Parenting Program Does Not Improve Children's Behavior
February 1st 2008A universal parenting program aimed at avoiding behavioral problems in early childhood may help parents feel better about their parenting style, but does not produce concrete improvements in their children's behavior or improve maternal mental health, according to research published Jan. 31 in BMJ Online First.
FDA: Antiepileptic Drugs May Increase Risk of Suicidality
February 1st 2008Patients taking antiepileptic medications for epilepsy, bipolar disease, migraine and other conditions may be at increased risk of suicidality, according to a physician alert issued Jan. 31 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Physicians Should Discuss Umbilical Cord Banking
February 1st 2008Although public and private banks exist for the collection and storage of umbilical cord blood, physicians should discuss and provide relevant information to patients, according to a committee opinion of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published in the February issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Pelvic Bruising in a Young Girl
February 1st 2008A 3 1/2-year-old girl, who is nonverbal because of an underlying neurological disorder, presented to day care with a pelvic bruise. The day-care attendant feared abuse and reported the findings to Child Protective Services (CPS). The parents told CPS that the child had been alone with her father and fell getting out of the bathtub.
Rectal Prolapse in a 5-Month-Old Boy
February 1st 2008This image was obtained from a 5-month-old boy who was brought to the emergency department (ED) by his parents who noted new-onset rectal prolapse. The prolapse had promptly recurred following initial successful reduction under sedation in the ED. A surgical consultation was obtained, and abdominal radiographs were requested.
SMFM: Magnesium Sulfate May Prevent Cerebral Palsy
January 31st 2008In women with anticipated early preterm delivery, intravenous maternal magnesium sulfate administration is associated with a 50 percent lower risk of moderate to severe cerebral palsy in their offspring, according to research presented this week at the 28th annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Dallas.
Young Children Rapidly Excrete Vaccine Mercury
January 31st 2008A recent prospective observational study of mercury concentration in blood, urine and stool of neonates and infants recently vaccinated with thimerosal-containing vaccines showed that ethyl mercury had a short half-life in these children and was primarily excreted rapidly in feces. This differs from oral methyl mercury from fish, which has a longer half-life in humans and toxicity at low concentrations, researchers report in the February issue of Pediatrics.