News

A 16-year-old girl with type 1 diabetes mellitus had had asymptomatic, sharply demarcated, waxy plaques, with atrophic, shiny centers, in both pretibial areas for several years.

During their physical examination of this infant who had been born at term via cesarean section, Richard W. Hartmann, Jr, MD, and J. Christiane Salansky, MD, of Halifax Medical Center, Daytona Beach, Fla, found no evidence of an external anal opening (A). A soft bulge was present at the anal site, and the external sphincter was palpable. The median raphe was thick; a drop of meconium was noted on the surface of the perineum midway from the anus to the base of the scrotum (B). The remainder of the examination findings were normal.

Two separate studies show that Merck & Co.'s and GlaxoSmithKline's human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines appear highly effective in preventing cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, and genital warts.The recently completed trials involved Merck's Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's experimental vaccine. Earlier studies showed that Gardasil also protects against cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)-precancerous lesions that can develop into cervical cancer.

After an unsuccessful attempt to persuade pharmaceutical companies to fund further research on a head lice treatment he says he discovered and developed, dermatologist Dale Pearlman, MD, has revealed that the treatment is actually a brand-name over-the-counter skin cleanser.

Parents' complaints about sudden mood swings of teenagers are common, but new research shows that children who experience early-life stresses such as abuse, neglect, or loss of a parent have an increased risk in adolescence of behavioral and emotional disorders. The research, conducted on rhesus macaque monkeys at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University and at the University of Pittsburgh, suggests that adolescents who have been exposed to early-life stress have a greater incidence of developing an attachment disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, anxiety, depression, suicide, drug abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The US Food and Drug Administration in December approved the use of Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) for preventing seasonal influenza in children 1 to 12 years old. Tamiflu's labeled use had previously been for prevention and treatment of flu in children 13 years and older, as well as in adults.

This is the time of year when over-the-counter cold and flu preparations fly off store shelves as parents administer these products to their cough-, runny nose-, and congestion-plagued children. But a word to the wise from you can be key: Parents need to know that, just because these medications are sold over-the-counter, doesn't mean they shouldn't be used according to directions on the bottle or box.

Questioning the data on outcomes and satisfaction with PNP care. Bedwetting dishonesty can't be justified. Prevalance of autism: What the data show.

An index of articles in Contemporary Pediatrics in 2005, by author and by subject.

Questioning the data on outcomes and satisfaction with PNP care. Bedwetting dishonesty can't be justified. Prevalance of autism: What the data show.

Second of three parts: Review of the infrastructure of financing and reimbursement.

Caring for a patient with an eating disorder can seem daunting. It doesn't have to be if you follow these practical guidelines.

Initial clinical studies of a tool that measures impedance in the esophagus provide new insight into acid reflux disease.

Use this picture-packed review to discern the many faces of psoriasis, to distinguish the dermatologic disorder from other skin conditions, and to choose the best treatment option.

A newborn with multiple, dark, reddish-brown patches over the trunk, back, and forehead.

Purple and swollen skin becomes dark and thickened in a healthy 7-year-old girl.

Medicaid cuts are OK'd, agencies tussle over how to sell cold remedies, and a smallpox vaccination program ends