News

In pediatric liver transplant patients who are infected with Epstein-Barr virus, treatment with valganciclovir may help clear the virus and decrease the risk of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, according to the results of a study published in the August issue of Liver Transplantation.

Among infants with positional preference, treatment with physical therapy may reduce the risk of developing severe deformational plagiocephaly, and in infants with deformational plagiocephaly, molding helmet therapy may be a more effective non-surgical intervention than repositioning therapy, according to two studies published in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

In 2006, patients made an estimated 1.1 billion visits to physician offices and hospital emergency and outpatient departments in the United States, which was an average of four visits per person, according to health care statistics released Aug. 6 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Re-engineering the United States health care system for high performance will require fundamental change, according to reports released online Aug. 7 by The Commonwealth Fund.

Compared to children born in the United States, immigrant children are significantly more likely to be physically inactive and not participate in sports, according to an article published in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

The majority of menu options for kids at 13 top chain restaurants are too high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium, according to a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

To combat the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic, comprehensive prevention strategies are urgently needed, according to a series of six articles published online Aug. 6 in The Lancet and presented this week at AIDS 2008, the International AIDS Conference held in Mexico City.

Autistic 2-year-olds make significantly less eye contact with approaching adults than their developmentally delayed but not autistic and typically developing counterparts, according to an article published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

In short-term travelers, malaria prevention strategies vary according to the location of the trip and the travelers' medical history, according to a Clinical Practice article published in the Aug. 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved six influenza vaccines for the 2008-2009 season.

A video-game intervention targeting adolescents and young adults with cancer improved treatment adherence, self-efficacy and knowledge, but did not impact self-reported measures of adherence, stress, control or quality of life, according to an article in the August issue of Pediatrics.

Ambulatory, rather than clinic blood pressure, is a more accurate measure of changes in blood pressure throughout the day, and more data are needed on blood pressure changes in children and young people, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published online Aug. 4 in Hypertension.

Consolidative immunotherapy appears to be a low-toxicity treatment associated with favorable survival in patients with the Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, according to research published in the Aug. 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

A substantial number of children under 2 years of age presenting at the emergency department with an apparent life-threatening event have an abnormal toxicology screen positive for over-the-counter medications, according to an article in the August issue of Pediatrics.

While resident burnout declined following implementation of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education standards, duty hour restrictions, total work or sleep hours, medical error rates and occupational injury rates did not significantly change, researchers report in the August issue of Pediatrics.

Babies that survive extreme preterm birth with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) may be strongly associated with future adult lung problems, as reported in the August European Respiratory Journal.

Though high school students reduced sexual risk behaviors between 1991 and 2007, the prevalence of such behaviors remained unchanged between 2005 and 2007, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in the Aug. 1 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

While the infant mortality rate was 9% lower in 2005 compared to 1995, since 2000 the rate has not changed significantly, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Tanita Corporation's BD-815U pediatric scale is designed for premature infants.

Camper Alert bracelets by Hope Paige Designs feature contact information in case kids get lost.

Adiri's National Nurse Ultimate Baby Bottle is polycarbonate-and BPA-free and meant to help transition from breastfeeding.

First-day-of-life pulse oximetry screening may have high specificity and sensitivity for critical congenital health defects.

Vitamin D deficiency may be predicted by breastfeeding without vitamin D supplementation.

A list of combined hormonal contraceptive formulations available for extended menstrual cycling use.

One way to encourage a 2-year-old patient to walk during an exam.

A healthy 16-year-old presents with a raised, two-year-old scar-like lesion on his scalp which has caused hair loss.

A reminder not to replace a physical examination and clinical judgment with radiographic diagnostic tests.

North Carolina state senator and former pediatrician Bill Purcell has focused on health issues such as tobacco control and motorist safety.