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Daily marijuana use increased significantly among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, according to the 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey, putting marijuana ahead of cigarette smoking by some measures.

Pediatric patients with renal disease secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have nearly twice the risk of death compared with pediatric patients with renal disease secondary to other causes.

Physicians who care for children, including pediatricians and family care physicians, often locate their practices in areas where the number of child practitioners already is high and not where they are needed most.

One of the more common conditions pediatricians diagnose is deformity of the skull. Deformational plagiocephaly may be caused by compressive forces in utero (eg, multiple births) or by constant pressure on one portion of the newborn’s malleable skull when the infant is kept in the same supine position for prolonged periods.

Premature Adrenarche: A 7-year-old girl had growth of pubic hair for the past 6months. The hair was initially limited to the labia majoraand then extended gradually into the pubic area. Isolated Scrotal Hair of Infancy: Infant was born at term to a 32-year-old gravida 2 para 3 after a normal vaginal delivery. Scrotal hair developedat age 1 month.

This benign but impressive neonatal eruption progresses through several stages, beginning with pustules that quickly rupture and leave flat macules with collarettes of scale. The pustules may rupture in utero, and the neonate may present at birth with the macules, as was the case in this baby boy.

FDA is adding new information to the Warning and Precaution section of the benzonatate drug label to warn physicians and healthcare professionals that accidental ingestion can result in overdose and death among patients younger than 10 years.

A new Cochrane meta-analysis shows that giving vitamin A capsules to children from 6 months to 5 years of age reduces deaths as well as the incidence of certain illnesses.

Evidence is mounting that decreased levels of serotonin in brain tissues is associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

It is quite frustrating for all of us as children’s advocates to see little change in a high-risk family’s situation, despite the provision of available resources. Most pediatric health care providers and Child Protective Services (CPS) professionals would probably be able to share some uplifting accounts of families improving. However, I assume they could recall many more instances in which nothing seemed to change...

Catalyst for change : Motivational interviewing can help parents to help their kids Our picks : Best new tech products Dermcase : Spreading rash and papules in a 6-week-old Updates : H1N1, Pediatric Clinical Trials, Bronchitis

One-fourth of children with functional constipation will continue to have symptoms into adulthood.

Investigators assessed the relationship between adenovirus 36-specific antibodies and obesity in children to test the hypothesis that this type of viral infection may play a role in the epidemic increase in prevalence of pediatric obesity.

After laying groundwork in gene therapy for a couple of decades, we are now on the cusp of reaping benefits and are actually seeing efficacy in a large number of patients.

Physicians should be on the alert for secondary bacterial infections in children with H1N1.

Recognition and treatment of disease remain important responsibilities of pediatricians, but increasingly we've come to understand that significant improvements in child health in the 21st century will require changes in behavior that are as pivotal as advances in drugs and technology.

In response to a need for simple and rapid diagnostic tools for tuberculosis in high-burden countries, investigators assessed the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF, a fully automated molecular test, for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistance to rifampin in 1,730 patients with suspected drug-sensitive or multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis.

This year, a surprising number of new technologic innovations became available for primary care pediatric practice.

Children who suffer from recurrent or functional abdominal pain may need to be tested for fructose intolerance.

Parents of children with developmental or physical disabilities are likely to ask their pediatricians for guidance regarding toy selection at the holidays.

A recent study offers reassurance to breastfeeding women that they won't be missing out on sleep.

You are asked to evalute a fussy 6-week-old infant with a rash that started on her left axilla 3 weeks ago and spread to the left arm, chest, and abdomen.

Pediatric healthcare practitioners are often faced with patients and their parents who have difficulty accepting or following through with medical advice on issues such as diet and exercise or vaccine administration.

A comparison of 3 different concentrations of nebulized saline with epinephrine in infants with acute bronchiolitis showed that 5% saline may be superior to 0.9% normal saline for early outpatient treatment.

My 18-month-old son has had a diaper rash, with no other symptoms, within a few days of eating a poached egg on 3 separate occasions.

We congratulate Consultant For Pediatricians Editorial Board member Deepak M. Kamat, MD, PhD, who was presented with the 2010 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Education Award at the National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco last month.

The mother of a 5-week-old boy was concerned about a swelling under her infant’s right nipple. A 2-cm, movable subareolar mass was palpated on examination.

A newborn girl was noted to have talipes calcaneovalgus, excessive dorsiflexion of the foot that allows its dorsum to come into contact with the anterior aspect of the lower leg- the toes point upward, the arch is flat. The right foot was normal. The infant had no other abnormalities.

Parents can express their doubts about vaccination in various ways: they can have their child vaccinated, although they are not sure it is the best thing to do; they can delay immunization; or they can simply refuse to have their child vaccinated. The most frequent reason for nonvaccination is concern that the vaccine might be harmful.

The incredible success of vaccination worldwide has not been without its share of setbacks, challenges, and controversies. While the fear of vaccine-preventable diseases has greatly diminished, new concerns about vaccine safety and the increasing number of required immunizations has led to public skepticism and parental refusal of vaccines.