News

Reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and fruit juices and changing parental interventions are potentially important factors in reducing obesity in children and adolescents, two studies report in the June issue of Pediatrics.

According to the Commonwealth Fund, Iowa and Vermont lead the nation in terms of children's health care. Oklahoma and Florida were the overall worst.

The prevalence of autism is higher among low birth weight or preterm children, particularly in females and in children with other developmental disabilities, according to research published in the June issue of Pediatrics.

Young people living in the Northeast region of the United States have a significantly higher incidence of childhood cancer than those in other parts of the country, according to a report published in the June issue of Pediatrics.

The risk factors for eating disorders such as binge eating and purging are different for boys and girls, and change from one age group to another in females, according to the results of a study published in the June issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Although baseball is relatively safe compared to other high school sports, injuries are common -- including serious injuries resulting from being hit with a batted ball -- and could be reduced by requiring players to use appropriate safety equipment, according to a report published in the June issue of Pediatrics.

In an effort to protect the world's youth from the addictive effects of smoking, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for a worldwide ban on the advertisement, promotion, and sponsorship of all tobacco products.

A new report -- Guiding Principles for Development of ACIP Recommendations for Vaccination During Pregnancy and Breast-Feeding -- approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in March, may help standardize procedures for policy formulation and presentation of the rationale and recommendations for the vaccination of pregnant and breast-feeding women, according to an article published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's May 30 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Rats prenatally exposed to cigarette smoke are more likely to have gasping breathing patterns after hypoxia and take longer to recover normal breathing after hypoxia at higher temperatures, investigators have found. The research suggests that prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke may affect the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to a report in the June 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was ranked as the best children's hospital this year by U.S. News & World Report.

Anna Freud's contribution to psychoanalysis, child development, and pediatrics in general.

Weighing the risks and benefits of withholding antiobiotic treatment for acute otitis media.

Investigators studied the genetic origins of asthma, as well as concerns about asthma that vary according to ethnic groups.

An overview of how to prevent, diagnose, and manage common pediatric clinical situations in which tick-borne Lyme disease is the likely culprit.

A guide for parents about making sure children understand the concept of "no."

In teaching discipline techniques to parents, it is important for pediatricians to emphasize the value of setting limits and saying "no."

A guide for parents about preventing medication errors in their children.

Children continue to be the innocent victims of prescribing, dispensing, and medication administration errors, whether as inpatients, outpatients, or in their own homes.

The mother of a 6-week-old infant is concerned about a generalized, scaly eruption evident over the past 10 days.

A 4-day-old with a suspicious "forward bend pose", poor suck, and hypotonia is diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome.

How to distract a child at the pediatric office to give more time to talk to Mom and Dad.

Senators are concerned about the new child state health insurance rules mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in an August 17, 2007.

Discussion on toddler biting.

The importance of individualizing clinical practice guidelines to the specific needs of each patient.

A 4-month-old girl was admitted to a rural hospital with nonbilious vomiting and bloody stools that began the prior evening. The parents reported that the infant had periods of excessive irritability mixed with periods of calm. She had no fever, exposure to illness, or surgical history.

Alignment. Accommodative esotropia is treated initially with glasses. The glasses may not improve visual acuity. They are used so the child does not have to make the accommodative effort; the eyes may not "turn in" and the child can use the eyes together, binocularly. If the eyes are aligned with spectacle correction, surgery may never be required. However, if the eyes are not aligned with glasses and/or bifocals, or if the child cannot be weaned from bifocals as he or she grows, then surgery may be indicated. We all lose our ability to accommodate for near tasks as time goes by-the loss of accommodative effort over time is of benefit to children with accommodative esotropia, because they may outgrow the need for glasses and avoid muscle surgery.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a public health advisory alerting patients and health care providers to make the switch to hydrofluoroalkane (HFA)-propelled albuterol inhalers because chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-propelled inhalers will no longer be available in the United States after December 31, 2008.

Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli may play a role in some cases of sudden unexpected death in infancy, according to research published in the May 31 issue of The Lancet.