The prevalence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in skin abscesses presenting to the pediatric emergency department.

Background: Community-acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections have been increasing. The most common of these infections present as skin abscesses. The objectives of this study were to prospectively determine the prevalence of CA-MRSA in abscesses in the population of a pediatric emergency department, to determine antibiotic sensitivity patterns of the CA-MRSA isolates, and to describe the patient population that presented with skin abscesses.

Can a computerized tracking system improve faculty compliance with medical student evaluations?

Aim: We examined whether using a new personal digital assistant (PDA)-based computerized tracking system (PDAT) improved the rate of faculty evaluation of students compared to using written clinical encounter cards. Also, we examined whether the addition of e-mail reminders to PDAT affected the evaluation rate.

Methods: Retrospective review of collected data on evaluation rates before and after implementation of the computerized tracking system, with and without e-mail reminders.

Acute suppurative sialadenitis in a 37-day-old girl.

Sialadenitis is a rare diagnosis in early infancy, but it must be considered in the differential diagnosis of neck swelling in this age group. We present a case of a 37-day-old infant with sialadenitis who presented to the pediatric emergency department with fever and neck swelling. A discussion of this diagnosis and the relevant literature follows.

Localized cervical pruritus as the presenting symptom of a spinal cord tumor.

Intramedullary spinal cord tumors are rare in children. Presentation is usually with localized pain or motor deficits, and diagnosis can be delayed for months or years from the onset of symptoms. We present an unusual case of a 6-year-old girl who had an intramedullary cervical spinal cord astrocytoma.