Testing It Up

According to new research determining if your child has obstructive sleep apnea may be as simple as taking a urine test. If this test could be made it would alleviate the need for costly and inconvenient sleep studies in children who snore, only about 20 to 30 percent of whom actually have OSA. The group studied 90 children who had been referred to a sleep clinic for evaluation of breathing problems during sleep and 30 children who weren’t snorers. The children underwent sleep study and then submitted a sample for testing the following day.

Having screened hundreds of proteins in the children’s urine samples they found that the number of proteins was different in children with OSA than in those with habitual snoring or non-snoring children.

“It was rather unexpected that the urine would provide us with the ability to identify OSA. However, the field of biomarkers is one that is under marked expansion, and this certainly opens the way for possible simple diagnostic screening methods in the future.We wish to validate these findings in urine samples from many children from laboratories around the country and to develop a simple, color-based test that can be done in the physician office or by the parents.”

Roughly 3% of children younger than 9 years of age have OSA, which can lead to cognitive, behavioral, cardiovascular and metabolic problems. If the urine testing program suggested by these researchers can be developed it could help immensely.

According to records of calls to UK help line ChildLine last year the rate of children seeking help for parental alcohol abuse is twice as high in Scotland as it is in the rest of the United Kingdom. More than 200 kids called into the help line from Scotland last year with worries about their parents drinking. The majority of these kids talked about physical abuse, drinking problems and other family problems when they called. These numbers only include those who gave a location to the operators so the rate could be even higher.

Children everywhere are severely affected by alcohol abuse and the subsequent damage it causes to the family often meaning physical, verbal and emotional abuse and stress for all the family members. Children, inevitably, take the brunt of the harmful effects and the effects can last a lifetime. Anxiety, fear and worry cause these kids to grow up before their time and can even cause them to have their own drug and alcohol issues.

About .2% of the population of children in Scotland are affected by this compared to about .10% of those in Northern Ireland, Wales, and England. The number of calls from Scotland matches up with alcohol related deaths in the area which are also twice as high in Scotland over the rest of the UK.

Do you remember how mothers got into the practice of exposing their children to other kids who had the chickenpox to evade the reported risk of adult chickenpox being potentially deadly?  Well now apparently mothers are repeating the practice, only this time it’s with the H1N1 flu virus. Believing that it’s best to expose and infect kids while the virus is milder and evade the myths about vaccination, these mothers could be putting their kids at risk.

These risks are particularly worrisome because H1N1 tends to targets teens and children and has already killed 1,000 adults and children in the U.S. alone. Flu is also highly unpredictable, what may appear mild at first could become more severe or what one child experiences as a mild flu may be a much worse one in another child. Each of us has differing reactions to flu as we all have our own immune systems with separate experiences of exposure to disease. Taking children to these swine flu parties isn’t that much different than playing Russian roulette with your kids’ life and health.

While there are many concerns about the vaccine against H1N1 and several myths as well it’s by far the better option for parents concerned about their child’s health. Not only are these parents risking their child’s heath but also the health of anyone, especially other children who come into contact with their child afterward. Why would you want to risk that?

Deciding the blood type of a child is important. Careful planning of the blood type of the soon-to-be child will solve possible blood incompatibilities between the mother and the baby. Solving these incompatibilities through blood typing will prevent blood clumping thus decreasing fatalities in unborn children.

The child’s blood type is a mixture of alleles from both parents. The three alleles are A, B and O. The child gets one allele each from his father and another from his mother. The combination results to six possibilities – AA, BB, OO, AB, AO and BO. Children with AA and AO combinations results to blood type “A” while those with BB and BO combinations acquire blood type “B”. Children with OO allele combinations result to blood type “O” and those with the AB allele combination results to blood type “AB”.

Aside from allele combinations, Rh is a deciding factor to the child’s blood type as well. These results to positive-negative or positive-positive combinations thus an Rh+/Rh- or Rh+/Rh+ result. Planning and counseling for pre-marital blood typing is thereby advised.

For full version of this article, please visit “Blood Type: How to Decide and Project Your Child’s Blood Type“.

Now that the swine flu has begun to affect US citizens many are beginning to relax about the virus thinking that its effects won’t be as serious as first laid out by the World Health Organization earlier this year. For some this presumption may be true but for others who are at much higher risk of developing the virus, like small children, ignoring the early warning signs can be deadly.

What are those signs and what should parents look out for? There are many children who have the virus and come away with little harm but for others the symptoms worsened quickly and overcame them before the parent truly realized anything serious was going on.

If any of the following warning signs develop seek an ER quickly!

• Lack of Thirst
• Fast or Labored Breathing
• Blue Tinged Skin
• Fever Accompanied by Rash
• Grouchiness and Avoidance of Being Handled or Held
• Doesn’t Wake up Easily and Acts Listless and Unresponsive
• Improved Symptoms that Return as Fever and a Worsened Cough

Children who fall under the following categories are at highest risk:

• Are Younger Than 5
• Who Have High Risk Conditions Like Asthma or Other Lung Issues
• Cerebral Palsy
• Neurological Diseases Like Epilepsy
• Liver, Heart or Kidney Problems
• Diabetes

Even if your child has none of these issues keep a very close eye on them if they develop flu symptoms, at least 1/3 of the children who passed away had no underlying health problems to worsen the virus. If at all possible it’s best if you get your child immunized for both types of flu. It’s fine to keep your child home with cold or flu symptoms but if they worsen in any way they should see a doctor as soon as possible.

 

Warnings have now been given that parents who must use the flu treatment medication Tamiflu should use caution in dosing their children. The medication was shipped with improperly labeled boxes that give instructions for dosing based on a system not marked on the syringe used for administering the drug.

The news came from scientists at three universities, Weill Cornell School of Medicine in New York City , Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and Emory University in Atlanta and was eventually published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Advising doctors and pharmacist to watch for the error and to give parents the proper dosage information the scientists cite a case where the young 6 year old daughter of two doctors was faced with this problem and the parents had to work out the best dosage on their own.

The dosing error leaves the box labeled for teaspoon measurements while the syringe is labeled for metric measurement. The labeling error poses a problem for parents who might give the wrong dose to their children or infants without realizing it. Overdosing with the drug could have a toxic effect while underdosing could leave the child with little to no effect in treating the H1N1 virus it’s being used against.

CORRECTION SUBMITTED BY ROCHE

Regarding this post Roche corporation representative contacted us and provided the below information.

We would like to share you the available information on the subject so please read below links and information provided by Roche:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm183714.htm
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/UCM183752.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/pharmacist/pharmacist_info.htm

From FDA Web site

Tamiflu (oseltamivir) for Oral Suspension

Audience: Pharmacists, pediatrics healthcare professionals

[Posted 09/24/2009] FDA issued a Public Health Alert to notify prescribers and pharmacists about potential dosing errors with Tamiflu (oseltamivir) for Oral Suspension. U.S. health care providers usually write prescriptions for liquid medicines in milliliters (mL) or teaspoons, while Tamiflu is dosed in milligrams (mg). The dosing dispenser packaged with Tamiflu has markings only in 30, 45 and 60 mg. The Agency has received reports of errors where dosing instructions for the patient do not match the dosing dispenser. Health care providers should write doses in mg if the dosing dispenser with the drug is in mg. Pharmacists should ensure that the units of measure on the prescription instructions match the dosing device provided with the drug.

From CDC Web site

Note on Tamiflu Oral Suspension Syringe

Pharmacists with access to Tamiflu® oral suspension should be aware that an oral dosing dispenser with 30 mg, 45 mg, and 60 mg graduations is provided in the packaging for the manufacturer’s product rather than graduations in milliliters (mL) or teaspoons (tsp). There have been cases where the units of measure on the prescription dosing instructions (mL, tsp) do not match the units on the dosing device (mg), which can lead to patient or caregiver confusion and dosing errors. When dispensing commercially manufactured Tamiflu® oral suspension, pharmacists should ensure the units of measure on the dosing instructions match the dosing device provided. If dosing instructions specify administration using mL or tsp the device included in the Tamiflu® product package should be removed and replaced with an appropriate measuring device. When dispensing Tamiflu® oral suspension for children younger than 1 year of age, the oral dosing dispenser that is included in the product package should always be removed and replaced with an appropriate measuring device.

Chicago Health Screening

Johnson and Johnson has recalled several varieties of children’s and infant’s cold medication due to a potential risk for bacterial contamination.  Those items being recalled were made between April and June and involve almost two dozen varieties of the company’s children’s medications.  The company has contacted whole sale distributors and retailers about their intentions to recall. A B. cepacia bacterium was found in a portion of the raw material that didn’t get used in the finished product. While the bacterial contamination was found in a sample that wasn’t shipped out in its complete forms the company is recalling any shipment that could be related to that mixture as a precaution.

There is very little serious medical reaction risks involved with using these products despite the recall.  If you feel that you might have any of the products that are being recalled you can check the list of recalled products at the company’s website. There are 21 items on the recall list, most of which are liquid cold and allergy medications. You’ll need to find the lot number of the product to check if it’s being recalled, this is available on the bottom of the box or on the sticker which surrounds the bottle.

Are you fond of flavored cigarettes? As of Tuesday September 24^th you’ll not longer be able to get several varieties of flavored cigarettes after they were banned by the FDA’s new tobacco regulation branch.  Any flavors like clove, fruit or those which have a candy taste are now illegal in the United States. Why was this decision made? The move was made after concerns were evaluated that such flavorings could make tobacco products more appealing to children. It’s also believed that the move could have an impact on the rate of smokers in the US by prompting those who only smoke flavored tobacco to quit.

While other tobacco companies might be scrambling Lorillard Inc and Reynolds American Inc the 3^rd and 2^nd most successful tobacco companies in the United States aren’t being affected. Neither company will suffer losses because they don’t produce such flavors.

That could change if the FDA goes through with banning menthol as well (a plan they’ve been considering since tobacco regulation was given to them earlier this year). Newport, as the most popular brand of menthol cigarettes(responsible for 35 % of the menthol and 10% of cigarette profits overall),  is the largest source of income for tobacco giant Lorillard Inc. Both Lorrillard Inc and Reynolds American Inc have made motions to sue for the law that put tobacco regulation under the care of the FDA to be blocked. Hoping to hinder such actions both companies claim that the law allows the FDA to make unfair regulations on the production and sale of tobacco in the US.

Every fall pink eye comes back to haunt parents and this year will be no exception. Pink eye (or conjunctivitis) is highly contagious and like chicken pox can spread from child to child very easily. Keep your child safe this year by using these tips:

• If allergen levels are high outdoors keep your windows closed.

• Vacuum regularly.

• Advise your child to avoid sharing their things with others. Items like makeup, washcloths, pillowslips, eye drops, and towels can come in contact with the eyes and spread the infection to others.

• Make sure you child knows how to wash their hands properly and often. Using soap and warm water they should wash their hands for about 20 seconds scrubbing thoroughly to the wrist and under the nails.

• Listen to your own advice. After handling anything that’s come in contact with an infected child’s eyes make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap before you do anything else. Discard anything you’ve used to clean their eyes.

• Any towels or linens that were used by an infected child need to be washed separately. Make sure you use very hot water to kill the germs.

According to health officials the best way to keep schools safe and running is to require all workers and ask all parents of preschool age children to receive the vaccines for both H1N1 flu and standard flu. Watching children for signs of flu and keeping them home until all signs of fever are gone for at least a 24 hour period is another.

These guidelines are only the most recent in a bid to reduce the affects of the swine flu on those in all stages of school this coming flu season.

Officials also advise vaccinating all children over the age of 6 months. Preschool centers including Head Start are being asked to maintain the cleanliness of tables and other work areas the children may come in contact with on a regular basis. They’re also being asked to send home children that show signs of being sick, ask children to cough into their elbows and help keep children’s hands clean. It’s best if parents plan ahead for the chance that their daycare center may be closed due to an excessive level of illness in staff and children. Planning ahead can do a great deal to help prevent illness from spreading and keep kids in school this fall and winter.