Rare break for kids with rare diseases
March 27th 2014The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first drug to receive a Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher, a new FDA program that aims to encourage development of new drugs and biologics for the prevention and treatment of rare pediatric diseases by helping speed such agents to market.
iPad use by kids younger than 2 may be just fine
March 20th 2014A pediatrician who is an expert on the effects of media on children-and who, not incidentally, helped write the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines on restricting media use by children aged younger than 2 years-says that 30 to 60 minutes per day spent using an iPad or similar device may be just fine for the age group.
Antibiotics cause most C difficile in kids
March 18th 2014The majority of all pediatric Clostridium difficile infections are the result of a recent course of antibiotics prescribed by a physician for some other condition, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
VIDEO: Determining if a fracture is the result of child abuse
March 11th 2014Crystal Murcia, PhD, of Contemporary Pediatrics talks to Emalee Flaherty, MD, from Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, about the recent American Academy of Pediatrics update on evaluating child fractures for physical abuse.
Parental smoking damages kids’ vascular systems
March 11th 2014As if reasons didn’t already abound as to why parents shouldn’t smoke, parental cigarette smoking deleteriously affects children’s vascular health up to 25 years after exposure, putting kids at greater risk as adults for stroke and cardiovascular disease, according to the first prospective study of its kind.
Monovalent rotavirus vaccine elevates intussusception risk
March 1st 2014A comparison of the risk of intussusception after receipt of monovalent versus pentavalent rotavirus vaccine or versus historical background rates of intussusception found that the monovalent vaccine significantly increases that risk.
Office-based parent training reduces disruptive toddler behavior
March 1st 2014Participation in parent training groups can effectively improve parenting practices and behavior in young children with disruptive behaviors, a randomized trial conducted at 11 diverse pediatric practices around Boston demonstrated.
Report card grades states on motor vehicle safety laws for children
March 1st 2014The number of states with good booster seat laws has risen from 0 in 1989 to 31 plus the District of Columbia, according to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (AHAS). However, no state passed a new booster seat law in 2013.