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A healthy full-term newborn presented with a prominent sacral dimple within an oval patch. Ultrasound showed no evidence of spinal anomalies, and the child was discharged home. Three days later, the patch became elevated, red, and moist appearing, and she was brought to the emergency department (ED) for further evaluation of the “growing blister.”

Health illiteracy is widespread across all populations, but it has the extra burden of language and cultural barriers in diverse and underserved populations. Here’s how pediatricians can help.

What do patients and their families really understand about their healthcare and what can pediatricians do about it?

A 5-month-old Hispanic boy, previously healthy, presents to the emergency department (ED) for 5 days of fever, 3 days of diarrhea and rash, and 2 days of vomiting. He had been diagnosed with acute otitis media by his primary care physician 3 days prior to his presentation and started on amoxicillin. The parents brought their son to the ED because of his persistent fever up to 104°F and decreased oral intake. He has no recent travel and no known sick contacts. His immunizations are up to date and he has never been hospitalized. He was born in the United States, full term with an uncomplicated birth history.

Parental refusals of protocols in the newborn nursery do happen. Providers need to know how to respond to parents with patient-centered yet medically safe care for their newborns.

This month I offer some observations on developmental disorders-ADHD and autism.

As 2017 winds to a close, it's time to look toward 2018 and all that it holds. We asked our editorial advisory board and you to share your resolutions for the coming year. Here's what you had to say.

We know you love a diagnostic challenge. Can you crack these 6 puzzling cases?

Pediatricians need to stay committed to following those infants with possible exposure to Zika to understand the effects of Zika infection and ensure appropriate care and services.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara discusses a recent prospective birth cohort study published in Pediatrics that looked at different feeding methods for infants and whether the methods had any link to asthma.

With planning, transitioning teenagers from pediatric care to adult care for their diabetes doesn’t have to be stressful for either patient or provider.

Many children face trauma at some point in their lives, but training on resilience and open communication can help.

Ms. Hester presents a heartwarming story describing the puppy brigade program’s design and its process for helping children to heal at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio while receiving both inpatient and outpatient care.

A new study reviewing whether drinking water before vaccination could help dispel feelings of postvaccination dizziness found instead that anxiety before the shot may be a bigger factor.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is reporting that despite the lack of an intranasal option, there has been no substantial decline in flu vaccination among children.

The risk of coronary artery lesions (CALs) in Kawasaki disease (KD) is related to CYP2E1 gene polymorphisms, a study from Taiwan confirmed.

The parents of a healthy 5-month-old boy bring him to the office for evaluation of an enlarging yellowish nodule on the back of his right thigh. It started as a pink macule several months ago and became yellow and lumpy over the last month. The infant was born at term and has grown and developed normally. His parents deny any trauma, but report occasional bleeding from the surface of the nodule. They deny any new medications or outdoor exposures. There is no history of new topical skin products.

A therapy dog program at a children’s hospital provides comfort for pediatric patients and families facing the unfamiliar and a sense of normalcy that makes a frightening hospital experience less so.

It’s time for Dr. Schuman’s annual year-end review of the new tech that’s changing how pediatricians care for children. Check out his recommendations!

A pediatrician with special training in neuromuscular disorders cautions that nothing replaces the traditional workup-a complete history and physical-for diagnosing neuromuscular complaints.

Here is helpful advice gleaned from my experiences with C diff, diarrhea, colic, reflux, and other things gastroenterological.

A novel assay for distinguishing bacterial from viral infections significantly outperformed routine laboratory parameters and biomarkers in a study using serum remnants from children suspected to have acute infection.

Using a cost-utility model of a hypothetical group of symptomatic children aged younger than 2 years who were diagnosed with acute otitis media (AOM), investigators evaluated whether antimicrobial therapy reduces time to symptom resolution, overall symptom burden, and persistence of infection.

An 8-year-old girl is admitted to the hospital with complaints of right ear pain, right leg pain, left arm pain, and fever after a week of worsening symptoms.

We’ve been asking the same basic questions in our Annual Issues and Attitudes Survey for the past 4 years and listening to your answers so that we can discern any trends in your thinking and professional behaviors. The jury is in on 2017, so here are some of the key findings. No P values here, but lots of anecdotal comments. And still some interesting feedback on what you’re confronting and juggling from patients, parents, and payments.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara discusses a recent statement published in Pediatrics that discussed key ways to prevent and control infection in ambulatory settings.

Dr. Bass’ recent article in Contemporary Pediatrics, “Personalized medicine, right drug, right patient, right time,” provides a miniature but profound view of what may be the future of pediatric healthcare: focusing on healthcare that is truly individualized through precision science in the areas of diagnosis and treatment, rather than generalized, population-based treatment guidelines.

Eczema affects around 11% of children overall, but only about half of minority children with severe eczema are treated for the condition. A new study looks at why these children are overlooked.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara discusses a large retrospective cohort study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology that examined whether children with pediatric psoriasis are at increased risk of cancer and discusses 2 caveats to the findings.