http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (HealthDay)—Specialists are more willing to see publicly insured children if they are referred from an emergency department, according to research published online Jan. 10 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-er-referral-ups-specialist-access.html Health Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:50:01 EST news279204300 A study of more than 12,000 children from emergency departments throughout the country in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) has identified seven factors that can help physicians determine the need for a computed tomography (CT) scan following blunt trauma to the abdomen. Because CT scans pose radiation hazards for youngsters, the findings may enable doctors to determine which children do not need to be exposed to such tests after a traumatic injury. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-needless-abdominal-ct-scans-children.html Cancer Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:01 EST news278938493 Cartilage tympanoplasty can be performed successfully in 95 percent of young children when appropriate conditions exist, according to a study in the February 2013 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-outcomes-cartilage-tympanoplasty-pediatric-population.html Pediatrics Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:00:02 EST news278929968 Genome sequencing data once regarded as junk is now being used to gain important clues to help understand disease. The latest example comes from the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, where scientists have developed an approach to mine the repetitive segments of DNA at the ends of chromosomes for insights into cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-gene-sequencing-junk-clues-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:41:21 EST news278257273 (HealthDay)—The Complexity Index in Sarcoma (CINSARC) and Genomic Index prognostic signatures are valid independent methods of assessing synovial sarcoma (SS) prognosis, according to a study published online Jan. 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-genomic-patterns-sarcoma.html Cancer Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:10:01 EST news277736373 (HealthDay)—For pediatric patients with stage 4 neuroblastoma, surgery of the primary tumor site has no impact on outcomes, according to a study published online Jan. 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-surgery-doesnt-pediatric-neuroblastoma-outcomes.html Cancer Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:00:01 EST news277477818 Children who regularly see specialists for chronic medical conditions are also using complementary medicine at a high rate, demonstrates recently published research from the University of Alberta and the University of Ottawa. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-alternative-medicine-high-amoung-children.html Pediatrics Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:10:04 EST news277298328 Young patients with an aggressive form of leukemia who are likely to relapse after chemotherapy treatment can significantly reduce those odds by receiving additional courses of chemotherapy, suggest the findings of a clinical trial led by investigators at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center in Boston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-chemotherapy-children-high-leukemia.html Cancer Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:00:01 EST news274381663 A multicenter registry has demonstrated that the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) to combat sudden cardiac death in high-risk pediatric patients suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The study is being presented Nov. 5 at the 2012 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA) in Los Angeles. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-icds-sudden-death-young-patients.html Cardiology Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:25:15 EST news271355095 Genetic testing for a certain mutation in pediatric patients is valuable in determining a cause for unexplained hearing loss, according to a study in the November 2012 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-etiologic-diagnosis-nonsyndromic-genetic-loss.html Surgery Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:07:44 EST news271343259 (HealthDay)—The overall mortality rate associated with spinal surgery is 1.8 per 1,000 and varies based on factors such as patient age and primary diagnosis, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of Spine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-spinal-surgery-tied-mortality-quantified.html Surgery Fri, 02 Nov 2012 17:40:02 EST news271078749 Language barriers and the immigration status of caregivers appear to impact the care of Hispanic children with cancer and affect the experience of the families within the medical system, according to data presented at the Fifth AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-language-immigration-status-hispanic-caregivers.html Cancer Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:20:01 EST news270697586 A stay in the hospital may not be the only way to acquire Clostridium difficile diarrhea – but the potentially life-threatening infection may be associated with a number of health complications in hospitalized children, according to the findings from two studies unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 77th Annual Scientific meeting in Las Vegas. In a separate case report also presented today, fecal microbiota transplantation in a 20-month old with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) suggests the therapeutic potential fecal bacteriotherapy in pediatric patients who fail standard therapy for CDI. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-highlights-epidemiology-clostridium-difficile.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST news270118790 "Off label" drugs are medications that have not been tested for safety or efficacy for a specific patient age or condition. New research presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans found that off-label treatments were ordered for 96 percent of all pediatric patients, and 100 percent of patients ages 13-17, in the intensive care unit of an urban children's hospital. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-off-label-medications-pediatric-intensive-patients.html Medications Sun, 21 Oct 2012 05:25:05 EST news270015752 (HealthDay)—The morphology of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) malformations plays an important role in outcomes, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-morphology-bicuspid-aortic-valve-outcomes.html Cardiology Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:00:02 EST news269856670 A study involving one of the nation's largest networks of pediatric practices was able to nearly halve the inappropriate use of antibiotics through quarterly monitoring and feedback of the physicians' prescribing patterns. The research, which is being presented at IDWeek, is one of the first to look at an antimicrobial stewardship intervention in the outpatient setting. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-inappropriate-antibiotic-pediatricians.html Medications Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:54:16 EST news269794437 (HealthDay)—Lexatumumab, an agonistic, full human monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2, is well tolerated and may lessen certain clinical symptoms in some pediatric patients with solid tumors, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-lexatumumab-tolerated-pediatric-solid-tumors.html Cancer Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:20:01 EST news269620698 Adding the right prebiotic to the diets of pediatric patients with intestinal failure could replace intravenous feeding, says a new University of Illinois study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-prebiotic-patients-intestinal-failure-gut.html Medical research Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:21:15 EST news269536866 Hospitals can dramatically reduce the number of life-threatening central line infections in pediatric cancer patients by following a set of basic precautions, by encouraging families to speak up when they observe noncompliance with the protocol and by honest analysis of the root cause behind every single infection, according to a new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-triple-threat-approach-life-threatening-central-line.html Pediatrics Mon, 03 Sep 2012 03:35:02 EST news265862092 Australian doctors-in-training spend significantly less time consulting with pediatric patients than they do with adults, according to a new study published in the journal Australian Family Physician. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-australian-practitioners-peds-patients-adults.html Health Wed, 22 Aug 2012 13:15:27 EST news264860119 Parents with children nine years old and older who have Crohn disease should ask their children's doctor about MR enterography as a replacement for small bowel x-rays or CT enterography, a new study indicates. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-enterography-option-pediatric-patients-crohn.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:00:17 EST news264852011 (HealthDay) -- For pediatric patients with refractory atopic dermatitis (AD), oral azathioprine is associated with clinical improvement, and measurement of thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) activity seems useful for monitoring treatment, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-azathioprine-benefit-pediatric-atopic-dermatitis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:00:01 EST news264774183 Adalimumab (an anti-tumor necrosis factor [TNF] antibody) is effective in maintaining remission in certain pediatric patients with Crohn's disease, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-adalimumab-therapy-children-crohn-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:40:14 EST news263475592 Many people have probably heard of off-label drug use, but they may not know when that applies to prescriptions they are taking, a Mayo Clinic analysis found. Off-label drug use occurs when a physician prescribes medication to treat a condition before that use has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In a newly published article in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers pose and answer 10 questions about off-label drug use. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-off-label-drug-common-patients-theyre.html Medications Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:04:10 EST news263473443 (HealthDay) -- Even for conditions with a high pediatric disease burden, only a small proportion of clinical drug trials study pediatric patients, according to research published online July 23 in Pediatrics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-children-underrepresented-drug-trials.html Pediatrics Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:11:55 EST news262285903 The first study of a procedure to make three-dimensional "maps" of electrical signals in children's hearts could help cardiologists correct rapid heart rhythms in young patients, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2012 Scientific Sessions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-heart-kids-rapid-rhythms.html Cardiology Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:01:37 EST news262281688 The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a guide to help improve the design of electronic health records for pediatric patients so that the design focus is on the users—the doctors, nurses and other clinicians who treat children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-nist-issues-guidance-pediatric-electronic.html Other Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:54:44 EST news261244457 (HealthDay) -- Pediatric patients diagnosed with an invasive cutaneous melanoma have nearly double the relative risk of developing a subsequent primary melanoma, compared with adults, according to a study published online June 20 in the British Journal of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-primary-melanoma-pediatric-patients.html Cancer Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:10:01 EST news260125524 Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), usually found in pediatric patients, is far more rare and deadly in adolescent and adult patients. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, child ALL patients have a higher than 80 percent remission rate, while the recovery rate for adults stands at only 40 percent. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-pediatric-regime-chemotherapy-effective-young.html Cancer Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:35:36 EST news259241725 (HealthDay) -- For children with Hodgkin's lymphoma who respond to chemotherapy, treatment with low-dose involved-field radiation therapy (IFRT) improves event-free survival (EFS), but has no significant impact on overall survival (OS), in long-term follow-up, according to a study published online May 29 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-ups-event-free-survival-ped-hodgkin.html Cancer Thu, 31 May 2012 18:50:01 EST news257707104