Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pediatrics for March 2006. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Childhood Infections May Cut Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk
FRIDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- Fending off more infections in childhood may result in a lower risk of producing rheumatoid factor in later life, and consequently rheumatoid arthritis, according to study in the March issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
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No Long-Term Negative Outcome From Neonate Study
FRIDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- A controversial U.K. study conducted in the 1990s to determine if continuous negative-extrathoracic-pressure (CNEP) ventilation was more effective than standard ventilation did not cause any long-term harm to premature infants, contrary to parents' concerns at the time, according to a study in the April 1 issue of The Lancet.
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Trajectory of Child's Cortex Growth Linked to IQ
THURSDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have discovered that the trajectory of cortical development in childhood, rather than overall size, more closely correlates with intelligence, according to a report in the March 30 issue of Nature.
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Adults May Have Greater Role Than Children in Flu's Spread
THURSDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- The spread of influenza over the past 30 years in the United States is closely correlated with workplace commuting rather than geographic distance, suggesting that adults rather than children may be more important in spreading the disease, according to a study published online March 30 in Science.
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Renal Disease Delay With Diabetes Onset Before Age 5
THURSDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- Children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before puberty tend to experience a delay in the development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) compared with children diagnosed after puberty, according to a study in the March issue of Diabetes Care.
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Avian Flu Vaccine Stimulates Immune Response in Some
WEDNESDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- A new vaccine against the H5N1 influenza virus shows promising results in an early safety trial where it failed to cause severe side effects and stimulated neutralizing antibody production in over half of subjects receiving the highest doses, according to a report in the March 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Genetic Mutation Linked To Seizures in Amish Children
WEDNESDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified a genetic mutation that correlates with the development of recessive symptomatic focal epilepsy in Old Order Amish children, according to a report in the March 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Study Identifies Attributes of Successful Medical Group
WEDNESDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- Strong visionary leadership, a sense of ownership and a patient-oriented approach are among the traits that make one Minneapolis medical group a role model for physicians, according to a case study in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Fourteen Factors Affect Use of Electronic Health Records
WEDNESDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- Fourteen factors affect the use of electronic health records (EHRs) in physicians' practices, ranging from their physical location to patients' perceptions of them, according to the results of an ethnographic study published in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Five Weeks Postpartum, Fatigue Still Common
TUESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Five weeks after giving birth, women report persistent symptoms ranging from fatigue to diminished interest in sex, and such symptoms are more common in women who are breast-feeding or who have had a Caesarean section, according to research published in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Average Pregnancy Length Drops to 39 Weeks in U.S.
TUESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- The mean pregnancy length for spontaneous births in the United States fell from 40 weeks in 1992 to 39 weeks in 2002, according to a report published in the February issue of Seminars in Perinatology.
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Stress Reduces Gene Expression in Asthmatics
TUESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- In asthmatic children, stress significantly reduces expression of the glucocorticoid and beta 2-adrenergic receptor genes, which may decrease their sensitivity to the anti-inflammatory and bronchodilatory effects of glucocorticoids and beta 2-agonists, according to a study published online March 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Audiotape May Help Children Undergoing Surgery
TUESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- An audiotape of guided imagery may ease anxiety or pain in children before and after surgery by encouraging them to imagine they are playing in a park, according to a report in the April issue of the Journal of Pediatric Nursing.
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Financial Disclosure by Physicians Builds Patient Trust
MONDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who are explicitly informed about how their physicians are compensated feel they have a better grip on money's impact on their health care and trust their doctors more, according to a study in the March 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
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MRI May Not Help for Early Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis
MONDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Magnetic resonance imaging may not be useful in the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and may lead to over-diagnosis and over-treatment, according to a review article published online March 24 in BMJ.
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Emergency Protocol Targets Asthma, Anaphylaxis in Schools
FRIDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- An emergency protocol developed in 1998 after two Omaha children died from acute asthma attacks at school could serve as a national model for other school-based programs for children and adolescents with asthma and anaphylaxis, according to a study published in the March issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
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Study Urges Evaluation of Training to Detect Child-Abuse
FRIDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Simple checklists and flow diagrams can help health professionals identify child abuse, but the lack of an evidence-based approach to child-protection training may hamper their ability to fully participate in the child-protection process, according to a study published online March 23 in Archives of Disease in Childhood.
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Child's Food Allergy Can Affect Entire Family
THURSDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- A child's food allergy often has a disruptive effect on family life, with half of families reporting an impact on their social activities and one in 10 families saying the allergy prompted them to home-school, according to a study published in the March issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
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E-Mailing Patients Is Helpful, But Can Have Pitfalls
THURSDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Although e-mail can be a useful way to communicate with patients, physicians should have policies to counteract the potential pitfalls of online communication and resources, according to a review article in the March issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
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Teen Use of Herbal Products Linked to Substance Use
THURSDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- More than a quarter of high school students report using herbal products and those that do are more likely to have also used substances including alcohol, tobacco and drugs, according to a study published online March 23 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
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Treating Mothers' Depression Helps Their Children, Too
TUESDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- When a mother's depression goes into remission, it has a positive effect on the mental health of her children, according to a study in the March 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Most Often Cited Research Increasingly Industry Funded
MONDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- The most frequently cited medical research is increasingly funded by industry, such as biotechnology and drug companies, according to a study published online March 17 in BMJ.
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Family Members Can Assist TB Patients with Treatment
MONDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- In remote parts of the world where tuberculosis patients cannot be directly observed taking their medication by a health care worker, treatment success is similar when a family member substitutes in the role as observer, researchers report in the March 18 issue of The Lancet.
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Methamphetamine Use Linked to Risky Heterosexual Sex
FRIDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Methamphetamine use is associated with high-risk sexual behavior in young heterosexual men, according to a report in the March 17 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Parents Mourning a Child's Death at Suicide Risk
FRIDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Some parents distraught by the death of a terminally ill child may attempt or commit suicide using the child's painkilling drugs, particularly if the patient received palliative care at home prior to death, according to two case reports in the March 18 issue of BMJ.
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Low Intelligence Risk with Small Birth Length, Head Size
FRIDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Preterm boys with a small birth length and head circumference, rather than those with a low birth weight, are more likely to have a risk of impaired intellectual performance later on in life, Swedish researchers report in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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Energy Intake at 4 Months of Age Predicts Obesity Risk
FRIDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Dietary energy intake at the age of 4 months predicts childhood obesity risk in infants fed formula or a combination of formula and breast milk, U.K. researchers report in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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Preterm Infants at Greater Risk of Abuse in Childhood
FRIDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Infants born preterm or with low birth weight are more likely to be registered with child protection services later on in life due to all categories of child abuse, including sexual abuse, according to a study published online March 17 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
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Atkins Diet Associated with Severe Ketoacidosis
FRIDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- A 40-year-old obese woman who strictly adhered to the Atkins diet for one month ended up developing ketoacidosis and required hospitalization in the intensive care unit, according to a case report published in the March 18 issue of The Lancet.
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Most Infants of Women with West Nile Virus Born Normal
THURSDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Seventy-two infants have been born to women infected with West Nile virus (WNV) in the United States during pregnancies in 2003-2004, and most of the infants were healthy and lacked laboratory evidence of congenital WNV infection, according to a study published in the March issue of Pediatrics. Although seven infants were born with major congenital anomalies, only three had defects that could have been due to maternal WNV infection.
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Lower Mortality Risk Linked to Reduction in Air Pollution
THURSDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Reductions in fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) are associated with lower risks of mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory disease, according to a study in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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High Mesothelioma Risk from Volcanic Mineral Exposure
THURSDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- High levels of mesothelioma in some Turkish villages is associated with environmental exposure to the volcanic mineral fibrous zeolite, according to a study in the March 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Routine Screening Prompts HIV Tests in Adolescents
THURSDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents diagnosed with HIV in health care facilities enter treatment much sooner than those diagnosed by tests in non-health care settings such as at detention centers, blood banks, child protection services or the military, according to a study published in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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Iron Deficiency in Children Associated with H. pylori
THURSDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Helicobacter pylori infection is independently associated with iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia in rural Alaskan children, and all three conditions are highly prevalent in this population, according to a study in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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Medicaid-Insured Children Face Asthma Care Barriers
THURSDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Medicaid-insured children face unique barriers to asthma care, with many parents aware of the proper treatment for their children, but stymied by a lack of continuity of care or other problems, according to a study published in the March issue of Chest.
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Transfer of Blastocyst-Stage Embryo Better for IVF
WEDNESDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- Transfer of a single blastocyst-stage embryo leads to better rates of pregnancy and delivery in infertile women under age 36 than transfer of a single cleavage-stage embryo, researchers report in the March 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Pediatric HIV Patients Can Recover Thymic Activity in Time
WEDNESDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- Clinically stable teens and young adults who were infected with HIV during infancy appear to recover thymic volume and activity to levels similar to their peers who are not HIV infected, researchers report in the March 21 issue of AIDS.
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Antibiotics Before Age One Double Asthma Risk
WEDNESDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- Antibiotics use during the first year of life is associated with a twofold higher risk of developing asthma in childhood compared with no antibiotic use, and additional courses of antibiotics further increase the risk, Canadian researchers report in the March issue of Chest.
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Humidity Treatment Not Effective for Severe Croup
TUESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- High humidity is no better than low humidity or a misting blow-by therapy for emergency treatment of children with moderate to severe viral croup, according to a report in the March 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The results suggest that humidity is ineffective in general for such patients, the authors conclude.
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Heavy Marijuana Use May Cause Cognitive Deficits
TUESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy marijuana use for five years or longer is associated with deficits in memory, thinking speed and other cognitive functions, according to a study in the March 14 issue of Neurology.
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Low Serotonin in Brainstem May Inhibit Hypoxic Gasping
TUESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have discovered that low serotonin levels in the main brainstem respiratory center may inhibit autoresuscitative gasping during hypoxia, according to the March 8 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings may have important implications for understanding sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
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Blood Test Useful to Predict Sickle Cell Complications
TUESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- A simple test for serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is useful in predicting serious complications from sickle cell disease, according to a report in the March 15 issue of Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.
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Infant Feeding Method Not Related to Future Obesity
MONDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Whether infants are breast-fed or formula-fed, and the age at which they are introduced to solid food, have no impact on adiposity at age 5, according to a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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Red Blood Count Poor Predictor for Brain Damage In Infants
MONDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Although preterm infants with cerebral white matter injury have a significant increase in nucleated red blood cell counts, using this as a predictive test is problematic because acute and chronic hypoxia-ischemia can also increase these counts, according to a study in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Study Finds Calcium Cuts Major Pregnancy Complications
FRIDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- A worldwide trial of calcium supplementation for pregnant women with low calcium intake shows that major complications such as eclampsia might be avoided if at-risk patients add 1.5 grams of calcium to their daily diet, according to a report in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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TV Not Linked to Attention Deficit in Children
THURSDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Early childhood exposure to television is not significantly linked to subsequent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a report in the March issue of Pediatrics. A previous study addressing the same issue had a number of flaws, the authors say.
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Fewer Abortions in Texas Since Parental Notification Law
WEDNESDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) -- A Texas law requiring physicians to notify a parent at least 48 hours before a minor child undergoes an abortion is associated with lower abortion rates among most minors, but also with higher rates of birth and second-trimester abortions in a subgroup of minors, according to a study published in the March 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Replacing Sugary Beverages Drops BMI for Some Teens
WEDNESDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) -- Replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with noncaloric drinks leads to a significant drop in adolescents' mean body mass index (BMI), but only those whose baseline BMI was in the upper third, researchers report in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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Children Under 10 at Highest Risk of Dog Bites
WEDNESDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) -- Dog bites occur most often in children under 10, by dogs that the children know, particularly German shepherds and Dobermans, Austrian researchers report in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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High Risk of Hospital Visits After Air Particle Exposure
TUESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Short-term exposure to particulate air pollution significantly increases the risk of hospital admission for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, according to a report in the March 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Higher Suicide Ideation for Youth on Antidepressants
TUESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Antidepressant use in pediatric patients may be associated with a modestly increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, according to a study in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Anorexia Nervosa Appears to Be Moderately Heritable
TUESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Anorexia nervosa appears to be a moderately inheritable mental illness that is linked to early neuroticism, according to a study of Swedish twins in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Glioblastoma Survival May Improve With Chloroquine
TUESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Glioblastoma multiforme patients treated with chloroquine after surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy demonstrated more than double the median survival of those who did not receive chloroquine, according to a study in the March 7 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Children Should Not Receive Edetate Disodium for Chelation
TUESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Based on the deaths of two children and one adult, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that children never receive intravenous edetate disodium (Na2EDTA) as a chelating agent, and that hospitals evaluate if they even need to stockpile the material, according to a report in the March 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Community-Acquired MRSA Seen as Emerging Threat
TUESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are rapidly emerging as a community-acquired pathogen, according to two studies in the March 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Anxiety and Depression Linked to Weight Gain in Girls
MONDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Girls who have anxiety disorders and depression are more likely to gain weight over time and to have a higher body mass index later in life, according to a study in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Depressed Teen Girls at Risk of Later Partner Abuse
MONDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescent girls who display symptoms of depression are more likely to be physically abused by a partner later in life than their non-depressed counterparts, according to a study in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Parenting Style Affected by Postpartum Depression
MONDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Symptoms of maternal postpartum depression are not only common, but also have an adverse effect on parenting practices, according to a study in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Although safety-related practices are similar among mothers with or without depression, mothers with depressive symptoms are less likely to continue breast-feeding, show books to their infants, play with them, talk to them and follow routines.
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Parents of Dying Children Recommend Improving Care
MONDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Parents of terminally ill children say there are six important factors when it comes to improving end-of-life care in the hospital, including support and access to staff as well as complete information and coordination of care, researchers report in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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CDC Reports Product Available for Post-Exposure Varicella
MONDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- An investigational immune globulin product for post-exposure treatment of varicella zoster is now available for qualified patients who are at increased risk for serious complications and disease, according to a report in the March 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The only U.S.-licensed manufacturer of varicella zoster immune globulin (VZIG) discontinued the product in 2004 and stocks are nearly depleted.
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Early Miscarriage Risk Linked to Obstetric Complications
MONDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Women at risk for miscarriage in the first trimester have a slightly higher risk of hemorrhage after giving birth, preterm delivery, elective Caesareans and other complications, according to a study in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Immigrants Tend to Have Better Health Than U.S.-Born
MONDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Immigrants are generally in better physical and mental health than their U.S.-born counterparts, despite limited access to health care and limited or no health insurance, according to a report published March 1 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Data in Drug Company Brochures Not Always Correct
FRIDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Study information presented in the pharmaceutical company brochures is not always correct, and physicians should review the original study before changing prescribing behavior, according to a study published online March 2 in BMC Family Practice.
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Delayed-Release ADHD Drug Less Likely to Be Abused
FRIDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- A delayed-release formulation of methylphenidate used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder accumulates more slowly in the blood and the brain and may have a lower potential for abuse, according to a study in the March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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Experimental Vaccine Prevents Ear Infections in Infants
FRIDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- A vaccine containing proteins derived from 11 different strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae conjugated to Haemophilus influenzae-derived protein D can reduce cases of acute otitis media in children by one-third, according to a study published in the March 4 issue of The Lancet.
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Stress Response Altered in Children at Risk for Allergy
WEDNESDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- Infants with allergic mothers lack an early morning surge in cortisol and tend to have a higher cortisol stress response to examinations and vaccines than infants with nonallergic mothers, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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Drug Shrinks Astrocytomas in Tuberous Sclerosis Patients
WEDNESDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- The immunosuppressive drug rapamycin can cause regression of giant cell astrocytomas in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), according to a study in the March issue of the Annals of Neurology. This promising therapy may provide an alternative to surgery.
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