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Monthly Archives :

October 2019

When Is It Appropriate to Send Pediatric Patients to an OB/GYN?
 When Is It Appropriate to Send Pediatric Patients to an OB/GYN? 150 150 Geri Hewitt, MD
By: Geri Hewitt, MD

This post was reviewed by Dr. Hewitt and updated on June 4, 2021.  The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommends that young women have their first visit with an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) between the ages of 13 and 15. Making sure that first appointment is with a pediatric gynecologist can have added benefits. Specific…

Multicenter Data Reveals Distal Hypospadias Repair Overall Success Rate
 Multicenter Data Reveals Distal Hypospadias Repair Overall Success Rate 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Despite its use as an indicator of a department’s surgical skill, the reoperation rate for distal hypospadias repair has long been based on publications covering data from single-center studies — until now. Among its indicators for urologic surgery quality, U.S. News & World Report examines the complication rate for children undergoing distal hypospadias repair (relocation of the…

Cheaper, Generic Drug Just as Effective in Preserving Heart Function in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
 Cheaper, Generic Drug Just as Effective in Preserving Heart Function in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

A new clinical trial found a cheaper generic drug is effective in protecting the heart in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A recent clinical trial conducted found a cost-effective generic medication works just as well as a more expensive drug in preserving heart function in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Published in the Journal of the…

A Molecular Mechanism Underlying Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension in Neonates
 A Molecular Mechanism Underlying Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension in Neonates 150 150 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck

New study identifies critical enzyme and potential therapeutic target for pulmonary hypertension in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Nitric oxide can be life saving for many newborns with pulmonary hypertension (PH); however, there are subsets of patients who do not respond to current PH treatment. Therefore, scientists at Nationwide Children’s Hospital are investigating the enzymes…

Home Infusions Are a Viable Option for Children, Teens With IBD
 Home Infusions Are a Viable Option for Children, Teens With IBD 150 150 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Cuts time away from school and work, and has proven safe Many children with inflammatory bowel disease require medication infusions at the hospital every four to eight weeks, often requiring travel and time off from school and work. But for many children and adolescents, infusions can be done at home or at a local external…

Surprise Finding in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection Viral Load Study
 Surprise Finding in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection Viral Load Study 150 150 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck

Understanding viral load dynamics can help inform treatment decisions Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection is a leading cause of hospitalization and mortality in infants worldwide, but a licensed RSV vaccine has not yet been developed, in part due to the incomplete understanding of RSV pathogenesis. While investigating the relationship between RSV viral…

Suicide Attempts Among Black Youth Increasing
 Suicide Attempts Among Black Youth Increasing 150 150 MaryEllen Fiorino
By: MaryEllen Fiorino

Study finds that black youth are attempting suicide more often than all other racial and ethnic groups. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth 12-18 years old in the United States, and in 2017 alone, suicide accounted for more than 2,200 deaths among…

Meet Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD
 Meet Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD 1024 575 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

In August 2019, Nationwide Children’s welcomed Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD, as surgeon-in-chief. In a Q&A, the internationally renowned fetal surgeon shares his thoughts about the past, present and future of fetal surgery and the challenges and opportunities facing pediatric surgeons today.   Q: What brought you to Nationwide Children’s Hospital? I was initially attracted to…

Medicaid Patients With Common “Buckle” Fractures Have Less Access to Primary Care Physicians
 Medicaid Patients With Common “Buckle” Fractures Have Less Access to Primary Care Physicians 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

A national study found that the known disparity in access to care for Medicaid-covered children seeking orthopedic specialty care also occurs in primary care practices. Limits in access to specialty orthopedic care exist for children with Medicaid, in a large part due to many practices not accepting government insurance. Although many orthopedic injuries can be…

What Can We Learn From the Co-occurrence of a Genetic Disorder and Cancer?
 What Can We Learn From the Co-occurrence of a Genetic Disorder and Cancer? 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Researchers investigate an unusual case of concurrent genetic and somatic diagnoses. In a new paper in the European Journal of Medical Genetics, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital discuss the case of a 4-year-old with both a rare genetic disorder and medulloblastoma. Genetic analyses allowed them to evaluate the cause of the genetic disorder and provided support…

New Model Provides Novel View of Congenital Heart Disease
 New Model Provides Novel View of Congenital Heart Disease 150 150 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck

The small animal model helps researchers to interpret genomic findings. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have developed the first mouse model of congenital heart valve disease using a human gene carrying a disease-causing mutation. Using this model, they were able to follow the human valve disease phenotype from birth to adulthood and identify developmental deficits…

Do Seizure Action Plans Make a Difference for Patients and Families?
 Do Seizure Action Plans Make a Difference for Patients and Families? 150 150 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Families given a written plan were more comfortable with seizure care and missed fewer appointments. Caregivers for children with epilepsy were more likely to bring their children to regularly scheduled clinic visits if they had previously been given a printed seizure action plan tailored to help them understand their child’s condition, manage it at home…

Family Support Linked to Resilience in Kindergarteners Born Preterm
 Family Support Linked to Resilience in Kindergarteners Born Preterm 150 150 Adelaide Feibel
By: Adelaide Feibel

Despite known adverse outcomes associated with prematurity, a large minority of kindergarteners born preterm exhibit none of them. For years, medical researchers have dedicated countless hours to studying the adverse outcomes of premature births. But in their attempts to illuminate the incidence of cognitive, behavioral and learning deficits in preterm and low-birth-weight infants, researchers have…

Bias: Do You See What Influences You?
 Bias: Do You See What Influences You? 1024 575 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

In the United States, children of color have worse clinical outcomes than white children. Racial disparities have been documented in nearly every pediatric specialty. Among the most studied and most widely perpetuated disparities are those between black and white children. For example: The infant mortality rate, while declining overall, is nearly three times higher for…

How and When Do Children Become Aware of the Construct of “Race”?
 How and When Do Children Become Aware of the Construct of “Race”? 1024 737 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

Researchers have shown that babies of color are just as likely to experience bias as adults of color. But very young children don’t interpret that experience in the same way as older children. “Children become aware of differences in physical characteristics of human beings when they are 3 years old. They notice differences in sex…

A New Therapeutic Era in Pediatric Functional and Motility Disorders
 A New Therapeutic Era in Pediatric Functional and Motility Disorders 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

20 years ago, treatment options were limited for children with functional gastrointestinal (GI) and motility disorders. Now, a growing list of drugs, behavioral and dietary care plans, and an advanced, forward-looking technique – neuromodulation – are transforming pediatric GI care. Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are notoriously difficult to diagnose. Virtually all functional and motility-related GI problems…

Finding the Reasons Why: Looking for Answers in Trends of Child and Youth Suicides
 Finding the Reasons Why: Looking for Answers in Trends of Child and Youth Suicides 1024 575 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Epidemiological studies are the first step to learn how to prevent suicide attempts and deaths. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-olds. And even as awareness grows, the suicide rate continues to climb, according to national statistics. But those national statistics don’t tell the whole story. For decades, researchers around the…

Why Advocate?
 Why Advocate? 1024 575 Ray Bignall
By: Ray Bignall

Several months ago, I had the privilege of attending a panel discussion on health in the African American community hosted by my local church. It was an opportunity for our largely African American congregation to hear from Black health professionals promoting health-seeking behavior in communities of color. Sitting in the audience, I listened as each…

In Defense Against Peritonitis, Antimicrobial Peptides May Help on Multiple Fronts
 In Defense Against Peritonitis, Antimicrobial Peptides May Help on Multiple Fronts 150 150 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Study suggests AMPs have potential as biomarkers for peritonitis, risk stratification and treatment. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the Ribonuclease A Superfamily exhibit distinct patterns when children and adults undergoing chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) suffer from peritonitis, researchers have found. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, suggest that AMPs in peritoneal fluid are potentially useful as…

How Much Opioid Medication Should Pediatric Orthopedic Patients Receive?
 How Much Opioid Medication Should Pediatric Orthopedic Patients Receive? 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

A study suggests doses could be tailored to each particular patient’s injury. Doctors have traditionally used opioids as the primary component of pain management after orthopedic surgery in pediatric patients. But with the misuse and abuse of prescription opioids a growing public health concern, doctors are looking to limit what they prescribe to the minimum…