Gaining Access to Infant Consciousness
Psychiatry
Summary and Comment
Free
Electrophysiologic proof of infants' awareness bolsters the potential usefulness of therapies targeting the very young.
By Barbara Geller, MD
May 13, 2013
Covering:
Kouider S et al., Science 2013 Apr 19; 340:376
Voriconazole plus Caspofungin for Refractory Pediatric Coccidioidomycosis
Infectious Diseases
Summary and Comment
In a retrospective study involving nine children with complicated coccidioidomycosis, eight improved with a change to combination voriconazole/caspofungin therapy.
By Neil M. Ampel, MD
May 8, 2013
Covering:
Levy ER et al., Clin Infect Dis 2013 Jun 1; 56:1573
Galgiani JN., Clin Infect Dis 2013 Jun 1; 56:1586
Mycobacterium abscessus Transmitted Among Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Infectious Diseases
Summary and Comment
Phylogenetic analysis implicated cross infection; the exact mechanism of transmission remains to be established.
By Mary E. Wilson, MD
April 10, 2013
Covering:
Bryant JM et al., Lancet 2013 Mar 29
O'Sullivan BP and Sassetti CM., Lancet 2013 Mar 29
Hemispherectomy in Children: Seizure Recurrence and Outcome Predictors
Neurology
Summary and Comment
A prospective study shows that hemispherectomy is an effective surgical option for children with medically refractory epilepsy with multilobar or hemispheric lesions and provides for realistic prognostication on seizure outcomes.
By Nilika Shah Singhal, MD
April 30, 2013
Covering:
Moosa ANV et al., Neurology 2013 Jan 15; 80:253
Respiratory Viruses and Otitis Media
Infectious Diseases
Summary and Comment
Seasonal activity of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus was strongly correlated with seasonal diagnosis of acute otitis media.
The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Bacterial Meningitis
Infectious Diseases
Summary and Comment
Free
Adult survivors of childhood bacterial meningitis have lower educational achievement and a lower likelihood of economic self-sufficiency than matched healthy controls.
Clinical Decision Tool Identifies Boys at Low Risk for Testicular Torsion
Emergency Medicine
Summary and Comment
No child with a normal testicular lie, age <11 years, and absence of nausea or vomiting had torsion.
By Katherine Bakes, MD
April 12, 2013
Covering:
Shah MI et al., Acad Emerg Med 2013 Mar; 20:271
Good Riddance to Funky Toenails
Dermatology
Summary and Comment
Free
Impressive cure rates were achieved in two randomized, controlled trials of efinaconazole 10% solution for distal subungual onychomycosis.
By Mark V. Dahl, MD
April 26, 2013
Covering:
Elewski BE et al., J Am Acad Dermatol 2013 Apr; 68:600
Neurological Development in 2-Year-Old Children of Subfertile Couples
Women's Health
Summary and Comment
Longer time to pregnancy was associated with minor neurological dysfunction.
By Robert W. Rebar, MD
April 11, 2013
Covering:
Seggers J et al., Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2013 Mar 25
The Best First-Line Treatment of ADHD in Very Young Children
Psychiatry
Summary and Comment
Preschoolers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or disruptive behaviors seem to do well with parent behavior training.
Suspected Child Abuse: Follow-Up Skeletal Surveys Are Revealing
Emergency Medicine
Summary and Comment
Almost one out of five children undergoing follow-up skeletal surveys had new fractures, more than half of which were multiple.
By Katherine Bakes, MD
April 19, 2013
Covering:
Harper NS et al., Pediatrics 2013 Mar; 131:e672
Childhood Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia: How Benign?
Severe bleeding or the need for transfusion is uncommon.
A Personalized Approach to Prevention of Alcohol Misuse
Psychiatry
Summary and Comment
With group therapy aimed at personality traits, high-risk teenagers were less likely to progress to more risky drinking.
Imaging Internet Addiction in Teenagers
Psychiatry
Summary and Comment
Gaming-addicted adolescents show thinning of the orbitofrontal cortex.
By Barbara Geller, MD
April 12, 2013
Covering:
Hong S-B et al., Behav Brain Funct 2013 Mar 12; 9:11
Postinfectious Neurological Syndromes: Clinical Features and Prognosis
Neurology
Summary and Comment
A prospective study sheds light on the differential diagnosis of neurological illness associated with infection or vaccination.
By Ellen M. Mowry, MD, MCR
April 2, 2013
Covering:
Marchioni E et al., Neurology 2013 Mar 5; 80:882
New Guidelines for Sports Concussions
Psychiatry
Guideline Watch
Careful assessment and caution before return to play are necessary.
Effects of Antenatal Depression and SSRIs on Growth Through Year 1
Psychiatry
Summary and Comment
Regardless of whether mothers took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or were depressed and unmedicated during pregnancy, their offspring at 12 months weighed the same as control children.
By Joel Yager, MD
April 8, 2013
Covering:
Wisner KL et al., Am J Psychiatry 2013 Mar 20
Imaging Study Shows ADHD Treatment Effects
Psychiatry
Summary and Comment
Differences between boys with ADHD and those without ADHD disappeared with methylphenidate treatment.
Acupuncture for Allergic Rhinitis?
General Medicine
Summary and Comment
An 8-week study revealed no clinically significant differences between actual and sham acupuncture treatment.
Repurposing a PKU Drug for Autism
Psychiatry
Summary and Comment
Free
A synthetic form of tetrahydrobiopterin may improve core autism symptoms via nitrous oxide pathways.
By Barbara Geller, MD
March 25, 2013
Covering:
Frye RE et al., Transl Psychiatry 2013 Mar 5; 3:e237
Most Skiers and Snowboarders Now Wear Helmets
Emergency Medicine
Summary and Comment
Yet as many as 25% in this Canadian study still did not.
Long-Term Cognitive Effects of In Utero Antiepileptic Drug Exposure
Neurology
Summary and Comment
Two studies link in utero valproic acid exposure with cognitive and neurodevelopmental abnormalities up to age 6 years.
By Autumn Klein, MD, PhD
March 5, 2013
Covering:
Meador KJ et al., Lancet Neurol 2013 Mar; 12:244
Bromley RL et al., J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2013 Jan 31
Can Maternal Folic Acid Supplementation Prevent Autism?
Women's Health
Summary and Comment
Periconceptional folate supplementation was associated with lower risk for autism spectrum disorders in a nationwide Norwegian cohort.
Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae — a Worsening Problem
Infectious Diseases
Summary and Comment
The prevalence of these lethal bacteria is increasing, particularly in long-term acute care facilities.
By Stephen G. Baum, MD
March 13, 2013
Covering:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)., MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2013 Mar 8; 62:165
Neonatal Immune Factors Linked to Schizophrenia Risk
Psychiatry
Summary and Comment
High levels of three acute phase proteins, measured at birth, are protective against later risk for nonaffective psychosis.
By Barbara Geller, MD
March 18, 2013
Covering:
Gardner RM et al., Transl Psychiatry 2013 Feb 19; 3:e228