News

In rural Ethiopian villages severely affected by ocular chlamydial infections that cause trachoma, mass antibiotic distribution can eliminate the infections. But biannual distribution may be the most effective strategy, according to the results of a study published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Two Orlando children's hospitals have come to terms with the group that wants to build a third hospital.

Printed educational materials and brief audiovisual presentations are both effective in increasing adolescents' knowledge about acne, researchers report in the February issue of the Archives of Dermatology.

Children suspected of having cutaneous rosacea should be seen by an ophthalmologist, since ocular involvement often accompanies skin findings, according to an article published in the Archives of Dermatology in February.

In adult survivors of childhood cancers, a shared-care program involving pediatric oncologists and family doctors may be appropriate for long-term follow-up, according to the results of a pilot study published online Feb. 18 in The Lancet Oncology.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had issued a draft of its "Good Reprint Practices" guidelines for drug manufacturers when they are distributing articles involving "off-label" use of drugs and devices to scientific and medical journals or other reference publications.

Introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine has reduced the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in children, and use of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine is increasing in low-income countries, according to two reports published in the Feb. 15 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, at least 82 adolescents have died playing a game where the goal is to black out from oxygen loss by choking.

A game played by young people in which strangulation is used to stimulate a temporary high caused by cerebral hypoxia has caused the deaths of at least 82 youths in the United States, according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The CDC has issued a warning for parents to be vigilant for signs that their children are playing the game.

The rate of suicide among young men in the United Kingdom has declined over the past decade, and restrictions on prescribing antidepressants to young people imposed in 2003 have not caused an increase in suicidal behavior, according to two studies published online Feb. 14 in the British Medical Journal.

A preventive nutrition program targeting all young children was more successful in reducing childhood undernutrition in Haiti than the traditional model, which targeted only underweight children, according to an article published Feb. 16 in The Lancet.

The venom lying in wait in a scorpion's tail is certainly bad news to its prey. But it could contain the key to an effective cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment.

In utero exposure to the immunosuppressant mycophenolate mofetil can lead to birth defects such as cleft lip and palate as well as hearing loss, according to a clinical report in the January issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics.

The Food and Drug Administration gave the okay to Ranbaxy Laboratories for its pediatric formulation of the generic antibiotic cefuroxime axetil.

MTV is teaming up with the Kaiser Family Foundation and the musician Common to encourage young people to get regularly tested for HIV.

Researchers who boned up on weight loss among obese teens found that their bone mineral content doesn't drop during weight loss.

Although educational organizations have issued strong recommendations regarding institutional conflicts of interest (ICOI), adoption of ICOI policies for institutional financial interests and those of institution officials remain lacking in many medical schools, according to research published in the Feb. 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

According to a new study in the journal Vaccine, using risk factors to determine which girls and women get the HPV vaccine isn't effective.

In pediatric patients, laser treatment is safe and effective for port wine stains, but it shows mixed results for hemangiomas and works best on superficial lesions, according to study findings published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning saying that botulism toxin can be lethally dangerous.

Babies born to teenage fathers are at higher risk of adverse birth outcomes such as premature birth, low birth weight and mortality, independent of maternal factors, according to a report published online Feb. 6 in Human Reproduction.

In Nepal, children born to mothers who take multiple micronutrient supplements during pregnancy are more likely to have a modestly higher birth weight and body size, an effect that persists into early childhood, according to research published in the Feb. 9 issue of The Lancet.

Children with exposure to mercury from dental amalgam do not experience any adverse neurological effects, according to a report published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.

Depression and burnout are common among trainees in pediatric residency programs, and depressed residents make six times as many medication errors compared to their non-depressed peers, according to an article published Feb. 7 in BMJ Online First.

HIV-positive mothers who take antiretroviral drugs reduce the risk of passing it on to their babies via milk.

Researchers at the Conference of Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections said there were three documented cases of small children contracting HIV after their caregiver chewed food for them.

Physicians should structure their workloads and work hours to avoid fatigue when caring for patients, according to a committee opinion of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published in the February issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Minority children experience multiple disparities in medical and dental health status, and access to care compared to white children, according to an article published in the February issue of Pediatrics.

The state of Tennessee's Department of Health appointed Veronica Gunn, MD, MPH, as its Chief Medical Officer.

Young adults who regularly smoke marijuana have more advanced and greater progression of gum disease than young adults who do not smoke marijuana, according to research published in the Feb. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.