No sound evidence supports weight monitoring to identify and treat obese children, according to a review of worldwide research published this month in the United Kingdom. “The relative benefits and harms of monitoring have not been determined, and the effectiveness of current treatments is doubtful,” say review authors led by Marie Westwood, Ph.D., of the University of York. Join discussion...

Adding to the evidence that maternal drug use can have lasting effects, a new study finds that young schoolchildren of cocaine-using moms scored more poorly on attention tests. Researchers looked at test scores of 415 African-American children who took tests at age 5 or 7 (now 14 to 16 years old). The mothers of 219 of the children had taken cocaine while pregnant, and the mothers of the other 196 had not. All of the mothers were poor and living in the Miami inner city. Join discussion...

There is good evidence that children with lipid disorders (dyslipidemia) are at risk for becoming adults with lipid disorders. Join discussion...

These population-based data suggest that restless legs syndrome is prevalent and troublesome in children and adolescents, occurring more commonly than epilepsy or diabetes. Join discussion...

These findings suggest that the accumulation of socioeconomic status in terms of family income across childhood is more important than social mobility or variability in socioeconomic status, although there may be certain periods of time (early life) that have stronger effects on health. These findings suggest the importance of childhood interventions for reducing health disparities. Join discussion...

Children who got antibiotics as babies had a higher risk of developing asthma by age 7, Canadian researchers said on Monday. Join discussion...

New 6.0 Features: • 4 new modules • Textbook type emergency/critical care content in 300+ areas with a focus on Emergency Topics which will continue to be updated and added to. • Auto-updates coming soon! 18 Modules: • Abx Wizard – A miniature antibiotic guide, showing recommendations by condition with integrated drug dosing calculator for both children and adults. • Infusion Calculator – A multiformat smart calculation tool to solve any generic infusion calculation need. more... Join discussion...

As a treatment for muscle stiffness in children with cerebral palsy, shots of botulinum toxin A, best known by the brand name Botox, are safe and produce measurable improvements in function, according to a new study. However, patients and their families may not perceive the improvements as very meaningful. The muscles of people with cerebral palsy are often stiff, contract spontaneously and over-react to stimulation, a characteristic called spasticity. Injection of Botox helps to reduce spastic Join discussion...

Expert Committee Recommendations on the Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity Join discussion...

A small study suggests that adults whose parents are Holocaust survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear to have lower average levels of the stress hormone cortisol than the adult offspring of parents without PTSD, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Biological differences seen in individuals with PTSD, including low cortisol levels, could either result from exposure to a traumatic event or could be present before such an event and predispose patients to the condition, according to background information in the article. “Once identified, such risk factors may prove to be useful as predictors of who will develop PTSD after exposure to trauma, or they may even identify potential new targets for prophylaxis [preventive therapy] and treatment,” the authors write. Join discussion...