Pediatrics News and Research

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Abuse of prescription medications linked to drug abuse among college students

College students who take frequently abused medications without a prescription appear to have a higher risk for drug abuse than those who use such therapies for medical reasons, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Mar 2008

Guidelines for von Willebrand disease diagnosis and management

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health today issued the first clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand Disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder.

4 Mar 2008

Depression linked to subsequent pregnancy in black teens

African American adolescent mothers who have symptoms of depression may be more likely to have a subsequent pregnancy within two years of giving birth, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Mar 2008

Black babies with very low birth weights more likely to be born in hospitals with high neonatal death rates

In New York City, black babies with very low birth weights (less than 1,500 grams, or 3 pounds, 5 ounces) are more likely to be born in hospitals with high risk-adjusted neonatal death rates, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study in the March issue of Pediatrics.

4 Mar 2008

Nanotechnology advances brain cancer detection and therapy

Brain cancer is one of the most aggressive and lethal of malignancies, made even more difficult to treat by the fact that most anticancer drugs have a hard time even getting to the tumors.

3 Mar 2008

Stimulant treatment for ADHD has no effect on risk of future substance abuse

A new study finds that the use of stimulant drugs to treat children with ADHD has no effect on their future risk of substance abuse.

3 Mar 2008

Mouse model tightly matches pediatric tumor syndrome, will speed drug hunt

Frustrated by the slow pace of new drug development for a condition that causes pediatric brain tumors, a neurologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis decided to try to fine-tune the animal models used to test new drugs.

3 Mar 2008

FDA approves PRISTIQ for the treatment of adult patients with major depressive disorder

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PRISTIQ (desvenlafaxine), a structurally novel, once-daily serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), to treat adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

3 Mar 2008

Clinical trial shows reduction in mortality for children with severe Langerhans cell histiocytosis

A new international study finds that introducing an increased intensity of chemotherapy in children with severe Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) can reduce the mortality rate for this disorder by as much as 20 percent when the patient demonstrates a rapid response to such treatment.

3 Mar 2008

Researchers investigate predictors for sickle-cell-anemia complications

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that the level, or saturation, of oxygen in blood could be used to identify children with sickle cell anemia who are at an increased risk of stroke.

1 Mar 2008

New guidelines for von Willebrand disease

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, has issued the first clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand Disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder.

1 Mar 2008

Real-time imaging device may improve surgery for congenital colon disease

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center are developing a spectral imaging system that could result in shorter operating times for infants undergoing surgery for Hirschsprung's disease, according to a mouse study reported in the Journal of Biophotonics.

1 Mar 2008

Abilify (aripiprazole) approved for acute treatment of bipolar I disorder in adolescents

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the supplemental New Drug Application for ABILIFY (aripiprazole) for the acute treatment of manic and mixed episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder, with or without psychotic features in pediatric patients (10 to 17 years old).

1 Mar 2008

Hydroxyurea for sickle cell patients

An independent panel convened this week by the NIH concluded that the use of hydroxyurea for sickle cell patients should be increased in adolescents and adults.

28 Feb 2008

State-to-state differences in quality of care for children with special needs

A new government survey reveals children with special health care needs, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and asthma, don't consistently get the care that is federally recommended and that there are vast state-to-state differences.

28 Feb 2008

FDA approves Nexium for gastroesophageal reflux disease in children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) for short-term use in children ages 1-11 years for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

28 Feb 2008

Urine protein microalbuminuria may be present before hypertension diagnosis in at-risk adolescents

A protein that is an early indicator of kidney dysfunction in adults may predict hypertension in black adolescents, Medical College of Georgia researchers have found.

28 Feb 2008

Less sleep means more injuries in kids

Lack of sleep can lead to increased injuries among preschool children, research from the University of Rochester School of Nursing has found.

28 Feb 2008

Decline in cystic fibrosis since introduction of prenatal carrier screening

A brief report in the February 28, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine, led by researchers at the New England Newborn Screening Program (NENSP) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), indicates a declining incidence of a genetic disease, providing what may be the first demonstration of a link between two independent population-based screening programs.

28 Feb 2008

Chewing gum helps recovery from gastrointestinal surgery

In an article recently recommended by Bradley Kropp of Faculty of 1000 Medicine, researchers find chewing gum is a simple solution to the recovery of bowel function after gastrointestinal surgery – a problem that has troubled patients and physicians for decades.

28 Feb 2008