News

Families with children who have an allergy often take complex steps to provide a "clean" environment in the hope of reducing allergic reactions and asthma attacks. But do those steps really help?

The lesions in this newborn's mouth are Bohn nodules. These mucous gland cysts manifest as firm, small (less than 3 mm) grayish white nodules--usually in the mouth on the buccal or lingual aspect of the alveolar ridges. They occasionally occur on the palate, and may be confused with large Epstein pearls.

Female infant born to a gravida II, para I, 23-year-old mother at 38 weeks' gestation. Pregnancy complicated by oligohydramnios. Cesarean delivery performed because of prolonged time after rupture of membranes and fetal distress. Apgar scores, 3 and 6 at 1 minute and 5 minutes, respectively.

Welcome to the Fall 2005 edition of "Dateline" from the editors of Contemporary Pediatrics! The editorial staff will be reporting live from the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. We will bring you important news about your specialty and your practice from the floor. Watch your electronic in-box for digests of the meeting's most important and pertinent clinical and investigational news-gathered from CME sessions, research forums, press briefings, and the exhibit hall.

The inability to calculate therapeutic dosages for children accounts for the majority of pediatric drug errors, according to Ronda G. Hughes, PhD, MHS, RN, and Elizabeth A. Edgerton, MD, MPH, of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. But there are practical ways for nurses-who often have primary responsibility for ensuring patient safety in the hospital and are usually the providers who administer the medications-to reduce the likelihood of a mistake.

Lately, I've spent a lot of time talking about the alleged link between thimerosal in pediatric vaccines and autism. Most of you have been asked by parents whether immunizations pose a risk of autism as well, and some parents are so frightened by rumors, press reports, and information on the World Wide Web that they forgo immunizations for their children altogether.

Let all the families you care for know that domestic violence is an issue of concern to pediatricians by screening for it-consistently. Here's how to do that, and how to manage dilemmas that can arise as a result.

It was established on cheap swampland that was once thought uninhabitable, but it became the capital of "the last best hope of man." Its wide avenues, streets, monuments, and buildings play witness to the steady march of time and history.

When Pierre L'Enfant first viewed the land along the banks of the Potomac in 1791, he must have been a little disappointed. He faced a daunting design task. Much of the land was uninhabitable swampland ceded from Maryland and Virginia. (Later, the land originating in Virginia was given back to that commonwealth.) There are several hills (other than Capitol Hill), but you'll never get any higher than 420 feet above sea level no matter where you go in the District of Columbia.

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Majority Leader Frist jumps ship on stem-cell research, and a decision on OTC status for Plan B is imminent—maybe

Looking for ways to manage nocturnal enuresis? Here are 14 personal pointers drawn from a quarter century of experience.

Another article about tobacco use counseling? Before you roll your eyes and move on, take a look at this practical strategy, which includes a new twist that can work for counseling about any risky behavior.

Breast is best but success isn't a given. These guidelines help you encourage mothers to breastfeed and give them the support they need to do well--without short-changing reimbursement.

Pediatricians working with social agencies and government have made huge strides on behalf of children in the last hundred years. But much work remains.