Peds/OB/GYN

Biologic agents provide relief for children newly diagnosed with Crohn's disease
Children newly diagnosed with Crohn's disease may benefit from early treatment with the biologic drugs known as anti-TNF-α agents, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

"While the use of biologic drugs, such as infliximab or adalimumab, is generally reserved for patients who have failed previous therapy for Crohn's disease, little is known about outcomes following the earlier use," said study author Jeffrey S. Hyams, MD, from Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford. "This new research finds that, in children newly diagnosed with moderate to severe Crohn's disease, early anti-TNF-α therapy is more effective at achieving remission than the current standard treatment." Eurekalert!

Adolescents' salt intake correlates with obesity, inflammation
Most adolescents consume as much salt as adults – some more than twice the recommended daily allowance – and that high sodium intake correlates with fatness and inflammation regardless of how many calories they consume, researchers report. In a study of 766 healthy teens, 97 percent self-reported exceeding the American Heart Association's recommendation of consuming less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium daily, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. Eurekalert!

NSAIDs do not increase risk of miscarriages, study reports
Women who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) during pregnancy are not at increased risk of miscarriages, confirms a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). MedicalXpress

Featured in NEJM Journal Watch: Does Xylitol Syrup Prevent Recurrent Otitis Media in Children?
In a practice-based, randomized trial published in Pediatrics, xylitol given three times daily was no better than placebo in reducing the time to next acute otitis media occurrence. Journal Watch

New study explores contributors to excess infant mortality in the US South
Researchers consider infant mortality to be a key indicator of population health. Currently, the United States ranks 27th among industrialized nations in infant mortality, but rates within the U.S. vary significantly by race, socioeconomic status, and geography. In particular, the Southern states suffer from high rates of infant mortality, along with several other negative population health indicators such as obesity and diabetes. Eurekalert!

Speech disrupts facial attention in six-month-olds who later develop autism
"These results suggest that the presence of speech disrupts typical attentional processing of faces in those infants later diagnosed with ASD," said Shic. "This is the first study to isolate an atypical response to speech as a specific characteristic in the first half year after birth that is associated with later emerging ASD." MedicalXpress