Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pediatrics for December 2012. 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.
Type of Involvement in Gaming Impacts Perceived Social Support
MONDAY, Dec. 31 (HealthDay News) -- The level of psychological involvement in gaming determines the measure of a player's perceived social support, according to a study published in the current issue of Society & Leisure.
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Inpatient Resource Use Up for Children With Chronic Illness
FRIDAY, Dec. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Children with chronic conditions, particularly conditions affecting two or more body systems, increasingly use more resources when hospitalized than those without chronic conditions, according to a study published online Dec. 24 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Weight-Based Victimization Common Among Heavy Teens
FRIDAY, Dec. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Weight loss treatment-seeking adolescents frequently report weight-based victimization (WBV) at school, which is perpetrated by adults as well as peers and friends, according to a study published online Dec. 24 in Pediatrics.
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Urine Biomarkers May Help Diagnose Kawasaki Disease
FRIDAY, Dec. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Proteins present in urine exhibit excellent diagnostic performance for Kawasaki disease, according to a study published online Dec. 20 in EMBO Molecular Medicine.
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Indicators Show Little Change in Overuse of Ambulatory Care
THURSDAY, Dec. 27 (HealthDay News) -- In the United States from 1999 to 2009, the delivery of underused care in the ambulatory setting improved, but fewer changes were seen in inappropriate care, according to a study published online Dec. 24 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Imaging Widely Used in Presumed Pediatric Appendicitis
THURDAY, Dec. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Most children with presumed appendicitis undergo preoperative computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound imaging before surgery, with significant variation by hospital type and patient sex, according to research published online Dec. 24 in Pediatrics.
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Understanding of Infantile Hemangiomas Is Improving
THURSDAY, Dec. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Improved understanding of the pathogenesis of infantile hemangiomas (IHs) is leading to better treatment options, according to a review published online Dec. 24 in Pediatrics.
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Impact of Drug Shortages, Including Chemo Drugs, Explored
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26 (HealthDay News) -- A number of drugs, including chemotherapeutic agents that have been available for many years, have recently been in short supply, which may have serious consequences for patients, according to a perspective piece published in the Dec. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Good Long-Term Outcomes With CPAP for Extreme Preemies
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26 (HealthDay News) -- For very premature infants there is no significant difference in death or neurodevelopmental impairment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) versus surfactant; however, lower oxygen-saturation targets cannot be recommended as mortality is still lower with higher oxygen saturation, according to a study published in the Dec. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Almost Half of Children With Food Allergy Report Being Bullied
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26 (HealthDay News) -- For children with food allergy, bullying is common, and correlates with decreased quality of life and increased distress for children and their parents, according to a study published online Dec. 24 in Pediatrics.
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Lower Developmental Scores at Age 3 Seen in Plagiocephaly
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Preschool-aged children with deformational plagiocephaly (DP) have lower scores on a measure of child development than unaffected controls, according to a study published online Dec. 24 in Pediatrics.
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Reports of Child Maltreatment Down in 2011
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 26 (HealthDay News) -- The number of child neglect and abuse cases reported in the United States dropped in 2011, with an estimated 681,000 unique victims, according to the Child Maltreatment 2011 report.
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Topics of Sibling Conflict Have Distinct Effects on Teens
TUESDAY, Dec. 25 (HealthDay News) -- For adolescents, each underlying topic of sibling conflict has a distinct impact on their emotional adjustment, according to a study published online Dec. 20 in Child Development.
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Varizig Approved to Reduce Chickenpox Symptoms
FRIDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Varizig (varicella zoster immune globulin) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to minimize chickenpox symptoms when administered within four days of exposure to the virus that causes the disease.
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FDA Expands Tamiflu Use to Treat Babies Under 1 Year Old
FRIDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Tamiflu (oseltamivir) can now be given to children as young as 2 weeks old under an expanded approval announced Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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ACP Pledges to Try and End Firearms-Linked Death, Injuries
FRIDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- In the wake of the Dec. 14 tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., the American College of Physicians (ACP) has pledged to play a part in ending recurring firearm-related deaths and injuries, according to an ACP statement published Dec. 20.
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Children Eat More Fruits and Vegetables at Family Meals
FRIDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Eating meals together as a family leads to significantly higher consumption of fruits and vegetables for children, according to a study published online Dec. 19 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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Motor Vehicle Incidents Common in Medical Residents
FRIDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- During training, internal medicine residents commonly experience motor vehicle incidents, including crashes and near misses, but less commonly experience blood and body fluid (BBF) exposures, according to research published in the December issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes Released for 2013
FRIDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Updated evidence for diabetes care, including guidelines for self-monitoring glucose, new blood pressure targets, and other aspects of care, are presented in a major position statement from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), "Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes," published as a supplement to the January issue of Diabetes Care.
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AAP to Obama: Make Safety of Children a National Focus
THURSDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Responding to the Dec. 14 tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has expressed a willingness to work together with the government to ensure the health and safety of children, according to a letter written from the AAP to President Obama.
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Overall, Teen Drug Use Remains Steady in 2012
THURSDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Overall, illicit drug use among U.S. teenagers was unchanged over the past year; however, from 2007 to 2012, there has been an increase in illicit drug use among 12th graders and an increase in the use of marijuana among 10th graders, according to a report issued Dec. 19 by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
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High-Nutrient Dense Snack Cuts Calorie Intake for Children
THURSDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Giving children a high-nutrient dense (HND) snack of cheese and vegetables reduces calorie intake compared with a non-nutrient dense (NND) snack, according to a study published online Dec. 17 in Pediatrics.
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Gene Therapy for Canavan Disease Safe and Effective
THURSDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News) -- In children with Canavan disease, a hereditary leukodystrophy that results in the degeneration of brain white matter caused by mutations in the aspartoacylase (ASPA) gene, gene therapy is safe, reverses the primary defect, and improves clinical status, according to a study published in the Dec. 19 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
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Metformin Treatment Beneficial for Obese Children, Teens
THURSDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Obese children and adolescents treated with twice-daily metformin have significantly improved body mass index standard deviation scores (BMI-SDS), fasting glucose, and other metabolic risk factors, according to research published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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Two Drugs Promising for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Treatment
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Two drugs show promise in the treatment of active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), according to two studies published in the Dec. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Pediatric Ingestions of Caustic Substances Down in 2009
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalizations of children ingesting caustic substances such as lye were fewer in 2009 than previous estimates, according to a study published in the December issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Secondhand Smoke Affects Many Living in Multiunit Housing
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Many residents of multiunit housing (MUH) experience secondhand smoke (SHS) infiltration, despite having smoke-free home rules, according to a study published online Dec. 17 in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
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Childhood Abuse Tied to Adult-Onset Asthma in Black Women
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- There is a positive association between adult-onset asthma and physical abuse in childhood among African-American women, according to a study published online Dec. 7 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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Many Docs Use Social Media to Find, Share Medical Data
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Most physicians use social media on at least a weekly basis, and report that it improves the quality of patient care they deliver, according to a study published in the September/October issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
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Two Distinct High-Risk Diabetes Populations ID'd in Children
TUESDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Children with high-risk A1C (hrA1C) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) define different populations, with differentially increased risk markers, according to research published online Nov. 27 in Diabetes Care.
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Children With Mild TBI Exhibit White Matter Abnormalities
TUESDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Children and adolescents who have experienced mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) show changes in brain white matter that persist months after the injury, even after symptoms have disappeared, according to a study published in the Dec. 12 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
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Suicide Risk Highest Shortly After Parental Psychiatric Event
TUESDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Among adults and adolescents who have been hospitalized for an attempted suicide, the risk of suicide is highest within two years of a parental event (suicide attempt and suicide, inpatient care, and disability pension due to psychiatric diagnoses), especially among girls, according to a study published online Dec. 12 in PLOS ONE.
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AAP Urges United Nations Not to Ban Thimerosal in Vaccines
MONDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) -- In response to the United Nations (UN) Environmental Program international treaty, which seeks to reduce mercury exposure from different sources, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has joined the World Health Organization (WHO) in urging the UN to reconsider their stance on thimerosal (ethyl mercury), a component used in multi-dose vaccine vials to prevent contamination. The AAP's statement of endorsement of the WHO's recommendation along with three related commentaries have been published online Dec. 17 in Pediatrics.
Statement of Endorsement
Commentary 1
Commentary 2
Commentary 3
Supplementation of Formula With LCPUFAs Ups Infant Visual Acuity
MONDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) -- For infants, supplementation of formula with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) correlates with improved visual acuity in the first year of life, according to research published online Dec. 17 in Pediatrics.
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Vitamin D, Iron Balanced With 500 mL Milk/Day for Children
MONDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Two cups of cow's milk per day is sufficient to maintain healthy vitamin D and iron stores for most young children, according to a study published online Dec. 17 in Pediatrics.
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Health Care Satisfaction Rated As High by Unacculturated Hispanics
MONDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Hispanic patients, particularly unacculturated Hispanics, rate their health care experience more highly than do other patient groups, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.
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Tenofovir Effectively Treats Adolescents With Chronic HBV
FRIDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) -- In adolescents infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), once-daily tenofovir treatment for 72 weeks effectively suppresses HBV DNA and normalizes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values, regardless of prior HBV treatment exposure, according to research published in the December issue of Hepatology.
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Cardiac Rhythm Devices Mar Quality of Life for Children
FRIDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The presence of cardiac rhythm devices negatively impacts pediatric patient and parent-reported quality of life (QOL), according to a study published online Dec. 4 in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology.
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Secondhand Smoke Ups Child Meningococcal Disease Risk
THURSDAY, Dec. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) correlates with an increased risk of invasive meningococcal disease in children, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in BMC Public Health.
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Current Health Costs Pushing Docs to Make Urgent Choices
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The current growth in health care's share of the gross domestic product (GDP) and need to implement learning health systems is forcing physicians to make important choices, according to a perspective piece published online Dec. 12 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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ACOG to HHS: Reconsider Age Limit on Plan B Access
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), together with other health organizations, are urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reconsider the age limit for access to Plan B One-Step emergency contraception.
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Model Can ID Patients at Risk for Serious Safety Events
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of a system to identify and mitigate patient risk can reduce serious safety events (SSEs) among inpatients, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in Pediatrics.
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Adolescent ADHD Predictor of Problems in Adulthood
TUESDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescence is a major predictor of physical, mental, work, and financial problems in adulthood, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in Pediatrics.
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Maternal BMI Negatively Linked to Child Cognition
MONDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is negatively associated with children's cognitive performance at ages 5 and 7, although the overall effect size is modest, according to research published online Dec. 10 in Pediatrics.
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USPSTF: Use Interventions to Avert Tobacco Use in Children
MONDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that primary care physicians offer behavioral counseling and educational interventions to prevent tobacco use among children and adolescents. This Recommendation Statement is based on an evidence review of 19 trials published online Dec. 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Recommendation Statement
Background Review
Number of Independent Physicians Continues to Decline
MONDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Physician business models are transforming, with a sustained shift away from independent practice, according to report released by the consulting firm Accenture.
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Primary Care Financially Viable Even With Educational Debt
MONDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- For medical school graduates with median levels of educational debt, a career in primary care is financially viable, according to a study published online Nov. 16 in Academic Medicine.
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Child Readmission for Asthma Tied to Medical Home Quality
MONDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- For pediatric patients, the quality of the medical home correlates with readmission after acute asthma hospitalization; and most readmissions after hospitalization are likely not preventable, according to two studies published online Dec. 10 in Pediatrics.
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Iron May Curb Behavioral Issues for LBW Infants
MONDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Early iron supplementation in low birth weight (LBW) infants is not associated with cognitive function at age 3.5 years, but correlates with a reduction in the prevalence of behavioral problems, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in Pediatrics.
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Neuroplasticity Reduced in Teens Born Prematurely
FRIDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents who were born prematurely have reduced neuroplasticity, which may explain their motor, learning, and memory difficulties, according to a study published in the Nov. 14 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
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Risk of Asthma Up for Children Born After Fertility Treatment
FRIDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Children born to subfertile parents are more likely to have asthma, with the likelihood further increased for children born after the use of assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs), according to a study published online Dec. 5 in Human Reproduction.
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Anticompetitive Market Power Common in Managed Care Plans
FRIDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- For each of the three most popular types of managed care plans in the United States (point-of-service plan [POS], health maintenance organization [HMO], and preferred provider organization [PPO]), anticompetitive market power is widespread, according to a Nov. 28 news release from the American Medical Association (AMA).
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FDA: Public-Private Venture Set to Improve Regulatory Science
THURSDAY, Dec. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC), the first public-private partnership to promote medical device regulatory science, has been established, according to a Dec. 3 news release issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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SAMHSA: Prevalence of Mental Illness in U.S. Stable in 2011
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- In 2011, nearly one in five adults in the United States reported any mental illness (AMI), and one in twenty suffered from serious mental illness (SMI), according to a Nov. 29 report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
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From 1995 to 2006, Survival Up for Extremely Preterm Babies
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- For babies born extremely preterm, survival increased from 1995 to 2006, but the number of serious health problems remained largely unchanged, according to two studies published online Dec. 4 in BMJ.
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Psychotropics Seem to Be Appropriately Prescribed to Teens
TUESDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- There is no evidence that psychotropic medications are being overly prescribed or misused by U.S. adolescents, according to a study published online Dec. 3 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Five-Hour Protected Sleep Feasible for Medical Interns
TUESDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of a five-hour period of protected sleep is feasible for medical interns on long shifts, resulting in interns getting more uninterrupted sleep and feeling more alert the next day, according to a study published in the Dec. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Smoking, Depression Tied to Lower Bone Accrual in Teen Girls
TUESDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Depression and smoking appear to have a negative impact on bone accrual in adolescent girls, according to a study published online Dec. 4 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
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Standardized Blood Culture Process Reduces Contamination
TUESDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Introduction of a standardized sterile collection process for blood cultures can reduce peripheral blood culture contamination rates and hospital charges, according to research published online Dec. 3 in Pediatrics.
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Lower BMI, Especially in Boys, Has Protective Effect in Acne
TUESDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Family history, body mass index, and diet are all linked to the risk of moderate-to-severe acne in young adults, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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CDC: Flu Season Has Started and Hitting Hard
TUESDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Flu season descended on the United States early and hard this year, with significant increases in flu activity observed in just the past two weeks, according to a Nov. 30 weekly surveillance report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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SAMHSA: >11,000 ER Visits for Synthetic Marijuana in 2010
TUESDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) -- In 2010, more than 11,000 emergency department visits involved a synthetic cannabinoid product (synthetic marijuana, commonly known by street names including "Spice" and "K2"), 75 percent of which were among those aged 12 to 29 years, according to a report published Dec. 4 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
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Final Diagnostic Criteria for DSM-5 Approved by APA
MONDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The final diagnostic criteria for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) have been approved by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Board of Trustees.
Press Release
Children Undergoing More Diagnostic Imaging Procedures
MONDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Children are undergoing more diagnostic imaging procedures (DIPs), with higher-radiation DIPs accounting for an increasing proportion, according to a study published online Dec. 3 in Pediatrics.
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Fetal NSAID Exposure Not Tied to Persistent Pulmonary HTN
MONDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- There appears to be no association between persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) and gestational exposure to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including ibuprofen, according to a study published online Dec. 3 in Pediatrics.
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Recent Increase in Adverse TMP-SMX Reactions in Children
MONDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- There has been a significant increase in adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with use of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for treatment of skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) in children, according to research published online Dec. 3 in Pediatrics.
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Increasing Number of Workers in Self-Insured Health Plans
MONDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- There has been a recent increase in the percentage of workers in the private sector who are enrolled in self-insured health plans, in which the employer assumes the financial risk related to health insurance (unlike a fully-insured plan, where the insurance company assumes the risk), according to research published in the November issue of the Employee Benefit Research Institute's Notes.
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