A preview of the January/February 2025 issue of Contemporary Pediatrics

Click the image above to view the digital version of the Jan/Feb 2025 issue of Contemporary Pediatrics.

The January/February 2025 issue of Contemporary Pediatrics is now available in digital form! Below, find a message from our Editor in Chief Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, who highlights articles featured in this month's double issue.

Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS:

Cheers to 2025!

I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy the holiday season and spend some quality time with family and friends. As we start the New Year, we continue to deal with increasing surges in respiratory viruses and other illnesses including norovirus, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, pertussis, and mycoplasma, with some infants and children being infected with more than 1 illness at the same time. This stresses the importance of ensuring that your patients are up to date on their vaccinations, including those for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) continues to increase in dairy cattle, poultry (including chicken and ducks), swine, and the wild avian population around the country. There is an increasing number of cases being seen in humans, including the recent death of a person in Louisiana who had a poultry farm. This is a virus that continues to be closely monitored by the CDC.

There are a number of excellent must-read articles in this month’s double issue. These include the following:

• The Dermatology section cover story is a very informative article examining what is coming down the pike for pediatric dermatology with regard to potential treatments and mechanisms of action of products for a variety of dermatologic conditions.
• The Pediatric Pharmacology section article is a great summary of oral anticoagulant treatments for venous thromboembolism that are available for use in the pediatric population. It also provides a review of the current guidelines for treatment and prophylaxis. This is very practical news given that there are very few FDA-approved oral anticoagulants that can be used in children and given that these treatments are replacing warfarin.
• The Respiratory Disorders section is a very timely presentation that features a series of case studies showcasing the atypical presentations of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which has been the cause of multiple outbreaks of respiratory illness over the past months. This is important to diagnose and treat to prevent spread to other contacts.
• The Infectious Diseases section features a very interesting article on the recent infant investigational new drug application clearance designation from the FDA on VAX-31, indicated for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease. As the number of pneumococcal nonvaccine serotypes causing disease continues to increase, this will be an incredibly important vaccine to use to protect our infants against invasive pneumococcal disease.
• The Nutrition section article is a thought-provoking discussion on dispelling the common myths about nutrition and acne and provides some practical advice to practitioners on how to counsel their patients with acne on the impact that nutrition can have on their skin.
• The Neurodevelopmental Health section article is a very interesting summary of findings from a study that discovered that concussions slow aperiodic activity among high school football players.

As always, thank you for providing outstanding care to your patients. As Albert Einstein stated, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” Please make time to take care of yourselves.

Please stay safe and well. And as always, I welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions.

With warm regards,

Tina Q. Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, Editor in Chief