Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pediatrics for June 2010. 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.
Expectant, New Moms Uninformed on Preterm Birth
WEDNESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Most new or expectant moms have not discussed the possibility of preterm birth with their health care providers, despite the fact that one in eight babies born every year is preterm, according to the results of a survey conducted by the March of Dimes and BabyCenter.
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Children's Language Skills Tied to Later Psychosocial Effects
WEDNESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Early receptive language skills have a significant association with adult mental health and psychosocial adjustment, according to a study published online June 29 in Pediatrics.
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Family-Centered Rounds Are Popular, Well-Perceived
WEDNESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Family-centered rounds (FCRs) are the most common pediatric hospital rounding method, lead to better communication, and do not extend the duration of rounding time, according to research published online June 29 in Pediatrics.
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MMRV Vaccine Ups Fever and Seizure Risk
TUESDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) -- Measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccination is associated with an increased risk of fever and seizure in young children, above that already associated with measles-containing vaccines, according to research published online June 29 in Pediatrics, confirming preliminary evidence from a previous study.
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Maternal Smoking May Impact Child's Mental Health
TUESDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal smoking may have an intrauterine effect on child conduct and externalizing problems, and there may be a biologically mediated association between paternal smoking and increased childhood body mass index (BMI), according to two studies published online June 29 in Pediatrics.
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Collegial Atmosphere Promotes Effective Child Protection Team
TUESDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital-based child protection teams (CPT) are most effective when working within a collegial, multidisciplinary environment, according to research published online June 29 in Pediatrics.
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14 Percent of Cancer Survivors Live With Minor Children
TUESDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) -- Nationwide, an estimated 1.58 million cancer survivors live with their minor children, representing a large number of families who confront special challenges and may need additional support, according to research published online June 28 in Cancer.
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Doctors Agree Malpractice Fears Drive Overuse of Tests
MONDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- A large majority of physicians agree that the practice of defensive medicine -- stemming from malpractice concerns -- is responsible for an overuse of medical tests and procedures, according to a research letter in the June 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Teen Girls More Likely to View Drug, Alcohol Use Positively
MONDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- Teenage girls are more likely than their male counterparts to perceive potential benefits -- including "self-medicating" benefits -- from drug and alcohol use, according to survey data released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the MetLife Foundation.
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Spinal Kinematics Unlikely Marker for Teen Back Pain
FRIDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Spinal kinematics may not effectively distinguish adolescents with nonspecific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) from their pain-free counterparts unless those with NSCLBP are subclassified, according to a study in the June 15 issue of Spine.
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Moldy Homes Linked to Higher Risk of Severe Asthma Attacks
FRIDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- High mold exposure in the home may lead to an increased risk of severe asthma attacks among children with variants in the chitinase gene CHIT1, according to research published online June 10 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Panel Urges Two Yearly Preventive Visits for Teens
FRIDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescent girls may require two "well-child" visits annually -- one general preventive visit and one dedicated to reproductive health, and both visits should be covered by health insurance, according a committee opinion of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published in the July issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Parents Divided Over Genetic Testing of Minors for Cancer
THURSDAY, June 24 (HealthDay News) -- Genetic testing of minors for adult hereditary cancer syndromes is not currently recommended, and parents' opinions on testing of minors for BRCA1/2 mutations are divided, according to research published online June 21 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Excess Gestational Weight Gain Linked to Long-Term Issues
THURSDAY, June 24 (HealthDay News) -- Gaining an excessive amount of weight during pregnancy may have long-term effects on mothers' and children's body sizes, but the benefits of lower gains should be balanced against the risk of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births, according to research published in the June issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Childhood Cancer Risk Not Linked to Cell Tower Exposure
WEDNESDAY, June 23 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of early childhood cancer does not appear to be linked to a mother's exposure to a mobile phone base station during pregnancy, according to a study published June 22 in BMJ.
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Findings Suggest Harmful Effects From MP3 Players
WEDNESDAY, June 23 (HealthDay News) -- Temporary changes in hearing sensitivity associated with MP3 players suggest that the devices could have potentially harmful effects, according to research published in the June issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Tubes Not Linked to Poor Cochlear Implant Outcomes
TUESDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) -- Myringotomy tubes (MT) don't appear to adversely affect final outcomes in children who receive cochlear implants (CI), and they can be managed like tubes in other children who are prone to otitis media, according to research published in the June issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Breast-Feeding for Six Months Best for Infection Prevention
MONDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Exclusive breast-feeding until age 6 months is slightly more protective against infectious diseases than exclusive breast-feeding for four months and partially thereafter, according to research published online June 21 in Pediatrics.
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Severe Colitis Reported in Child After Rituximab Treatment
MONDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Children treated with rituximab for nephrotic syndrome (NS) may be at risk for severe T-cell mediated ulcerative colitis, as demonstrated by a case study published online June 21 in Pediatrics.
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PCBs Linked to Reduced Response to Vaccinations
MONDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) early in life may reduce the effectiveness of childhood vaccinations and impair immune-system responses to infection, according to research published online June 20 in Environmental Health Perspectives.
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Brain Hemorrhage Diagnosis Delay Rare in Children
MONDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- In children with uncomplicated minor head injuries, delayed diagnosis of intracranial hemorrhage is rare, according to research published online June 21 in Pediatrics.
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Rescue Antenatal Steroids Beneficial for Preterm Infants
MONDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- If it has been at least 14 days since an initial dose of antenatal steroids, an additional course of rescue antenatal steroids administered to pregnant women at continued risk of premature delivery can improve their infants' postnatal respiratory function, according to research published in the June issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Most Pediatricians Admit to 1-2 Diagnostic Errors Per Month
MONDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Most pediatricians report making at least one to two diagnostic errors per month, and patient harm resulting from these errors is not uncommon, according to research published online June 21 in Pediatrics.
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Improved Liability Protection Could Up Use of School Grounds
THURSDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- The improvement of liability protection could open public school facilities for recreational activity to the benefit of the larger community, according to a review published in the July issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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New Method Gives Better Local Start Date for RSV Prophylaxis
THURSDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Using five years of local laboratory surveillance data to predict likely respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreak timing is a viable method for recommending optimal immunoprophylaxis dates, according to research published online June 14 in Pediatrics.
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Prenatal Smoking Linked to Pregnancy, Infant Risks
THURSDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Prenatal smoking continues to be a substantial contributor to infant death in the United States, according to research published in the July issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Antiretroviral Regimens Reduce Mom-Baby HIV Transmission
WEDNESDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) -- Various antiretroviral treatment options for lactating mothers and breast-feeding infants appear to reduce mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1), according to two studies in the June 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Pyloric Stenosis Has Strong Familial Aggregation
TUESDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- Pyloric stenosis, which is the most common condition requiring surgery in an infant's first months of life, has strong familial aggregation and high heritability, according to a study in the June 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Adolescent BP Predicts Hypertension in Young Adulthood
MONDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- Blood pressure (BP) at age 17 rises over time in a linear fashion, and both male and female adolescents with BPs in the upper range of normal face more than double the risk of hypertension in young adulthood, according to research published online June 14 in Hypertension.
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Incidental Findings Frequently Seen in Pediatric Brain Imaging
MONDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 7 percent of children involved in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study had incidental intracranial findings, calling attention to issues related to counseling families when such findings arise in clinical situations, according to research published online June 14 in Pediatrics.
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Prognosis Favorable for Most Children With Epilepsy
MONDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- About seven in 10 children who develop epilepsy experience terminal remission, while the condition becomes intractable in only about one in 10, according to a study published online June 14 in Epilepsia.
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Clear Rules, Physical Activity Cut Children's Screen Time
MONDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- In households where parents set clear and consistent limits on screen time and where children have plenty of physical activity, children have lower odds of exceeding the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommended two-hour daily screen-time limit, according to research published online June 14 in Pediatrics.
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Vaccination Ends Disparities in Pneumococcal Disease
MONDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- The vaccination of young children with seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in recent years has eliminated disparities in risk for vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) associated with race and group child care attendance, according to a case-control study published online June 14 in Pediatrics.
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Preventive Intervention for Premature Infants Effective
MONDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- A home preventive care program for very premature infants and their caregivers results in improved behavioral and emotional regulation at age 2, as well as less depression and anxiety among caregivers, according to research published online June 14 in Pediatrics.
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Young Adults Focus on Health Behaviors Over Genetics
FRIDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Overall, young adults tend to favor health behaviors over genetics as the cause of common preventable diseases, but those with more behavioral risk factors were more likely to lean toward genetic explanations, according to research published online June 8 in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
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Brace Prevents Curve Progression in Scoliosis
FRIDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- The use of a Boston brace for more than 12 hours daily in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is effective in controlling curve progression, according to a prospective study published in the June 1 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Rotavirus Prescribing Information, Labeling Changed
FRIDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- New prescribing information and patient labeling for rotavirus vaccines has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in response to reports of vaccine-acquired rotavirus infection in infants with severe combined immunodeficiency disorder (SCID), according to a report published in the June 11 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Valproic Acid Use in Pregnancy Tied to Malformation Risk
THURSDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- In pregnant women, first-trimester use of valproic acid is associated with significantly increased risks of five congenital malformations in addition to spina bifida, according to research published in the June 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Maternal Hardships Impact Newborns' and Children's Health
WEDNESDAY, June 9 (HealthDay News) -- Intimate partner violence suffered by mothers is linked to an increased obesity risk in young children, and childhood hardship is associated with women's future pregnancy outcomes, according to two studies in the June issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Pediatric Migraine Treatment Practices Vary Widely in ER
WEDNESDAY, June 9 (HealthDay News) -- In a sample of Canadian emergency departments, children seen for migraine headaches reported frequent occurrence of attacks, and were subject to significant treatment variations by emergency department physicians, according to research published online June 7 in Pediatrics.
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Fatal Medication Errors Rise in July at Teaching Hospitals
TUESDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- In July there is a significant increase in fatal medication errors at medical institutions, and this spike is at least partly due to the arrival of new medical residents, according to a study published online May 29 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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Children of Single Deployed Parents See Doctor Less Often
TUESDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- Children of single military parents are seen less frequently for both acute-care and well-child visits while their parent is deployed, while children of a married deployed parent are seen more frequently, according to research published online June 7 in Pediatrics.
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Many Adults With Pediatric Disorders Use Pediatric ERs
TUESDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- Many adult patients with chronic pediatric disorders, known as transition patients, use pediatric emergency departments -- often for complaints unrelated to their pediatric disorders -- and these patients have high rates of intensive care unit and hospital admissions, according to a study in the June issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Racial Differences Exist in Asthma Prevalence and Care
MONDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- Racial and ethnic differences exist in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes of asthma among children with equal access to medical care, according to a study published online June 7 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
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Constipation in Children Often Continues in Adulthood
MONDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- Many children with functional constipation continue to experience symptoms into adulthood; those who don't respond to first-line treatment should be considered for referral to a specialized clinic, according to research published online June 7 in Pediatrics.
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Smoke-Free Air Laws Reduce Cotinine Levels in Children
MONDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- Smoke-free air laws appear effective in reducing cotinine levels in youths, though these effects may be negated by exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) inside the home, according to research published online June 7 in Pediatrics.
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Negative Effects of Having Premature Baby Seldom Last
MONDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- The negative impacts on mothers and families of having an extremely low birth weight (ELBW) child appear to be minimal by the time the child reaches young adulthood, except for an ongoing negative effect on parents' jobs, according to research published online June 7 in Pediatrics.
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Overlap Exists in TBI, Fractures Attributable to Abuse
MONDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- In children younger than 3, considerable overlap exists in the occurrence of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and fractures attributable to abuse, though accidental falls occur more commonly than abuse, even among very young children, according to a study published online June 7 in Pediatrics.
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GBS Screening Guidelines Widely Followed in Tennessee
FRIDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- The state of Tennessee has mostly succeeded in implementing and adhering to universal screening guidelines for perinatal group B streptococci (GBS), but the timing of screening and administration of chemoprophylaxis when indicated could be improved upon, according to research published in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Maternal Death Greatly Reduces Child's Survival Odds
FRIDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- In rural Bangladesh, the chance of survival to 10 years of age among children whose mothers die is greatly reduced, but the death of a father has a negligible effect on a child's survival, according to a study in the June 5 issue of The Lancet.
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Mediterranean Diet May Lower Childhood Asthma Risk
FRIDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- Diet appears to be associated with asthma and wheeze in children, and eating a "Mediterranean diet" rich in fruit, vegetables and fish seems to reduce a child's risk of developing asthma and wheeze, according to an international study published in the June issue of Thorax.
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CDC: Many U.S. Teens Have Abused Prescription Drugs
THURSDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- One in five students high school students in the United States has abused prescription drugs at some point, according to the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, released June 3 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping Advocated
THURSDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- Umbilical cord clamping at birth should be delayed for a few minutes, or until the cord stops pulsing, to permit transfer of important stem cells from the placenta to the newborn, according to a review published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
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Vastus Lateralis May Be Better Than Deltoid for Infant Shots
WEDNESDAY, June 2 (HealthDay News) -- In infants, intramuscular vaccination in the vastus lateralis is associated with a shorter duration of crying than intramuscular vaccination in the deltoid, though the pain responses appear to be similar, according to a study in the May issue of Applied Nursing Research.
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Microdebrider May Be Best Tonsillectomy Technique
TUESDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) -- Microdebrider intracapsular tonsillectomy appears to have an edge over coblation and electrocautery when it comes to tonsillectomy complication rates, according to research published in the June issue of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery.
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Ventilation Strategies Result in Similar Outcomes
TUESDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) -- High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV), in which the lungs are continuously inflated and oscillate at a high rate through use of small volume changes, appears to be no better and no worse than conventional ventilation in preterm infants, according to research published online June 1 in The Lancet.
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