We know how busy you are and that you may not have had a chance to regularly read the latest pediatric news on Pediatric News Digital Network. Don't worry! We have you covered with a rundown of last year's most viewed stories:
10. Autism Can Be Diagnosed in Down Syndrome. Children with Down syndrome can be diagnosed with autism via the autism spectrum disorder criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, based on results of a cluster analysis of 293 children with Down syndrome.
9. Doctors Advised to Test Cholesterol in All Children Aged 9-11 Years. Perhaps the best news about the cholesterol testing now recommended for all children aged 9-11 years by an expert panel convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is that children don’t have to fast before getting their blood drawn.
8. One in 10 Parents Opt For Alternative Vaccination Schedules. More than a tenth of parents did not follow nationally recommended schedules for vaccinating their young children, according to results from a survey-based study.
7. Physicians Are Paid Less for Combo Vaccine Administration. While public health experts agree that combination vaccines are an important tool for getting more children immunized against preventable diseases, physicians who administer those combination products are likely to be paid less, according to a study.
6. Give Supplemental PCV13 Doses to Young Children. Health care providers should take advantage of opportunities at all visits to give the supplemental dose of the new 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to all eligible children aged 14-59 months because of the potential for missed doses.
5. Postimmunization Fever Boosts Sleep More Than Acetaminophen. Infants immunized in the afternoon who mount a temperature soon afterward sleep more over the next 24 hours than do those vaccinated early in the day and those whose temperatures don’t increase, according to a study.
4. AAP's New SIDS Stoppers: Cleared Cribs, No Cosleeping. Plush, soft, fuzzy, warm, and cuddly – those seem like the perfect attributes for a newborn nursery.
3. Choosing Ultrasound Over CT for Ped Pneumonia Improved Outcomes. A hospital-wide algorithm for diagnosing and managing complicated bacterial pneumonia in children led to a marked cut in unnecessary chest CT examinations and a reduced number of surgical interventions. It also produced better outcomes, with fewer readmissions and no change in average length of stay or vancomycin use.
2. Measles Called 'Eliminated' in U.S. Despite Outbreak. By mid-October, 2011 was already the worst year for measles cases in the U.S. since 1996.
1. Toys or TV? AAP Says It's a 'No Brainer'. Can videos create Baby Einstein? Not likely at all. New research on babies and toddlers suggests that media screen time will never replace play time with toys or interactions with actual human beings.
For the latest in pediatric news in 2012, be sure to keep tabs on our latest top stories.