News

One pediatrician responds to the findings of our online poll "Has the ACA hit home yet?" (February 2014)

The current recommended screening test for type 2 diabetes mellitus may be missing the diagnosis in many adolescents, according to a new study by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Topical antibiotic-glucocorticoid eardrops are superior to oral antibiotics and observation for acute uncomplicated otorrhea in children with tympanostomy tubes.

It seems that certain common infections put children at greater risk of ischemic stroke, and certain recommended vaccinations help decrease that risk.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published an interim final rule, revising its infant formula regulations to help ensure the quality of these manufactured foods.

High school students who regularly consume energy drinks and soft drinks are more likely to abuse substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs.

Girls who become pregnant when they are aged younger than 15 years are more likely than slightly older women to have much older sexual partners, to not use contraception the first time they have sex, and to be Hispanic or black, suggesting that they may be particularly vulnerable to relationships with unequal power.

A recent study found the lower the gestational age at birth, the more elevated plasma insulin levels are, not only at birth but in early childhood, too. The finding suggests that preterm birth may be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Tooth decay among US children is an epidemic and a growing problem, says a report issued by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently approved the 2014 recommended schedules for childhood and adolescent immunizations.

New research reveals that forensic science has a lot to offer the process of identifying children who are abused or neglected.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the Dexcom G4® Platinum continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system for use in children with diabetes mellitus.

Understanding how children typically burn and scald themselves is the first step toward prevention, say researchers from the United Kingdom.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and its Section on Oral Health have issued a clinical report on managing dental trauma in children aged 1 to 21 years in the primary care setting.

It seems that many vitamin supplements marketed for children and infants contain higher amounts of individual vitamins than are recommended.

Parents are often somewhat confused when it comes to obtaining specialist care for their children, according to a new poll.

Parenting influences the success of African American boys as they transition from preschool to kindergarten, according to a new study.

Pediatrician Andrew S. Garner, MD, PhD, describes how children's response to toxic stress stimuli in their environment alters the brain, putting them at risk for a lifetime of adverse health outcomes. Pediatricians, he says, are the natural sentinels to screen and to intervene.

The GAO is comparing children’s benefits under ACA-qualified health plans with those offered by CHIP.

Screening children and adolescents who experience syncope using characteristics in the history, physical exam, and electrocardiogram (ECG) accurately identifies which patients require further evaluation for cardiac problems, a new study concluded.

I have been an avid reader of Contemporary Pediatrics for years and have always found the articles timely and relevant to a practicing pediatrician like myself. There is one aspect of your publication that bothers me, however, and that is not consistent with your mission statement, which is, to present practical information to office-based pediatricians.

Compared with whites, blacks consistently have lower levels of total vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) and elevated levels of parathyroid hormone (considered a sensitive marker of vitamin D deficiency), often leading to a diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency.

Vaccine-hesitant parents respond to strong provider recommendations.

The new Asthma Symptom Tracker (AST), which rests on weekly (instead of traditional monthly) use of the Asthma Control Test (ACT), facilitates monitoring of patients’ symptoms and rapid recognition and response to warning signs of deterioration in asthma control, a new study found.

Pediatricians now in practice have my sympathy.

As part of our yearlong celebration of Contemporary Pediatrics’ 30th anniversary, we are delighted to unveil a brand-new look with this issue.

You are called to the emergency room to see an ill-looking, 13-year-old boy with a severe flare of his atopic dermatitis associated with fever, malaise, and chills, which started a week ago.

When a child experiences a seizure for the first time, frantic parents turn to their pediatrician for answers about what just happened and what to do next. The conversation should begin by discussing exactly what a seizure is and what it is not.

Insurance companies are now beginning to compensate pediatricians for performing photoscreening, billed under Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 99174. We applaud the efforts of the many pediatricians, pediatric ophthalmologists, and state chapters of the AAP who have aggressively petitioned insurance companies to cover this important service for our patients. -Andrew J Schuman, MD, Section Editor

Providing quality-of-life care for the sickest of children was a passion for pediatrician Gary Ceneviva, MD. As a critical care physician, he was troubled by what he saw. So in true pediatrician fashion, he did something about it.