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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.

 

 #97: Neurology Podcast For Peds , Installment #5 [19:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (333)

This is part 1 of a 2-part series. Next week will be part 2 of Podcast for Peds (installment #6).

On this episode hear these reports:

• Neuroimaging Advances in Cerebral Palsy: Thanks to recent advances in neuroimaging CP is no longer considered a static disease for which little can be done. Neuroimaging is taking the clinical management, diagnosis and classification of CP to ‘quantum levels’ higher than we’ve ever seen in the past.
• Pedophiles Have Deficits in Brain Activation: With functional MRI scanning we now have images which demonstrate pedophiles’ altered sexual interest. So now, for the first time in the history of Medicine we can study this ‘psychiatric’ condition as a neurobiological disease. These new discoveries may ultimately contribute to the development of new and effective means of therapies for the disorder. However, societal/ethical questions and implications abound around such things as using the neuroimaging technology for criminal investigations and forensics.

Next week’s show: Installment #6 of Podcast for Peds (Part 2). Here are some of the questions we’ll be answering (based on the news):

• Which pain medication generally accepted as safe in pregnancy and while nursing may - in significant numbers of cases - be resulting in the fetus and the nursing infant getting a whopping dose of morphine?
• What available test may enable you to make more informed drug-prescribing decisions, before prescribing that ‘mystery’ pain medication (and before prescribing numerous other psychotropic drugs as well)?
• And what about the CDC’s recent vote and urgent call for the mass immunization of all US adolescents with Menactra (one of the meningococcal meningitis vaccines)? Is the urgent call based on actual evidence that a risk/benefit ratio supports their decision?

We’ll also present fascinating news on ADHD: The noise, which helps performance in ADHD children; a simple preventive measure mothers can take, which may lower their risk of bearing a child with ADHD; and news on how computers are helping ADHD sufferers.