Top Stories

• AAP issues pediatric guidelines on type 2 diabetes
  The AAP is releasing its first-ever guidelines on managing type 2 diabetes in children. The recommendations, published in the journal Pediatrics, advise screening all obese children for diabetes, encouraging a healthy diet and physical activity, and using early aggressive treatment with insulin shots for some children. Time.com/Healthland blog (1/28), The Wall Street Journal (1/28)     

• Flu activity eases in some regions, CDC says
  Influenza activity appears to be waning in the South, Southeast, Midwest and New England, but levels remain high nationwide, CDC officials said Friday. Hospitalization and deaths overall were up, cases in the Northwest and Southwest are still rising, and eight deaths in the week ending Jan. 19 brought the toll among children to 37. HealthDay News (1/25), CNN (1/26)

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Pediatric Health Care

• Federal report finds decline in childhood exposure to lead
  The average blood level of lead among 1- to 5-year-olds was 92% lower between 2009 and 2010 compared with the recorded level from 1976 to 1980, according to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency. The number of children living in highly polluted counties dropped from 75% in 1999 to 59% in 2009, but the childhood asthma rate increased from 8.7% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2010. DoctorsLounge.com/HealthDay News (1/25)     

• NSAIDs may put children at risk for kidney damage
  U.S. researchers found that in more than 1,000 pediatric cases of kidney damage, 3% were tied to use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Although most of the patients were teens, four were younger than age 5, according to the study in the Journal of Pediatrics. Researchers noted that dehydration also seemed to be connected to kidney damage. HealthDay News (1/25)     

• ADHD drug-related ED visits remain unchanged for children, teens
  A Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report found that the number of emergency department visits related to the use of stimulant drugs for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder more than doubled between 2005 and 2010, from 13,379 to 31,244. Rates of ED visits among patients younger than 18 were relatively stable, while visits increased for patients ages 18 and older. Nurse.com (1/24), HealthDay News (1/25)     

• Type 1 diabetes rates rise in Philadelphia children
  The rate of type 1 diabetes in Philadelphia children grew by 29% between 1985 and 2004 and increased by about 70% in those under 5 years old during the same period, according to a study in Diabetes Care. The rate of type 1 diabetes was 18 times higher than that of type 2 diabetes in white children, but only 1.6 times higher in black children, researchers noted. DailyRx.com (1/24)     

Trends & Technology

• Few children meet recommended glucose levels
  A study in Diabetes Care revealed 64% of patients under age 6 met the ideal blood glucose levels recommended by the American Diabetes Association. However, researchers found only 43% of those between ages 6 and 13 and 21% of those between ages 13 and 20 met target glucose levels. DailyRx.com (1/25)     

• Safety program curbs infection rates in NICUs
  The rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection in neonatal intensive care units participating in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's safety program dropped by 58% in 11 months. A report said the program helped prevent an estimated 131 infections and up to 41 deaths and saved more than $2 million in medical costs. BeckersASC.com (1/25)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AAP SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Changes in scheduling reduce wait times for pediatric appointments (BeckersHospitalReview.com)

• CDC: New norovirus strain spreads in U.S. (USA Today)

• CDC reports "worse-than-average" flu season (HealthDay News)

• 2 large studies support extended CPR in hospitals (HealthDay News)

• More U.S. children don't get immunizations on schedule (Reuters)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Health Policy & Regulations

• FDA OKs wider use of Pfizer's Prevnar 13 vaccine
  The FDA approved the use of Pfizer's pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Prevnar 13 in patients ages 6 to 17. The vaccine offers protection against pneumonia, ear infection and other diseases caused by 13 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Reuters (1/25), Pharmaceutical Business Review Online (1/28)     

• FDA expands approval for childhood leukemia drug
  The FDA approved Friday the expanded use of Novartis' leukemia drug Gleevec to include children newly diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The drug should be combined with chemotherapy and carries a risk of several adverse reactions, including liver toxicity and infections, the agency said. Bloomberg Businessweek (1/25)     

The Last Word - News from the AAP

• Revised AAP refusal to vaccinate form
  The AAP form, "Documenting Parental Refusal to Have Their Children Vaccinated," was developed by the Section on Infectious Diseases Executive Committee as a resource for pediatricians when talking with parents who are hesitant or refuse to have their children fully vaccinated. The newly revised form, as well as other practice resources that address common reasons for parental hesitancy or refusal to vaccinate, can be accessed on the AAP Immunization and the SOID websites.     

• Save the date!
  Don't forget to save the date for the AAP 2013 National Conference and Exhibition, Oct. 26 to 29, as we celebrate magical moments in Orlando, Fla. To receive important conference information, visit the NCE website or “Like us” on Facebook.     

SmartQuote

If fate means you to lose, give him a good fight anyhow." --William McFee, British-American writer