Pediatric News back issues from November 2007:
MCV4 advocated for at-risk kids aged 2-10.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ATLANTA -- The tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine is now recommended for children aged 2-10 years with an increased risk of meningococcal disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted ...
Preventive care guidelines gain useful how-tos: 'bright futures' replaces three older sets.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Guidelines for well-child visits and anticipatory guidance just got simpler. For the first time, one set of guidelines will replace three separate documents from three different organizations, with the release of the third edition of "Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health ...
Interim ban expected on OTC cold products for tots.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... SILVER SPRING, MD. -- The Food and Drug Administration is expected to issue interim recommendations to the public about the use of over-the-counter cough and cold products in children, in response its advisory panel's recommendation that these products not be used in children under age 6 ...
Average workweeks in selected primary care specialties were similar in 2006.(VITAL SIGNS)
Nov 01, 2007 ... <Pre> Average Workweeks in Selected Primary Care Specialties Were Similar in 2006 Internal medicine: pediatric(n = 76) 38.7 hours Internal medicine: general(n = 3,368) 37.0 hours Pediatric: hospitalist(n = 62) 36.6 hours Family practice ...
Study: children tend to follow moms as overweight or obese.(News)(Clinical report)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Having an overweight or obese mother puts children at in-creased risk of becoming overweight or obese themselves by age 7 years, according to a longitudinal study published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Other risk factors for obesity identified in the study ...
Advise against sedating children with OTC antihistamines.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... In the setting of the cough and cold medication debate rests another: Whether parents should attempt to sedate their children with over-the-counter cough and cold medications before travel. Most experts contacted suggested countering the common misperception that the practice is acceptable ...
Advice on fish in pregnancy sparks controversy.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... A Coalition that advocates for healthy pregnancies came under criticism after issuing an advisory urging pregnant women to eat more fish, based on an evidence review that received financial support from the fisheries industry. In a statement issued last month, the National ...
SCHIP's fate unclear as Congress, bush battle.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... With the end of the year drawing near--and Congress past due to adjourn the fate of the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Plan was unclear at press time. SCHIP received one reprieve last month when Congress approved a continuing resolution to keep the ...
Levofloxacin safe, effective against pneumonia in children.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Levofloxacin appears to be at least as safe and effective as standard-of-care drugs for children with community-acquired pneumonia, Dr. John S. Bradley and colleagues reported. Levofloxacin is not approved for pediatric use, largely because juvenile lab animals taking large ...
Pandemic flu plans said to underserve children.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Current plans for pandemic influenza preparedness in the United States leave major gaps when it comes to protecting children, a new report charges. "Pandemic Influenza: Warning, Children At-Risk" was issued jointly by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the nonprofit ...
ACIP clarifies PCV7 catch-up recommendations in young children.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... ATLANTA -- Healthy children between 2 and 5 years of age who have been incompletely vaccinated against pneumococcal disease should receive one dose of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ...
FluMist recommended in nonwheezing kids aged 2-5.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... ATLANTA -- The live, attenuated influenza virus vaccine can be used in children 2-5 years of age with no wheezing in the past 12 months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended at their fall meeting. Live, ...
Multiple tools to improve mental health services.(News)
Nov 01, 2007; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- There's no quick way around the barriers faced by children who need mental health care, so pediatricians are developing a string of strategies to improve delivery of mental health services, Dr. Jane M. Foy said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. ...
AA offers guidelines, tool kit for universal autism screening.(News)
Nov 01, 2007 ... SAN FRANCISCO -- New clinical guidelines advocate surveillance for signs of autism at each well-child visit before 18 months of age and screening for autism at the 18- and 24-month checkups. "I know what you're thinking--Aah! Another thing to do in an 11-minute well-child ...
Down syndrome may call for RSV prophylaxis.(Infectious Diseases)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Down syndrome by itself is a risk factor for severe respiratory syncytial virus infections of the lower respiratory tract and may merit an indication for prophylaxis with palivizumab, according to investigators who followed 395 patients in the Netherlands. All told, 39 children ...
MRSA panic unwarranted.(ID Consult)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has become the new disease of the moment, with alarming headlines almost daily this autumn about the "killer" bacterium. While of course MRSA is a real concern, we physicians can help by reassuring people that we have tools to deal with this ...
Revised cervical Ca management guidelines issued.(Infectious Diseases)
Nov 01, 2007; ... MINNEAPOLIS -- The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology has issued new consensus guidelines on the management of women with abnormal cervical screening tests and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, emphasizing changes for special populations such as adolescents and ...
Multiple pathogens often found in bronchiolitis.(Infectious Disease)
Nov 01, 2007; ... SAN DIEGO -- Respiratory syncytial virus was the most common virus detected in young children with bronchiolitis, but nearly 40% were infected with other viruses, results from a single-center study showed. "The results suggest that further study is warranted to learn more about ...
Researchers raise alarm over resistant AOM bug.(Infectious Diseases)
Nov 01, 2007; ... A strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae that is resistant to all antibiotics approved to treat acute otitis media in children has been identified as an otopathogen. The multidrug-resistant serotype 19A strain is not included in the pneumococcal 7-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV-7), ...
As MDR S. pneumoniae 19A spreads, Penems show promise.(Infectious Diseases)(Conference news)
Nov 01, 2007; ... CHICAGO -- The multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 19A continues to spread across the United States, according to a study led by Dr. David J. Farrell. "And we believe that that the emergence of this 19A clone has been driven by the 7-valent pneumococcal ...
Neonatal CNS herpes is a diagnostic challenge.(Infectious Diseases)
Nov 01, 2007; ... ASPEN, COLO. -- A negative cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction test for herpes simplex virus does not rule out neonatal herpes with CNS involvement, Dr. April Palmer said a conference on pediatric infectious diseases sponsored by Children's Hospital, Denver, and the University of ...
Mumps outbreak shows vaccine highly effective.(Infectious Diseases)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Mumps outbreaks can occur even among highly vaccinated populations, according to a new report on an outbreak that took place at a summer camp in upstate New York in 2005. The outbreak had a total of 31 confirmed cases of mumps and 55% of the cases were known to have had two ...
The effects of addiction on the family.(Behavioral Consult)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Healthy family interactions depend to a large degree on parental attention that is empathetically focused on the developing child. In every family, there are expectable competing priorities for that attention, including work-related stress, illness, financial constraints, and the needs of ...
Nicotine in breast milk disrupts infant's sleep.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
Nov 01, 2007; ... A mother who smokes and breastfeeds appears to be giving her infant a dose of nicotine that significantly interferes with the baby's sleep, according to the results of a study. Infants spent an average of about a third less time sleeping after their mothers smoked just prior to ...
Kids with colds: what now?(Guest Editorial)
Nov 01, 2007; ... The use of over-the-counter cough and cold preparations in infants and young children has evolved into an extremely common practice and over the last decade there has been an increasing awareness of the potentially toxic--and unfortunately potentially fatal--consequence. We are becoming ...
Tapping a resource for families.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Dr. Michael S. Jellinek's recent column was given to me by a member of my congregation ("Running on Empty: The Busy Family," Behavioral Consult, September 2007, p. 19). I appreciated his simple, straightforward strategy to fighting familial stress. I am a Presbyterian minister, ...
How much cephalexin for strep throat?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; ... In his article about amoxicillin failure in strep throat, Dr. Michael E. Pichichero mentions using Cephalexin b.i.d, for 10 days ("Amoxicillin Failure in Strep Throat," ID Consult, September 2007, p. 10). What dose does he use per kg/day, and what does he use for adolescents? ...
Amoxicillin dosing for strep throat.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; ... I found Dr. Michael E. Pichichero's recent articles quite informative and have used some of his recommendations in my own practice ("Amoxicillin Failure in Strep Throat," September 2007, p. 10). Has anyone looked into simply increasing the dose of amoxicillin to better ...
Accounts receivable in action.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Nineteen months ago our 35-person group practice read with great interest Dr. Joseph S. Eastern's article ("How to Slash Accounts Receivable," Guest Editorial, March 2006, p. 23). He suggested obtaining a credit card "imprint" from all patients and billing them once the patient ...
Corrections.(Opinion)(Correction notice)
Nov 01, 2007 ... The "Special Needs: Realizing Potential" column ("Taking the First Step With Down Syndrome," Sept. 1, 2007, p. 44) should have read: "Children with Down syndrome have three primary physical problems that affect their gross motor development: hypotonia, decreased strength, and hypermobility ...
Pain relievers.(Opinion)(Cartoon)
Nov 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Actually, they could put Humpty ...
Meet-and-greets.(Letters From Maine)
Nov 01, 2007; ... It would be an exaggeration to say that I have a love-hate relationship with meet-and-greet visits. Let's just say that I know that it can be very important to sit down with families who are shopping for a pediatrician. But, these investigatory sessions can throw my office schedule into a ...
Finnish study casts doubt on hygiene hypothesis.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Preventing common respiratory and gastrointestinal tract illnesses in young children does not make them more prone to develop allergic disorders when they reach their teenage years, Danish researchers reported. The finding casts doubt on the hygiene hypothesis, first proposed ...
AAP steps up surveillance on infant hearing loss.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics call for prompt intervention when infants fail hearing tests and for ongoing surveillance of all infants--regardless of risk factors for hearing loss--during well baby exams and other office visits. Since the last policy ...
'Active naturals' may help treat atopic dermatitis.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Ingredients in oatmeal and other natural products increasingly are being investigated as adjuncts to therapy and as alternatives to medications, Dr. Lawrence F. Eichenfield said at a meeting sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. Some product ...
Four P's help diagnose allergic contact dermatitis.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Allergic contact dermatitis looks like other forms of dermatitis, but the history and some visual clues can help make the diagnosis, Dr. Anna L. Bruckner said at a meeting sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. A history of exposure to common contact ...
Topical steroid prescribing low in atopic dermatitis patients.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Topical corticosteroids, a first-line therapy for atopic dermatitis, appear to be poorly prescribed for pediatric patients, based on an analysis of data from two national databases of patient visits. Fewer than a third of the estimated 7.4 million physician visits for AD by ...
You can manage Sturge-Weber syndrome.(Special Needs: Realizing Potential)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Consider the possibility of Sturge-Weber syndrome in neonates born with a facial port-wine birthmark. Sturge-Weber syndrome is a relatively rare congenital disorder that is indicated at birth by a pink to dark red port-wine birthmark, typically located on one or both sides of the forehead ...
Topical anesthetic devices make starting pediatric IV easier.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- Techniques to speed up topical anesthesia and to help find small veins can assist in getting an IV line going quickly in a sick child, Dr. Bernard W. Dannenberg said at an emergency medicine conference sponsored by Stanford University. Topical pain control ...
Expert offers creative tips on giving neuro exam.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... MAUI, HAWAII -- Be creative and confident in performing pediatric neurologic examinations, urged Dr. Eileen Vining. She offered a variety of tips on how to test children, encouraging physicians not to be constrained or intimidated by the classic neurologic exam. "There are a lot ...
Long-term tacrolimus use prevents AD flares.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... NEW YORK -- Long-term use of tacrolimus ointment was effective in managing atopic dermatitis and preventing disease flares in a group of adults and children, Dr. Alan B. Fleischer said in a poster presented at the American Academy of Dermatology's Academy 2007 meeting. Dr ....
Lamisil oral granules, Norditropin cartridges.(New & Approved)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Lamisil Oral Granules (terbinafine HCl, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.) The Food and Drug Administration approved Lamisil Oral Granules, a new pediatric formulation of terbinafine HCl, for the treatment of tinea capitis in children 4 years and older. * ...
ECG may be best for screening young athletes.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... The use of resting 12-lead electrocardiography in sports preparticipation screening detects adolescent and young adult athletes who have diseases associated with sudden cardiac death with a lower false-positive rate than do personal symptoms and family history questionnaires, according to ...
Adolescent sleepwalkers are often agitated.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... STANFORD, CALIF. -- Sleepwalking peaks in adolescence, and it's no wonder, Dr. Rafael Pelayo said at a pediatric update sponsored by Stanford University. A disorder of arousal in delta (non-REM) sleep, sleepwalking coincides with growth spurts. It can be exacerbated by sleep ...
Treat obesity before using anticholesterol drugs.(Clinical Rounds)
Nov 01, 2007; ... STANFORD, CALIF. -- Picture a 15-year-old Hispanic girl who is 152.5 cm tall, weighs 88.7 kg, and has a body mass index of 38 kg/[m.sup.2]. Her father has hyperlipidemia, but she has no family history of a premature coronary artery event (such as a myocardial infarction in a family member ...
Developmental Milestones system.(Products)(Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status: Developmental Milestones)(Brief article)
Nov 01, 2007 ... A new measure called Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status: Developmental Milestones (PEDS:DM) enables pediatricians and family practitioners to track children's developmental strengths and weaknesses from birth to age 8. The system consists of a book of four-color laminated forms, ...
Extended-release asthma tablets.(Products)
Nov 01, 2007 ... The extended-release version of Zyflo (zileuton) tablets, Zyflo CR, is now for sale in the United States as a twice-daily medication for the prevention and treatment of asthma in patients aged 12 years ...
Noise-canceling stethoscope.(Products)
Nov 01, 2007 ... The 3M Littmann Model 3000 stethoscope offers noise-reduction technology and amplification up to 18 times greater than nonelectronic stethoscopes. Much as with noise-canceling headphones, distracting noise (such ...
Nonprescription iron supplement.(Products)
Nov 01, 2007 ... NextWave Pharmaceuticals has launched MyKidz Iron, a nonprescription liquid iron supplement that delivers 10 mg of elemental iron, the recommended daily dose for children under the age of 4 years, in every 2-mL dose. MyKidz Iron also ...
Local anesthetic for venipuncture.(Products)(LidoSite topical system)(Brief article)
Nov 01, 2007 ... The LidoSite topical system (10% lidocaine HCl/0.1% epinephrine topical iontophoretic patch and LidoSite controller) provides analgesia for patients who experience a high level of discomfort during blood draws and intravenous ...
Teen smoking, substance abuse linked.(Policy & Practice)
Nov 01, 2007; ... The nicotine in tobacco products poses a significant danger of structural and chemical changes in developing brains that can make teens more vulnerable to alcohol and other drug addiction, as well as to mental illness, according to a new white paper from Columbia University. The paper, ...
Combined vaccine sheet considered.(Policy & Practice)
Nov 01, 2007; ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering a new vaccine information statement that would combine information for six childhood vaccines, including DTaP, Haemophilus influenzae type b, inactivated polio vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, hepatitis B, and rotavirus ....
CDC: schools improving health, safety.(Policy & Practice)
Nov 01, 2007; ... U.S. schools have made considerable improvements in their policies and programs to promote the health and safety of students, particularly in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use, according to a CDC study. But more work is needed on health and wellness policies and ...
NIH adds 22 centers to study.(Policy & Practice)
Nov 01, 2007; ... The National Children's Study, the largest study ever on the effects of environmental and genetic factors on child and human health in the United States, has awarded contracts to 22 new study centers to manage recruitment and data collection in 26 additional communities. The new centers ...
Disordered eating in overweight teens.(Policy & Practice)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Factors such as teasing by family, personal weight concerns, and dieting/unhealthy weight-control behaviors are strong and consistent predictors of overweight status, binge eating, and extreme weight-control behaviors later in adolescence, a study in the American Journal of Preventive ...
Medicaid enrollment declines.(Policy & Practice)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Enrollment in Medicaid declined in 2007 for the first time in nearly a decade, primarily because new documentation requirements have caused significant delays in processing applications and because of the strong economy and lower unemployment, according to a new 50-state survey from the ...
Exercise: easier vowed than done.(On the Learning Curve)
Nov 01, 2007; ... As we move into the winter months, many of us are likely to come home from a long day at work (in the dark), make dinner, and turn on the television. The sun sets too early to go for a walk after dinner with your family, and it is hard to get out of bed on those cold mornings to go for a ...
The dilemma of leaving Medicaid.(Health Policy: The Fine Line)
Nov 01, 2007; ... I recently had a discussion with the mother of a chronically ill child. She had just gotten a new job, and she was explaining to me her hesitation to switch her child off of Medicaid and onto the company-offered private health care plan. What options are available to ease this decision? ...
Health IT adoption varies among specialties.(Practice Trends)
Nov 01, 2007; ... Adoption of health information technology varies significantly among physicians in different specialties, according to a new study from the Center for Studying Health System Change. While only 12% of physicians overall have adopted comprehensive electronic medical records ...
Tricks of the trade.(Efficient Pediatrician Practices)
Nov 01, 2007; ... I am going to wind down my columns and take a hiatus from the messages I have been developing for my practicing pediatric colleagues. I have been writing monthly columns for the past several years, and have decided to take a break from all the deadlines. I hope my columns have ...