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A pediatrician for all seasons, Diagnosing ADHD, Hazards; Eye on Washington

The eosinophil can either enhance or suppress immune function, and it's associated with a wide variety of diseases. Little wonder a finding of eosinophilia often leaves pediatricians scratching their heads.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is one of the most common, and dangerous, complications of both insulin- and noninsulin-dependent diabetes. The patient's life depends on a complex therapeutic juggling act to restore metabolic, acid-base, fluid, and electrolyte balances.

Questions about Elian Gonzales and his custody problems and how they relate to the wellbeing of all children.

Cover for June issue

Supporters and opponents of an increasingly popular practice have strong opinions about whether bed sharing is good or bad for babies and their parents. Examining the attitudes behind these opinions and the evidence for co-sleeping's alleged benefits and pitfalls will help you tailor your advice to the specific needs of families in your practice.

Open fetal surgery is improving outcomes in fetuses with a variety of fatal or severely disabling disorders. Developments in minimally invasive procedures hold great promise for in utero treatment, as do studies in gene therapy.

A massive undertaking to determine the sequence of the several billion DNA building blocks that represent the human genome is almost complete. Pediatricians can look forward to new molecular tests for diagnosing inherited disorders in the near future. Novel therapies should follow.

Condom use is up, and other options have expanded in recent years. This review of contraceptive management for adolescent patients will bring you up to date.

Obesity is on the rise and hard to treat. Whenever possible, you, your patient, and the family should face the problem early and deal with it before it assumes awesome proportions. For a moderately obese child, not gaining for a while may be all that's needed.

Cover for May

Advocates for children join UN peacekeeping missions, Assessing the risk for RSV, Vaccinating for HAV: So far, not so good, Resources for pediatricians, The eggs are OK, but watch out for the orange juice; Eye on Washington

In four out of five children with chronic urticaria, it's not possible to identify a cause. Still, serious problems must be ruled out, triggers sought, and itching alleviated. Here's how to focus the history and physical, decide which tests are and aren't worth doing, and choose the appropriate medications.

Arthritis can be caused by a range of viruses or other infectious agents, or develop in the wake of an enteric, genitourinary, or respiratory tract infection. Knowing the possible causes and typical signs and symptoms of infection-related arthritides helps make the diagnosis.

What the Human Genome Project will mean for pediatrics.

As new data correct past misconceptions and add new knowledge, it's up to pediatricians to debunk myths about "crack babies," watch for varied developmental consequences in infancy and beyond, and help parents and other caregivers maximize these children's potential.

The call at 3 a.m. on a warm May morning is from the emergency department. The ED physician is seeing a 6-year-old with a seven- to 10-day history of fever as high as 105? F, swollen glands, lethargy, and poor oral intake.

Most children with gastroenterologic disorders feel ill because of a complex mix of psychologic, developmental, and social factors. Using several case histories, this specialist shows how focusing on these areaswhich conventional medical management addresses inadequatelyis the key to helping such patients get better.

Cover for April for Web

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is easy to recognize and generally not serious. Yet specialists differ greatly in their approach to diagnosis and treatment. Review the rationales of the opposing camps, then make up your own mind on which makes better sense.

Children's books about the death of pets help children deal with the death of someone close to them are listed and described so pediatricians can recommend them to patients and families.

Questions about behavior of interest to pediatricians.