AAP MEDIA MAILING FOR OCTOBER 26, 2009 PEDIATRICS

Selected articles in Pediatrics are being published online each Monday of the month before the print issue. Below is a list of the articles that will be published online October 26. The embargo on these articles will lift Monday, October 26 at 12:01 a.m. ET.

To request the full text of individual articles, contact Debbie Linchesky at dlinchesky@aap.org or 847-434-7084, or Susan Martin at ssmartin@aap.org or 847-434-7131.

Editor’s Note

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers embargoed news releases and articles from its journal, Pediatrics, to journalists in advance of publication to allow them to prepare well-researched stories on complex scientific topics. All print, broadcast and online journalists who receive the AAP media mailing agree to abide by the embargo and may not publish, post, broadcast or distribute embargoed news releases or details of the embargoed studies before the embargo date and time. To do so would constitute a breach of the embargo.

The AAP takes any breach of the embargo seriously and decides on a case-by-case basis if sanctions are necessary. Sanctions may include denying a news organization access to embargoed news releases and studies in the future. Any decision to lift an embargo early is at the sole discretion of the AAP. Journalists with questions about the date of an embargo, suspected embargo breaks or whether the embargo has been lifted for whatever reason should contact the AAP Department of Communications immediately.

The embargo system is based on trust, and the AAP appreciates that the vast majority of journalists respect the embargo. If you are an editor, please stress the terms of the embargo system with your reporters.

October 26 News Highlights

MANY CHILDREN HAVE SUBOPTIMAL VITAMIN D LEVELS 

Many U.S. children, especially minorities, are in need of more Vitamin D, according to the new study: “Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D Levels Among US Children Ages 1 to 11 Years: Do Children Need More Vitamin D?” The study authors reviewed data from the 2001-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and specifically the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in children, age 11 and younger. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should have vitamin D levels of at least 50 nmol/L (20 ng/ml) and the authors found over 6 million children below this level. Other studies in adults suggest that vitamin D levels should be at least 75 nmol/L (30 ng/ml). There were 24 million children below this level, including 92 percent of non-Hispanic blacks and 80 percent of Hispanics. Although many studies have demonstrated associations between suboptimal levels of vitamin D and poor health outcomes, more studies are needed both to establish the role of vitamin D in these poor health outcomes, and to determine the appropriate vitamin D supplement requirements for children.

ALUMINUM EXPOSURE FROM INTRAVENOUS FEEDING SOLUTIONS MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH FUTURE BONE LOSS

Humans are exposed to aluminum from a variety of sources, including drinking water, infant formula, breast milk and some medications. Preterm infants who receive intravenous feeding solutions with aluminum, often to ensure their survival, may have reduced lumbar spine and hip bone mass in adolescence. In addition, these children also may face a potential risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures as adults. In a British study, “Aluminum Exposure From Parenteral Nutrition in Preterm Infants: Bone Health at 15-Year Follow-up,” researchers looked at the long-term effects of intravenous feeding solutions which contain a significant amount of aluminum. In the study, researchers followed up with 59 adolescents, ages 13 to 15, who had received intravenous feeding solutions as infants. Half the group had received aluminum-depleted nutritional solution as a pre-term infant, and the others received a standard intravenous solution containing aluminum. Children who received the standard solution had lower lumbar spine bone mass, while those who received more than 55 micrograms per kg (the threshold level for aluminum intake) had lower hip bone mass as adolescents. The study authors recommend greater focus on reducing aluminum in intravenous feeding solutions for preterm infants, as well as additional research to more definitively assess the long-term effects of early aluminum exposure. The authors also cautioned that the adverse effects from preterm infants not having intravenous nutrition may likely outweigh any potential detrimental effect from the aluminum.

Full Table of Contents for October 26 Pediatrics

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels Among U.S. Children Ages 1-11 Years: Do Children Need More Vitamin D?

Interinstitutional Variation in Prediction of Death by SNAP-II and SNAPPE-II Among Extremely Preterm Infants

Structural Correlates of Preterm Birth in the Adolescent Brain

Disability Among Internationally Adopted Children in the United States

Neurobehavior in Term, Small-for-Gestational Age Infants With Normal Placental Function

Complex Multifactorial Nature of Significant Hyperbilirubinemia in Neonates

The Effect of Weekend and Holiday Sleep Compensation on Childhood Overweight and Obesity

A Pilot Trial of Pramlintide Home Usage in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Consensus Statement on Diagnostic Criteria for PHACE Syndrome

Using BMI to Determine Cardiovascular Risk in Childhood: How Do The BMI Cutoffs Fare?

Aluminum Exposure From Parenteral Nutrition in Preterm Infants: Bone Health at 15-Year Follow-up

Promoting Lifelong Health for Adolescents and Young Adults with Special Health Care Needs

Hyponatremia in Preterm Neonates: Not a Benign Condition

Defining Vitamin D Deficiency in Children: Beyond 25-OH Vitamin D Serum Concentrations
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