Pediatrics

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Children who had nuchal translucency thickening during the first trimester, but a normal karyotype and no structural abnormalities, are clinically and developmentally normal during the first 2 years of life, according to a study in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Contrary to findings of studies using older cohorts of twins, a new follow-up study of Danish twins born during the late 1980s finds their academic performance by the teen years to be similar to that of singletons, and that birthweight, unless in the very low range, has minimal effect on school achievement.

Women who smoke cigarettes and who are infected with high levels of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) increase their risk of cervical cancer as much as 27-fold, according to a Swedish study, which is one of the largest to date on the subject.

The Leapfrog Group, a national coalition of large health-care purchasers, is asking hospitals and their staffs to agree to be held accountable for events that "occur rarely, are clearly identifiable, largely preventable, have serious consequences, and should never happen," reported Medical Economics (12/15/2006). These so-called "never events" include leaving a foreign object in a patient or discharging an infant to the wrong parents.

Children born to women who take fish oil supplements during late pregnancy have better eye/hand coordination at age 2 to 3 years than their counterparts whose mothers did not take the supplements, according to a study published online Dec. 21 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal Edition.

The dramatic decline in teenage pregnancy rates in the United States since 1991 is largely due to improved contraceptive use with a decline in sexual activity playing a relatively small role, according to study findings published online Nov. 30 in the American Journal of Public Health.

HPV sabotages IVF

Human papillomavirus (HPV) lowers IVF success by more than 50%, according to the findings of a prospective study of 106 women.

Be frank about the real and potential complications when counseling patients considering assisted reproductive technologies. The list includes the link between multiple gestations and preterm delivery, the possibility of ectopic pregnancies or malformations-and much more.

Be frank about the real and potential complications when counseling patients considering assisted reproductive technologies. The list includes the link between multiple gestations and preterm delivery, the possibility of ectopic pregnancies or malformations-and much more.

Second-born twins are at significantly greater risk for serious perinatal morbidity than first-born twins at all gestational ages, according to the results of a retrospective cohort study conducted in Nova Scotia. And the higher risk prevails regardless of presentation, chorionicity, or infant sex.

The risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is greater among people who weighed less than 1,500 g at birth compared to those who weighed more than 1,500 g, and patients with a lower birthweight tend to develop the condition earlier than their heavier counterparts, according to study findings published online Sept. 28 in Gut.

October Case Summaries

Clinical situations that typically result in litigation and the variation in jury verdicts and awards across the nation.