Brennemann Blog

Hail and Farewell

2011-03-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

The Brennemann Blog is retiring

It has been our pleasure to bring you medical news stories of significance and to post alerts of important commentary from the medical field.

This has been a one-person operation (despite the editorial we) so the Brennemann Blog, from the Brennemann Library, must cease its service.

Thank you for subscribing or being lured into reading it by means of my e-mails.

Look forward to even more virtual communication as the new hospital becomes a reality.

Irene Wood

Tracking the Who, When and Where of the Flu Bug

2010-12-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

How viruses spread through real-life social networks was tracked by researchers by means of wireless sensors. These devices tracked high school students, teachers, and staff members throughout one day during the height of last January’s swine flu outbreak. From the Stanford News

Cutting Ultrasound Down to Size

2010-12-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

Smaller, cheaper ultrasound machines are standard equipment for students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education.

2010-11-30T08:44:00.000-08:00

"It is well-established that heart disease begins to develop in childhood. Now, two new studies add to a burgeoning body of evidence that developing heart-healthy habits as a youngster or adolescent may have lasting benefits in adulthood."
So summarizes the article in the November 30, 2010 WSJ.
"One of the reports suggests that the presence of such risk factors as high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol by about age 9 strongly predicts a thickening of the walls in the carotid or neck arteries in early adulthood.. . . . Children who ate fruits and vegetables once a day had healthier arteries as young adults than those who ate them less than twice a month. "

Embracing Incentives for Effective Health Care

2010-11-29T10:03:00.001-08:00

"Spurred by incentives in the federal health-overhaul law, hospitals and doctors around the country are beginning to create new entities that aim to provide more efficient health care. But these efforts are already raising questions about whether they can truly save money, or if they might actually drive costs higher. The WSJ reports on the efforts of hospitals and physicians

Dissolving the Data Silos in Health Care

2010-11-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

A revolutionary future for health care: "Technology analysts refer to the elements of [information] system]like this as “data silos”—each data set stored by itself, never touching the others. Over the past few decades, many industries have started breaking data out of their bunkers and using powerful computers to cross-index them, revealing previously unsuspected patterns. In health care, however, data isolation is still the norm. The capabilities for much more expansive integrated electronic information are available to health care, as reported in this article in The Atlantic.

Self-Focusing Eyeglasses

2010-09-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

The September 27 edition of WSJ Online spots a big advance in eyeware - self-focusing eyeglasses. With " TruFocals, the wearer can manually adjust [two lenses] to give clear, undistorted vision, whether reading a book, working on a computer or looking into the distance." This ingenious innovation was developed and refined over 20 years byinventor Stephen Kurtin. Despite their Harry Potter-ish look, these round eyeglasses should ease the aging process and be available to the public next year.

How Hospitals Cope with Increasing Diversity

2010-09-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

A female On call each nigh in case a Muslim patient comes in in labor and doesn't want a male doctor. A menu featuring chicken congee soup and steamed dumplings for the many Hmong patients they serve. In these ways big hospitals in Queens, NY, and small Iowa towns have adapted to the needs if the immigant patients for whom they care. From the September 7 NY Times.

"What did you say?'

2010-08-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

Firearm exposure, noisy jobs (and undoubtedly ear-splitting concerts and ubiquitous use of blaring headsets) diminish teen hearing loss. Proof that adolescent hearing loss has escalated is found in this JAMA article..

Teens Sticking with their Pediatricians

2010-08-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

Often feeling safer and more comfortable with their pediatricians, young adults are remaining with their childhood physicians even after the teens age out. Many pediatricians note this, but it is especially true with older adolescents and adults with chronic childhood diseases who have not transitioned into adult internist and adult subspecialists.
"Teens with special needs or chronic health problems and their parents are especially reluctant to leave a pediatrician they've been comfortable with for years. Some also find it hard to locate appropriate onging care. 'That's the group we struggle with nost,' says Dr. Tayloe, who is currently seeing a 37-year old patient with Down syndrome." The article is found in Wall St Journal

A Dose of Sibling Rivalry

2010-08-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

Seeking to ameliorate the intense "center of the universe" family atmosphere, parents of only children are seeking ways to introduce a dose of sibling reality for their offspring. Wall Street Journal has more on the subject, as it notes single-child families are on the increase.

Girls Showing Signs of Puberty Earlier

2010-08-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

When looking for reasons for earlier puberty, the New York Times reports on a study that points to increasing obesity as a possible cause "because body fat can produce sex hormones." There is more here.

Pain Begone!

2010-08-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

A stealth enzyme has been found to block a pathway to chronic pain. So found researchers at the University of North Carolina

Out of Service

2010-08-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

The Brennemann Blogger was on an unexpected and extended sabatical for the last several months. A resumption of interesting new articles will come your way now.

IDing IDs Sooner

2010-08-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

"Pathogenica is developing diagnostic tests designed to detect harmful microorganisms by zeroing in on the genes responsible for their harmful effects or their resistance to certain drugs. The company will initially focus on detecting the bacteria that cause urinary tract infections, and aims to have a product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of 2012, with a target of $10 per test. " From Biomedicine Weekly of July 28.

CT Concerns

2010-08-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

"Researchers at GE Healthcare in Waukesha, WI, presented a technique that needs roughly an eighth of the radiation dose of today's scanners to create an image just as sharp and with the same high resolution. "Dose reduction depends on a case-by-case basis and the application," lead scientist Girijesh Yadava says. "You could go lower or higher [than an eighth] depending on the part of body." This heartening news can be found in Technology Review .

Mini Microscope App for Cell Phones

2010-05-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

Bringing basic medical diagnoses and images to a cell phone near you is a new device being developed by bioengineers at UCLA. Read more about this $3. wonder in Technology Review.

Vox Populi: Patients Like Me

2010-05-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Startup Patients Like Me, part social networking and part health 2.0, is harvesting and analyzing patient information in a whole new way. "
The site has gathered a wealth of data on its 65,000 members, which span 16 different disease communities, including epilepsy, fibromyalgia, and depression. It provides users with tools to track their health status and communicate with other patients, and then removes the personal details and sells the data to pharmaceutical companies and others. "More from Technological News

Have You Washed Your Hands? There's an App for That

2010-05-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

For those hospitals that can't match Children's enviable record of hand hygeine, the availability of the free iScrub Lite 1.5 app at the iTunes store may help. Promped by an icon of a ghostly hand on tha dark blue background, this software can track compliance. Read more.

Teens and Tylenol

2010-05-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Adolescents appear to be at sea when it comes to taking acetaminophen and try to "dose themselves without parental input." Read more about this finding from the University of Rochester here.

Good News for Premies

2010-05-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

Researchers at U of I have discovered that butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid, may be instrumental in finding new treatments for the intestinal failures that often afflict premature babies. The article describes how it helps the intestine grow and absorb nutrients.

The Moral Life of Babies

2010-05-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

A recent article in the New York Times Magazine examines the research done at Yale' Infant Cognition Center. Including an illustrative video, this piece shows that little guys are not, as we have learned, mere tabula rasas. Read the whole thing here.

Heart Hackers

2010-03-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

Artificial hearts are among the medical devices found subject to technical attack." The rapid advances in medical technology, paired with the relative paltry consideration of security in medical devices, should be a wake-up call for those that build and implement these life-saving technologies. Given the public health issues at-stake, a closer regulatory approach should be considered as well as vigorous public discussion. Unless some steps are taken now to deal with medical device security, a whole generation of devices may be implanted which are subject to remote tampering and interference. Repairing the existing security holes would likely be more complex than downloading the latest “patch” from the manufacturer. It might mean the necessity of a second surgical procedure to remove or upgrade an insecure device." Read the article from the ominously titled "Future Crimes: Anticipating Tomorrow's Crimes Today"

P4 Medicine - Powerfully Predictive, Personalized, Preventative-

2010-03-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

An interesting interview/article on the shift of medicine from reactive to proactive medicine, featuring genomics pioneer Leroy Hood, of the startup Integrative Diagnostics in Seattle. Read more here

Health Care Reform: Yeahs and Nays

2010-02-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

A Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll charted American's attitude toward the current status of heath care reform. Although the yeahs and nays are about evenly split at about 43%, most respondents stated their disenchantment with political game playing, as opposed to policy differences, that are stalling passage of a bill.

Liver Transplant: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

2010-02-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

The New York Times reports on a special kind of liver transplant. For a few children with acute liver failure, partial transplants can tide the patient over (with a raft of immunosuppressive drugs as well as possible complications), until the child's original liver regenerates after several years. At that point, in a lucky few patients, the anti-rejection drugs can be stopped and the body rejects the transplanted lobe. This controversial procedure is more fully described here

So Much for the Brennemann Blog!

2010-02-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

"Health information written by a doctor is rated as more credible when it appears on a Web site rather than in a blog or an individual’s homepage, according to a study of [Penn State] college students. . . . . Statistical analyses of student questionnaires suggest that screenshots of both health topics were seen as significantly more reliable when attributed to a doctor and featured on a Web site rather than on a blog, individual homepage or a bulletin board.
It tells us that young people are actually differentiating between different online sources when evaluating health information on the Internet.” Read the article here

Frankincense: More Than Just a Birthday Offering ?

2010-02-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

The wise men brought frankincense to the babe in the manger, but now there is a renewed interest in this fabled substance
"Scientists have observed that there is some agent within frankincense which stops cancer spreading, and which induces cancerous cells to close themselves . . "Cancer starts when the DNA code within the cell's nucleus becomes corrupted. It seems frankincense has a re-set function. It can tell the cell what the right DNA code should be.
Frankincense separates the 'brain' of the cancerous cell - the nucleus - from the 'body' - the cytoplasm, and closes down the nucleus to stop it reproducing corrupted DNA codes. Working with frankincense could revolutionise the treatment of cancer. "
The entire BBC news article can be read here.

Try This on Your Shoes to Power Your BlackBerry

2010-02-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

"Researchers at Princeton University have created a flexible material that harvests record amounts of energy when stressed. The researchers say the material could be incorporated into the soles of shoes to power portable electronics. . . McAlpine is particularly focused on biomedical applications for the material and says it could cut down on the number of surgeries that patients with implants must undergo. For example, doctors could place a power-generating sheet against the lungs during the initial surgery; the constant movement of the organs could help recharge a battery, McAlpine says. From MIT's Technology Review of January 29, 2010.

Breath Sensors Not Just for Drunks Anymore

2010-01-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

A chemical engineer at University of Florida has developed an inexpensive spider-like sensor that analyzes breath and saliva to diagnose and monitor a variety of diseases, among them diabetes, asthma and breast cancer.

Media Fixated Teens Turn Terrorists When Denied Texting

2010-01-26T09:12:00.000-08:00

No surprise to anyone, kids spend more than 7-1/2 hours a day using electronic media devices. And woe the parents who try to curb their offsprings' obsession.

VA, Kaiser Permanente Unveil Project to Exchange Patient Data Electronically

2010-01-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

The VA and Kaiser Permanente are testingo a project to exchange electronic patient information within Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN),. " Led by the Department of Health and Human Services, the NHIN will let providers from participating organizations send data around-the-clock in a secure fashion."

Vitamin D a Modifiable Risk Factor For Heart Disease?

2010-01-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

"Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to a higher number of heart and stroke-related deaths among black Americans compared to whites, " declares a new study from the University of Rochester. Pointing to this disparity, the researchers found that " a complex host of genetic and lifestyle factors among blacks may explain why this population group has lower vitamin D levels across the lifespan than other races." Available in January 11 issue of Annals of Family Medicine.

Teens' Cell Phones May Be Poised to Help an Older Generation

2010-01-12T05:31:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal cites findings from the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease that mice with Alzheimer-like simptoms benefitted cognitively from exposure to electromagnetic fields, such as that from cell phones, for seven months. The article, of course, cautions the extrapolation of these findings to humans.

Montana and Wyoming Have Greatest Lack of Peds Subspecialists

2010-01-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

Highlighitng the "dearth of doctors" available for severely ill children, the Wall Street Journal reports on a Nachri state-by- state survey on the subject, here.

Doctor, Google Thyself!!

2010-01-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

An interesting perspective from the New England Journal of Medicine on rating systems.

Eliminating Errors in Pain Medication

2009-12-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

In one study at an Illinois hospital "researchers hope to translate what they learned into an expanded electronic program that can transform hospital practices across the country and significantly reduce medication errors and adverse reactions."

Human Drug Trials Without the Humans

2009-12-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

Archimedes is "a kind of SimHealth: a vast compendium of medical knowledge drawn from epidemiological data, clinical trials, and physician interviews, which Eddy had laboriously translated into differential equations over the past decade. Those equations, Eddy hoped, would successfully reproduce the complex workings of human biology — down to the individual chambers of a simulated person’s virtual heart." A report from the December issue of Wired.

A Gene Machine

2009-12-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

A new device rapidly analyzes blood for medically relevant genetic variations.

"A desktop instrument recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration might finally bring pharmacogenomic testing--the use of a patient's genetic information for drug prescription decisions--to the mainstream. The device, made by Nanosphere, a startup based in Northbrook, IL, can, in a matter of hours, detect genetic variations in blood that modulate the effectiveness of some drugs. Dubbed Verigene, the technology employs a combination of microfluidics and nanotechnology, housed in a single plastic cartridge, to pull DNA from a blood sample and then screen it for the relevant sequences."

Effects of Child Abuse in Later Life

2009-11-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

"Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may be at greater risk of developing a variety of aging-related medical conditions as adults, including cardiovascular disease and cancer." More from Futurity

Juvenile Onset MS faster to Progress but Slower to Disable than Adult Onset MS

2009-11-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

"The average time to reach the secondary progressive phase of the disease is longer in patients who develop MS in childhood than in adult onset MS. . . .Reaching the next stage of disability is almost 10 years longer in pediatric-onset patients." So report researchers fromthe Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence located at Women and Children's Hospital, and the William C. Baird MS Center in Buffalo General Hospital (BGH), both Kaleida Health affiliates and UB teaching hospitals.

Chemical May Help Down Syndrome Sufferers

2009-11-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

"Increasing the levels of a message-carrying chemical in the brain may help prevent some of the memory deficits in Down syndrome that hinder learning and make it hard for the brain to develop normally, researchers said. " A research report from the New York Times

Medical Marijuana for Under 18s

2009-11-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

the New York Times reports on a new patient population for this controversal treatment.

Several Bay Area [California] doctors who recommend medical marijuana for their patients said in recent interviews that their client base had expanded to include teenagers with psychiatric conditions including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“It’s not everybody’s medicine, but for some, it can make a profound difference,” said Valerie Corral, a founder of the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a patients’ collective in Santa Cruz that has two dozen minors as registered clients. Read about it here.

Curry v. Cancer

2009-10-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

WSJ Health blog reports on a British study that has reveled that extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells the efficacy of redolent curry in storming the defenses of cancer cells. A plus for those take away Indian meals.

Better and Faster Vaccines

2009-10-28T05:37:00.000-07:00

"Scientists have identified a protein that could enable more vaccines to be delivered through the mouth or nose, thus strengthening the body’s defenses where the body first encounters many bacteria and viruses." A pathologist at Emory has zeroed in on "M cells, a type of cell found in the intestines that may be a key to effective mucosal vaccines." Futurity.org reports on this promising development in a blog posting for October 27.
For more information, look at Emory health sciences news: http://emoryhealthsciences.org

CDC: "Very Sobering" Flu Season

2009-10-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

The CDC has characterized this year's flu season as very serious. "Unprecedented activity," "unusual toll in the pediatric age group" and number of hospitalizations are among the measures. Here , from Effect Measure, a public health forum, is a thorough and very informative article to explore the CDC's stance.

Reschedule Afternoon Meetings and Indulge in Spicy Pasta

2009-10-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Although double-blind clinical trials have not been held, there is some evidence that garlic can serve as a prophilactic substance against winter colds--and what a way to go!

Being There

2009-10-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

The New York Times suggests an approach to avoiding physician burnout and coping with the endless paperwork. Including a report on a recent JAMA article, How Mindfulness Can Make for Better Doctors shows how it is done.

Nanotechnology in Early Sleuthing

2009-10-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

A story from Computerworld reports on the ways Stanford researchers and others are using nanoctech and microchips to track very early and elusive cancers when chance if cure us best.

Smart Phone Makers Call the Doctors

2009-10-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

"The medical waistband is the latest front in the battle among smart-phone makers for the business customer.
Pagers have long reigned in hospitals, where they are prized for their dependability. But with doctors treating more patients and hospitals facing pressure to be more efficient, companies like Apple Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. see an opportunity to peddle their devices.
Last month, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, in Palo Alto, Calif., started a trial with Apple and Epic Systems Corp., a provider of health-care information systems, to test software that will let medical staff access patient charts on Apple's iPhone.
Stanford is studying ways to use the devices to reduce the risk of error as patient care is increasingly handed off from one doctor to another, says Pravene Nath, chief medical information officer.
Around the same time, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center handed out RIM's BlackBerry to nurses and doctors at one of its emergency rooms and surgical floors. Instead of paging each other, they will use the devices to communicate. The hospital also plans to add medical applications to the devices.
One such application, from mVisum Inc., of Cedar Brook, N.J., lets ambulances send EKG images and patient data directly to doctors' BlackBerrys. That way, patients suffering heart attacks can get into surgery more quickly, says William Fera, UMPC's vice president of medical technologies.
According to market-research firm Manhattan Research LLC, of New York, about 64% of U.S. physicians are using smart phones; up from just 50% two years ago. The firm expects that figure to increase to 81% by 2011, with the majority of physicians owning iPhones or BlackBerrys.
Apple and RIM's gains in medicine are coming mostly at the expense of Windows-based devices as well as Palm Inc., whose older hand-held computing devices are still widely used by doctors. Palm didn't respond to requests for comment.
Apple appears to be making a concerted effort to target the medical community. It often features health-care apps at press events and has started taking some of the app developers to meetings with medical institutions, according to one participant. Apple declined to comment.
Among U.S. doctors with smart phones, however, BlackBerry devices still prevail, with a 37% usage rate, compared with 27% for the iPhone, according to Manhattan Research.
Fraser Edward, head of RIM's market development for health care, says he touts the BlackBerry's reputation for security of sensitive information like patient data when he talks to hospital administrators.
It is security -- and the rise of smart phones in medicine -- that worries Deborah Peel, a physician and founder of the advocacy group Patient Privacy Rights. The more ways doctors can access their patients' records, the greater the threat to confidentiality, Ms. Peel says.
"The vast majority of health information technology has not been designed to ensure that patients control access to that data and use of that data," she says.
Medical-application developers say their programs are compliant with federal law for protecting health information.
The vast majority of medical applications available through the iPhone App Store are still reference guides from companies like Epocrates Inc. But some allow doctors to remotely access patient data or lab results.
For example, an app called AirStrip OB lets obstetricians access maternal and fetal data remotely on the iPhone through a special server. AirStrip Technologies LLC says more than 100 hospitals use the product, which requires hospitals to subscribe to its software suite.
"It allows us to monitor our patients' labor from wherever we are," says Jay Staub, an obstetrician at Texas Health Resources Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. "
Write to Niraj Sheth at niraj.sheth@wsj.com and Yukari Iwatani Kane at yukari.iwatani@wsj.com Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page 30
Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

MSN Introduces Online Tools to Help People Make Smarter Health and Lifestyle Decisions

2009-10-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

From swine flu info to symptom checkers, MSN My Health Info includes a broad range of widgets and tools to attract health-minded consumers.

On Oct. 1, 2009, MSN released the beta of My Health Info, a new online service that helps people manage their health information on the Web. This is a unique service that offers people a variety of tools and widgets to upload, organize and monitor health information stored in their personal Microsoft HealthVault accounts. The new service allows people to research medical concerns, read the latest health news, gain guidance from medical experts, learn about nutrition, and monitor conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.In addition, MSN is launching a specialized swine flu information center today on the MSN Health & Fitness home page. MSN works with trusted consumer health information providers such as Harvard Medical School and the MayoClinic . Because the data are stored in Microsoft HealthVault, people can access their information via the Web whenever they need it. Users can also customize their pages, access profiles of multiple family members at one time, allowing caregivers to more easily manage not only their information, but their family’s as well. (From the MSM press release)

Rolling the Dice on Risky Drugs

2009-09-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

The risks of Tysabri, an effective drug for treating MS, and the risks of MS patients developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy the longer they are on the medication"underscores a central mathematical issue in assessing risks and benefits of medical treatment," comments the Wall Street Journal in the September 9, 2009, issue. Absolute percentages, mathematical models and actuarial calculations all figure in figuring the risks in this Biogen drug that has been on the market for three years.

Feelings Fierce, Fearful and Furious-- The Healthcare Controversy Continues

2009-09-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

"A Selection of Editoraials and Opinions" from the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle and USA Today are among the news outlets that are voicing their views on the ongoing discussion about health care reform in the US. Sample some here.

Elmo Teams Up With the CDC

2009-09-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

In a hard-hitting effort to educate every soul in the US about the incipient dangers of H1N1 flu, the President of the United States yesterday released his latest public health directive, "Wash, wash, wash your hands with Elmo", How Elmo fares in his new role, undoubtedly, will determine whether Miss Piggy is called in to push for the president's health care reform.

Looking Under the Hood of the Internet

2009-09-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

While the Internet has grown exponentially over the last decades into the flashy frontiers of Facebook and Twitter, the underlyingl infrastructure is coughing and sputtering. This Christian Science Monitor examines the interruptions and denial of service events that overwhelm the Internet's original software, which was last updated in the mid 1980s. Read more here.

Diabetes Stalks Survivors of Childhood Cancer

2009-08-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

Oncology Stat reports on an article from Archives of Internal Medicine, Sur"Childhood Cancer Survivors at Double the Risk for Diabetes ." "Increased diabetes risk is independent of obesity and physical inactivity. It is most evident among survivors of acute myelogenous leukemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor, and Hodgkin's lymphoma, especially if they received radiation therapy."

Glug, Glug - Drowning in Data

2009-08-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

The exponential explosion of digital scientific research e-mails and twitter messages looms as a problem for future storage of significant digital data. No longer trailing a paper path, new and newly discovered scientific data is in danger of being lost because the storage devices that work in the here-and-now become obsolete as the next storage format emerges. This from a fascinting and cautionery article from WSJ Online, A Data Deluge Swamps Science Historians.

The Perils of Multi-tasking. . . Huh?

2009-08-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Irrelevancy, distraction and concentration are diminished when people check their e-mail while watching television or juggle several e-mail and instant messaging conversation at once, a study at Stanford University documented. In a variety of tests, the researchers showed that "Media Multi-taskers Pay a Mental Price."

Hospitals' Mea Culpa

2009-08-25T05:01:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal reports on hospitals' efforts to admist to grievous medical errors and learn how to prevent them in the interests of patient safety and a reduction of lawsuits. The steps of this process, a;readu endorsed and enacted by policies practiced by CMH, are covered in "Hospitals Own up to Errors"

YouTube has also jumped on the band wagon to market this significant mission. "The Faces of Medical Errors," appears on YouTube and will initiate a series of 12 case studies highlighting the each stage of disclosing, analyzing, and changing proactices to prevent medical errors. Read the posting from the WSJ Health Blog and view a video clip here.

Reining In the Rocketing Rate of Health Insurance Premiums

2009-08-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

On the Commonwealth Fund Blog is an article by Karen Davis warning of the consequences if health care reforms don't address the issue of health insurance costs for employers and families. Davis reports that if reform doesn't deal with the increasing cost of health insurance, premiums will increase to 24% of a family's income by 2020. Read this cautionary posting here

Less Is More

2009-08-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

As channelled by the Wall Street Journal from the Annals of Emergency Medicine, researchers have found that Ibuprofen was as effective as Tylenol No. 3 in the first three days after a child broke her arm. This enables children to avoid narcotics and rely instead on over-the-counter medication for pain.

More Editorials and Opinions on Health Care Reform

2009-08-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

More measured than raucous town hall meetings, various news outlets are having their say in the ongoing discussion of proposed health care reforms. From Kaiser Health News .

Focusing on Information Technology to Reduce Health Care Costs

2009-08-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Stepping away from the controversial public health option in the Obama health care reform, articles and editorials from the Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe and Kentucky Post look at information technology as a central tool in reforming the health care system. EMR and secure computing systems for health care facilities are considered in the IT Roundup in the Kaiser Health News

Kaiser Family Foundations Focuses on Medicare Payment

2009-08-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Setting Medicare Payment Policy: Is There a Role for an Independent Entity? considers the questions associated with the establishment of a new entity to set Medicare payment policy and the implications for beneficiaries, other stakeholders, and program spending. This Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief analyzes how to bring about change in the Medicare program to improve efficiency and control health care cost growth.

Major Depression in Preschoolers

2009-08-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

Medscape Pediatrics reports on the findingsarticle in in the August Archives of General Psychiatry on the depression in preschoolers. Those as young as 3-years old who develop major depression are far more likely than their peers to have depression two years later. Lead author Jean Luby from WashingtonUniversity, adds that depression at this young age is not clinically significant and does not spontaneously resolve. This newly recognized phenomenon calls for early intervention for both parents and preschoolers. Find the original article here.

Kaiser Family Foundation Tackles Details of Health Care Reform

2009-08-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

Kaiser Family Foundation Health Reform Gateway offers a series of articles on various aspects of the current health reform issue. Aspects covered include state variations, economic recession, issue briefs and in-depth analyses, public opinion and concise graphics. It may not be beach reading, but the KFF suggests its Gateway page deserves a close reading this summer.

A Primer on the Details of Health Care Reform

2009-08-10T06:51:00.000-07:00

Away from the rapid reactions in town hall meetings on healthcare reform, the New York Times offers a straightforward overview of key issues that have become so contentious in the debate---socialized medicine, abortion, euthanasia, insurers, cost, etc.

Newly Cataloged Books at the Brennemann Library, Jan. – July, 2009

2009-08-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

Cataloged and compiled by Carol Jeuell, Reference Librarian

Cardiology
Fetal echocardiography, Drose, JA, 2nd ed., Saunders, 2010, WQ210.5 F4192 2010
Cardiovascular pediatric critical illness and injury, Wheeler, DS, Springer, 2009, WS 290 C27 2009
Pediatric cardiology handbook, Park, M., 4th ed., Mosby Elsevier, 2010, RES WS 290 P236P 2010
Perinatal cardiology handbook, Bader, RS, Mosby/Elsevier, 2008, WS 290 B 134p 2008

Child Abuse
Child abuse: quick reference for health care professionals, Giardino, AP, G.W. Medical Pub., 2006, WA 320 C5363
2006
Child maltreatment and the law, Levesque, RJR, Springer, 2008, WA 320 L 662 2008
Medical evaluation of child sexual abuse: a practical guide, Finkel, MA, 3rd ed., AAP, 2009, WA 325 M 489 2009

Child Development
Immigrant stories: ethnicity and academics in middle childhood, Coll, CG, Oxford Univ. Press, 2009, HQ792.U5 G37 2009

Congenital Abnormalities
Congenital malformations: evidence-based evaluation and management, Kumard, P., McGraw – Hill Medical, 2008, QS
675 C7496 2008

Critical Care
Pediatric critical care medicine: basic science and clinical evidence, Wheeler, DS, Springer, 2007, RES WS 366 P36842
2007
Science and practice of pediatric critical care medicine, Wheeler, DS, Springer, 2009, WS 366 S35 2009
S.T.A.B.L.E. program pre-transport post-resuscitation stabilization care of sick infants: guidelines for neonatal healthcare
providers: learner manual, Karlsen, KA, S.T.A.B.L.E. Program, 2006, WS 420 K18s 2006

Dermatology
Contact dermatitis, Fisher, AA, 6th ed., B C Decker, 2008, WR 175 F533c 2008

Endocrinology
ADA/PDR medications for the treatment of diabetes, White Jr.JR, American Diabetes Association, 2008, WK 810 A191
2008

Gastroenterology
Walker’s pediatric gastrointestinal disease, Kleinman, RE, 5th ed., BC Decker, 2008, RES WS 310 P37143 2008

Gynecology
Pediatric, adolescent, & young adult gynecology, Altchek, A, Wiley – Blackwell, 2009, WS 360 P3702 2009

Hematology
Nathan & Oski’s hematology of infancy & childhood, Orkin, SH, 7th ed., Saunders, 2009, RES WS300 N 274 2009

Infectious Disease
Feigin & Cherry’s textbook of pediatric infectious diseases, Feigin, RD, Saunders/Elsevier, 2009, RES WC 100 F297 2009
Infection control compliance guide, Bennett, G., 2nd ed., HCPro, 2006, WX167 B471ia 2006

Medical Records
Step-by-step medical coding, Buck, CJ, Saunders, 2007, WB15 B9221s 2009

Medical Ethics
When parents say no: religious and cultural influences on pediatric healthcare treatment, Linnard-Palmer, L., Sigma
Theta Tau International, 2006, W 85 L758r 2006

Neonatology
Neonatal and paediatric clinical neurophysiology, Pressler, RM, Churchill Livingstone/ Elsevier, 2007, WS 420
N438p 2007

Nephrology
Kidney transplantation, Hricik, DE, 2nd ed., Remedica, 2007, WJ 368 K458 2008

Neurology
Central nervous system in pediatric critical illness and injury, Wheeler, DS, Springer 2009, WS 340 C46
2009
Clinical pediatric neurology, David, RB, 3rd edition, Demos Medical, 2009, 1 WS 340 C64
2009
Stroke in children and adults, Biller, J., 2nd ed., Saunders, 2009, WL355 S921b 2009

Neurosurgery
Fetal and neonatal neurology and neurosurgery, Levene, ML, 4th edition, Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier
2008/2009, WS 340 F4198 2009

Nursing
AACN advanced critical care nursing, Carlson, KK, Saunders/Elsevier, 2009, WY A1105 2009
Core curriculum for neonatal intensive care nursing, Terese, M., 4th ed., Saunders, 2010, WY157.3 C7968 2010
Emergency nursing procedures, Proehl, JA, 4th ed., Saunders/Elsevier, 2009 , WY 154 E53 2009
Lippincott’s textbook for nursing assistants:humanistic appreach to caregiving, 2nd ed., Wolter’s Kluwer
Health/LWW, 2008, WY 193 C324L 2008
Manual of school health: a handbook for school nurses, educators, and health professionals, DeStaefano Lewis, K,
3rd ed., Saunders, 2009, WY 49 L674m 2009
Patient safety and quality: evidence-based handbook for nurses, Hughes, RC, Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, 2008, W 84.7 P 298H 2008
Pediatric telephone protocols: office version, Schmitt, BD., 12th ed., AAP, 2009, WY 159 S 355pa 2009
Primary care of the child with a chronic condition, Allen, PJ, 5th ed., Elsevier Mosby, 2010
Practice of nursing research: appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence, Burns, N., 6th ed., Saunders/Elsevier, 2009,
WY 20.5 B967pa 2009
Primary care of the child with a chronic condition, Allen, PJ, 5th ed., Elsevier Mosby, 2010, WY 159 P952a 2009
Telephone triage protocols for nurses, Briggs,JK, 3rd ed., Wolter Kluwer Health/LWW, 2007, WY 159n B854t 2007
Thelan’s critical care nursing: diagnosis and management, Urden, LD, 5th ed., Mosby, 2006, WY 154 T379 2006
Understanding nursing research: building an evidence-based practice, Burns, N, 4th ed., Saunders/Elsevier, 2007
WY 20.5 B863 2007

Nutrition
Nutrition of the preterm infant, Tsang, RC, Digital Educational Publishing, 2005, WS 120 N9767 2005
Nutrition in kidney disease, Byham-Gray, LD, Human Press, 2008, WJ 300 N9759 2008
Nutrition support for infants and children at risk, Cooke, RJ, Nestlé Nutrition Institute, 2007, WS 120 N468n 2007
Pediatric nutrition handbook, Kleinman, RE, 6th ed., AAP, 2009, WS 115 P3707 2009

Obstetrics/fetus
Maternal – fetal medicine: principles and practice, Creasy, RK, 6th ed., Saunders/Elsevier, 2009, RES WQ 211
C912 2009

Oncology
Oncology of infancy and childhood, Orkin, SH, Saunders Elsevier, 2009, RES QZ 275 058 2009

Pediatrics
Current procedures, pediatrics, Goodman, D., McGraw – Hill Medical, 2007, RES WS 366 C976 2007
Developmental-behavioral pediatrics, 4th ed., Carey, WB, Saunders, 2009, WS105 D48912
2009
Guidelines for air and ground transport of neonatal and pediatrics, Woodward, GA, AAP, 2007, WX 215 A503q 2007
Harriet Lane handbook: manual for pediatric house officers, Custer, JW, 18th ed., Mosby/Elsevier, 2009,
RES WS 29 H297 2009
Laughing your way to passing the pediatric board, Silverstein, S, 4th ed., Medhumor Medical Publications, 2008, WS 18.2
S587L 2008
PALS course guide, Ralston, M, American Heart Association, 2006, RES WS 205 P182 2006
PALS provider manual, Ralston, M, American Heart Association, 2006, RES WS 205 A247 2006
Pediatric emergency medicine resource ,Gausche-Hill, M, 4th ed., AAP, 2007, WS 205 P3716 2007
Pediatric obesity: prevention, intervention, and treatment strategies for primary care, Hassink, SG, AAP, 2007, WD 210
H355p 2007
Telephone triage protocols for nurses, Briggs, JK, 3rd ed., Wolter Kluwere Health/LWW, 2007, WY159 B854t 2007

Pharmacology
Drug facts and comparisons, Lippincott, 2009, REF QV 772 D7924 2009
Immuno facts:vaccines and immunologic drugs 2009, Grabenstein, JD, Wolter’s Kluwer, 2008, REF QW 539 G727i 2009
Pediatric dosage handbook:including neonatal dosing, drug administration & extemporaneous preparations, Taketomo,
CK, 15th ed., American Pharmacists Association, 2008, REF QV 735 P371 2008
Physician’s desk reference, Medical Economics, 2009, REF QV 772 P578, 2009
Physician’s desk reference for non-prescription drugs, Medical Economics, 2009, REF QV 772 P575,2009

Physical Therapy
Finnie’s handling the young child with cerebral palsy at home, Bower, E., 4th ed., Butterworth
Heinemann, 2009, WS342 F5145 2009
Joint range of motion and muscle length testing, Reese, NB, 2nd ed., Saunders/Elsevier, 2010, WE 103 R329j
2010
Compiled by Carol Jeuell, Reference Librarian

Radiology
Pediatric radiology:the requisites, Blickman, JG, 3rd ed., Mosby/Elsevier, 2009, WN 240 B648p 2009

Respiratory Medicine
Perinatal and pediatric respiratory care, Walsh, BK, 3rd ed., Saunders, 2010, WS280 P445 2010
Pulmonary manifestations of pediatric diseases, Turcios, NL, Saunders, 2009, WS280 P9825t 2009
Respiratory tract in pediatric critical illness and injury, Wheeler, DS, Springer, 2009, WS 280 R47 2009
Resuscitation and stabilization of the critically ill child, Wheeler, DS, Springer, 2009, Ws 280 R47w 2009

Sports Medicine
Essential sports medicine, Herrera, JE, Humana Press, 2008, QT 261 E787 2008

Surgery
Complications in pediatric surgery, Caty, MG, Infroma Healthcare, 2008, WO 925 C737 2008

Urology
Urologic disorders: adult and pediatric care, Gray, M., Mosby/Elsevier, 2009

Urologic Surgery
Hinman’s atlas of pediatric urologic surgery, Hinman Jr., F., 2nd ed., Saunders/Elsevier, 2009, RES WS 320
H663a 2009

H1N1 Virus and Neurologic Complications

2009-08-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

According to a study published in the July 24 CDC' Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, mental status changes and seizures have been seen in conjunction with the H1N1 virus. Physicians from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center reported that four patients presented with flu-like illness as well as neurological symptoms, confirmed by ECG. The H1N1 virus was detected in nasopharyngeal specimens. but not spinal fluid. All children were treated and recovered. Read more

2009-07-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

The July 27 New Yorker profiles kidney patients and kidney donors brought together by the private organization MatchingDoners.com., Author Larissa McFarquharand asks, What sort of person gives a kidney to a stranger?" An abstract of the article is here, but registration is required for the full text.

NIH Bows to Wikipedia

2009-07-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Bowing to the inevitable lure of Wikipedia, the NIH is joining the rush to patient-mined medical lore found on the Internet. Washington Post reports that the NIH is encouraging scientists and science writers to create articles in their fields for the online encyclopedia. ITo that end, NIH is joining with the Wikipedia Foundation to host a "Wikipedia Academy," "a training session on the tools and rules of wiki culture." Read more about this meeting of the minds here.

Sneak Peak--Uncovering Your Genetic Profile- 23&Me

2009-07-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

Share real-time You Tube revelations of a young woman's genetic profile. Jen McCabe Gorman (the ultimate "e-patient) knowledgeably discusses each finding as she reads it online.

After Beating Childhood Cancer, Survivors Face Adult Disease Challenges

2009-07-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

The July 27 Wall Street Journal reports on a 14-year-old cancer survivor who has learned that her curative chemotherapy is now being tested forheart disease. The article notes that one class of toxic drugs--anthracyclines--seem to put survivors at the greatest risk.

Unfortunately, while the emergence of adult diseases after cancer treatment are widely recognized in the pediatric oncology community, often the survivors themselves have no idea of their future risks from the toxic chemotherapy they received. In addition, patients, parents and adult physicians have to deal with these sequelae. Such articles as this in the lay press help to educate the public about this serious healt issue.

Restrictive Diets Illadvised for Chidlren with Autism

2009-07-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

In their ongoing search for the elusive answer to treating their autistic children, many parents have restricted their children to gluten-free or dairy-free diets.The New York Times , however reports that these diets, spurred by parents belief that gastrointestinal problems are an underlying cause of the disorder, may be unwarrented. A new study on that topic appears in August Pediatrics

Antibiotics on the Rise for Otitis Media

2009-07-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Despilte please from Infectious Disease experts and others about overuse of antibiotics leading to antibiotic resistence, broad spectrum antibiotics are increasingly being prescribed for middle-ear infections: an increase from 34% of visits in 1998, to 45% in 2004. Results were from The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1998 to 2004. The article appears in June issue of BMC Pediatrics

Last Wishes Online

2009-07-27T10:24:00.001-07:00

Google Health offers a new feature, uploading of scanned documents specifying last wishes and advanced directives. Seen as a useful service until complete conversion to EMR, this service could be especially helpful if the documents could be sent to one's hospital.

H1Ni Center Alert

2009-06-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Via Medscape comes this CDC alert center regarding the now officially pandemic virus.

Health Care Reform: Insurance Mandates and Medical Liability Reform

2009-06-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Focusing on a key issue of proposed health care reform is discussion of insurance mandates modeled on Medicare as well reforms to the medical liability system- a hot topic when it comes to reducing health care costs. Read the article at New England Journal of Medicine

Recession Helps Nursing Shortage

2009-06-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

During 2007-08 there was an 18% increase in the number of nurses returning to work; half of those returnees were over 50 years of age. Although encoouraging, this trend does not signigicantly change the overall nursing shortage. Read the whole article in the Wall Street Journal

Editorials and Opinions on Healthcare Reform

2009-06-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Varied perspectives on and suggestions for health care reform are reflected in a collection of editorials and opinions from Medical News Today. Views from readers and journalists of the New York Times, The National Review, the Boston Globe and other news outless take aim at access, insurers, and models . . . as well as how NOT to reform health care.

Green, Greener, Greenest!

2009-06-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

Among some of the major polluters, today's hospitals are urged to pay serious attention to the ongoing Green Revolution. Hospitals Urged to Join Climate Change Battle, a May 22 Reuters article from Medscape Pediatrics, states its case: hospitals' growing use of electricity and release of toxic emissions are contributing to community health issues. Increaseing asthma attacks and respiratory diseases and more and more ER visits are attributed to the results of energy use by health care facilities, among others. With statistics from WHO and the UN the article suggestis alternative energy sources give health care administrators more amunition for working toward greener establishments.

NIH News in Health

2009-06-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

The June issue of NIH News in Health is available here. Heralding the tribulations of summer the feature articles adress precautions for avoiding pesky ticks and measures for preventing sports injuries. Features from past issues and health capsules offer more health eduction tips. For e-mail subscriptions or to receive printed issues for your waiting area go to the "Click here" link at the bottom of the page.

CMH Authors

2009-06-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

Hong X. Zhou H. Tsai HJ. Wang X. Liu X. Wang B. Xu X. Xu X.
Institution
Children's Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Research Center,
Chicago, IL, USA.
Title
Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 gene variation and risk of asthma.
Source
European Respiratory Journal. 33(1):42-8, 2009 Jan.

Gupta RS. Weiss KB.
Institution
Institute for Healthcare Studies and Department of Pediatrics, Children's
Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,
2300 Children's Plaza, Box 157, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
r-gupta@northwestern.edu
Title
The 2007 National Asthma Education and Prevention Program asthma
guidelines: accelerating their implementation and facilitating their
impact on children with asthma.
Source
Pediatrics. 123 Suppl 3:S193-8, 2009 Mar.

LaBella CR. Huxford MR. Smith TL. Cartland J.
Institution
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois
60614, USA. clabella@childrensmemorial.org Title
Preseason neuromuscular exercise program reduces sports-related knee pain
in female adolescent athletes.
Source
Clinical Pediatrics. 48(3):327-30, 2009 Apr.

Trapp LW. Ryan AA. Ariza AJ. Garcia CM. Binns HJ.
Institution
College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, and Department of
Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
Title
Primary care identification of infants at high risk for overweight and
obesity.
Source
Clinical Pediatrics. 48(3):313-6, 2009 Apr.

In Down Syndrome a Link to Cancer

2009-06-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Word is out to the general public about the intriguing finding by researchers in the late Judah Folkman's lab at Boston Childrens'. "Scientists discovered that the extra chromosome carried by people with Down syndrome - which causes the condition's distinctive features - harbors a gene responsible for starving tumors of the blood [cancer cells] need to survive and flourish. Here is the article in the Boston Globe, but the article originally appeared in May 29 Nature

What's Up in Google Health?

2009-05-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

Listening to Google Health Users. This Google blog describes an unfortunate glitch that occurred when a patient using Google Health had some information transferred from his hospital to Google Health. With dismay he saw that alarming and incorrect data had appeared. It was due to incorrect billing codes and associated descriptions that had been used by the hospital to bill his insurance company. As you may guess, Google hurried to confer at length with the offending hospital.

Web 2.0 As a Disruptive Force in Health Care

2009-05-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Digital Consumer: Web 2.0 Roadmap for Healthcare Organizations preenter John Sharp tackeled the reality of Web 2.0 in business and discussed how health care can be a player during an April 2009 meeting. Among the topics covered: how Web 2.0 affects traditional health care, best practices, first steps, return on investment and minimizing risk and how o different from tradition. See what he had to say.

Conferences in the Age of Pandemics

2009-05-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hospitals and hospital administrators will be interested in this Forbes article, which addresses the issue of teleconferencing becoming an even more important means of business communication in light of the H1N1 Flu epidemic.

Alerting or Alarming? Swine Flu and Social Networking

2009-04-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

Wall Street Journal Blogs has an interesting article on the "emergence" of Swine Flu subjects on Google and Twitter. There are conflicting views whether or not such digital "exposure" is helping or hurting.

Deafness After Mumps More Common Than Previously Thought

2009-04-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

In an article from a Japanese report in the March issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, physicians mumps is endemic in Japan. They determined the incidence of sudden acquired deafness in children with mumps based upon a population-based office survey of more than 7500 patients. The overall incidence of deafness among children with confirmed mumps was 7 cases in 7400 children with hearing tests, or 0.1%, the authors report. They determined that the incidence of sudden acquired deafness in children with mumps based upon a population-based office survey of more than 7500 patients. Mumps is endemic in Japan, and
none of the children with deafness due to mumps had received mumps vaccination.

This can be another arrow in your quiver when aiming to encourage immunizations with anti-vaccine families in your practice.

Paracelsus Exhibit at the National Library of Medicine

2009-04-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

PARACELSUS AND THE MEDICAL REVOLUTION OF THE RENAISSANCE
A 500th Anniversary Celebration

"A contemporary of Nicholas Copernicus, Martin Luther, Leonardo da Vinci and a host of other figures we associate with the shattering of medieval thought and the birth of the modern world . . Paracelsus was called by some the 'Luther of Medicine' during his life time." Topical exhibits include Renaissance Humanism, Chemical Philosophy and additional readings. A great addition to NLM's History of Medicine exhibits.

Anesthesia in Youngest Kids May be Linked to Learning Disabilities

2009-03-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

From the MedlinePlus web site, Tuesday, March 24

Children who have had anesthesia two or more times by the age of 3 may be at a higher risk of developing learning disabilities later, new research suggests.
Although this is the first human study to indicate such an association, it's still unclear if the anesthesia is the culprit, or if some other factor is at play.
"We don't want to alarm parents," said Dr. Robert Wilder, lead author of a study appearing in the April issue of Anesthesiology. "We have an association here between kids who received two or more anesthetics in surgery and an increase in learning disabilities, but we don't have clear causality that it was the anesthetics that caused the learning disabilities."
"Even if I knew for a fact that anesthesia might be increasing the risk for learning disabilities, my advice would still be, if your kid needs to have surgery done, they're better off having the anesthetic," added Wilder, who is a consultant in anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and an associate professor of anesthesiology at the Mayo Medical School. "Of course, you don't want to submit your kid to any unnecessary surgical or medical procedure, but that would have been my advice before studying this."
Prior animal studies have suggested that anesthesia drugs might affect the developing brain.
One study last year found that youngsters under the age of 3 who had hernia surgery showed almost twice the risk of behavioral or developmental problems later compared to kids who hadn't had surgery. Researchers suspect that exposure to general anesthesia during these operations might have played a role in the jump in risk.
Other studies have demonstrated a similar link. Still, the authors of this study said it's unclear if anesthesia really affects this risk in children.
One expert noted that the issue is of utmost concern to anesthesiologists.
"This is more information on an area that has been of intense interest to anesthesiologists," said Dr. Randall Clark, chairman of the American Society of Anesthesiologists committee on pediatric anesthesia and chairman of anesthesiology at Children's Hospital Denver. "We're all very concerned about this and working hard to see if has implications for human infants, but we don't have any clear evidence that that's the case yet."
"Research is this area is ramping up dramatically, and we are working with the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to get answers to these questions," he added.
And, Clark noted, "very little of total elective surgery is done in the age ranges where we think children might be of risk. These are needed procedures and, to the best of our knowledge, the need for the procedure would outweigh what we now know are potential risks."
The authors of this latest study scoured the educational and medical records of all 5,357 children born in five towns in Olmsted County, Minn., between 1976 and 1982, and who had lived in the same county at least until the age of 5.
Generally, the children who had been under anesthesia had received halothane and nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Halothane is no longer available in the United States, according to the study, but it has been replaced by newer drugs, although these work by similar mechanisms. Nitrous oxide is used widely in this country.
Children's brains are still rapidly developing during these early years of life and are therefore very vulnerable to insults, the researchers noted.
The team said that just one exposure to anesthesia did not up the risk of developing a learning disability before the age of 19. Two exposures, however, increased the risk by 59 percent, while three or more exposures increased the risk by a factor of 2.6. Children who stayed under anesthesia for longer periods of time also faced a greater degree of risk.
But the association could also be due to the stress from the surgery itself or to the fact that children who undergo multiple surgeries at such a young age are sicker and therefore more likely to develop learning disabilities in general, the study suggested.
If future research does point to the anesthesia as the guilty party, new anesthesia agents may mitigate the effect.
But, Wilder pointed out, "even though finding new drugs might be the holy grail, that won't be easy."HealthDayCopyright (c) 2009 . All rights reserved.

A New Government Website on Health Reform

2009-03-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Given impetus by comments from the thousands of Americans who hosted and participated in Health Care Community Discussions across the country, the Dept of Health and Human Resources has released a report, "Americans Speak on Health Reform: Report on Health Care Community Discussions." It summarizes and highlights the need for immediate action to reform health care. This site will allow Americans to share their thoughts about health reform with the Obama Administration.

A Sample of Articles from the Medical Press

2009-03-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Medscape

Management of Common Childhood Poisonings A review provides practice recommendations to evaluate and treat common childhood poisonings.Medscape Medical News 2009
Breast-Feeding May Reduce Risk for SIDS by Half Throughout Infancy The authors of a case-control study recommend including the advice to breast-feed through 6 months of age in sudden infant death syndrome risk-reduction messages.Medscape Medical News 2009
Drop in Air Pollution Improves Airway Function in Asthmatic Children A fall in air pollution levels rapidly reduces airway inflammation in children with asthma and improves airway function, according to study findings reported in the March issue of Pediatrics.Reuters Health Information 2009
First Pediatric Case of Multi-Abdominal Organ Removal, Autotransplantation En bloc multiple organ removal, ex vivo resection, and autotransplantation could provide a novel treatment strategy for patients with tumors that are deemed inoperable.Medscape Medical News 2009

MedlinePlus
Calmer Dental Office May Ease Children's Nerves (03/04/2009, Reuters Health)

Swimming Lessons Don't Increase Drowning Risk, Study Says (03/02/2009, HealthDay)

Gene Variant Allies Autism, Gastrointestinal Woes (03/02/2009, HealthDay)

Childhood Abuse Damages Genes, Study Finds (02/23/2009, Reuters Health)

Head Injury While Young Ups Epilepsy Risk (02/23/2009, HealthDay)

Another Helping of CMH Authored Articles

2009-03-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

O'Gorman MR.
Institution
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and the Children's
Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA. mogorman@childrensmemorial.org Title
Recent developments related to the laboratory diagnosis of primary
immunodeficiency diseases. [Review] [47 refs] Source
Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 20(6):688-97, 2008 Dec.

Kumar R.
Institution
Division of Allergy and Immunology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago,
Illinois, USA. rkumar@childrensmemorial.org Title
Prenatal factors and the development of asthma. [Review] [83 refs] Source
Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 20(6):682-7, 2008 Dec.

Kaplan JS. Lake M.
Institution
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Children's Memorial
Hospital, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago,
IL 60614, USA.
Title
Exposing medical students to child and adolescent psychiatry: a case-based
seminar.
Source
Academic Psychiatry. 32(5):362-5, 2008 Sep-Oct.

Krug SE.
Institution
Children's Memorial Hospital, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern
University, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. skrug@childrensmemorial.org Title
The art of communication: strategies to improve efficiency, quality of
care and patient safety in the emergency department.
Source
Pediatric Radiology. 38 Suppl 4:S655-9, 2008 Nov.

Tsai HJ. Kumar R. Pongracic J. Liu X. Story R. Yu Y. Caruso D.
Costello J. Schroeder A. Fang Y. Demirtas H. Meyer KE. O'Gorman MR.
Wang X.
Institution
Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program, Children's
Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Research Center, Chicago, IL,
USA. htsai@childrensmemorial.org
Title
Familial aggregation of food allergy and sensitization to food allergens:
a family-based study.
Source
Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 39(1):101-9, 2009 Jan.

More CMH Authors

2009-03-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

Zheng X. Chu F. Chou PM. Gallati C. Dier U. Mirkin BL. Mousa SA.
Rebbaa A.
Institution
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Research Center, Children's
Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA.
Title
Cathepsin L inhibition suppresses drug resistance in vitro and in vivo: a
putative mechanism.
Source
American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology. 296(1):C65-74, 2009
Jan.

Patwari PP. O'Cain P. Goodman DM. Smith M. Krushkal J. Liu C. Somes
G. Quasney MW. Dahmer MK.
Institution
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care, Children's Memorial
Hospital, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Title
Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist intron 2 variable number of tandem
repeats polymorphism and respiratory failure in children with
community-acquired pneumonia.[see comment].
Comments
Comment in: Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2008 Nov;9(6):650-1; PMID: 18997594 Source
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. 9(6):553-9, 2008 Nov.

Schroeder JW Jr. Greene RM. Holinger LD.
Institution
Department of Surgery, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
60614-3394, USA. jimschroederjr@aol.com Title
Primary closure of persistent tracheocutaneous fistula in pediatric
patients.
Source
Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 43(10):1786-90, 2008 Oct.

LaBella CR. Sanders DB. Sullivan C.
Institution
Institute for Sports Medicine, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago,
Illinois 60614, USA. clabella@childrensmemorial.org Title
Athletic trainers' experience and comfort with evaluation and management
of asthma: a pilot study.
Source
Journal of Asthma. 46(1):16-20, 2009 Feb.

Concerns over New Blood Test for Down Syndrome

2009-02-24T10:27:00.001-08:00

"For 50 years, folks have been working to develop a noninvasive genetic test for Down syndrome," said Sequenom chief executive Harry Stylii. "People have described it as the Holy Grail of genetic testing. We are on the cusp of delivering that." The artcle in the Washington Post considers the safety and reliability of this development. However, this first-trimester blood test also my offer promise to many pregnant women.

Roll Call of CMH Authors

2009-02-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

Powell EC.
Institution
Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine Children's Memorial Hospital,
Chicago, IL 60614, USA. epowell@northwestern.edu Title
When products fail: injuries related to children's products and
activities.
Source
Pediatric Annals. 37(9):598-604, 2008 Sep.

Yu Y. Tsai HJ. Liu X. Mestan K. Zhang S. Pearson C. Ortiz K. Xu X.
Zuckerman B. Wang X.
Institution
Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program, Children's
Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Research Center, Chicago, IL,
USA.
Title
The joint association between F5 gene polymorphisms and maternal smoking
during pregnancy on preterm delivery.
Source
Human Genetics. 124(6):659-68, 2009 Jan.

Simion C. Corcoran J. Iyer A. Suresh S.
Institution
Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology, Children's Memorial Hospital,
Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
Title
Postoperative pain control for primary cleft lip repair in infants: is
there an advantage in performing peripheral nerve blocks?.
Source
Paediatric Anaesthesia. 18(11):1060-5, 2008 Nov.

Hong X. Tsai HJ. Liu X. Li Z. Liu X. Tang G. Xing H. Yang J. Wang
B. Feng Y. Xu X. Xu X. Wang X.
Institution
Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program, Children's
Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Research Center, Department of
Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago,
Illinois 60614, USA.
Title
A large-scale genome-wide linkage analysis to map loci linked to stature
in Chinese population.
Source
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 93(11):4511-8, 2008 Nov.

Suresh S. Wang S. Porfyris S. Kamasinski-Sol R. Steinhorn DM.
Institution
Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology, Children's Memorial Hospital, and
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60614,
USA. ssuresh@childrensmemorial.org
Title
Massage therapy in outpatient pediatric chronic pain patients: do they
facilitate significant reductions in levels of distress, pain, tension,
discomfort, and mood alterations?.
Source
Paediatric Anaesthesia. 18(9):884-7, 2008 Sep.

Chamness JA.
Institution
Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Section of the Sleep Medicine Center,
Children's Memorial Hospital 2300 Children's Plaza, Box 43, Chicago, IL
60614-3394, USA.. jchamness@childrensmemorial.org Title
Taking a pediatric sleep history.
Source
Pediatric Annals. 37(7):502-8, 2008 Jul.

Paller AS. Eichenfield LF. Kirsner RS. Shull T. Jaracz E. Simpson EL.
US Tacrolimus Ointment Study Group.
Institution
Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University's Feinberg Medical
School/Children's Memorial Hospital, 676 North St Clair St, Suite 1600,
Chicago, IL 60611, USA. apaller@northwestern.edu Title
Three times weekly tacrolimus ointment reduces relapse in stabilized
atopic dermatitis: a new paradigm for use.
Source
Pediatrics. 122(6):e1210-8, 2008 Dec.

Minihane KP. Grayhack JJ. Simmons TD. Seshadri R. Wysocki RW. Sarwark
JF.
Institution
Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
kminihane@hotmail.com
Title
Developmental dysplasia of the hip in infants with congenital muscular
torticollis.[see comment].
Comments
Comment in: Am J Orthop. 2008 Sep;37(9):E149; PMID: 18982186 Source
American Journal of Orthopedics (Chatham, Nj). 37(9):E155-8; discussion
E158, 2008 Sep.

Lavigne JV. Lebailly SA. Gouze KR. Cicchetti C. Pochyly J. Arend R.
Jessup BW. Binns HJ.
Institution
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (#10), Children's Memorial
Hospital, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. jlavigne@childrensmemorial.org Title
Treating oppositional defiant disorder in primary care: a comparison of
three models.
Source
Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 33(5):449-61, 2008 Jun.

Lavigne JV. Lebailly SA. Gouze KR. Cicchetti C. Jessup BW. Arend R.
Pochyly J. Binns HJ.
Institution
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (#10), Children's Memorial
Hospital, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. jlavigne@childrensmemorial.org Title
Predictor and moderator effects in the treatment of oppositional defiant
disorder in pediatric primary care.
Source
Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 33(5):462-72, 2008 Jun.
Abstract

Harrington DA. Sharma AK. Erickson BA. Cheng EY.
Institution
Division of Pediatric Urology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
60614, USA.
Title
Bladder tissue engineering through nanotechnology. [Review] [44 refs] Source
World Journal of Urology. 26(4):315-22, 2008 Aug.

Sleeper EJ. Ariza AJ. Binns HJ.
Institution
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL 60614,
USA.
Title
Do hospitalized pediatric patients have weight and blood pressure concerns
identified?.
Source
Journal of Pediatrics. 154(2):213-7, 2009 Feb.

Patel A. Rigsby C. Young L.
Institution
Department of Cardiology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA.
angira1@yahoo.com
Title
Cardiac teratoma of the interventricular septum with congenital aortic
stenosis in a newborn.
Source
Pediatric Cardiology. 29(6):1126-8, 2008 Nov.

Browne M. Sher D. Grant D. Deluca E. Alonso E. Whitington PF.
Superina RA.
Institution
Department of Surgery, Children's Memorial Hospital, Feinberg School of
Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
Title
Survival after liver transplantation for hepatoblastoma: a 2-center
experience.
Source
Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 43(11):1973-81, 2008 Nov.

Tackling Childhood Obesity in Baby Steps

2009-02-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

The MedlinePlus Magazine points out the advantages of kids' daily exercises in 6 Bests About Kids Exercise. Photos of kids enthusiastically running in a winter park may just give those kiddie couch potatoes a bit of a push to go outside.

Kids with Asthma May Not Miss More School

2009-02-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

Despite multiple school absences because of astma attacks, it has been found that better treatments and patient education may have short-circuited time away from school by youngsters with asthma. Check out this article from MedlinePlus.