Herd immunity, also known as “community immunity”, is a phenomenon in which a group of people with high levels of immunity to a disease help prevent its spread. So although individuals in a community can get infected, when a significant percentage is immune, they serve as a stopper on outbreaks and prevent them from spreading […]
Tag: Childcare
Newborn screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH) is a major public health achievement. Thyroid hormone is essential for the maturation of brain function and somatic growth, and its deficiency early in life can lead to mental retardation. For the fetus, maternal thyroid status is important during the first half of gestation; thereafter, the fetus’ hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis […]
August is observed as National Immunization Awareness Month and is a time to highlight the extreme importance and value of vaccination for people of all ages. Vaccination serves as one of the best ways to protect infants, children, and adolescents from sixteen potentially harmful, and even deadly, diseases. Although it is common to think of […]
During the years 1999-2013, the amount of prescription opioids dispensed in the United States nearly quadrupled, and since 2000, it is estimated that opioid use during pregnancy has tripled. Notably, the tragic consequences of the extreme availability of such drugs include abuse, physical dependence, and increasingly, death through inadvertent overdose. In addition, for the individual […]
In 1972, Drs. Liggins and Howie published their landmark study demonstrating that antenatal corticosteroids administered to women 24-36 weeks of gestation reduced the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome and neonatal mortality. Liggins had previously noted that lambs, treated with intrafetal ACTH, cortisol, or dexamethasone, delivered prematurely, and sacrificed, demonstrated partially expanded lungs. Such alveolar stability […]
Very few life events result in the anguish that comes with the death of an infant, especially one that is sudden and unexpected. Each year in the United States, approximately 3500 sudden, unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs) occur generally between the ages of 1 month and 1 year at a time when most infants sleep between […]
April (April 22-29) has been designated as National Primary Immunodeficiency Awareness Month and provides an opportunity to better understand the more than 250 rare, genetic disorders in which the body’s normal immune system is absent or functions improperly. Since an important function of the immune system is to protect against infection, patients with primary immune deficiency have […]
Cesarean section delivery is among the most common surgical procedures. It is estimated that in 2012 alone, over 22 million cesarean deliveries were performed worldwide. Data from the National Vital Statistics show that the total cesarean section rate in the U.S. in 1996 was approximately 21%. Since that time, there has been a rapid increase in the rate, […]
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) has been successfully employed to treat infertility. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one form of ART, and it is unclear whether it increases the risks of birth defects . Since childhood cancers, such as leukemia, occur earlier in life, it is reasonable to question if factors related to early embryonic development […]
Recent studies in Pediatric patients with brain tumors point to the efficacy of a new way of delivering radiation treatment which may result in improved long term outcomes for children. Although not widely available, the new treatment, proton radiotherapy, focuses the radiation dose on the target area alone. Standard photon (X-ray) radiation has the troublesome […]