Look back at several quick video interviews discussing the expanding role of artificial intelligence, how RSV treatment has evolved, and much more.
Interested in receiving a copy of the Contemporary Pediatrics journal every month?
Want to stay up to date with pediatric news? Subscribe to the Contemporary Pediatrics e-newsletter to receive emailed updates regarding new data, pediatric clinical trials, puzzler cases, FDA news, and much more.
Thank you for visiting the Contemporary Pediatrics® website. Take a look at some of our top stories from last week (Monday, October 21, to Friday, October 25, 2024), and click on each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.
Highlights from last week include data from the Fall Clinical annual conference and from the 2024 American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a gram-positive bacterium responsible for illnesses like otitis media, sinusitis, pneumonia, and bacterial meningitis in young children, especially those aged 2 months to 11 years. While there are over 100 serotypes, only a subset commonly causes disease in humans. Pneumococcal vaccines, including PPSV23, PCV13, PCV15, and PCV20, offer protection, with conjugate vaccines providing more robust immunity.
The recently approved PCV15 and PCV20 expand coverage to additional serotypes beyond those in PCV13, addressing gaps in protection seen in certain populations. PCV15 adds serotypes 22F and 33F, while PCV20 includes these plus five more serotypes (8, 10A, 11A, 12F, and 15B), increasing immunity against emerging disease-causing strains. Clinical trials show that PCV15 and PCV20 have similar or greater immunogenicity compared to PCV13 and maintain comparable safety profiles. The broader coverage in these vaccines, particularly for serotypes linked to invasive disease in pediatric populations, has the potential to further reduce pneumococcal infection rates.
Click here for the full article from Ann McArn, PharmD, and Carlton Lee, PharmD, MPH, FASHP, FPPAG, BCPPS.
Administering vaccines is central to pediatric care, involving discussions with parents, children, and teens at routine visits. While many families accept vaccination recommendations, vaccine-hesitant or refusing parents require providers to address concerns fueled by social media misinformation. These challenging conversations are essential to safeguarding pediatric populations against preventable diseases.
This October, Contemporary Pediatrics released its vaccine issue, including guidance on 2024-2025 influenza and updated COVID-19 vaccines. For flu vaccines, children aged 6 months to 8 years need two doses if it's their first flu vaccine season or if they received only one dose in the previous year. COVID-19 vaccine guidelines, updated by the CDC, clarify dosages by age group and timing for children recovering from COVID-19. Providing parents with CDC resources aids understanding and builds trust.
The issue also highlights pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, recommending a review of a detailed vaccine comparison chart. Additionally, CDC data from the 2023-2024 flu season reported 197 pediatric flu-related deaths, underscoring the responsibility of pediatric providers to promote annual vaccination updates from the CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Through proactive immunization advocacy, providers can significantly reduce vaccine-preventable illnesses and deaths among children and adolescents.
Click here for the full commentary from Donna Hallas, PhD, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, PMHS, FAANP, FAAN.
Dermavant Sciences recently presented data from the ADORING 3 study on tapinarof (VTAMA) cream, 1%, a novel steroid-free treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD) in patients 2 years and older, at the 44th Annual Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference. This long-term extension (LTE) study followed two previous Phase 3 trials (ADORING 1 and 2), which focused on the safety and efficacy of tapinarof cream in patients with moderate to severe AD.
Additional results released in October highlighted tapinarof’s potential for rapid itch relief, with reductions seen as early as 24 hours post-application in young children. This rapid action addresses a significant need, as itch is a primary burden in AD. Dermavant has also noted positive outcomes for tapinarof in patients with skin of color, underscoring its broad therapeutic potential for diverse populations.
Click here for full data details and primary outcomes.
The mental health impacts of food allergies on children and their parents are increasingly recognized, yet many regions face limited access to specialized psychological services, according to an abstract presented at the 2024 American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston.
“Our center has devoted significant resources to address the psychosocial support needed by many families who have children with food allergies,” said Andriana La Mantia, MD, lead author of the study, in a press release. “Our goal in this study was to characterize use of these services for food allergy related anxiety.”
Click here for full abstract details and primary outcomes.
In this Contemporary Pediatrics video interview, Paul (PJ) Helmuth, MD, practicing pediatrician, Valley Medical Associates, physician clinical executive, Elsevier, Springfield, Massachusetts, discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) is being incorporated in various ways throughout the health care space, including in pediatric care.
Helmuth shared insights on the potential of AI in clinical settings and addressed the concerns of pediatricians who may be skeptical about adopting AI tools in their practice.
Click play on the above video to watch.
In this Contemporary Pediatrics video interview, Octavio Ramilo, MD, chair, Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, highlighted challenges and breakthroughs to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among the infant population.
"For 60 years, we've been trying to develop new preventive strategies for RSV in children, and it has been very difficult because [of] the immune system of children," Ramilo said. "We cannot use the traditional vaccine strategy of 2, 4 and 6 months, because, number one, this infection affects the very early in life... even before they can get their routine vaccines. Second, the immune system of infants is immature, so they cannot respond so well to these attempts to do a traditional vaccination."
Click play on the above video to watch.
