Monthly Archives :

January 2023

Myopericarditis After COVID-19 Vaccination
Myopericarditis After COVID-19 Vaccination 1024 683 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

A meta-analysis of international studies offers more detailed insight into the severity and outcomes of vaccine-related myopericarditis in the adolescent and young adult population. Concerns over myopericarditis and other cardiovascular complications in teens and young adults have gained considerable media attention. While myopericarditis-related data have been well characterized in adults with and without vaccination, the…

New Guidelines for Care of Children With Cerebral Palsy
New Guidelines for Care of Children With Cerebral Palsy 1024 683 Abbie Miller
Young child with Cerebral Palsy

Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine highlight advances in diagnosis, care and outcomes for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. In late 2022, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine released new guidelines to help primary…

Virtual Support for Educating Parents of Newborns with Sickle Cell Trait
Virtual Support for Educating Parents of Newborns with Sickle Cell Trait 1024 681 Mary Bates, PhD
Black couple with newborn

A supplementary videoconferencing program engages parents and reduces worry about sickle cell trait status. Nearly 3 million people in the U.S. have sickle cell trait (SCT), in which they inherit one sickle cell gene and one normal gene. Individuals with SCT are usually asymptomatic; however, two parents with SCT have a 25% chance of having…

Fertility-Related Care for Girls With Turner Syndrome
Fertility-Related Care for Girls With Turner Syndrome 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Recent survey of providers shows fertility counseling and referrals are delivered inconsistently in this population. Researchers from Nationwide Children’s recently assessed practices surrounding fertility-related care among clinical providers who treat girls with Turner syndrome. They found that fertility counseling and referral rates remain inconsistent and identified common barriers to fertility care in this population. Turner…

New Insights into the Role of the NOTCH1 Gene in Congenital Heart Defects
New Insights into the Role of the NOTCH1 Gene in Congenital Heart Defects 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Experiments in human cells identify how mutations in the NOTCH1 gene impact cardiac cell differentiation and proliferation. A new study published in Circulation Research provides novel insights into how mutations in the NOTCH1 gene may lead to abnormal differentiation and proliferation of cardiomyocytes and contribute to ventricular hypoplasia and other structural anomalies found in congenital…

Featured Researcher — Jonathan Slaughter, MD, MPH
Featured Researcher — Jonathan Slaughter, MD, MPH 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Jonathan Slaughter, MD, MPH, neonatologist and principal investigator in the Center for Perinatal Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, works to identify best practices and reduce treatment variation to improve neonatal clinical care and outcomes. His career took off when, after casually observing practice variation across the institutions where he received training, he noticed that preterm…

Genomic Medicine Translational Protocols – What Do They Mean for Patients Everywhere?
Genomic Medicine Translational Protocols – What Do They Mean for Patients Everywhere? 1024 614 Elizabeth Varga
abstract art of magnifying glass over DNA strand

As part of the Journey to Best Outcomes, Nationwide Children’s Hospital has dedicated significant resources to genomic medicine, named as a key accelerator in the 2017-2021 strategic plan and as one of the three pillars that will be utilized to integrate research and clinical care over the next five years. In response, the Steve and…

Study Identifies Multiple Cell Signaling Pathways for Calcification in Aortic Valve Disease Regulated by Nitric Oxide
Study Identifies Multiple Cell Signaling Pathways for Calcification in Aortic Valve Disease Regulated by Nitric Oxide 1024 753 Lauren Dembeck

Exploring novel signaling mediators in calcific aortic valve disease may pave the way for the development of pharmacotherapies to treat this intractable condition during early stages of its progression.   Calcific aortic valve disease is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by progressive fibrosis and calcification of the heart valves, which can cause narrowing of the…

Preventing Pregnancies for Patients on Teratogenic Medications
Preventing Pregnancies for Patients on Teratogenic Medications 1024 575 Emily Siebenmorgen
Teen girl with backpack

In a recent study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, researchers increased the time between pregnancies for patients on teratogenic medications from an average of 52 days to over 900 days through quality improvement (QI) and behavioral economics. Teratogenic medications such as methotrexate and mycophenolate are often used to treat rheumatic diseases. They can also result in…

Exploring the Complex Immune Microenvironment of Rasmussen Encephalitis
Exploring the Complex Immune Microenvironment of Rasmussen Encephalitis 1024 587 Lauren Dembeck

Researchers used a multi-omics approach to gain a deeper understanding of aberrant cellular signaling leading to progression of a rare childhood neurological disease.   Rasmussen encephalitis is a very rare childhood neurological disease characterized by chronic progressive inflammation of one hemisphere of the brain, leading to loss of function, neurodegeneration, and drug-resistant epilepsy. Researchers have…

Low-Resource Screening Tool Demonstrates Superior Predictive Value for Cerebral Palsy in Infants
Low-Resource Screening Tool Demonstrates Superior Predictive Value for Cerebral Palsy in Infants 1024 683 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

The use of lower-resource screening tools for cerebral palsy in infants can help increase early detection of the condition and promote access to early interventions.   A recent study reported that the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE), when compared with the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP), had the better predictive value for detecting cerebral…

Real-World Urinary Management and Outcomes in Cloacal Exstrophy Among Children and Adults
Real-World Urinary Management and Outcomes in Cloacal Exstrophy Among Children and Adults 1024 683 Jessica Nye, PhD
Molly Fuchs, MD

Most (94%) older children and adults with cloacal exstrophy are managed by incontinent diversion or clean intermittent catheterization. “The published literature about cloacal exstrophy can be misleading, and there is an impression that with surgical bladder reconstruction, normal bladder function and voiding can be restored. That is to say, a child will be able to…