Reading time: 8 – 13 minutes
At midnight just over a week ago, the seventh and final edition of the children’s wildly popular Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, was officially released.
To commemorate the occasion, each section of this week’s PGR begins with a quotation or some dialogue from the story. A total of 25 blog articles are included in this edition, each one just as magical as the next, and I hope you enjoy reading them all as much as I did. I intentionally kept my comments short so that you can focus on the content of each article.
So, without further delay, I present to you Pediatric Grand Rounds 2.8.
Health and Science
Professor Severus Snape: Yes, sir.
Harry Potter: There’s no need to call me ‘sir’, Professor.
Breath Spa for Kids
Shinga leads this edition of PGR with two articles on the MMR vaccine. As the parent of a 2 year-old, I can appreciate the confusion and anxiety surrounding this controversial topic. Shinga responds to a number of common vaccination rumors in Fitzpatrick and Halvorsen Speak About Vaccines: Whom Do You Trust?. She follows that up by addressing the question Why Can’t We Have Single Jabs While There Is Uncertainty?
Junkfood Science
Always intelligent and articulate, Sandy Szwarc injects a dose of reality to refute the media’s alarming reports on “high” mercury levels that really aren’t high. Booster shots with mercury looks at the latest ‘mercury is hurting kids’ fears.
Angry Toxicologist
Before we leave the subject of vaccines, we visit the Angry Toxicologist who’s responding to a recent comment regarding the lack of an extreme view one way or the other towards vaccination in the Stupidity of Lying.
Tales from the Womb
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), meaning tissue death of sections of the bowel, is typically seen in premature infants. Neonatologist Phillip V. Gordon reviews a cohort study investigating NEC and its association with formula products. Drawing upon the results of two additional studies evaluating the effects of formula or breast milk on the development of NEC, From the Journal of Perinatology advocates the use of breast milk not only for mothers of term infants with known preconditions for NEC, but for every neonatal intensive care unit patient.
Med Journal Watch
Christian Bachmann writes that parents Better Let Kids Play in the Sun, suggesting that protecting children from the sun may do as much as seven times more harm than good.
Genetics and DNA
Eye on DNA
Which Came First? The Genes or the Divorce? That’s the question Hsien-Hsien Lei poses after reviewing two studies examining divorce and depression in children and their parents.
ScienceRoll
Bertalan Mesko had the opportunity recently to see how geneticists work in a pediatric deparment and has some suggestions to combine Web 2.0 and Clinical Genetics: In Practice.
Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You
Steve Murphy reviews a survey of pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctors and the use of genetic testing when evaluating childhood hearing loss in Pediatric Ear Nose and Throat but Not Gene Specialists. The Gene Sherpa asserts that the results demonstrate why genetic counselors and geneticists are needed.
Working with Patients
Musings of a Distractible Mind
Seriously amusing … or is it amusingly serious? … Dr. Rob offers some tips that may help future office visits go better in his letter To My Patients.
Tiggers don’t Jump
Judy discusses how difficult it is to teach heel stick draws in Preceptor — Learning to Teach Heel Stick Blood Draws.
Random Acts of Reality
Tom Reynolds, an E.M.T. working for the London Ambulance Service, writes about two calls and Two Children.
Recollection and Emotion
Chrysalis Angel
Chrysalis Angel, always one to write with inspiration and hope, recalls delivering a baby boy some years ago and wonders at the ability of creatures’ big and small to have offspring as Life’s Circle Goes On.
Unintelligent Design
Clark Bartram, the keeper of PGR, ruminates about doctors showing emotion in Delivering Bad News: When Good Doctors Go Sad. The story continues with some engaging discussion and comments at the end of the post.
Healthy Children
Dr. Steven Parker writes about euphemisms and developmental disabilities in “Developmental Delay” or “Mentally Retarded?” Getting Off the Euphemism Treadmill.
Universal Health
The ever eloquent N=1 recalls Some Enchanted Evening, a pediatric nursing rotation in a unit that housed cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and an evening of sandwiches and excitement.
Unique But Not Alone
In a heartfelt post, Jen acknowledges the daily struggles her daughter Meghan, born prematurely with Alpha-1 (a genetic disorder of the liver), faces and recalls when she was Discharged from NICU.
Neonatal Doc
Neonatal Doc writes about pregnancy and newborn Loss and how there aren’t any good words of comfort at such a time.
Nutrition and Health
Hermione: Oh. I brought a little food. I’ve got Chocolate Frogs, butterbeer, and pickles.
Malfoy: I said I was hungry, not pregnant.
Junkfood Science
Sandy Szwarc reports on The Real Tragedy, how heavy focus and media attention on the childhood obesity epidemic is having a dangerous counter effect on young people.
Dr. Gwenn Is In
While we’re on the subject of childhood obesity, Dr. Gwenn gives us a News Flash – Dancing Veggies Don’t Work! and suggests that replacing the dancing veggies with dancing kids eating veggies may be more effective. I think she might be right.
FoodSpark
Oliver’s Story starts with love and concern for a son. Cindy discusses treating Ollie’s physical and developmental issues through diet with some amazing results.
Being a Parent
Belvidere, Nebraska Pop. 98
Looking for tips on child care? The mayor of Belvidere, Nebraska presents an amusing manual on Child Care Maintenance that includes many excellent suggestions picked up over the years. A must read!
Family Connection
In a blogging community of central Ohio parents, Marcia describes Mothering, New York Times Style. She’s convinced something is being lost in the fast-paced mechanical pretense of life.
The Diet Dish
Tara Gidus discusses Nursing No No’s; food and non-food related dangers for nursing mothers to avoid.
The Preemie Experiment
Stacy asks if she’s been giving her daughter Too Much Praise?. In a society that’s overdoing more and more, I think it’s something that every parent should examine.
Conclusion
That concludes Pediatric Grand Rounds 2.8 – I hope the presentation left you spellbound. It’s been a pleasure to host this edition and I’d like to thank everyone that contributed articles. Be sure to take a moment and let your fellow bloggers know this issue of PGR is available so that everyone’s hard work can be appreciated and enjoyed by all.
Clark Bartram is looking for future Pediatric Grand Rounds hosts. You can find both the PGR hosting schedule and past editions at the Pediatric Grand Rounds Archive.
The next issue of Pediatric Grand Rounds is being hosted by Spooner Jenkins of Belvidere, Nebraska Pop. 98 on Sunday, August 12th.