Peds/OB/GYN

New study examines link between pregnancy weight gain, autism spectrum disorders
New research from the University of Utah shows the answer to that question may be yes in some situations. Researchers have uncovered an association between autism spectrum disorders and a small increase in the amount of weight a mother gains during pregnancy. The results of the new study, "Maternal Prenatal Weight Gain and Autism Spectrum Disorders," are published in November edition of the journal Pediatrics. Eurekalert!

Early skin-to-skin contact linked to higher breastfeeding rates
Skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant in the delivery room is associated with an increased likelihood for exclusive breastfeeding, according to an abstract presented Oct. 28 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando. When combined with a mother's intent to breastfeed, the likelihood was even greater. Eurekalert!

Pediatric musculoskeletal MRSA infections on the rise
Pediatric musculoskeletal Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infections have been evolving over the past decade, with more children diagnosed with the more virulent, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) today than 10 years ago. The result is longer hospitals stays, more surgeries and other related complications, according to an abstract presented Saturday, Oct. 26, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando. Eurekalert!

Flu can kill even healthy children, study finds
Children, even those without severe medical conditions, can die from the flu in as little as three days after symptoms appear, U.S. health officials warn. Between 2004 and 2012, flu complications killed 830 children in the United States, many of whom were otherwise healthy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most striking is that 35 percent of these children died before being hospitalized or within the first three days of developing symptoms, according to the report published online Oct. 28 in Pediatrics. MedicalXpress

Low Dose Insulin Works for DKA in Kids
A half size insulin dose was as effective as a standard dose in resolving diabetic ketoacidosis in children, but offered a gentler fall in blood glucose, researchers reported here. Resolution of diabetic ketoacidosis occurred faster on average -- but not significantly so -- among children with type 1 diabetes treated with 0.05 U/kg/hour of insulin versus 0.10 U/kg/hour (16.5 hours versus 17.2 hours, P=0.73), according to Karthi Nallasamy, MD, of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, and colleagues.

Low dose insulin was also associated with a faster time for blood glucose to reach 250 mg/dL or less (6 hours versus 6.2), and was also associated with a significantly slower drop in blood sugar over the first hour of treatment (39.1 mg/dL versus 63.2 mg/dL, P=0.01), Nallasamy said at an oral presentation at the meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. MedPage Today