News

Hello from the Golden State of California and sunny San Diego! The 2014 AAP Experience, the world’s largest pediatric conference, gets under way this weekend at the San Diego Convention Center!

Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption and utilization, and vitamin D deficiency can result in rickets in young children and increased fracture risk in older children and adolescents.

The risks for growth suppression and adrenal insufficiency with the use of inhaled corticosteroids for asthma in children are relatively small and can be minimized with proper administration.

Babies who receive repeated doses of certain antibiotics between birth and 23 months of age have a higher risk of developing obesity in early childhood than babies who don’t, a 12-year study reveals.

The American College of Cardiology has published the first appropriate use criteria for initial outpatient transthoracic echocardiography to evaluate children with possible heart disease.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Adolescence has issued a new policy statement that recommends the safest and most effective contraceptive options for teenagers.

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most often reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States with more than 1.4 million cases in 2012, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Blood transfusions and maternal breast milk are the main conduits for transmitting cytomegalovirus to very low-birth-weight babies. A new study identifies the primary source.

Online ratings of physicians strongly influence how parents choose a physician for their children, a new study reports.

At its late September meeting, the Pediatric Advisory Committee (PAC) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it’s time to remind healthcare professionals that Singulair (montelukast) may have adverse effects on mental and behavioral functions.

Birth rates for adolescents in the United States continue their dramatic drop, although they are still far higher than in most developed countries, according to a National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) report.

The parents of a healthy 12-month-old girl are worried about yellow bumps that have been present on the baby’s heels for 7 months.

A web-based program that guides parents in supervising their children’s practice drives with focus on specific skills in a variety of driving environments improves driving performance in prelicensed 16- and 17-year-olds, a trial of such a program showed.

The oral respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) entry inhibitor GS-5806 reduces both viral load and clinical manifestations of RSV infection, according to results of a trial in which investigators infected healthy adults with a nasally delivered clinical strain of RSV.

Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) than the general pediatric population, with habitual snoring and low waking pulse oxygen saturation the strongest risk factors for developing the condition.

To aid teenagers’ compliance, try text message reminders.

It is easy to take for granted some of the technologies we use every day. The pulse oximeter was invented 40 years ago and has become such a routine part of medical practice that oximetry measurements have often been referred to as the “fifth vital sign.”

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, chronic inflammatory disorder affecting 15% to 30% of pediatric patients.

The need to protect the skin from excessive sun exposure from ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is now well established based on studies showing a clear causal link between excessive UVR exposure and damage to the skin that raises the risk of skin cancer and leads to premature aging.

ConsumerReports.org reported in 2008 that tattoos had become mainstream. More than one-third of US adults aged younger than 35 years have at least 1 tattoo, according to the article.

Prevalence of atopic dermatitis is on the rise, ranging from 10% to 20% in the United States and other developed countries.

The prognosis for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) continues to improve because of a combination of advances in the understanding of disease pathophysiology, implementation of early screening and diagnosis, and greater emphasis on proactive management to prevent deterioration and disease progression.

When it comes to isotretinoin, dermatology experts say, pediatricians should advise parents not to believe everything they read online. Furthermore, patients can't always be relied upon to comply with the birth-control requirements for using the drug.

When it comes to the American Board of Pediatrics’ Maintenance of Certification program, and specifically ABP’s Dr. Virginia Moyer’s recent column about it (“Maintenance of Certification: Myths, facts, and FAQs,” August 2014) many of you had plenty to say in response!

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have jointly issued a new scientific statement on screening for congenital and genetic heart conditions that can lead to rare sudden death in young persons aged 12 to 25 years.

A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics outlines the academy’s influenza vaccination recommendations for the 2014-2015 flu season.

A combination of 2 developmental delays in toddler boys can alert physicians to the possibility of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and lead to earlier diagnosis, a new study reports.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most US children aged 6 to 18 years consume more than the daily recommended amount of less than 2300 mg sodium.

An expert panel of specialists from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has issued new guidelines for the management and treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). How will these latest evidence-based recommendations affect the care of your patients?

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has updated its influenza vaccination recommendations for the 2014-15 influenza season.