News

Recent federal news on SCHIP funding * National Children's Study * ACIP vaccine recommendations * FDA guidelines for fresh produce, and more * MedPAC recommendations on reimbursement

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Potty Monkey trainer * WeeSpecs Supreme phototherapy mask * Ultra Young Soles orthotics

Letters to the Editor

Flu vaccine * Internet exposure * Vesicouretal reflux * Glucose control

Breastfeeding's benefits easily outweigh the costs. So why do pediatricians (and obstetricians) always seem to be fighting an uphill battle with it? As with smoking cessation, breastfeeding is always worth the extra minutes of advocacy.

Not every child who has a first or second seizure will have a third, but some some will. These sites will hopefully help an epileptic child grow up to be the next Socrates, Van Gogh, or Dostoyevsky–all of who had epilepsy as well

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The occurrence of seizures in children can generate tremendous levels of anxiety for children, parents, and pediatricians alike. Allaying these concerns and providing the right treatment rests on a systematic approach.

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Discharging a newborn from the hospital is a golden opportunity for anticipatory guidance. Here's a 12-point approach, based on years of experience.

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A discussion of the importance of newborn screening panels in the United States to identify various metabolic, endocrine, and hematologic disorders.

Case report dealing with an autistic child and a vitamin deficiency

A 16 year old African American teenager complains of itchy bumps on the back of his neck for a 2-year period. What's the diagnosis?

SCHIP * Binge drinking * Cafeteria safety

Discussion of the future of pediatric hospitalists

CME opportunities available on Modern Medicine.

Severe disability and even death can result from the inappropriate diagnosis and treatment of a young child's wheezing, which is heterogeneous in its origins and expression. Consequently, a differential diagnosis is necessary to determine the cause and to develop an effective management strategy. Viral-induced wheeze, especially from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), manifests as a bronchiolitis. Recent reports show that the cysteinyl leukotrienes are an important mediator of the airway effects of RSV infection and that leukotriene receptor antagonists reduce postrespiratory syncytial virus lung symptoms. Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction manifests as wheezing and can be treated or pretreated short-term with inhaled bronchodilators or cromolyn: long-term therapy includes inhaled corticosteroids and leukotriene receptor antagonists. Allergic rhinitis-associated wheeze may be the result of acute exposure to an allergen or simply from nasal dysfunction. Control of allergic rhinitis with intranasal steroids, antihistamines, or leukotriene receptor antagonists could relieve the wheezing. Asthma-associated wheeze requires long-term use of 1 or more daily controller medications. The primary goal is to navigate the child safely through the first episode of wheezing, consider the causes of the wheeze, and then evaluate the need for further therapy. All apparent causes of wheeze should be treated with the idea that if the apparent cause turns out not to be the actual cause, treatment can be safely discontinued.

Oral contraceptive (OC) pills are frequently prescribed for a variety of clinical purposes. These medications--which contain varying amounts of estrogen- and progestin-based compounds--essentially "override" a woman's innate hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and frequently help ameliorate the effects of a maturing reproductive system while preventing pregnancy.

Several hours before he was seen in the office, a 2-year-old boy passed stool that contained a large intact sunflower seed. He had poor appetite and abdominal cramps but no recent history of emesis or fever.

This young girl is brought to your office with a rash that her mother thinks is triggered by sunlight. The mother is concerned because her own aunt has lupus erythematosus. The mother also reports that several children at her daughter's school have a similar eruption.

A 13-year-old boy presented with marked periorbital swelling of the left eyelid that started 12 hours earlier. His eyelashes and lid were matted with yellow discharge. He did not wear contact lenses or eyeglasses and denied ocular trauma or foreign bodies. He had been nauseated and vomited once; his mother attributed these symptoms to an antibiotic he had been taking for 5 days for a sinus infection. The medical history was noncontributory; there was no family history of ocular problems.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has awarded $4.5 million in grants to 15 community programs aimed at bringing school-connected mental health services to all children in need, with an emphasis on those from low-income immigrant and refugee families.

Intracranial bleeding in newborns has been found common after a vaginal birth, although the bleeding is limited and apparently has no effect, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

A small study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that repeated topical use of products containing lavender oil and/or tea tree oil may cause prepubertal gynecomastia, which is considered to be rare in boys prior to puberty.

Consumers are warned not to use certain jars of Earth's Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast baby food, because of a risk of Clostridium botulinum contamination. The affected foods were sold in individual jars and in variety packs (containing four jars of the apple peach barley in the pack along with other types). This line of food is a part of the "2nd Vegetables, Fruits, and Blends" intended for infants six months and older. Distribution was through retail stores and the Earth's Best Web site. Consumers should not use and destroy any of this product, even if it does not look or smell spoiled.

There is increasing evidence that environmental toxicants affect kids' health. Given this reality, pediatricians need to know the most important environmental health questions to ask, and what resources to draw from.