Pediatrics

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Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are becoming increasingly popular among teens. A new study looks at whether younger teens who never smoked cigarettes and who begin using e-cigarettes might be more likely to go on to use conventional tobacco products.

Researchers from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles surveyed more than 2,300 Los Angeles area high school students who reported never using tobacco products at the beginning of 9th grade. The students were surveyed again six months later and also when entering the 10th grade.

In a comparison of teens who had used e-cigarettes to those who had not, the researchers found that those who had used e-cigarettes were four times more likely to have gone on to use conventional tobacco products, including cigarettes and cigars. The researchers acknowledge that their findings, while suggestive, cannot prove that e-cigarette use directly causes subsequent tobacco use.

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Autism Spectrum Disorder has had some profound effects on our global culture over the past few years. As greater understandings of this neurological disorder are communicated by scientists, physicians, advocacy groups, educational professionals and parents, public awareness shifts and societies reshape how autism is ultimately perceived.

Paul Rokuskie welcomes Richard Grinker, PhD, Professor and Chair of Anthropology, and Director of the Institute for Ethnographic Research, at the George Washington University. Their discussion centers on how cultures are affecting the way autism is understood, evaluated, and even diagnosed across the world.

Irritable bowel syndrome is becoming increasingly recognized as a complex interplay of pathologies, from changes in gut microflora to nutrient absorption abnormalities to psychosocial stressors. The ways in which these factors contribute and interact create different profiles of disease, requiring personalized therapeutic plans for IBS patiets. Joining Dr. Barry Mennen to discuss a multimodal model for approaching the root causes of IBS is Dr. Neelesh A. Tipnis, the Paul H. Parker Professor and Chair of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Director of the GI Motility and Functional Bowel Disorders Program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Social and emotional skills come fairly easily for neurotypical individuals. But for those with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), these may be some of the most challenging skills to learn. Thankfully there is a lot of experience among educators using techniques to help individuals with ASD become more social. Join host Paul Rokuskie as he welcomes speech/language pathologist Jill Kuzma to discuss therapeutic approaches for social cognitive deficits in children with ASD.

Host Dr. Alan Brown welcomes Dr. Don Wilson, Endocrinologist at Cook Children's Health Care System, Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Wilson will review dyslipidemia in children and adolescent patients. Key points of their discussion will cover the association between abnormal lipid levels in children and an increased lifetime risk of atherosclerotic CVD, as well as, the CVD risk factors present in children and how it tracks from childhood to adulthood.

Supported by an Educational Grant from AstraZeneca.

When Derek Volk's oldest child, Dylan, was two years old, his wife suggested, "Something is not quite right with Dylan." They struggled for the next several years as they were bounced from one diagnostician to another, each offering a unique perspective on Dylan's challenging behaviors. Finally, at eight years old, Dylan was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and the Volk family was able to start making sense of Dylan's differences. In Chasing the Rabbit, authors Derek and Dylan Volk share their respective experiences coping with the challenges of autism in the household and the healthcare system.

Over the past decade, Food Protein Enterocolitis, or FPIES, has emerged as the most actively studied non–IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergy because of its acute onset, severity of symptoms, and distinctive clinical features. Yet as a rare allergic disorder of infancy and young childhood, it is often misinterpreted and misdiagnosed in clinical practice, leading to difficult treatment paths for patients and their families. Joining Dr. Renee Matthews to present a case history from the vantage point of a patient's mother, including challenges faced in reaching the correct diagnosis and starting effective treatment regimens, is Jennifer Kandt.

Autism spectrum disorder has been around for centuries, but the modern terminology of how it is defined only started in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Since then, the definition of autism has changed many times, refined into today’s current understanding of this mental disorder. But one point of constancy over this time frame has been the advocacy work of mothers and fathers to better understand the disease that impacts their children’s lives, helping educate communities around them in turn to foster greater compassion and awareness.

In this episode of the Autism Spectrum, host Paul Rokuskie speaks with Eustacia Cutler, autism rights advocate and mother of Dr. Temple Grandin, who is often referred to as the first person officially diagnosed with autism in the United States.

Internationally respected neurologist Frances E. Jensen, M.D. speaks with host John Russell, MD about her book, The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide To Raising Adolescents And Young Adults. This insightful book offers new findings and dispells myths and also provides practical advice for parents and teenagers.

Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss the state of mental health services in the US, as well as current to emerging care resources for children with developmental disabilities such as autism, is Robert Kreider, JD. Mr. Kreider is President and CEO of Devereux, one of the oldest and largest nonprofit providers of behavioral healthcare in the country.