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This is part 2 of this 2-part Podcast for Peds series.

Hear these reports:

• Nursing Mothers’ Codeine Use May Be Risky for Infants: The CYP2D6 enzyme is involved in breaking down about 75 percent of all psychotropic medications, codeine being one of them. This is part of the early concept and specialty of ‘psychiatric pharmaco-genomics.’
• Noise Helps Memory Performance in ADHD Children: White noise appears to selectively improve the performance of kids with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Possible reason: stochastic resonance can be beneficial to dopamine deprived neural systems, with ADHD being one example. External auditory noise can restore low dopamine levels - and thus improve cognitive performance in these scholastically ‘low achiever’ children,
• In Utero Exposure to Smoking by Mother Can Increase Risk of ADHD: Maybe it’s time that this information be used to alert practitioners and families that at least some cases of ADHD may be preventable in utero!
• Computerized Training of Working Memory as a Therapeutic Strategy in ADHD: Working memory can be improved by computer-based training exercises in children with ADHD, and such training may be of clinical use for ameliorating the symptoms in ADHD.
• CDC Urges Meningitis Vaccine For All Adolescents: Tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine is recommended for all 11- to 18-year-olds. This is the result of a vote by the CDC back in June (2007). Actual long-term risk-benefit ratio: unknown.
• Simple Approach to Reduce Part of World’s Pediatric Mortality Rates By Essentially 45%: Insecticide-Treated Bed Nets (‘mosquito nets’). You can donate any amount of money you wish - to provide nets for children in Africa – at www.nothingbutnets.net. According to the site: no portion of your donation will be diverted for ‘administrative’ costs.

OTHER REPORTS:

• Early Results Of Aricept Study Hint At Autism Improvement
• New Autism Research Funded
• Is Autism Prevalence Truly On The Rise?
• Majority Of Traumatic Brain Injuries Are Pediatric

Next week’s show: Installment #5 of Quest For The Best In Neurology: robots are extending the reach of Neurologists; nanomedicine has opened the way for nerve cell regeneration; and much more.