Pediatrics

Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD

Guest: Heidi Feldman, MD, PhD

Much is invested to bring premature infants to the point of hospital discharge. However, there is an extreme drop-off in services after the infant is released from the hospital. This is a very important area for preventative healthcares and should be conceptualized as a chronic condition says our guest, Dr. Heidi Feldman, professor of developmental and behavioral medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. She and host Dr. Bill Rutenberg discuss interventions often required to help a pre-mature infant to reach its developmental age. How much intervention is necessary? Do socioeconomics play a role in which children are most likely to catch up sooner? Why do kids who get the most services often have the greatest delay? Join us to learn more.

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP

Guest: Jatinder Bhatia, MD

Although breast milk is the ideal source of nutrition for children under 12 months, most babies receive infant formula at some point during the first year. With dozens of formulas on the market, making a choice can be confusing for parents and for physicians as well. Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, professor and chair of neonatology at the Medical College of Georgia, and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition, lends his expert insight on choosing an infant formula. What are the latest recommendations regarding infant formulas? How should physicians decide what formula is best for a patient? Dr. Jennifer Shu hosts.

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP

Guest: Jatinder Bhatia, MD

Guest: Darshak Sanghavi, MD

It's the leading cause of death and morbidity in American adults, but the cardiovascular disease process may begin in childhood. A new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends some children as young as age 8 should receive pharmacologic treatment for dyslipidemia. The recommendations have stirred considerable debate among pediatricians and others in the medical community.

Given the absence of long-term data to support the safety of prescribing statins, how was the decision made to go forward with these recommendations? What potential adverse effects from the medications should we be most concerned about? What are the most prudent alternatives to medicating children at risk for cardiovascular disease?

Host Dr. Jennifer Shu welcomes Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, professor and chair of neonatology at the Medical College of Georgia, and a member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition, and Dr. Darshak Sanghavi, a pediatric cardiologist and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, for a candid discussion about the merits of the AAP recommendations.

Host: Michael Benson, MD

Guest: Jennifer Christner, MD

Patients requesting early prescription refills, reporting lost medication, and other deviations from a standard dosing regimen are certainly worth noting. Given the frequency with which we prescribe medications for ADD, ADHD and other illnesses to our young patients, these irregularities may serve as warning signs of a larger problem. Host Dr. Michael Benson discusses prescription stimulant abuse in children with Dr. Jennifer Christner, an adolescent medicine specialist and a clinical assistant professor in the department of pediatrics and communicable diseases at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD

Guest: Stanley Gall, MD

Since the 1990s, we have seen a resurgence in infant deaths related to pertussis. Once thought to be a disease of childhood, pertussis attack rates are very high among non-immunized adults. Dr. Stanley Gall, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and women's health at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, analyzes the risk-benefit ratio of immunizing pregnant women and other vulnerable populations with host Dr. Lisa Mazzullo.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD

Guest: Catherine McNeal, MD

Dr. Larry Kaskel welcomes Dr. Catherine McNeal to Lipid Luminations. Dr. McNeal is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at The Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas. Dr. McNeal will discuss the features of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents and why early intervention is so important. She will also talk about the problem in diagnosing the metabolic syndrome in youth based on the dynamic changes in the parameters associated with growth and maturation.

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Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD

Guest: Jane Newburger, MD MPH

It's the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. But pediatricians often face an arduous challenge when trying to confirm a diagnosis of Kawasaki disease. Dr. Jane Newburger, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a nationally recognized expert in Kawasaki disease, discusses current clinical criteria for the disease and the protocol for diagnosing borderline cases with host Dr. Bill Rutenberg. Dr. Newburger also outlines the most effective treatment options for Kawasaki disease.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD

Guest: Thomas E. Eissenberg, PhD

We recognize that tobacco use kills millions of people around the world each year, but most of the available research focuses on cigarette smoking. The scope of tobacco use extends well beyond cigarettes, and includes an upswing in hookah, or water pipe, smoking, which many young people believe is less harmful than other forms of tobacco use. What do we know about the growing popularity of hookah smoking? What can we do to educate our young patients about the dangers of this form of tobacco use? Dr. Thomas Eissenberg, associate professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and an expert in the behavioral pharmacology of drugs of abuse, joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss his research on waterpipe smoking.

Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD

Guest: Paul Stricker, MD

More and more children are presenting with overuse injuries. What is happening at the cellular level and how do their bodies repair? Dr. Paul Stricker, board certified in both pediatrics and sports medicine joins host Dr. Bill Rutenberg to discuss pediatric overuse injuries. They discuss the need for individual treatment and question the decision to order an MRI. Also, find out what guidelines can you offer patients to help avoid injuries.

Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD

Guest: Paul Stricker, MD

The drive to be the best in sports often draws young athletes to enhance and improve their performance using supplements and anabolic steroids. Dr. Paul Stricker, board certified in both pediatrics and sports medicine, explains how anabolic steroids work and their adverse effects. Dr. Stricker says that young athletes can actually make great strides with a healthy diet and a good nutritionist. Join host Dr. Bill Rutenberg to find out how you can coach your pediatric patients on using optimal nutrition to improve performance.