Marian Freedman is a freelance writer.
Is there a better way to estimate probability of UTI in febrile infants?
June 1st 2018Investigators compared the accuracy of an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) practice guideline algorithm for diagnosing of urinary tract infection (UTI) in 2- to 23-month-olds with a new tool (UTICalc; University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) that first estimates UTI probability based on clinical variables and then, if laboratory testing is performed, updates the estimate based on the results.
High-nicotine e-cigarettes lead to more smoking and vaping
February 1st 2018Compared with adolescents who use e-cigarettes with relatively low or no nicotine concentrations, those who use e-cigarettes with higher nicotine concentrations are more likely to progress to more frequent and intense combustible cigarette smoking and vaping.
Immediate amoxicillin is the most cost-effective choice for AOM
December 1st 2017Using a cost-utility model of a hypothetical group of symptomatic children aged younger than 2 years who were diagnosed with acute otitis media (AOM), investigators evaluated whether antimicrobial therapy reduces time to symptom resolution, overall symptom burden, and persistence of infection.
Antibiotics improve outcomes in small skin abscesses
September 1st 2017Antibiotic treatment with either clindamycin or trimethoprim- sulfa - methoxazole (TMP-SMX) leads to better outcomes than incision and drainage with placebo in patients with uncomplicated cutaneous abscesses, particularly those caused by Staphylococcus aureus, according to a large study.
Nonoperative management of acute appendicitis
September 1st 2017Compared with traditional appendectomy, nonoperative management (NOM) of uncomplicated appendicitis using parenteral antibiotics is associated with more subsequent emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations, as well as more subsequent appendectomies.
Pediatricians could be overprescribing combination antifungal/corticosteroids
August 1st 2017A review of a large claims-based database suggests that they are. Investigators identified almost 10,000 children aged up to 14 years who were prescribed either Lotrisone or Mycolog-II creams (antifungal and corticosteroid combination products) by pediatricians and other specialists from 2007 through 2014.
Adverse childhood experiences are linked to ADHD
July 1st 2017Diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at age 9 years is associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), according to an analysis of data for 1572 children who are part of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) birth cohort.
Are children with asthma prescribed too many OCSs?
July 1st 2017An analysis of 2015 claims data for about 69,000 children with an asthma diagnosis suggests that the answer to this question is “yes.” Of these children, who were insured through a large Texas health plan for children with Medicaid and CHIP and who ranged in age from 1 to 18 years, 42.1% were given an oral corticosteroid (OCS) 1 or more times during the year; 9.9%, 2 or more times; and 3.3%, 3 or more times.
Why aren’t pediatricians recommending HPV vaccination more strongly?
December 1st 2016In a recently published essay to address this question, the authors suggest that pediatricians may present human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as optional or less urgent than other adolescent vaccines because they do not often read or hear about their patients’ being affected by HPV-associated cancers, which generally strike older populations.