What is the Allergen Cross-Reactivity Rate of Legumes?
Discussion
There are 8 common foods which compromise 90% of food allergens with those being peanuts, soybeans, cow’s milk, eggs, fish, crustacean/shellfish, wheat and tree nuts. Some people believe that lupin (a legume) is 9th.
Legumes belong to the Fabaceae family. They provide protein, fat, vitamins other essential nutrients and therefore are used in the human diet throughout the world.
“[A]llergenicity due to consumption of legumes in decreasing order may be peanut, soybean, lentil, chickpea, pea, mung bean and red gram.” Other common legumes include alfalfa, clovers, beans, lupins, mesquite, carob...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - September 14, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What Is In A Ketogenic Diet?
Discussion
Epilepsy is a common problem for the general pediatrician. Its incidence is estimated at 41-87/100,000 children. While many children are controlled with medication, it is also estimated that up to 1/3 will develop drug-resistant epilepsy. Some children may have an identifiable seizure focus that may be amenable to surgery, but many others do not. One option for potential control is a ketogenic diet (KD).
Indications for KD usually are for drug-resistant epilepsy including partial and complex seizure patterns as well as some metabolic disorders such as glucose transport 1 deficiency syndrome. It has also found ...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - September 7, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
How Good Are Face Shields for Preventing Respiratory Infections?
Discussion
A scoping review of facial protection for health care workers during a pandemic found that respirators such as N95 masks provide excellent protection against viruses and aerosols especially when combined with eye protection. Mask fit is an important consideration and respirators are tight fitting and therefore much less breathable and comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Surgical masks do not provide as much protection as respirators but are in general more breathable and more comfortable. Surgical masks also provide much more protection than no mask or improvised masks. Improvised masks do provide some...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - August 31, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
How Are Dental Abscesses Treated?
Discussion
Dental caries are one of the most common infections. It is usually caused by Streptococcus viridans. Dental caries are also quite preventable with brushing the teeth at least twice a day with a fluoridated dentifrice, use of dental floss, and preventative dental appointments with application of fluoride varnish and sealants as appropriate. Additionally, fluoridation of the community water supply has significantly decreased dental caries and is a very effective public health measure. Fluoride binds within the dental matrix to strength it.
Dental abscesses are usually caused by poor oral hygiene but others are at...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - August 24, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What Are the Main Acyanotic Congenital Heart Diseases?
Discussion
Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are malformations of the heart and great vessels. It occurs in about 5-8/1000 live births. Cyanotic congenital heart disease is often noted perinatally because of cyanosis, respiratory distress and/or poor feeding or other distress type problems. A review can be found here.
Acyanotic congenital heart disease (ACHD) can present at birth but often is seen in older children or adults unless the lesions are severe, especially obstructive lesions. Severe lesions may also cause cyanosis and distress type problems in patients also.
Shunting lesions cause problems by diverting blood flo...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - August 17, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
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Source: PediatricEducation.org - August 3, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What Are Common Fatty Acid Oxidation Metabolic Disorders?
Discussion
All cells and particularly their mitochondria need an energy source. Glucose is one of the most common ones, but also fatty acids, lactate, pyruvate, ketones, and amino acids.
Fatty acids are formed with a carboxylic acid with a long aliphatic carbon chain usually with even numbers of carbon atoms (usually 4-28 most commonly).
Most are unbranched and in foods are usually found in the form of esters.
Fatty acids are important energy sources for the heart (50-70%) but also skeletal muscle where resting muscle uses both glucose and fatty acids. During fasting or increased stress fatty acids become a major source o...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - July 27, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What Are Some Pediatric Oncological Emergencies?
Discussion
Pediatric cancers in the US number about 12,000 per year. After injury, it is the second leading cause of death in children and adolescents. Cancer presentations vary widely, but often begin with non-specific symptoms that continue or progress depending on the location and tumor type. Patients can present with oncological emergencies especially if there are mechanical obstruction such as superior vena cava syndrome or cerebral herniation. More commonly are infections due to immunosuppression. Cancer treatment also causes its own myriad of problems that clinicians need to be aware of to diagnosis and treat, but a...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - July 20, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What Causes Early Pregnancy Vaginal Bleeding?
Discussion
Pregnancy complications in early pregnancy range from mild to severe. They can include nausea and emesis which often is treated symptomatically, but can cause hyperemesis gravidarum and need hospitalization for intravenous fluids. Mild cramping and slight spotting are not uncommon. Some type of pregnancy bleeding is common with 20-40% of women experiencing it. Women who have early vaginal bleeding have a higher risk of later pregnancy complications.
Pregnancy in adolescents is about 10% of all pregnancies. Adolescent pregnancy can be associated with various problems including higher rates of threatened aborti...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - July 13, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
When Can You Use A Fingerprint to Identify Someone?
Discussion
Biometrics uses “biological characteristics or behavioral features to recognize an individual.”
Using biometric data requires acquisition of data of sufficient quantity and quality for recognition and comparison, and the biometric data needs to remain stable over time (i.e. – the person should be able to be recognized in the future using the data. Data acquisition and storage cost and size are also important variables. Privacy and security are also paramount considerations.
Biometrics use in pediatric patients has several applications including:
Newborn tracking -using biometrics for iden...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - July 6, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What Are Examples of Infantile Primitive Reflexes?
Discussion
As part of the normal developmental process of central nervous system maturation, primitive reflexes (i.e. infantile automatisms) occur which are automatic movement patterns which can begin during fetal development and continue after birth. Some appear important for human survival such as rooting and sucking to obtain nutrition. Others may be phylogenetic remnants. Primitive reflexes are present and disappear at predictable times and therefore can assist in evaluation of infant development. There is a range of normal and some can persist to older ages in some individuals. Primitive reflexes that occur before or ...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - June 29, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What Causes Bradycardia?
Discussion
Bradycardia is a heart rate below what the lowest value that is normal for age. Infants and children have higher heart rates that slowly decrease with age to adult levels. It is usually noted as an incidental finding because of increased vagal tone. Reasons for cardiology referral include associated heart murmur, syncope especially if associated with exercise or unusual triggers, other signs such as chest pain or palpitations, family history of sudden cardiac death, congenital heart disease or familial heart disease, bradycardic medication use, or unusual symptoms associated with the concern. Severe bradycardia ...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - June 22, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What Causes Pyogenic Granulomas?
Discussion
Pyogenic granuloma (PG) is a benign, vascular lesion of the skin. PGs are red, small, often pedunculated nodules that can rapidly increase in size (up to 1-2 cm). They also can often ulcerate and bleed. They frequently occur on the head and neck, with back and chest being the next most common locations but can occur in other locations. They usually are solitary and do not regress. They are seen in children (mean age 6.7 years), young adults and pregnant women (5%). Treatment is electrocautery or excision.
Learning Point PG’s cause is not fully understood. A gene has recently been identified with PG sugge...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - June 15, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What Causes Free Peritoneal Fluid?
Discussion
Peritoneal fluid is normal. It decreases the friction of the peritoneum covering abdominal and pelvic organs and helps to protect them and allow their movement. A normal amount of peritoneal fluid is expected on radiological evaluation. Increased peritoneal fluid is a continuum and is concerning as a wide variety of pathological causes are associated with it such as abdominal trauma and appendicitis. At the far end of the scale is ascites that is the accumulation of free fluid more than 25 ml. It is usually associated with abdominal distension but fluid must accumulate before distension can occur and therefore i...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - June 8, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
What is Dry Needling?
Discussion
Myofascial pain is pain from muscle or fascia, and usually associated with myofascial trigger points which are “…a highly localized, hyperirritable spot in a palpable, taut band of skeletal muscle fibers.” Trigger points are common reasons people, especially adults, seek relief in primary care or pain clinic settings. Athletes may also complain of pain caused by them. They are treated in a variety of ways, none of which used as a single method is successful for all individuals. Muscle “…stretching, massage, ischemic compression, laser therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimula...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - June 1, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
