U.S. children are overweight at 10-17.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... Nearly 15% of U.S. children aged 10-17 years are overweight, according to a report from Trust for America's Health. Rates of overweight among youth ranged from a high of 22.8% in the District of Columbia to a low of 8.5% in the state of...

Inpatient approach works for some obese children.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... NEW ORLEANS -- Inpatient programs that focus on diet, exercise, and behavior appear to be an effective approach to weight management for some obese children. One such program was effective for significantly reducing body weight and waist...

Laser 'gun' can decrease IV cannulation pain.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... TORONTO -- Pretreating the skin with a low-power Erbium:YAG laser significantly reduced the pain of intravenous cannulation in children in a double-blind randomized trial of 94 patients. The laser treatment works by removing a small area of...

Rare periodic fever syndromes erupt on skin.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
October 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- Several genetically based periodic fever syndromes have skin signs that may help clinicians identify the syndromes on the rare occasions when they occur, Dr. Kathryn M. Edwards said at the annual meeting of the Society for Pediatric...

Cowboy gun holster rash may be Lucky Luke dermatitis.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... MIAMI BEACH -- If an infant comes to your practice with diaper rash distributed like a cowboy's gun holster, consider allergic contact dermatitis, Dr. Amy Pallet said at the annual Masters of Pediatrics conference sponsored by the University of...

Nonsteroidal cream soothes eczema.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- A nonsteroidal cream that contains glycyrrhetinic acid (2%) and hyaluronic acid is a safe, effective therapy for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in infants and young children, based on data from 142 patients aged 6 months to 12...

Wireless capsule offers GERD monitoring option.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... TORONTO -- The Bravo capsule may be a viable alternative to conventional esophageal pH monitoring in children with gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, according to data from a retrospective study in 33 patients. A big advantage for...

Intermittent tacrolimus may prevent AD flares.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- Intermittent treatment with tacrolimus ointment kept atopic dermatitis under control with no need for corticosteroids in children and adolescents aged 2-15 years whose conditions had stabilized. Because concerns persist about...

Combination gel Ziana improves acne lesions.(Clinical Rounds)
October 1, 2007... CHICAGO -- An aqueous gel formula that combines 0.025% tretinoin and 1.2% clindamycin phosphate significantly reduces both inflammatory and noninflammatory acne lesions, Dr. James Leyden said in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the...

N.Y. City starts cash incentives so poor get care.(Practice Trends)
October 1, 2007... NEW YORK -- A new program in New York City that pays low-income families for obtaining preventive medical care and for maintaining health insurance is garnering its share of praise and skepticism among physicians who practice there. Under...

Ketogenic diet for seizure control effective but underused.(Practice Trends)
October 1, 2007... MAUI, HAWAII -- Although a high-fat ketogenic diet is effective in helping epilepsy patients control their seizures, it is underutilized because it is misunderstood, said Dr. Eileen P.G. Vining. The diet is not difficult. It can be...

Conflict in the workplace.(On the Learning Curve)
October 1, 2007... As I have spoken with my young physician colleagues about their experiences in independent practice, many of them have expressed surprise at how frequently conflict has arisen in their workplaces and how unprepared they were to deal with it....

Negotiating health care charges.(Health Policy: The Fine Line)
October 1, 2007... I recently admitted an out-of-state child to a local hospital. A couple of months after discharge, I received a frustrated call from the father, who stated that even though the child was insured, he was being charged a couple thousand dollars...

New VP for AAP.(Policy & Practice)
October 1, 2007... The new vice president of the American Academy of Pediatrics intends to work with the academy's leadership to improve access to care for children by fighting to enhance payments to pediatricians under Medicaid and SCHIP, the self-described...

Tamper-resistant Rx rule postponed.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Congress has passed and President Bush has signed into law emergency legislation to delay until March 31, 2008, a requirement that tamper-resistant prescription pads be used for all Medicaid prescriptions. National Community Pharmacists...

Arkansas reworks BMI program.(Policy & Practice)
October 1, 2007... Arkansas' 4-year-old program to combat childhood obesity, which includes mandatory school-based body mass index (BMI) screenings, appears to have halted the rise in the obesity rate for the state's children. A report released last month showed...

Court ends 'Kiss and Tell' suit.(Policy & Practice)
October 1, 2007... An appeals court has dismissed appeals to a Kansas lawsuit, ending attempts to enforce an interpretation of the state's child abuse law that that would have required health care providers and counselors to report all sexual activity by...

N.J. Task Force eyes physician gifts.(Policy & Practice)
October 1, 2007... The New Jersey Attorney General's Advisory Task Force on Physician Compensation, which met for the first time in September, is examining the potential impact of payments and gifts to physicians from the drug and device industry. The task force...

Federal officials launch major ADHD study on cardiac risk.(Practice Trends)
October 1, 2007... Officials at the Food and Drug Administration and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are launching a large-scale study aimed at determining whether the medications used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder expose...

Number of uninsured U.S. children is growing.(Practice Trends)
October 1, 2007... The number of Americans without health insurance reached 47 million last year, up from 44.8 million in 2005, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The percentage of individuals without health insurance also rose from...

Creating the 'perfect mesh,' part 2.(Efficient Pediatrician Practices)
October 1, 2007... Last month we covered the basics of developing and retaining a "perfect mesh" of coworkers in a medical specialty office, and started the topic of performance evaluations. Who does employee evaluations in your practice? I usually recommend...