Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pediatrics for April 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.
Prenatal Insecticide Exposure Alters Developing Brain
MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos (CPF), an organophosphate insecticide, correlates with structural changes in the developing brain, according to a study published online April 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Imaging Provides Clues to Distribution of Fat in Children
MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- The use of imaging studies has contributed to an understanding of differences in fat distribution and their link to metabolic disease in childhood, according to research published online April 22 in Obesity Reviews.
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Sunscreen Use May Lead to Vitamin D Deficiency
FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Using the amount and sun protection factor (SPF) of sunscreen recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is associated with little or no vitamin D production, suggesting that regular sunscreen use may lead to vitamin D deficiency, according to research published online April 18 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
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About Half of Teens Who Self-Harm Were Frequently Bullied
FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- About half of young adolescents who have self-harmed were frequently bullied, and self-harm among the bullied is more likely in those with mental health problems, a family history of suicide, or a history of being physically abused by an adult, according to a study published online April 26 in BMJ.
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Antiretroviral Prophylaxis May Cut Breastfeeding HIV Spread
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Breastfeeding HIV-infected mothers are less likely to transmit the virus to their infants when either receive antiretroviral drugs, although weaning at six months may be detrimental, according to updated trial results published online April 26 in The Lancet.
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Modulator of mGluR5 Improves Features of Autism in Mice
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- A selective negative allosteric modulator of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5), GRN-529, improves some behavioral features of autism in mouse models of the disorder, according to an experimental study published in the April 25 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
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Primary Enforcement Leads to Higher Teen Seat Belt Use
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Teen drivers and passengers in states with secondary safety belt enforcement laws are less likely to wear seat belts compared with teens in states with primary enforcement, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.
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High Survival With Surgery in Low-Risk Neuroblastoma
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Surgery alone results in high five-year event-free and overall survival (EFS and OS) rates for patients with low-risk stage 2a and 2b neuroblastoma (NBL), according to research published online April 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Nursing Excellence Ups Very Low Birth Weight Baby Outcomes
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- For very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, hospitals with recognition for nursing excellence (RNE) have significantly lower rates for hospital infection, seven-day mortality, and severe intraventricular hemorrhage, but not 28-day mortality or hospital stay mortality, according to a study published in the April 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Exposure to Violence Wears on Children's DNA
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Children who are exposed to violence have significantly more telomere erosion than their unexposed peers, according to a study published online April 24 in Molecular Psychiatry.
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Text Messages to Parents Promote Flu Shots for Children
TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- A text messaging-based intervention increases influenza vaccination compared with usual care in a low-income, urban population, although overall rates of vaccination remain low, according to a study published in the April 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Efficacy of Serotonin Receptor Inhibitors in Autism Unclear
MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- Serotonin receptor inhibitors (SRIs) have a small but significant effect in treating repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but this effect may be due to selective publication of trial results, according to a study published online April 23 in Pediatrics.
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Massachusetts Saw Recent Drop in Pediatric Obesity
MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of obesity among children younger than 6 years in a Massachusetts cohort was stable from 1999 to 2003, and decreased from 2004 to 2008, according to a study published online April 23 in Pediatrics.
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Reliability, Validity of Clinical Dehydration Scale Questioned
MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- A previously derived clinical dehydration scale (CDS) is characterized by moderate interobserver reliability and weak links with objective measures of disease severity for children administered intravenous rehydration, according to a study published online April 23 in Pediatrics.
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Pediatric Regimen Beats Adult Chemo for Young Adults With ALL
MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescent and young adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are treated with pediatric-inspired regimens exhibit lower all-cause mortality, higher complete remission and event-free survival rates, and lower relapse rates compared with those treated with conventional adult-chemotherapy regimens, according to a study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Hematology.
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Computerized Therapy Equal to Usual Care for Depressed Teens
FRIDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- For adolescents presenting with depressive symptoms, use of a computerized cognitive behavior therapy intervention (SPARX; Smart, Positive, Active, Realistic, X-factor thoughts) is a potential alternative to usual care, according to a study published online April 19 in BMJ.
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Speed, Ecstasy Use in Teens Predicts Future Depression
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Use of meth/amphetamine and ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) among adolescents is associated with an increased risk of subsequent depressive symptoms, according to study published online April 19 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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CDC: HPV-Associated Cancers Strike More Than 30,000 Yearly
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Cancers associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) are diagnosed in nearly 11 out of 100,000 men and women in the United States annually, and HPV vaccines play an important role in reducing the incidence of those cancers for which screening is not approved, according to a report published in the April 20 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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Use of PICU Beds for Non-Critical Care Found to Be Significant
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) beds are used for critical care services the majority of the time, but even when new patients are waiting for floor beds, at least one PICU bed is usually in use for non-critical care services, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
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Magnetically-Controlled Rod Shows Promise for Scoliosis
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Use of a magnetically-controlled growing rod (MCGR) procedure may be effective and safe for non-invasive outpatient distraction in children with scoliosis, according to research published online April 19 in The Lancet.
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Blood Test IDs Depressive Disorder in Adolescents
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- A blood test which measures transcriptomic markers may be useful for distinguishing early-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents, according to a study published online April 17 in Translational Psychiatry.
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Addicted Teens Benefit From 12-Step Meetings Attendance
WEDNESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- For adolescents with substance use disorder, attendance at 12-step programs is low, although more frequent attendance correlates with greater abstinence, according to a study published online April 16 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
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Depressed Moms May Trigger Infant Night Waking
TUESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal depression and dysfunctional cognition impacts mothers' behavior at bedtime and may affect infant sleep, according to a study published online April 17 in Child Development.
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Rate Down But Unintentional Injury Still Top Cause of Death
TUESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Although the unintentional injury death rate has declined over the last decade, it is still the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, according to a study published in the April 16 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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Pre-Pregnancy BMI Important Indicator of Offspring Obesity
MONDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy correlates with body mass index (BMI)-based overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity at age 16, but maternal pre-pregnancy BMI is a stronger indicator of offspring obesity, according to a study published in the May issue of BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
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Immunization Pain Reduced Using the Five S's Technique
MONDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Use of the five S's intervention (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking) reduces pain scores and crying time following administration of routine immunizations for 2- and 4-month-old infants, according to a study published online April 16 in Pediatrics.
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Social Adversity Contributes to Obesity in Girls
MONDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Preschool-aged girls who experience higher cumulative social adversity at age 1 or age 3 are about twice as likely to exhibit early-onset obesity by age 5 as those without significant risk factors at either time point, according to research published online April 16 in Pediatrics.
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'Choking Game' Linked to Other Risk Behaviors in Young Teens
MONDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- About 6 percent of Oregon male and female eighth-graders participate in the "choking game," an activity in which children apply pressure to the neck to limit oxygen and blood flow in the hopes of experiencing a euphoric feeling once the pressure is released and blood and oxygen rush back to the brain; and participation in this activity is linked to other risk behaviors, according to research published online April 16 in Pediatrics.
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Calorie Cutting Needed to Meet Youth Obesity Goals
FRIDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) -- In order for the nation to achieve Healthy People 2020 childhood obesity prevention goals, children on average would need to reduce their daily caloric intake by 64 calories, according to a study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Obesity Costs Are Higher Than Previous Estimates
FRIDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity accounts for nearly 21 percent of U.S. health care costs, much higher than previously estimated, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Health Economics.
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Vitamin D3 Levels Not Linked to Academic Achievement
THURSDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D)3 concentrations are not associated with academic performance in children, according to a study published online April 9 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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Gestational Age Affects Severity of Autism Symptoms
THURSDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Both preterm (<37 weeks) and post-term (>42 weeks) gestational age (GA) children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) display more severe symptoms compared with those born at a normal GA, according to research published online March 16 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
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Study Assesses Glucose Monitoring Trends in Tweens
WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- During the transition to adolescence, children with type 1 diabetes monitor their blood glucose less frequently, resulting in significant increases in HbA1c levels, according to research published online April 3 in Diabetes Care.
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Heterogeneity Characterizes Induction Failure in Child ALL
WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- Induction failure in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized by biologic and clinical heterogeneity, according to a study published in the April 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Eight-Item Classifier Accurately Distinguishes Autism
WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- The use of a short eight-item classifier identifies individuals with autism with high sensitivity and specificity, according to a study published online April 10 in Translational Psychiatry.
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Alternative Medicine Doesn't Affect Asthma Care in Children
TUESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is not associated with adherence to pediatric asthma treatment, according to a study published online April 9 in Pediatrics.
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HPV Vaccine Side Effects Not Serious in Young Women
TUESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Younger girls are more likely than adult women to report side effects after receiving the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV4; Gardasil) vaccine, but the side effects are non-serious, according to a study published online Jan. 9 in the Journal of Women's Health.
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Two Novel Genetic Variants Linked to Childhood Obesity
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Two new genetic variants have been found to be associated with childhood obesity, according to a study published online April 8 in Nature Genetics.
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Maternal Metabolic Disease Tied to Autism
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal metabolic conditions (MCs) increase the risk that a child will be born with a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as autism or developmental delay, according to a study published online April 9 in Pediatrics.
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Report Highlights Child Deaths From Post-Surgery Codeine Use
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified three previously unreported instances of severe opioid-induced toxicity in children following adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, according to a case report published online April 9 in Pediatrics.
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Teen Alcohol Consumption Tied to Benign Breast Disease
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescent alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk of proliferative benign breast disease (BBD), which is a risk factor for breast cancer, and there is no evidence that adolescent folate intake provides a protective effect against alcohol-associated BBD, according to a study published online April 9 in Pediatrics.
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Variety of Fruits, Vegetables Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Eating a greater quantity of vegetables and a greater variety of fruits and vegetables (F&V) correlates with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a study published online April 3 in Diabetes Care.
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Early Exposure to Interpersonal Trauma Harms Cognition
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to interpersonal trauma (IPT) in the first years of life is associated with decreased cognitive functioning in childhood, with exposure in the first two years particularly harmful, according to a study published online April 4 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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Toddlers Getting Little Daily Parent-Supervised Outdoor Play
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- About half of all preschool-aged children do not have even one parent-supervised outdoor playtime per day, according to research published online April 2 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Low-Energy-Density Diets Effective for Managing Weight
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- There is an association between energy density and body weight, such that consumption of diets lower in energy density may be an effective strategy for weight management, according to study published online April 5 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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Prenatal Antipsychotics Impact Infant Neuromotor Function
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- The use of prescribed antipsychotics during pregnancy may result in significantly lower neuromotor performance in 6-month-old infants, according to a study published online April 2 in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Studies Investigate Role of De Novo Mutations in Autism
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- The contribution of de novo mutations to the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is complex, according to three sequencing studies published online April 4 in Nature.
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Medical Malpractice Claims Incur Substantial Defense Costs
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Defense costs for medical malpractice claims vary among specialties and are higher for claims that result in indemnity payments, according to a letter published in the April 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Alcohol, Drug Use Prevalent Among U.S. Adolescents
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol and drug use is prevalent among teens, with the median age of alcohol and drug abuse occurring during adolescence, according to a study published in the April issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Extensive Neuroanatomic Abnormalities Found in Epilepsy
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Childhood-onset temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with neuroanatomic abnormalities, although age-related brain changes are largely comparable for those with epilepsy and for controls, according to a study published online April 3 in Epilepsia.
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Waist Measurements Specify Lipid, BP Levels in Obese Teens
TUESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Waist measures (waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio [WHtR]) are associated with lipid and blood pressure levels, with increased WHtR linked to worsened lipid profile and hypertension in obese adolescents, according to a study published online April 2 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Heavy Baby Girls at Future Risk of Cardiometabolic Disease
TUESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Heavier baby girls are at increased risk for developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease at age 17 years than are overweight baby boys, according to a study published online March 22 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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School Environment Has Little Effect on Teen Mental Health
MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- There is limited evidence that the school environment impacts adolescent mental health, according to a review published online April 2 in Pediatrics.
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Most Americans Getting Adequate Amounts of Vitamins, Nutrients
MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Most people in the United States are getting adequate nutrition, but some groups experience lower levels of vital nutrients than that which is recommended for good health, according to the Second National Report on Biochemical Indicators of Diet and Nutrition released April 2 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Malodorous Urine Often Reported for Infants With UTI
MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Parental reports of malodorous urine increase the likelihood of a diagnosis of a urinary tract infection (UTI) in young children being evaluated for a suspected infection, according to a study published online April 2 in Pediatrics.
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Maternal Caffeine Intake Doesn't Affect Infant Sleep
MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy caffeine consumption by nursing mothers does not increase the number of nighttime awakenings in 3-month-old infants, according to a study published online April 2 in Pediatrics.
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Six Developmental Trajectories ID'd in Children With Autism
MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Six longitudinal developmental trajectories have been identified among children with autism, with significant heterogeneity seen in developmental pathways within these trajectories, according to a study published online April 2 in Pediatrics.
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