Busy ER Leads to Prescribing Errors in Children
Children treated in busy urban emergency departments run the risk of being prescribed the wrong dose of medication, leading, potentially, to severe adverse outcomes, according to a study conducted at one emergency room.
( Reuters, 10/21/2002 07:02 AM PDT)

Thumb-, Pacifier-Sucking Affects Toddlers' Teeth
Too much pacifier- and thumb-sucking after age 2 can lead to persistent dental problems in preschoolers, according to an Iowa researcher. "The sooner that a child can stop a sucking habit, the better," Dr. John J. Warren, of the University of Iowa, told Reuters Health.
( BY CHARNICIA E. HUGGINS, Reuters, 10/21/2002 07:02 AM PDT)

BETWEEN HEARTBEATS: 2-year-old Kaden's life hangs in the balance as a transplant team replaces his heart
Kaden Cook lies naked on a table in the middle of the operating room, unconscious. His eyes are taped shut and a white sheet covers his stomach. Two tubes are down his throat, helping him breath, and an IV is in his neck. The air is kept cool, under 70 degrees, to slow the bacteria.
( BY JEFF SEIDEL, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER, 10/20/2002 12:43 PM PDT)

A heart for Kaden
Debbie Westphal sits on her living room couch, wearing pajamas and sipping Diet Coke. She turns on her laptop and searches for a phone number.
( BY JEFF SEIDEL, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER, 10/19/2002 12:43 PM PDT)

Study can't rationalize autism rise
A startling increase in California's autism cases has little to do with evolving diagnostic methods and population increases, a study has found. Researchers from UC Davis announced Thursday that they have yet to find why so many children are being afflicted with the developmental disorder. The study's results point to an undiscovered cause and discount beliefs that reporting discrepancies and other explainable factors led to the rise.
( By Matt Krupnick, CONTRA COSTA TIMES, 10/18/2002 06:44 AM PDT)

AP Corrects Listeria Story
In an Oct. 17 story about recalled chicken and turkey meat from Wampler Foods reaching schools participating in the federal lunch program, The Associated Press erroneously reported that e-mails cited by a public policy organization came from a federal inspector at a Wampler plant.
( 10/18/2002 06:46 AM PDT)

Chopper to Move Injured Kids Often Unnecessary
Many of the children air-lifted to specialized pediatric trauma centers in Los Angeles only had minor injuries and did not need the costly transport, California researchers report.
( BY DANA FRISCH, Reuters, 10/18/2002 11:46 AM PDT)

FDA Seizes 'Autism' Supplements
The US Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it had ordered the seizure of hundreds of bottles of a dietary supplement that the agency said falsely claimed to treat autism.
( Reuters, 10/18/2002 07:52 AM PDT)

Gaze Pattern May ID Autism, Predict Social Skills
People with autism focus on a speaker's eyes only half as often as other listeners do, letting their gaze fall more often on a speaker's mouth or body, US researchers report.
( Reuters, 10/18/2002 07:52 AM PDT)