March 2012

A male infant who has a white hair tuft and hypopigmented macules.
Wong J

For a complete reference, please click here.

April 2011

Opioids: Nonmedical Use and Abuse in Older Children
Frese W, Eiden K.

• Pediatricians and other health care providers need to be aware of the trends involving the non-medical use and abuse of opioids in older children. Increased prescribing and availability of opioid medications correlate with overall medication abuse and misuse rates. While nonmedical opioid use rates have stabilized recently in 12 -17 year olds, the overall prevalence of inappropriate use may prompt pediatricians to consider decreasing opioid prescription and in turn potentially undertreat their patients' pain in an attempt to reduce the abuse of these mediations. This article reviews the nonmedical use of prescription opioids in the pediatric population and discusses prevention, screening and management strategies to help prevent misuse and abuse.

For a complete reference, please click here.

January 2010

Acute shock during Lent
Mehta L, Mangurten H, Donovan R.

• This is a case report involving a teenage girl whose religious observation of Lent led to acute hypotensive shock and the discovery of primary adrenal insufficiency.  Having a recent history of significantly increasing her salt intake over the past 2 years, her parents urged her to give up adding salt to her food for Lent.  Two weeks into the Lenten season, she presented with weakness, low blood pressure and hyponatremia leading to an intensive care stay and eventual diagnosis of Addison's Disease, also know as Adrenal Insufficiency.

Article not available in PubMed. Published in Contemporary Pediatrics, 2010, volume 27, pages 28-31.

March 2008

An urban school based comparative study of experiences and perceptions differentiating public health insurance eligible immigrant families with and without coverage for their children.
Rhee, Y, Belmonte, F, Weiner, SJ

While some children in the United States remain ineligible for publicly funded insurance coverage, many are simply not enrolled despite being eligible for coverage by publicly funded programs. Obstacles identified include lack of information about programs—particularly misunderstandings about eligibility, enrollment related problems, excessive paperwork and frequent re-enrollment requirements. We explore why some low income immigrant families enroll in government health insurance plans for their children, while others also eligible do not enroll.

We conducted and analyzed audio-taped semi-structured interviews with families of 8 insured and 10 uninsured children focused on knowledge of and experience with seeking health insurance coverage.

Common among families not enrolled in government sponsored plans were misperceptions about the insurance system, including a suspicion of the government monitoring them and/or lack of familiarity with the concept of insurance itself. Among families that did enroll, the predominant theme was the essential role of their sponsor, other kin or community in educating and assisting them with the application process.

Prior research has identified external obstacles to enrollment. Our findings indicate the additional importance of facilitating social support, particularly from sponsors in mentoring new arrivals through the process of seeking insurance coverage.

For a complete reference, please click here.