Revised guidelines on treating neonatal jaundice have been published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the July issue of Pediatrics. Jaundice, caused by excessive levels of serum bilirubin, can cause permanent brain damage in neonates. The new guidelines include recommendations that serum or transcutaneous bilirubin levels be measured in all neonates; that follow-up evaluation of all infants take place three to five days after birth (when bilirubin levels should be highest); that frequent breast-feeding, which substantially reduces an infant's risk of jaundice, be encouraged; and that parents receive education in the dangers of jaundice in newborns.

Fighting cellulitis. An often painful and sometimes dangerous inflammatory condition, cellulitis results from the invasion of streptococcal or staphylococcal bacteria into cuts or other fissures in the skin. Blood stream and lymphatic involvement can lead to serious, even life-threatening, conditions such as sepsis or septic shock. Treatment has typically entailed a relatively long antibiotic course (usually 10 days). In the August 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, the results of a randomized clinical trial showed that a five-day course (of levofloxacin [Levaquin]) is just as successful as a 10-day one for patients with uncomplicated cellulitis.