July 8th 2025
A newly-published study identified specific groups of higher-risk children that could benefit most from monoclonal antibodies.
Addressing Healthcare Inequities: Tailoring Cancer Screening Plans to Address Inequities in Care
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SimulatED™: Understanding the Role of Genetic Testing in Patient Selection for Anti-Amyloid Therapy
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Cases and Conversations™: Applying Best Practices to Prevent Shingles in Your Practice
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Middle School: A Time for Maturation-and Vaccination
September 1st 2007ABSTRACT: The pre-middle school well child visit is now an important landmark on the vaccine schedule. The pre-kindergarten visit no longer has the distinction of being the last of the visits for "school shots." Pediatricians should emphasize this point at the 4- to 6-year-old well child visit so that parents are aware of the need for another series of vaccines in about 5 years.
Immunizing the College Student: REFERENCES:
September 1st 2007ABSTRACT: College is a time of new exposures, risk-taking, and adventure. Thus, protection with proper immunization is paramount. Pediatricians should offer the recommended vaccines whether required for college entry or not. When the young adult comes to the office to have the college health form completed and signed, seize the opportunity to tout the benefits of pre-college vaccination.
Elementary School: REFERENCES:
September 1st 2007ABSTRACT: Vaccination must be promoted before and on entry into elementary school. Not only does vaccination provide substantial health benefits to society, it is the law. The recommended childhood vaccination schedule changes on a yearly basis. Similarly, state vaccination requirements for school entry also may change yearly to accommodate these recommendations. Pediatricians need to remain abreast of the most recent vaccine information and to offer all vaccines at the appropriate well child visits. The goal is to limit the number or eliminate altogether the need for catch-up vaccines when the time comes for entry into elementary school.
Secondary Syphilis in a Teenage Boy
August 1st 2007This rash on a teenage boy's palms began on his hands and spread to his torso and upper and lower extremities over several days. He had no pain or pruritus. Two weeks before the lesions appeared, he had experienced fatigue, fever, and myalgia of 1 week's duration.
Group A -Hemolytic Streptococcal Vulvovaginitis
July 1st 2007An otherwise healthy 3-year-old girl was brought for evaluation of fever, sore throat, and shaking chills of 12 hours' duration. She had beefy-red, posterior oropharyngeal erythema and a scarlatiniform rash on her shoulder that had been present for a few hours. The rash faded out over her chest but reappeared in the perineum and lower abdomen. She also had vulvovaginal inflammation with surrounding erythema. The mother was surprised to see the inflammation, but in retrospect added that the child had complained of vaginal discomfort as well. A rapid antigen test for group A b-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) from a swab of the oropharynx was positive.
Update on Pediatric Rheumatology
July 1st 2007ABSTRACT: Dramatic progress has been made in our understanding of pediatric rheumatic disease. Various classification systems help identify juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which involves unique considerations that distinguish it from rheumatoid arthritis in adults. Vaccination issues are important for children with JIA. Renal involvement with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is more common and more severe in children than in adults, but treatment of children who have SLE is similar to that of adults. Neonatal lupus erythematosus may occur in infants whose mothers have SLE. Juvenile dermatomyositis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Kawasaki disease is a common vasculitis of childhood, especially in infants and toddlers. Each of at least 8 major familial periodic fever clinical syndromes has specific distinguishing characteristics.
Spray away! Nasal flu spray vaccine shown to reduce influenza
February 16th 2007A study led by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine finds giving the nasal spray flu vaccine to elementary school students can significantly help reduce the impact of influenza on children and members of their family. The study compared families of children who attend schools where the vaccine was given with families of children in schools not targeted to receive the vaccine. The results of the study were published in the December 14, 2006 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.
Eye Infection From Wearing Over-the-Counter Contact Lenses
November 1st 2006A 17-year-old Haitian girl who was visiting Florida presented to the emergency department after she experienced pain and a change in vision in her left eye. Her right eye was asymptomatic. For the past 3 to 4 days, she had been wearing a pair of colored contact lenses she bought for fun at a discount store.
CDC’s Gerberding addresses pediatricians, and flu vaccine
October 10th 2006Julie Gerberding, MD, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported on progress in the availability of influenza vaccine during a plenary session presentation this morning at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2006 National Convention and Exhibition.