Saturday, June 16, 2012

Journal Scan


Adjunct corticosteroids in children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.
Weiss AK; Hall M; Lee GE; Kronman MP; Sheffler-Collins S; Shah SS
Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Room 1526, North Campus, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if systemic corticosteroid therapy is associated with improved outcomes for children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).
METHODS: In this multicenter, retrospective cohort study we used data from 36 children's hospitals for children aged 1 to 18 years with CAP. Main outcome measures were length of stay (LOS), readmission, and total hospitalization cost. The primary exposure was the use of adjunct systemic corticosteroids. Multivariable regression models and propensity scores were used to adjust for confounders.
RESULTS: The 20 703 patients whose data were included had a median age of 4 years. Adjunct corticosteroid therapy was administered to 7234 patients (35%). The median LOS was 3 days, and 245 patients (1.2%) required readmission. Systemic corticosteroid therapy was associated with shorter LOS overall (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.24 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18-1.30]). Among children who received treatment with β-agonists, the LOS was shorter for children who had received corticosteroids compared with children who had not (adjusted HR: 1.36 [95% CI: 1.28-1.45]). Among children who did not receive β-agonists, the LOS was longer for those who received corticosteroids compared with those who did not (adjusted HR: 0.85 [95% CI: 0.75-0.96]). Corticosteroids were associated with readmission of patients who did not receive concomitant β-agonist therapy (adjusted odds ratio: 1.97 [95% CI: 1.09-3.57]).
CONCLUSIONS: For children hospitalized with CAP, adjunct corticosteroids were associated with a shorter hospital LOS among patients who received concomitant β-agonist therapy. Among patients who did not receive this therapy, systemic corticosteroids were associated with a longer LOS and a greater odds of readmission. If β-agonist therapy is considered a proxy for wheezing, our findings suggest that among patients admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of CAP, only those with acute wheezing benefit from adjunct systemic corticosteroid therapy.
Major Subject Heading(s)
Minor Subject Heading(s)
CAS Registry / EC Numbers
·         Adolescent
·         Adrenal Cortex Hormones [administration & dosage]
·         Child
·         Child, Preschool
·         Cohort Studies
·         Combined Modality Therapy
·         Community-Acquired Infections [drug therapy] [epidemiology]
·         Female
·         Hospitalization [trends]
·         Humans
·         Infant
·         Length of Stay [trends]
·         Male
·         Pneumonia, Bacterial [drug therapy] [epidemiology]
·         Pneumonia, Viral [drug therapy] [epidemiology]
·         Retrospective Studies
·         0  (Adrenal Cortex Hormones)
·         PreMedline Identifier: 21220397

2.
Adjunct corticosteroids in children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.
Weiss AK; Hall M; Lee GE; Kronman MP; Sheffler-Collins S; Shah SS
Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Room 1526, North Campus, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if systemic corticosteroid therapy is associated with improved outcomes for children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).
METHODS: In this multicenter, retrospective cohort study we used data from 36 children's hospitals for children aged 1 to 18 years with CAP. Main outcome measures were length of stay (LOS), readmission, and total hospitalization cost. The primary exposure was the use of adjunct systemic corticosteroids. Multivariable regression models and propensity scores were used to adjust for confounders.
RESULTS: The 20 703 patients whose data were included had a median age of 4 years. Adjunct corticosteroid therapy was administered to 7234 patients (35%). The median LOS was 3 days, and 245 patients (1.2%) required readmission. Systemic corticosteroid therapy was associated with shorter LOS overall (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.24 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18-1.30]). Among children who received treatment with β-agonists, the LOS was shorter for children who had received corticosteroids compared with children who had not (adjusted HR: 1.36 [95% CI: 1.28-1.45]). Among children who did not receive β-agonists, the LOS was longer for those who received corticosteroids compared with those who did not (adjusted HR: 0.85 [95% CI: 0.75-0.96]). Corticosteroids were associated with readmission of patients who did not receive concomitant β-agonist therapy (adjusted odds ratio: 1.97 [95% CI: 1.09-3.57]).
CONCLUSIONS: For children hospitalized with CAP, adjunct corticosteroids were associated with a shorter hospital LOS among patients who received concomitant β-agonist therapy. Among patients who did not receive this therapy, systemic corticosteroids were associated with a longer LOS and a greater odds of readmission. If β-agonist therapy is considered a proxy for wheezing, our findings suggest that among patients admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of CAP, only those with acute wheezing benefit from adjunct systemic corticosteroid therapy.
Major Subject Heading(s)
Minor Subject Heading(s)
CAS Registry / EC Numbers
·         Adolescent
·         Adrenal Cortex Hormones [administration & dosage]
·         Child
·         Child, Preschool
·         Cohort Studies
·         Combined Modality Therapy
·         Community-Acquired Infections [drug therapy] [epidemiology]
·         Female
·         Hospitalization [trends]
·         Humans
·         Infant
·         Length of Stay [trends]
·         Male
·         Pneumonia, Bacterial [drug therapy] [epidemiology]
·         Pneumonia, Viral [drug therapy] [epidemiology]
·         Retrospective Studies
·         0  (Adrenal Cortex Hormones)
·         PreMedline Identifier: 21220397
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
3.
Randomized controlled trial of cephalexin versus clindamycin for uncomplicated pediatric skin infections.
Chen AE; Carroll KC; Diener-West M; Ross T; Ordun J; Goldstein MA; Kulkarni G; Cantey JB; Siberry GK
Johns Hopkins University, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, CMSC 144, 600 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. achen33@jhmi.edu
OBJECTIVE: To compare clindamycin and cephalexin for treatment of uncomplicated skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) caused predominantly by community-associated (CA) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We hypothesized that clindamycin would be superior to cephalexin (an antibiotic without MRSA activity) for treatment of these infections.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients aged 6 months to 18 years with uncomplicated SSTIs not requiring hospitalization were enrolled September 2006 through May 2009. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to 7 days of cephalexin or clindamycin; primary and secondary outcomes were clinical improvement at 48 to 72 hours and resolution at 7 days. Cultures were obtained and tested for antimicrobial susceptibilities, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type, and Panton-Valentine leukocidin status.
RESULTS: Of 200 enrolled patients, 69% had MRSA cultured from wounds. Most MRSA were USA300 or subtypes, positive for Panton-Valentine leukocidin, and clindamycin susceptible, consistent with CA-MRSA. Spontaneous drainage occurred or a drainage procedure was performed in 97% of subjects. By 48 to 72 hours, 94% of subjects in the cephalexin arm and 97% in the clindamycin arm were improved (P = .50). By 7 days, all subjects were improved, with complete resolution in 97% in the cephalexin arm and 94% in the clindamycin arm (P = .33). Fevers and age less than 1 year, but not initial erythema > 5 cm, were associated with early treatment failures, regardless of antibiotic used.
CONCLUSIONS: There is no significant difference between cephalexin and clindamycin for treatment of uncomplicated pediatric SSTIs caused predominantly by CA-MRSA. Close follow-up and fastidious wound care of appropriately drained, uncomplicated SSTIs are likely more important than initial antibiotic choice.
Major Subject Heading(s)
Minor Subject Heading(s)
CAS Registry / EC Numbers
·         Adolescent
·         Anti-Bacterial Agents [administration & dosage] [therapeutic use]
·         Cephalexin [administration & dosage] [therapeutic use]
·         Child
·         Child, Preschool
·         Clindamycin [administration & dosage] [therapeutic use]
·         Female
·         Follow-Up Studies
·         Humans
·         Infant
·         Male
·         Retrospective Studies
·         Staphylococcal Skin Infections [drug therapy] [microbiology]
·         Staphylococcus aureus [isolation & purification]
·         Treatment Outcome
·         0  (Anti-Bacterial Agents)
·         15686-71-2  (Cephalexin)
·         18323-44-9  (Clindamycin)
·         PreMedline Identifier: 21339275
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

4.
Efficacy of neonatal release of ankyloglossia: a randomized trial.
Buryk M; Bloom D; Shope T
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA 23708, USA. melissa.buryk@gmail.com
BACKGROUND: Ankyloglossia has been associated with a variety of infant-feeding problems. Frenotomy commonly is performed for relief of ankyloglossia, but there has been a lack of convincing data to support this practice.
OBJECTIVES: Our primary objective was to determine whether frenotomy for infants with ankyloglossia improved maternal nipple pain and ability to breastfeed. A secondary objective was to determine whether frenotomy improved the length of breastfeeding.
METHODS: Over a 12-month period, neonates who had difficulty breastfeeding and significant ankyloglossia were enrolled in this randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial and assigned to either a frenotomy (30 infants) or a sham procedure (28 infants). Breastfeeding was assessed by a preintervention and postintervention nipple-pain scale and the Infant Breastfeeding Assessment Tool. The same tools were used at the 2-week follow-up and regularly scheduled follow-ups over a 1-year period. The infants in the sham group were given a frenotomy before or at the 2-week follow-up if it was desired.
RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated statistically significantly decreased pain scores after the intervention. The frenotomy group improved significantly more than the sham group (P < .001). Breastfeeding scores significantly improved in the frenotomy group (P = .029) without a significant change in the control group. All but 1 parent in the sham group elected to have the procedure performed when their infant reached 2 weeks of age, which prevented additional comparisons between the 2 groups.
CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated immediate improvement in nipple-pain and breastfeeding scores, despite a placebo effect on nipple pain. This should provide convincing evidence for those seeking a frenotomy for infants with signficant ankyloglossia.
Major Subject Heading(s)
Minor Subject Heading(s)
·         Breast Feeding [adverse effects]
·         Female
·         Humans
·         Infant, Newborn
·         Lingual Frenum [abnormalities] [surgery]
·         Male
·         Mouth Abnormalities [complications] [surgery]
·         Nipples [pathology]
·         Pain [diagnosis] [etiology] [prevention & control]
·         Pain Measurement [methods]
·         Single-Blind Method
·         Treatment Outcome
·         PreMedline Identifier: 21768318
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

5.
ADHD drugs and serious cardiovascular events in children and young adults.
Cooper WO; Habel LA; Sox CM; Chan KA; Arbogast PG; Cheetham TC; Murray KT; Quinn VP; Stein CM; Callahan ST; Fireman BH; Fish FA; Kirshner HS; O'Duffy A; Connell FA; Ray WA
Division of General Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-4313, USA. william.cooper@vanderbilt.edu
BACKGROUND: Adverse-event reports from North America have raised concern that the use of drugs for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the risk of serious cardiovascular events.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study with automated data from four health plans (Tennessee Medicaid, Washington State Medicaid, Kaiser Permanente California, and OptumInsight Epidemiology), with 1,200,438 children and young adults between the ages of 2 and 24 years and 2,579,104 person-years of follow-up, including 373,667 person-years of current use of ADHD drugs. We identified serious cardiovascular events (sudden cardiac death, acute myocardial infarction, and stroke) from health-plan data and vital records, with end points validated by medical-record review. We estimated the relative risk of end points among current users, as compared with nonusers, with hazard ratios from Cox regression models.
RESULTS: Cohort members had 81 serious cardiovascular events (3.1 per 100,000 person-years). Current users of ADHD drugs were not at increased risk for serious cardiovascular events (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31 to 1.85). Risk was not increased for any of the individual end points, or for current users as compared with former users (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.29 to 1.72). Alternative analyses addressing several study assumptions also showed no significant association between the use of an ADHD drug and the risk of a study end point.
CONCLUSIONS: This large study showed no evidence that current use of an ADHD drug was associated with an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events, although the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval indicated that a doubling of the risk could not be ruled out. However, the absolute magnitude of such an increased risk would be low. (Funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Food and Drug Administration.).
Major Subject Heading(s)
Minor Subject Heading(s)
CAS Registry / EC Numbers
·         Adolescent
·         Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity[complications] [drug therapy]
·         Cardiovascular Diseases [chemically induced] [epidemiology]
·         Central Nervous System Stimulants [adverse effects]
·         Child
·         Child, Preschool
·         Cohort Studies
·         Female
·         Humans
·         Male
·         Retrospective Studies
·         Risk
·         Young Adult
·         PreMedline Identifier: 22043968
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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