News

A large retrospective study of how infants with fever without a cause are evaluated found that physicians are selective in deciding which of these babies will have blood, urine, or cerebral spinal fluid cultures.

Results of a survey of more than 1360 parents conducted in pediatricians’ waiting rooms found that 75% of parents agree that pediatricians should advise about safe storage of firearms; those who disagreed were likely to be firearm owners.

After a cesarean delivery at 30 weeks, a 1430-gram premature female neonate was noted to have generalized thick, dark brown scale forming a tight membrane over her entire skin surface. Her mother was a healthy 19-year-old gravida 1 with normal prenatal screening ultrasound and laboratory studies. Family history did not reveal any congenital malformations or genetic disorders.

It’s been a while since Dr Schuman reviewed medical applications for mobile devices, and many readers have requested an update. So, he looked at his iPhone and iPad and put together his recommendations for the best applications for pediatric providers.

As pediatricians we are all too aware of our nation’s struggle with childhood overweight and obesity. Approximately 1 of every 5 children that we see in the office every day is obese. Despite tremendous efforts to reverse this trend, it is clear we are in this battle for the long haul.

Although there is debate surrounding the definition of metabolic X syndrome in pediatrics and there are few long-term studies of outcomes in children with metabolic syndrome, pediatric metabolic syndrome needs to be on the radar of all pediatricians interested in ensuring a healthy adult life for their patients.

New recommendations for infant exposure to peanuts to prevent peanut allergy address something many pediatricians have long suspected: Early exposure to peanuts, even in infants that have eczema, could prevent development of peanut allergy.

New hope for eczema

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced its approval of a new, corticoid-sparing ointment to treat mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in pediatric patients aged 2 years and older.

Testing glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) appears to predict children’s diabetes risk as well as fasting plasma glucose and 2-hour postload plasma glucose, according to a study on more than 2000 American Indian children.

Findings from a recent US Department of Agriculture report show that “sweetened beverages” were the number 1 category of items purchased by households participating in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

A trial comparing amitriptyline, topiramate, and placebo for prevention of migraine in children and adolescents with a history of migraine found that all 3 had about the same effect on reducing headache frequency or headache-related disability.

A follow-up trial conducted 6 years after the conclusion of a randomized controlled trial of early intervention in autism spectrum disorder demonstrated that the intervention had a long-term effect on autism symptoms and continued effects on parent and child social interaction.

In a retrospective study of 27,000 infants aged younger than 3 months evaluated for urinary tract infection (UTI) with paired urinalysis and urine culture, investigators set out to determine the optimal urine white blood cell (WBC) threshold for UTI when using an automated urinalysis system stratified by urine concentration.

A congressional fact of life is the dangerous “Christmas tree” bill, which passes with so much on it that many things don’t get the scrutiny they deserve. The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law by President Obama on December 13, 2016, is such a bill.

President-elect Donald Trump has announced he will nominate Seema Verma, MPH, a consultant with extensive work in Medicaid in several states, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The new “MACRA” system, underway as of January 2017, massively changes the way physicians are paid under Medicare and will impact pediatricians indirectly but substantially, say experts.

Will the Trump administration promote vaccine hesitancy or create policies that are less than vaccine friendly? Or will his doubts about vaccines encourage hesitancy?

A longitudinal study examined the relationship between prenatal or postnatal high-fat, high-sugar diet and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children who demonstrated either early-onset persistent conduct disorder or minimal conduct problems.

A major dilemma for patients is simply how to access good care that is both convenient and affordable. To thrive in these challenging times, practices should consider all options to facilitate patient access. If you have an open mind, you may even consider changing your “traditional” practice to one that provides “direct primary care.”

Urolithiasis occurrence is increasing in both adults and children in the United States, with nearly 1 in 11 adults having a stone at some time in their life. Unfortunately, stone occurrence in children also appears to have increased from 1% to 2% in the 1950s to 1970s to almost 10%.