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
View More
SimulatED™: Understanding the Role of Genetic Testing in Patient Selection for Anti-Amyloid Therapy
View More
Cases and Conversations™: Applying Best Practices to Prevent Shingles in Your Practice
View More
Update on Sexually Transmitted Diseases:Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infections
April 1st 2006Most cases of HSV-2 infection are spread through sexual transmission. An infected person can have virus in his or her saliva, semen, or vaginal secretions. When a seronegative partner comes in sexual contact with these secretions, the virus can enter the body through mucosal surfaces (such as the vagina, anus, or mouth) or micro-abrasions on the skin (eg, the penile shaft, scrotum, thighs, or perineum).
Chronic Cough in Children: New Guidelines Offer New Direction
April 1st 2006Until very recently, when it came to chronic cough, children were to be treated like little adults. In its 1998 guidelines on cough, the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) stated that "the approach to managing chronic cough in children is similar to the approach in adults."
Acute Poisoning: Keys to Zeroing In on the Cause
April 1st 2006Poisons have been a threat to the health and well-being of humankind for millennia. Given the ubiquitous nature of potential poisons, exposure to a toxin should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with unexplained illnesses or unusual presentations.
Update on Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Gonorrhea and Chlamydial Infections
March 1st 2006Gonorrhea (aka "the clap," or "the drip") is caused by sexually transmitted Neisseria gonorrhoeae--a Gram-negative diplococcus. One of the most common reportable diseases in the United States, gonorrhea frequently affects sexually active adolescents. Approximately 30% of the 350,000 annual cases involve 15- to 19-year-olds. (That percentage is thought to be an underestimate!) Those most often infected are young women 15 to 24 years old. Recent data suggest that infection rates are higher among teens who are homeless or pregnant, and in those from a minority group or an economically disadvantaged background.
Pityriasis Rosea in a 7-Year-Old Girl
March 1st 2006Seven-year-old girl with generalized rash that started as a single isolated oval lesion on the lower abdomen. Six days later, diffuse papulosquamous lesions appeared mainly on the trunk, sparing the scalp, face, and extremities. Intense itching despite 3 days of diphenhydramine therapy.
"I want that!" TV advertising has a bad influence on young eating habits
January 13th 2006Every day, children are served up a barrage of television commercials telling them what to eat. According to J. Michael McGinnis, senior scholar at the Institute of Medicine (IOM), that's a problem: "Current food and beverage marketing practices put kids' long-term health at risk." McGinnis's findings appear in a report, Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?, issued recently by the IOM's committee on food marketing and the diets of children and youth.
Anti-influenza drug's age indication expanded—downward—by FDA
January 13th 2006The US Food and Drug Administration in December approved the use of Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) for preventing seasonal influenza in children 1 to 12 years old. Tamiflu's labeled use had previously been for prevention and treatment of flu in children 13 years and older, as well as in adults.
Update on the 2005-2006 Influenza Season
October 4th 2005"There is some drama associated with influenza every year," said George Kent, MD, associate director of the Center for Education in Family and Community Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. "In 2004, it was the surprise vaccine shortage and the surge in demand, followed by a very ordinary year in terms of disease. This year, we appear to have plenty of vaccine, except for avian influenza, for which we have no vaccine at all."
Cold Injuries: A Guide to Preventing--and Treating--Hypothermia and Frostbite
October 1st 2005ABSTRACT: Hypothermia is not limited to the northern states: people also die of hypothermia in other areas with milder climates. Infants, young adolescent boys, and inadequately dressed teens who abuse alcohol or illicit drugs are at highest risk for death secondary to hypothermia. The mildly hypothermic patient may appear fatigued and display persistent shivering, ataxia, clumsiness, confusion, tachypnea, and tachycardia. The child with moderate hypothermia will not be shivering; declining mental status may cause the freezing patient to remove clothing. An irregular heartbeat is likely at this stage. Severe hypothermia is marked by apnea, stupor, and coma. In a frostbitten patient, rapid rewarming of the affected area in warm water for 15 to 30 minutes is the first step. Potent analgesia is often necessary. After thawing, the frostbitten part is kept dry, warm, and loosely covered. With an adequate dose of common sense, the vast majority of deaths from cold injury can be prevented.
PEDIATRICS UPDATE: Infectious Risk for Children in the Wake of Katrina
October 1st 2005In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's devastation in the Gulf Coast region, it is important for physicians in the United States to consider the infectious disease risks for children who have been displaced or who are still living in affected areas. These risks include infections acquired through ingestion of waterborne organisms; wound infections; lack of immunization continuity; and overcrowding, which increases the risk of respiratory or GI infections. In addition, problems will arise from disruption of therapy for select populations of children, such as those who are HIV-infected; those receiving immunosuppressive treatment; and those in need of continuous antibiotic prophylaxis, such as those who have sickle cell disease.