Baby boys who use pacifiers fail to mimic the facial expressions of adults and other children, which in turn impairs learning social and emotional responses to other human beings, according to research that explored the relationship between pacifier use and emotional development in children. More >>
Among 100 primary care physicians recently polled about electronic health record (EHR) systems, approximately 40% cited financial problems as their practices’ biggest hurdle, whereas another 40% listed EHR implementation itself. More >>
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is revamping its Back to Sleep campaign for the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome to address a wider awareness of all causes of sudden unexpected infant death. The goal is to promote education among health care providers, parents, and caregivers regarding safe sleep practices for all infants. More >>
New research has linked bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in the lining of metal cans, food packaging, polycarbonate drink bottles, and other consumer products, to obesity in children and adolescents. More >>
Adolescents who smoke marijuana on a regular basis face a decline in intelligence and brain function as adults, even if they quit using the drug later on. The findings are the first to associate a drop in neuropsychological functioning with cannabis use. More >>
Electronic health record (EHR) systems affect the workflows of small-practice physicians mostly negatively, whereas the workflows of their staff members are generally improved, according to recent research. More >>
Only confirmed cases of group A streptococcal pharyngitis, or strep throat, should be treated with antibiotics, according to an updated 2012 guideline issued by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. More >>
Children in the United States are consuming as much sodium as adults and like adults are at increased risk for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More >>
Adolescents who use their cell phones to send or receive sexually explicit messages and photos, called “sexting,†may perceive the activity as a safe alternative to real-life sexual encounters, but researchers have found that these children are at increased risk for other dangerous sexual behaviors. More >>
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new pediatric dosage form of everolimus for the treatment of subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA), a rare brain tumor in children. More >>
Children are more likely to remain in treatment for mental health issues if their parents consider the therapy to be beneficial, a recent study reports. What are the implications for child mental health care? More >>
Adolescents with metabolic syndrome have significantly lower cognitive performance and reductions in brain structural integrity, New York University researchers have found. Can these impairments affect a teenager’s academic or future professional potential? More >>
Children aged between 1 and 17 years should not take sildenafil for pulmonary artery hypertension, a MedWatch safety communication from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns. More >>
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that when it comes to measles, mumps, and rubella and varicella vaccination of children entering school, coverage is still not quite where it needs to be. Find out which states are the leaders and which states lag behind. More >>
New guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) call for, among other things, screening all children for obstructive sleep apnea. What prompted these guidelines, and will you add this screening to your exams?
A new study finds that infantile hemangiomas begin growing much faster and earlier than previously thought, which means evaluation and treatment are occurring too late. Find out what experts now recommend.
Up to two-thirds of mothers of critically ill newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) believe their children are less sick than their treating physicians indicate. How can you optimize communication in this most stressful setting?
Influenza complications hit some children especially hard. Which group had a particularly high rate of influenza-related death in 2009?
It seems yet another reason exists not to overprescribe antibiotics, particularly in infancy. And still something else that may contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic.
A study finds that children exposed to anesthesia before their third birthdays are at higher risk for neuropsychological deficits later in childhood.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for the 2012-2013 flu season include an updated vaccination schedule for children aged 6 months through 8 years.
Investigators assessed the efficacy of oral immunotherapy in children with egg allergy in inducing "sustained unresponsiveness" to egg allergen, a greater clinical effect than "desensitization."
A survey of a large group of Australian schoolchildren when they were aged 12 years and again at 17 years found that levels of physical activity and of sedentary behaviors are associated with health-related quality of life (QOL), which includes physical, mental, and social well-being.
Investigators set out to determine whether plasma levels of follistatin-like protein 1 (FSTL-1), which is produced by cardiac myocytes, correlate with Kawasaki disease (KD) and acquired coronary artery aneurysms (CAA), of which KD is a major cause.
Life expectancy has increased markedly for children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, to the point that estimated life expectancy of patients diagnosed between 1965 and 1980 is only about 4 years less than that of the general US population.
Most children survive serogroup B meningococcal disease without major sequelae. British researchers report, however, that about 10% of children who have had meningococcal infection experience major disabling deficits. What screening is needed for survivors of meningococcal disease? More >>
The steadily declining rate of circumcision in US newborn boys could add more than $4.4 billion in avoidable health care costs for treating the increasing cases of sexually transmitted infections and related cancers among uncircumcised men and their women partners over the next decade. More >>
Infants and children aged younger than 2 years who are vaccinated against hepatitis A virus (HAV) show persistent seroprotection whether they received antibodies to the virus from their mothers, a new study reports. More >>
The health benefits of newborn circumcision of boys outweigh the risks and justify elective, although not routine, use of the procedure, according to the latest policy statement on circumcision from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). What are the benefits? More >>
About half of all information on the Internet about safe infant sleep practices is incorrect or irrelevant, according to new research. How can you help parents find the right half? More >>