AAP Says Children of Same-sex Couples Deserve Two Legally Recognized Parents

"The AAP says children who are born to, or adopted by, one member of a gay or lesbian couple deserve the security of two legally recognized parents.  Therefore, a new AAP policy statement supports legal and legislative efforts that provide for the possibility of adoption of those children by the second parent or coparent in same-sex relationships."

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Children (Pediatrics eArticles):

• Infants Born to Mothers With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
  "This case series from Hong Kong is the first report to describe the clinical course of the first cohort of liveborn infants born to pregnant women with SARS."
• A Young Infant With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
  "This is the youngest patient (56 days old) with symptomatic SARS reported to date."
• Children Hospitalized With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Illness in Toronto
  "These results indicate that SARS is a relatively mild and nonspecific respiratory illness in previously healthy young children."

From JAMA

Hearing test may indicate infants with SIDS risk.  The Baltimore Sun (7/28/07, Desmon) reported that "researchers in Seattle think they may be one leap closer to understanding why some infants die mysteriously in their first year of life."  In findings presented in the journal Early Human Development, they noted that "all babies in a small study group who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) -- the exact cause of which still eludes doctors -- shared the same abnormality in their right inner ear in a hearing test administered at birth."  This knowledge "might someday enable doctors to identify newborns at risk for so-called crib death through a routine exam," the authors wrote.
      The Los Angeles Times (7/29/07, Maugh II) added that the researchers used "Delaware health records, which has the longest history of newborn hearing screening," to examine the hearing tests of "31 infants who died of SIDS and 31 controls."  In the tests, "called transient otoacoustic emission, a tiny probe is inserted in the ear and emits a clicking sound.  The instrument measures the electrical response emitted by hair cells in the ear.  They found that the SIDS infants had a four-point loss of hearing sensitivity in their right ears at each of three frequencies between 1,000 and 4,000 hertz."  Lead author Dr. Daniel D. Rubens of Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle emphasized, the "fact that the loss is the same at all three frequencies means 'it is not occurring by chance.'"
      The Chicago Tribune (7/29/07) also reported the study, as did WebMD (7/28/07, Hitti), which included "11 Tips to Help Prevent SIDS."
 

Studies Evaluate Health Effects of Dental Amalgam Fillings in Children
"Children whose cavities were filled with dental amalgam had no adverse health effects. The findings included no detectable loss of intelligence, memory, coordination, concentration, nerve conduction, or kidney function during the 5-7 years the children were followed..."
     NIH Press Release:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/apr2006/nidcr-18.htm
 

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in the United States, 1999-2004
"The prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents and obesity among men increased significantly during the 6-year period from 1999 to 2004; among women, no overall increases in the prevalence of obesity were observed. These estimates were based on a 6-year period and suggest that the increases in body weight are continuing in men and in children and adolescents while they may be leveling off in women."
 

Helmet Use and Risk of Head Injuries in Alpine Skiers and Snowboarders
"Wearing a helmet is associated with reduced risk of head injury among
snowboarders and alpine skiers."

Antibiotic Treatment of Children With Sore Throat
"Physicians prescribed antibiotics to 53% of children with sore throat, in excess of the maximum expected prevalence of GABHS. Although there was a decrease in the proportion of children receiving antibiotics between 1995 and 2003, this was due to decreased prescribing of agents recommended for GABHS. Although GABHS testing was associated with a lower rate of antibiotic prescribing for children with diagnosis codes of pharyngitis, tonsillitis, and streptococcal sore throat, GABHS testing was underused."


JAMA: Efficacy and Safety of Echinacea in Treating Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Children
"Echinacea purpurea, as dosed in this study, was not effective in treating URI symptoms in patients 2 to 11 years old, and its use was associated with an increased risk of rash."

Cumulative Effects Associated With Recurrent Concussion in Collegiate Football Players: The NCAA Concussion Study
"...suggests that players with a history of previous concussions are more likely to have future concussive injuries than those with no history; 1 in 15 players with a concussion may have additional concussions in the same playing season; and previous concussions may be associated with slower recovery of neurological function..."


Current Status of Pain Management in Children

Childhood Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Carotid Vascular Changes in Adulthood: The Bogalusa Heart Study
"Childhood measures of LDL-C level and BMI predict carotid IMT in young adults. The prevention implications of these findings remains to be explored."

Association of Low-Level Ozone and Fine Particles With Respiratory Symptoms in Children With Asthma
"Asthmatic children using maintenance medication are particularly vulnerable to ozone, controlling for exposure to fine particles, at levels below EPA standards."


Timing of Initial Cereal Exposure in Infancy and Risk of Islet Autoimmunity
"In a birth cohort study with a mean follow-up of 4 years of 1183 children with an increased risk of Type I DM (HLA genotype or 1st degree relative with Type I DM), subjects were followed and screened for insulin autoantibody (IA), glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody, or IA-2 autoantibody at 9, 15, and 24 months and annually thereafter.  Children initially exposed to cereals between ages 0 and 3 months and those exposed at 7 months or older had increased hazard of IA compared with those who were exposed during the fourth through sixth month, after adjustments.  Conclusion: There may be a window of exposure to cereals in infancy outside which initial exposure increases IA risk in susceptible children."

Internet Sales of Cigarettes to Minors
"In a cross-sectional study...minors successfully received cigarettes for 93.6% of credit card
purchase attempts and for 88.9% of money order purchase attempts.  Age was never verified for any of these deliveries. Internet vendors sent a total of 1650 packs of cigarettes to the underage
adolescents in this study."

Neonatal Mortality in Weekday vs. Weekend Births
"The provision of optimal [neonatal] care regardless of the day of week is an important goal for perinatal medicine.  Comparing the neonatal mortality of infants born on weekdays and weekends provides a straightforward assessment of this goal. After controlling for birth weight, [the authors] found no evidence that the quality of perinatal care in California was compromised during the weekend."

Belt-Positioning Booster Seats and Reduction in Risk of Injury Among Children in Vehicle Crashes
"Belt-positioning booster seats were associated with added safety benefits compared with seat belts to children through age 7 years, including reduction of injuries classically associated with improper seat belt fit in children."

Breastfeeding: Association Between Infant Breastfeeding and Overweight in Young Children
"Using data from the NHANES III, a sample of 2685 US-born children ages 3-5, with birth certificates, height and weight measures, and information on infant feeding, body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 94th percentile was considered at risk of overweight and a BMI in the 95th percentile or higher was considered being overweight.  There was reduced risk of being at risk of overweight for ever breastfed children compared with those never breastfed, but no reduced risk of being overweight.  There was no clear dose-dependent effect of the duration of full breastfeeding on being at risk of overweight or overweight and no threshold effect.  The strongest predictor of child overweight status was the mother's concurrent weight with he rate of children being overweight nearly tripled with maternal overweight status and more than quadrupled with maternal obesity status."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Relationships Between Bullying and Violence Among US Youth
"Bullying should not be considered a normative aspect of youth development, but rather a marker for more serious violent behaviors, including weapon carrying, frequent fighting, and fighting-related injury."

From The New England Journal of Medicine

Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents
"The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is high among obese children and adolescents, and it increases with worsening obesity.  Biomarkers of an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes are already present in these youngsters."


First-Trimester Screening for Trisomies 21 and 18
"First-trimester screening for trisomies 21 and 18 on the basis of maternal age, maternal levels of free human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, and measurement of fetal nuchal translucency has good sensitivity at an acceptable false positive rate."

Intellectual Impairment in Children with Blood Lead Concentrations below 10 µg per Deciliter
"Blood lead concentrations, even those below 10 µg per deciliter, are inversely associated with children's IQ scores at three and five years of age, and associated declines in IQ are greater at these concentrations than at higher concentrations. These findings suggest that more U.S. children may be adversely affected by environmental lead than previously estimated."

Prevalence of Impaired Glucose Tolerance among Children and Adolescents with Marked Obesity
Impaired glucose tolerance is highly prevalent among children and adolescents with severe obesity, irrespective of ethnic group.  Impaired oral glucose tolerance was associated with insulin resistance while beta-cell function was still relatively preserved.  Overt type 2 diabetes was linked to beta-cell failure.

From The Archives of  Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

Parental Misperceptions About Children and Firearms
"Many parents who were living in homes with firearms and who reported that their children had never handled firearms in their homes were contradicted by their children's self-reports. Parents who locked their guns away and discussed gun safety with their children were as likely to be contradicted as parents who did not take such safety measures."
 

Management of Influenza Symptoms in Healthy Children: Cost-effectiveness of Rapid Testing and Antiviral Therapy
"For children presenting with influenza symptoms during a local influenza outbreak, treatment with antiviral therapy appears to offer the best outcome and often saves money. The choice of antiviral drug should be based on the prevalence of influenza B."

Effect of Orange and Apple Juices on Iron Absorption in Children
"As children absorb iron well from a meal that includes either orange or apple juice, a preference for apple juice does not pose a concern with regard to the prospect of iron-deficiency anemia, which remains a significant health problem in the United States."

The Use of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment as Adjuvant Therapy in Children With Recurrent Acute Otitis Media
"The results of this study suggest a potential benefit of osteopathic manipulative treatment as
adjuvant therapy in children with recurrent AOM; it may prevent or decrease surgical intervention or antibiotic overuse."

Infant Sleep Position and Associated Health Outcomes
"No identified symptom or illness was significantly increased among non-prone sleepers during the first 6 months of life. These reassuring results may contribute to increased use of the supine position for infant sleeping."

From Pediatrics

"The Highly Protective Effect of Newborn Circumcision Against Invasive Penile Cancer"

From The Food and Drug Administration

FDA Warns Against Women Using Unapproved Drug, Domperidone, to Increase Milk  Production
"In response to reports that women may be using an unapproved drug, domperidone, to increase milk production (lactation), the FDA is warning breastfeeding women not to use this product because of safety concerns."


FDA Issues Public Health Warning on Phenylpropanolamine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking steps to remove phenylpropanolamine (PPA) from all drug products and has requested all drug companies discontinue marketing products containing PPA.J  In addition, FDA has issued a public health advisory concerning phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride.

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research: Phenylpropanolamine Information Page
New England Journal of Medicine Early Release:  Phenylpropanolamine and the Risk of Hemorrhagic Stroke

Advisory Regarding Labeling Changes For Lindane Products
"The Food and Drug Administration has issued a public health advisory concerning the use of topical formulations of Lindane Lotion and Lindane Shampoo for the treatment of scabies and
lice.  The advisory announces significant updates to the labeling of these products, including additional warnings and the addition of a medication guide to be distributed directly to patients."
AAP Press Release

From the MMWR:

Acute Respiratory Disease Associated with Adenovirus Serotype 14 --- Four States, 2006--2007
Adenovirus serotype 14 (Ad14) is a rarely reported but emerging serotype of adenovirus that can cause severe and sometimes fatal respiratory illness in patients of all ages, including healthy young adults.

Exposure to Mumps During Air Travel --- United States, April 2006
 
Measles Among Children Adopted from China
"As of May 24, 2004, investigators have identified 10 confirmed measles cases associated with adoptees who traveled to the United States from China during March 2004. No cases have been reported since April 18, and all the ill persons have recovered without complications.  CDC is now recommending that the temporary suspension of adoptions from the affected orphanage in China be ended and standard adoption procedures be resumed."


Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students - United States, 2002
"...The declining use of cigars, bidis, and kreteks and the unchanged use of smokeless tobacco and pipes among high school students suggests that students are not substituting other tobacco products for cigarettes and that efforts to reduce cigarette smoking might be
reducing use of all tobacco products. However, the lack of any statistically significant decline in
tobacco usage among middle school students is cause for concern..."

Notice to Readers: Revision of Guidelines for the Prevention of Perinatal Group B Streptococcal Disease
"CDC is revising the 1996 guidelines for the prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease to include newly available multi-state data and to address common clinical questions and challenges that have arisen during implementation of the guidelines."

Guidelines for Using Antiretroviral Agents Among HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents: Recommendations of the Panel on Clinical Practices for Treatment of HIV

From the National Institute of Health (NIH): 

Media Availability: Metabolic Syndrome in Girls
"Dr. Eva Obarzanek, an NHLBI research nutritionist, is available to comment on the study's findings that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased significantly from only one case among all girls at age 9, to 3 percent of black girls and 2.3 percent of white girls by age 19. Increases in waist circumference were found to be a leading contributor to development of the syndrome.  Dr. Obarzanek can also discuss NHLBI's public education efforts to reduce overweight and obesity in childhood."
     Associated PEDIATRICS article (Nov 2005)

Infants of Mothers Infected With HIV Face Nearly Constant Risk For HIV Infection For Duration of Breastfeeding
"After four weeks of age, infants who breast feed from mothers infected with HIV continue to be at risk for infection with HIV for as long as they breastfeed, according to an analysis conducted and funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.  Previously, researchers thought the risk for being infected with the virus from breast milk diminished as an infant grew older."

NIH Establishes Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network

Nevirapine Sustains Advantage Over AZT During Breastfeeding Period
"Infants who received a single dose of the inexpensive antiviral drug nevirapine (NVP) soon
after birth — and whose mothers took one dose of the same drug during labor — were 41 percent less likely to acquire HIV at birth or during breastfeeding than infants in infant/mother pairs who were treated with a multi-dose regimen using AZT, according to new results from a study funded by NIAID..."

Scientists Discover Unique Source of Postnatal Stem Cells
Scientists report for the first time that “baby” teeth, the temporary teeth that children begin losing around their sixth birthday, contain a rich supply of stem cells in their dental pulp.  The researchers say this unexpected discovery could have important implications because the stem cells remain alive inside the tooth for a short time after it falls out of a child's mouth, suggesting the cells could be readily harvested for research."

The Human Genome Web Site:
The DNA sequence of the Human Genome is now freely accessible to all, for public or private use, from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).  The Center is a part of the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. 

From the National SAFE KIDS Campaign:

SAFE KIDS Study Reveals One-Third of Children Are Riding in the Wrong Restraints for Their Age and Size
"In the largest interactive, observational survey of child restraint use in America, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign found that 33% of children ages 14 and under were riding in the wrong restraint type for their age and size.  In addition, 14% of the children observed were riding completely unbuckled.  Older children were more likely to be both unrestrained and in the wrong restraint."

From the CDC:

Cigarette Use Among High School Students - United States, 1991--2003
"The findings in this report indicate that the prevalence of current cigarette use has declined substantially since the late 1990s and is at the lowest level since...1991."

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
"CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) have received reports of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from Canada, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region of China, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.  Early manifestations in these patients have included influenza-like symptoms such as fever, myalgias, headache, sore throat, dry cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing.  In some cases these symptoms are followed by hypoxia, pneumonia, and occasionally acute respiratory distress requiring mechanical ventilation and death. Laboratory findings may include thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. Some close contacts, including healthcare workers, have developed similar illnesses.  CDC and WHO have issued travel advisories, recommending only essential travel into highly affected areas of the world."
CDC SARS Information (Updated daily)
WHO SARS Information (Updated daily)
New York State Department of Health Health Alert Network (HAN)

New England Journal of Medicine Early Release Articles on SARS (Mar 31-Apr 2, 2003):
MEDLINEplus SARS Information
AAP Updated SARS Information

Monkeypox Information

CDC: West Nile Virus Information

• Guidelines for Clinicians
• Guidelines for Laboratorians
• Resources for the Press: News and transcripts
• Publications
• Presentations from the 2003 WNV National Conference

From MEDLINEwatch:

Nickel tops list as cause of contact dermatitis


Antidepressants May Be Tied to Modest Suicide Risk in Children
      But expert endorses their use under close supervision


Child obesity levels expected to soar by 2010

 
'Good' Bacteria May Thwart Allergies in Toddlers
"Lactobacillus bacteria have long been used in food fermentation and are commonly found in
items such as yogurt. Some forms of the bacterium dwell normally in the human intestines.
Lactobacillus-laden foods and supplements commonly referred to as 'probiotics' - have grown
increasingly popular because they are believed to promote good gastrointestinal health."