Antidepressant Prescribing by Pediatricians: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.

Among pediatricians, perceived knowledge of efficacy, tolerability, dosing, and side effects of antidepressants represent significant sources of variability in the use of these medications in youth with depressive and anxiety disorders. Importantly, the qualitative factors that relate to varying levels of comfort with antidepressants and willingness to prescribe are poorly understood. Using a mixed-methods approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with community-based and academic medical center-based pediatricians (N = 14).

High Body Mass Index in Infancy May Predict Severe Obesity in Early Childhood.

Objective: To characterize growth trajectories of children who develop severe obesity by age 6 years and identify clinical thresholds for detection of high-risk children before the onset of obesity.

Study Design: Two lean (body mass index [BMI] 5th to ≤75th percentile) and 2 severely obese (BMI ≥99th percentile) groups were selected from populations treated at pediatric referral and primary care clinics. A population-based cohort was used to validate the utility of identified risk thresholds.

Severe Obesity Decreasing in Children in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Childhood obesity rates appear to be leveling off. Studies not looking at severe obesity may be masking a rightward shift in the distribution of body mass indexes. Our objective was to provide current prevalence rates and examine trends in overweight, obesity, class 2 obesity, and class 3 obesity for youth in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nonsurgical management of cardiac missiles.

Modern air-powered pellet guns are capable of propelling their projectiles at velocities of 250 to 930 ft/s depending on their propulsion system-rivaling traditional small caliber firearms in the potential for serious soft tissue injuries. Management decisions regarding thoracic/cardiac pellet gun injuries must be based on the presentation and stability of the patient and the location of the retained pellet. We present a report of the nonsurgical management of an 8-year-old girl with a retained pericardial pellet and small stable effusion.