The FDA has given emergency use authorization to bivalent COVID-19 boosters for US children ages 5 to 11 years that target the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages of the Omicron variant. Boosters from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech are included in the authorization, and the CDC is expected to quickly add its recommendation.

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommended that children ages 8 to 18 who are asymptomatic and have not been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder be screened for anxiety. The task force also recommended that children ages 12 to 18 be screened for major depressive disorder. The recommendations, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and on the task force website, said there was insufficient evidence to recommend for or against screening children and adolescents for suicide risk.

About half of children who had a first-degree relative with celiac disease and were asymptomatic had a histology for celiac disease as severe as those who had symptoms or had other high-risk conditions like diabetes or Down syndrome, according to a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. "This emphasizes the importance of celiac screening in all patients with first-degree relatives with celiac disease, as symptom status does not predict diagnosis or severity of disease," researchers wrote.

A study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting found that the number of accidents involving electric scooters, as well as hospital admissions, significantly increased among children over the last decade. Findings, based on about 1,500 e-scooter-associated injuries, also showed that 10% of injuries suffered were to the head, while the most common body part injured was broken arms, followed by minor abrasions and lacerations.

Researchers found the rate of exclusive breastfeeding of infants at a large California hospital's newborn nursery fell 11 percentage points during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 73.2% before to 62.4% during the crisis. Rates of any breastfeeding decreased from 94.6% to 91.2%, according to the study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition.

The Symptom Management Plan is an initiative developed by researchers to help caregivers of children receiving home-based palliative care have the self-assurance to treat acute symptoms at home. A study found that the initiative reduced hospitalizations and increased caregiver confidence.

Hospital systems in Ohio are supporting children's reading programs in an effort to improve health outcomes, and a Cincinnati Children's Hospital study tied the program to improvements in Kindergarten Readiness Assessment scores. Reading literacy supports children's cognitive brain development and their ability to make knowledge-based decisions about their health later in life, says Michelle Beebe, Kettering Health's manager of childbirth education and perinatal outreach.

New York family medicine specialist Dr. Sam Arce shares his insights on being a Hispanic physician leader, reaching out to patients and serving as a health advocate for the community. Arce has held leadership roles with organizations such as the National Hispanic Medical Association, American Medical Association and American Academy of Family Physicians, he has been a White House guest speaker on several occasions, and he is involved in efforts to mentor students and increase Hispanic representation in the medical field. "I'm a firm believer that everyone does have the ability to go into medicine," Arce says.

Fresenius Kabi's gadoterate meglumine injection, a gadolinium-based contrast agent for brain and spine MRI imaging in children and adults, is FDA approved for the US market. The contrast agent was launched as a generic equivalent to Guerbet's Dotarem.

The Biden administration has issued a final rule closing an Affordable Care Act loophole known as the family glitch, which prevents people from receiving ACA subsidies if a household family member has access to affordable coverage through work, though the affordability calculation did not account for the cost of adding family members to the plan. Open enrollment for ACA plans is scheduled to begin next month and "about 1 million Americans will either gain coverage or see their insurance become more affordable as a result of the new rule," President Joe Biden said.

Danielle Jones is a health care editor at SmartBrief where she edits content about pediatrics, radiology, biotechnology and nuclear medicine. She's been a medical editor and writer for 12 years now and has a background in clinical practices. You can contact her by email with feedback and ideas. If you find this newsletter helpful, please share it with a friend or colleague who might like to subscribe. It's free!