News

It's time for the closely watched Medical Economics magazine annual survey of physicians' earnings, and—in the latest findings, from 2003—you and your colleagues are once again (almost) at the bottom of the pile.

On October 5, 2004, the United States learned that only half the anticipated doses of influenza vaccine would be available in preparation for the upcoming flu season because Chiron Vaccines, one of only two manufacturers of inactivated influenza vaccine, had its license to manufacture Fluvirin suspended. This may be the most abrupt and untimely interruption of the vaccine supply we have experienced but, as health-care providers for children well know, it isn't the first.

Once more, the United States doesn't have enough of a vaccine—this time, flu vaccine. Just as the influenza season was about to start, the bad news hit the headlines: The entire output of the California-based Chiron company's influenza vaccine has been condemned by the authorities in the United Kingdom, where Chiron's vaccine, Fluvinir, is manufactured. US authorities had counted on 100 million doses of flu vaccine this year—up from 87 million available last year. About half that amount was to be supplied by Chiron.

Not all children with delayed speech are "little Einsteins" or garden variety "late bloomers." Some have a speech-language disorder that will persist unless warning signs are recognized and intervention comes early. Includes a Guide for Parents.

The medical office of the future is here, and it's electronic. Personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and wireless applications are already making significant inroads into daily practice for many pediatricians. Within a few years, every clinician will probably be using them.

Child safety seats are ubiquitous in modern America &#8212 and many are used in dramatically unsafe ways. Used incorrectly, safety seats can harm.

Children who don't talk about high-profile disasters such as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or, before that, the shootings at Columbine High School aren't coping &#8212 they're avoiding. Pediatricians can help them come to terms with their fears.

Here is startling news: Much of what you know about childhood and adolescent vaccines is passing out of date. New vaccines in development and new mortality data mean that recommendations for vaccination against influenza, hepatitis A, meningococcal disease, varicella, human papillomavirus, and rotavirus are on the move.

Going to the movies may be dangerous to children's hearing. A Hawaii-based researcher found that while sound levels in movie theaters do not exceed government safety standards, the volume may still be loud enough to damage hearing.

All terrain vehicles are a clear and constant danger to children. That's the grim conclusion by researchers at St. Louis Children's Hospital. A retrospective review of children admitted to that institution with ATV-related injury revealed a significant increase in the number and severity of injuries over the study period. An abstract of that study was reported at a gathering this week of the Section on Surgery at the AAP 2004 National Conference and Exhibition.

Balancing work, family, and self is a practical skill, not wishful thinking. Pediatricians who fall out of that kind of personal balance can expect a raft of unpleasant consequences in their professional domain: poor clinical communication, worse medical outcomes, more conflict, and more malpractice suits.

Founding board members of the National Meningitis Association (NMA) know all too well the devastating effects of meningococcal disease. Their adolescent or young adult children have either died or suffered permanent disability as a result of the disease. This week, the NMA came to the Exhibit Hall of the AAP 2004 National Conference and Exhibition to encourage pediatricians to educate their patients' parents about meningococcal disease and the benefits of immunization.

Pediatricians who believe they know the latest on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) may be in for a surprise. The American Academy of Pediatrics plans to issue a new statement on the syndrome in 2005.

The news this week from the floor of the commercial Exhibit Hall of AAP 2004 National Conference and Exhibition is that the most common allergic reaction has a cure. More than 55 million Americans develop allergic contact dermatitis from exposure to poison oak, poison ivy, or poison sumac (Toxicodendron species) every year. According to a report by researchers at St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network in Bethlehem, Pa., relief with the new soap product of alcohol solubles and anionic surfactants is just 30 seconds away.

You, as a pediatrician, can change the world. Not every time and not with every issue, but political advocacy by AAP members does carry clout in Washington.

When a parent of Southeast Asian background refuses to meet your eyes during an examination of her child, warning bells go off. The parent is uncomfortable, has something to hide, is trying to protect something embarrassing or inappropriate . . . Not so!

Is plastic surgery the right choice for adolescents? One plastic surgeon, speaking to an audience of pediatricians, says "maybe." "This is a particularly vulnerable population," cautioned Julia Corcoran, MD, attending plastic surgeon at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. "They are adults in so many ways, but not in all."

Many clinicians approach questions of substance abuse in their adolescent patients from the wrong perspective: They focus solely on the negative &#8212 the risk factors &#8212 instead of on the positive &#8212 teens' numerous protective factors. The result, say researchers from Texas and Maryland, is that patients and parents get less help than pediatricians can actually provide.

"If you are not a lobbyist, you are not doing your job as a pediatrician." That was the blunt challenge from Tom Pendergrass, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington and chair of the legislative committee of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Don't use a computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), or other electronic tools at the office and at home? It's time to catch up with your colleague - for good reason!

Pediatricians can help young victims deal with the trauma of child abuse, but they can also exacerbate problems associated with abuse.

Headaches are a significant pediatric problem - and pediatricians who don't recognize and treat them aren't doing their job, according to a Stanford University researcher who spoke at the AAP 2004 National Conference and Exhibition Saturday.

Food can keep infants free of allergic disease. The right nutritional choices during the first four to six months of life can mean the difference between a healthy childhood and a progression of atopic disease that can lead to asthma.

Unintended consequences are alive and active in pediatric endocrinology. When the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of growth hormone to treat idiopathic short stature in 1993, pediatricians found themselves trying to decide how short is short enough to treat.

The 'golden gate' to the Golden State has much to offer explorers, sightseers, history buffs - and everyone else

CPD Showdaily images

Could this be an autoimmune hemolytic anemia? That's doubtful: The Coombs' test was negative.

With dietary vitamins having potent immunomodulating effects in vitro and in animal models, investigators were led to examine whether vitamin supplementation during infancy affects the risk of asthma and allergic disease in early childhood.

In the halls of the federal bureaucracy, October 1 is traditionally celebrated as Fiscal New Year's Day, when agencies and departments can start spending the funds Congress has appropriated to run the government.

I'm no magician, but I've found a trick to engage apprehensive 2- to 4-year-olds during examinations.