News

Vitamin D supplementation to children and adolescents at the equivalent of 2,000 IU/day is safe for as long as a year and increases serum vitamin D to desirable levels, according to study results released online April 29 in advance of publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Medical students who understand the value of physical activity on a personal and professional level may be more likely to subsequently "prescribe" exercise to patients in their practices, according to a study presented this week at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis.

Childhood exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, particularly during the first 6 months of life, increases the risk of being hospitalized for infectious illness, according to research published online May 27 in Tobacco Control.

In children with acute viral gastroenteritis, flat fizzy drinks such as cola contain too few electrolytes, too little water and possibly too much glucose to provide adequate rehydration, according to an article published online May 27 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Revised physician labeling for prescription drugs to enhance safety information for use during pregnancy and breast-feeding have been proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Although the changes are for information targeted at physicians, the same information is sometimes used in an adapted format for patients.

The percentage of preterm singleton births in the United States has risen to nearly 11 percent, with most of the increase due to higher rates of Caesarean section deliveries, according to a report in the June issue of Clinics in Perinatology.

Cancer patients receiving radiation therapy or chemotherapy should not take supplemental antioxidants due to a lack of clear data on their effects on cancer treatment, according to a review published online May 27 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Children who have severe problems with bed wetting may sleep more lightly due to higher brain arousability but cannot completely awaken, and have an overactive bladder, according to a report in the May 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The proportion of U.S. children with a high body mass index did not change significantly between 1999 and 2006, according to an article published in the May 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Coxsackievirus B1 is increasingly associated with severe enterovirus infections in neonates, according to a report published in the May 23 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Because food colorings and preservatives can increase hyperactive behavior in children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, pediatricians should consider recommending the elimination of these substances from the diets of some children, according to an editorial published in the May 24 issue of BMJ.

In patients with Ewing's sarcoma, a chemotherapy regimen administered every two weeks produces better outcomes than a regimen administered every three weeks, and is not associated with increased toxicity, according to an early release on research to be presented May 30-June 3 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in very young children can predict adverse cardiovascular effects later in life, according to findings presented at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto.

Survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer are up to 10 times as likely as their healthy siblings to develop heart disease in early adulthood, according to an early release on research to be presented May 30-June 3 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

The National Institutes of Health has launched a new clinical research program to learn more about perplexing medical cases and provide better disease management for individuals with such conditions, according to an announcement this week.

The American College of Physicians proposes that an independent organization be established to provide reliable information to patients and providers on the comparative clinical and cost effectiveness of various medical interventions, according to a position paper published in the June 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Minimally invasive per-oral suturing may benefit obese adolescents, and supplementation with probiotics may benefit patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery, according to advancements in obesity research presented this week at the Digestive Disease Week conference in San Diego.

Maternal stress can lead to high allergy responses in their infants, even if they had little allergen exposure, according to research presented at the American Thoracic Society's International Conference in Toronto, Canada. In a related study presented at the same meeting, first-born children carrying a genetic variant are more likely to have higher allergy responses.

Compared with donors in other age groups, teen blood donors have a higher incidence of adverse reactions to donation, researchers report in the May 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Sons born to mothers with high serum levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) are significantly more likely to have congenital urologic anomalies, according to research presented this week at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association in Orlando, Fla.