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Abbie Miller

Targeting Bacterial Biofilm Linchpin Prevents and Treats Recalcitrant Biofilm-Mediated Infections
 Targeting Bacterial Biofilm Linchpin Prevents and Treats Recalcitrant Biofilm-Mediated Infections 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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Illustration showing the precise pattern of a biofilm - a perfect, 3D matrix

A new study highlights two approaches with substantive efficacy and potential for broad application to combat biofilm-mediated diseases. Chronic and recurrent bacterial diseases are treatment-resistant due to the ability of the pathogens to establish biofilms, which act as fortresses built of extracellular DNA and proteins to protect populations of the bacteria. For more than 11…

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From Expectant Parents to Advocates: One Family’s Journey With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
 From Expectant Parents to Advocates: One Family’s Journey With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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Mila’s parents wanted her to have the best chance at surviving her high-risk comprehensive stage 2 surgery – their journey led them to The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s. Mid-way into their pregnancy, Jacob and Kayla went in for their 20-week ultrasound. “We were very excited to get into things like paint colors for our…

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Encouraging First Report of Systemic Delivery of Micro-dystrophin Gene Therapy in Children With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
 Encouraging First Report of Systemic Delivery of Micro-dystrophin Gene Therapy in Children With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 150 150 Abbie Miller
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One-year data from the first four patients to receive a single dose of the rAAVrh74.MHCK7.micro-dystrophin gene therapy is published in JAMA Neurology. Researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital have published in JAMA Neurology results from the first four patients treated in the first clinical trial of systemic delivery of micro-dystrophin gene therapy in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy…

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Clinical Trials for Blood Cancers: Advancing Options for Children and Young Adults
 Clinical Trials for Blood Cancers: Advancing Options for Children and Young Adults 1024 683 Abbie Miller
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Most cancer treatments are first discovered, developed and approved for adult patients. But translating those therapies to pediatric and young adult patients with cancers can be more of a winding path than a superhighway. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplant is dedicated to participating in and supporting clinical…

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Study of Children With COVID-19 Admitted to US and Canadian Pediatric Intensive Care Units
 Study of Children With COVID-19 Admitted to US and Canadian Pediatric Intensive Care Units 1024 683 Abbie Miller
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Publication examines the characteristics and outcomes of children with COVID-19 who were admitted to North American PICUs. While two studies from Wuhan, China, have indicated that COVID-19 disease burden and severity seems to be lower in children, it remains to be seen how children around the world will fare as the pandemic progresses. In March…

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Using Genomics to Unlock Secrets of Recurrent Ear Infections
 Using Genomics to Unlock Secrets of Recurrent Ear Infections 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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conceptual art of DNA

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) is responsible for many acute and recurrent infections in children, such as otitis media. Otitis media – middle ear infection – is a common type of recurrent infection in children, with as many as 700 million acute cases and 300 million recurrent cases each year. One type of bacteria responsible for…

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Searching for a Predictive Biomarker of Pulmonary Hypertension in Babies With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
 Searching for a Predictive Biomarker of Pulmonary Hypertension in Babies With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the lungs and is a comorbidity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), which is the chronic lung disease of premature babies. When pulmonary hypertension is present in the context of BPD, the risk of death is significantly increased. As neonatologists continue to define the phenotype of severe BPD, Jennifer Trittmann, MD, MPH,…

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THRIVING After Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
 THRIVING After Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia 1024 731 Abbie Miller
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Meet Willow. She was born via emergency C-section at just 22 weeks. Doctors at the delivering hospital told Willow’s mom Cortney that her baby’s chances of survival were low. But after a long journey through the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Willow is a vivacious 4-year-old looking forward to starting kindergarten…

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Epigenetics, Chromatin Architecture and a Judo Mechanism to Attack Cancer
 Epigenetics, Chromatin Architecture and a Judo Mechanism to Attack Cancer 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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yellow squiggly lines representing chromatin strands in the nucleus

Researchers broaden the understanding chromatin architecture in human disease. Epigenetics is the study of how genetic information is context-dependent: it is organized so it can be repressed, but also read, repaired and replicated. For example, transcription factors can “communicate” with each other through the chromatin-DNA interface, and work in combinations to regulate which genes are…

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What Could COVID-19 Mean for Pediatrics?
 What Could COVID-19 Mean for Pediatrics? 1024 683 Abbie Miller
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As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, experts are digging into the data and establishing protocols to better understand the illness in the context of pediatrics. As COVID-19, the illness caused by a novel coronavirus, has reached pandemic status, life has changed dramatically. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the halls are uncharacteristically quiet as a “stay at…

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Health Care and Medication Use Among Adolescents with Opioid Use Disorder in Ohio
 Health Care and Medication Use Among Adolescents with Opioid Use Disorder in Ohio 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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From Ohio – a state in the heart of the opioid crisis – a new study on the medications prescribed to teens with opioid use disorder. A new study from researchers in the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, recently published in Journal of Adolescent Health,…

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A Natural History of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Boys 3 to 6 Years Old
 A Natural History of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Boys 3 to 6 Years Old 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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boy with muscular dystrophy completing walk test

A prospective, multicenter study following 153 boys younger than 6 years old documents disease progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common inherited neuromuscular disorder that affects all races and ethnicities. It affects males, occurring in 1/3,600 live-born infant boys. While some affected newborns may have mild hypotonia, other symptoms are rarely…

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How Does a Children’s Hospital Excel in the Discovery and Development of New Therapies?
 How Does a Children’s Hospital Excel in the Discovery and Development of New Therapies? 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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conceptual art of DNA

A conversation with Dennis Durbin, MD, MSCE chief scientific officer, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Nationwide Children’s has become an epicenter for gene therapy discovery and development. The discovery in 2009 that adeno-associated virus (AAV) could cross the blood-brain barrier was a milestone in the development of dozens of gene therapy products for neuromuscular…

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From Natural Killer Cells to Virus-Specific T Cells: What’s Next in Cellular Therapy
 From Natural Killer Cells to Virus-Specific T Cells: What’s Next in Cellular Therapy 969 533 Abbie Miller
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Illustration of NK Cells, T Cells, other immune cells floating across white background

Harnessing the power of the immune system to overcome cancer, improve outcomes of bone marrow transplants and fight viral infections in immunocompromised pediatric patients is at the heart of cell therapy research.   Natural Killers in Action Natural killer (NK) cells are a component of the innate immune system that mediates the death of cancer…

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Answers to Burning Questions About Pediatric Urinary Tract Infections
 Answers to Burning Questions About Pediatric Urinary Tract Infections 1024 683 Abbie Miller
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Nationwide Children’s urologists and nephrologists recently co-hosted a Twitter chat for primary care providers, answering common questions about pediatric urinary tract infections (UTIs). Below is a summary of the questions and answers, adapted for brevity and clarity. Q: What causes UTIs in children? A: UTIs are typically caused by uropathogenic E. coli bacteria that invade the urinary…

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Using an Evidence-Based Parenting Program to Engage a Community
 Using an Evidence-Based Parenting Program to Engage a Community 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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Given the similar size and distribution of Asian and Hispanic populations in central Ohio, Michael Flores, PhD, clinical team coordinator in the Big Lots Behavioral Health Services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, was puzzled about why significantly fewer Asian families were seeking mental and behavioral health services at Nationwide Children’s. Roughly 4.9% of the Columbus population…

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Reducing Asthma-Related Emergency Department Visits
 Reducing Asthma-Related Emergency Department Visits 480 320 Abbie Miller
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Through serial interventions and teamwork, the initiative reduced asthma-related ED utilization rates by nearly 4% per year at a time when national rates were rising. Numerous studies have demonstrated that quality improvement (QI) methodologies improve asthma outcomes. However, moving that success from individual patients to a large population is challenging. In a recent study published…

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Percutaneous Occlusion Linked to Respiratory Improvements in Low-Weight Infants with PDA
 Percutaneous Occlusion Linked to Respiratory Improvements in Low-Weight Infants with PDA 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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Nurse caring for infant in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Percutaneous occlusion for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in infants weighing less than 6 kg is associated with potential longer term improvements in respiratory health, research by investigators at Nationwide Children’s Hospital shows. “A new device for PDA closure recently approved by the FDA has potential to reduce the incidence of device-related complications. This important work…

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When Should Preoperative Neuromonitoring for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Be Used?
 When Should Preoperative Neuromonitoring for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Be Used? 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Study leads researchers to recommend against routine use of preoperative SSEP/TMS testing in cases of AIS requiring corrective surgery. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a coronal curvature of the spine that affects 1 to 3% of adolescents. Of these, a very small percentage – at most 0.5% – progress to the point of needing surgical…

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Improving Medication Dosing Consistency for Infants With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
 Improving Medication Dosing Consistency for Infants With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome 150 150 Abbie Miller
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A quality improvement initiative effectively increases the percentage of infants dosed according to birth weight. From 2000 to 2009, prenatal maternal opiate use increased from 1.2 to 5.6 per 1,000 births, with up to 80% of in utero exposed infants requiring pharmacotherapy for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). In Ohio, home of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the exposure rate…

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It’s Not All About Weight: Treating and Managing Obesity in Pediatric Patients
 It’s Not All About Weight: Treating and Managing Obesity in Pediatric Patients 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Study highlights different metrics for measuring success of a weight management program for pediatrics. For pediatric patients who have severe obesity that is not well managed with the routine standard of care – diet, exercise and a meeting with a dietician – a more structured, multidisciplinary approach may be warranted. And for patients with endocrine…

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Meet Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD
 Meet Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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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…

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

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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
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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…

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Stopping Progression of Tissue Injury after Button Battery Ingestion
 Stopping Progression of Tissue Injury after Button Battery Ingestion 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Irrigation with acetic acid neutralizes tissue and prevents delayed esophageal complications. Button battery injuries in children have been increasingly severe – resulting in devastating injuries and even death. Button batteries damage esophageal tissue through isothermic hydrolysis reactions, resulting in alkaline caustic injury, which leads to tissue necrosis. Prompt removal of the battery is critical to…

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Swallowing Functions Remain Worse in Preterm Infants Even at Full-Term Equivalent Age
 Swallowing Functions Remain Worse in Preterm Infants Even at Full-Term Equivalent Age 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Preterm infants exerted greater effort than full-term infants to consume less than half the volume in a recent study led by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Preterm infants face many challenges as they enter the world too soon. One of the biggest challenges is learning the coordination of the suck-swallow refex that allows them to…

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Study Finds No Correlation Between Brain Function and Head Impacts After Two Seasons of Youth Tackle Football
 Study Finds No Correlation Between Brain Function and Head Impacts After Two Seasons of Youth Tackle Football 150 150 Abbie Miller
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In a prospective study of children playing tackle football, researchers find minimal changes in neurocognitive outcomes – and any changes were not correlated to number or severity of head impacts. Many parents, potential players and medical providers are increasingly wary of youth contact sports participation. The concern over the potential short- and long-term effects of…

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Pinterest Perfect Isn’t the Whole Story When It Comes to Safety
 Pinterest Perfect Isn’t the Whole Story When It Comes to Safety 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Imagine the scene: It’s late at night. You’re planning a party for your friend/spouse/child. Your phone is in your hand. What are you doing? You’re probably looking for inspiration on Pinterest or other social media sites. And while they might be the perfect places to find ideas for decorations or a new cupcake recipe, would…

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An Infant. A Virus. An Emergency IND. A Life Saved.
 An Infant. A Virus. An Emergency IND. A Life Saved. 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Clinician scientists collaborate to use virus-specific T-cells from the mother to successfully treat a systemic adenovirus infection in a preterm infant. It’s not every day that researchers can say that they’ve written and submitted and emergency investigational new drug (EIND) application to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and saved a life. But that’s what…

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What’s Next for NEC?
 What’s Next for NEC? 898 504 Abbie Miller
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Red. White. Black. These are the colors of necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC. When surgeons open the distended abdomens of the tiny infants affected by NEC, they see a mottled mixture of red (inflamed), white (ischemic) and black (dead) tissue. Their first task is to assess whether or not there is enough viable tissue to save.…

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Fetal Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty for Critical Aortic Stenosis
 Fetal Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty for Critical Aortic Stenosis 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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Fetus in utero receiving valvuloplasty

Some heart defects, such as aortic stenosis can be detected on fetal ultrasound. For some fetuses, an intervention can be beneficial before birth. Aimee Armstrong, MD, director of Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Therapies at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, performs fetal balloon aortic valvuloplasty among other fetal heart catheterization procedures as part of the Congenital Heart Collaborative, a…

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Long-Term Follow Up of Patients Receiving Novel Gene Therapy for SMA Type I
 Long-Term Follow Up of Patients Receiving Novel Gene Therapy for SMA Type I 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1) is a rare neuromuscular disease in which 75 percent of affected children die or require permanent ventilation by 13.6 months. Researchers recently published the long-term outcomes of patients who received the investigational drug AVXS-101 – an adeno-associated virus serotype 9 mediated gene replacement therapy. Twelve children aged 1 to…

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Collaboration Key in Recent Advances for Batten Disease
 Collaboration Key in Recent Advances for Batten Disease 1024 683 Abbie Miller
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Batten disease (neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis) is a collection of lysosomal storage disorders caused by a variety of genetic mutations. These disorders cause an accumulation of cellular “trash” to build up, ultimately causing the neurons to die. So far, scientists have identified 13 different versions of Batten disease, each with its own associated genetic mutation. Each version…

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National Survey of Emergency Department Management of Self-Harm Highlights Successes, Room for Improvement
 National Survey of Emergency Department Management of Self-Harm Highlights Successes, Room for Improvement 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Only 15 percent of hospitals surveyed routinely provided all recommended safety planning elements. Approximately half a million patients in the United States arrive in emergency departments (EDs) after deliberate self-harm annually. In the short term following the ED visit, these patients are at high risk for repeated self-harm and suicide. In a study published [today]…

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New Guidelines for Home Oxygen Therapy in Pediatric Patients
 New Guidelines for Home Oxygen Therapy in Pediatric Patients 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Suicide Deaths Among Incarcerated Youth
 Suicide Deaths Among Incarcerated Youth 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Influences of Maternal Diabetes on Fetal Heart Development
 Influences of Maternal Diabetes on Fetal Heart Development 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Big Gains in FSHD Research: A Newly Published Model of FSHD and a Potential Gene Therapy to Improve Functional Outcomes
 Big Gains in FSHD Research: A Newly Published Model of FSHD and a Potential Gene Therapy to Improve Functional Outcomes 150 150 Abbie Miller
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The model aims to provide the basis for many future studies to bring therapeutic options to patients with FSHD. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is the most prevalent dominantly inherited muscular dystrophy in the world. To date, there are no pharmacologic treatments available for the more than 850,000 people affected worldwide. Developing models to use for…

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Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: “They Get the Job Done”
 Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: “They Get the Job Done” 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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Research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2018 National Conference finds that the growing number of grandparents serving as sole caregivers for their grandchildren are coping well. In the United States, millions of children are being raised solely by their grandparents. As the opioid crisis and other factors continue to disrupt families, experts expect the number…

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Using Quality Improvement to Customize Opioid Reduction Strategies
 Using Quality Improvement to Customize Opioid Reduction Strategies 1024 681 Abbie Miller
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Different specialties across pediatrics have different uses, indications and practices when it comes to opioids. Many primary care pediatricians do not routinely prescribe them. Pediatric surgical specialties, however, may use opioid medications more frequently depending on the patient and procedure performed. While broad restrictions, such as those enacted on the federal and state levels, aimed…

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The Impact of Opioids on Children
 The Impact of Opioids on Children 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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A black-and-white image of an adolescent White boy, a young Black girl, an adolescent White girl, a Black teen boy, and a young White mom and her infant, all in a row across the screen, all in white shirts, and all with solemn expressions.

The faces above represent the young lives affected by the opioid crisis. Children who are losing their parents to addiction and overdoses. Children who live in instability and uncertainty. Children who spend their earliest weeks in withdrawal. And children who are at risk of developing their own addictions. Here in Columbus, Ohio, we’ve had a…

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Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Transforming Care for Newborns and Their Families
 Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Transforming Care for Newborns and Their Families 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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If there’s a success story to be told at this point in the history of the opioid crisis, it’s in the newborn intensive care unit. From changing attitudes to standardizing treatment, clinical care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and their families is markedly different than it was 10 years ago.   CHANGING ATTITUDES…

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What Happens When Opioid-Exposed Babies Go Home?
 What Happens When Opioid-Exposed Babies Go Home? 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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Black and white image of an unsmiling White woman holding a young, awake infant in the right third of the frame

Follow-up for babies with NAS or prenatal opioid exposure is essential for understanding risks and outcomes.

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Managing Pain in an Era of Opioid Abuse
 Managing Pain in an Era of Opioid Abuse 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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A black-and-white image of an adolescent White boy, a young Black girl, an adolescent White girl, a Black teen boy, and a young White mom and her infant, all in a row across the screen, all in white shirts, and all with solemn expressions.

Managing pain is complicated. Not that long ago, perhaps 50 years or so, pain was understood to be a multidisciplinary issue requiring many different approaches. Doctors would recommend lifestyle changes, complementary therapies and medications to treat chronic pain. Then something changed. Opioids began being marketed as “nonaddictive.” Pain became the “5th vital sign,” and physicians…

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What Can Bench Science Teach Us About Opioid Abuse?
 What Can Bench Science Teach Us About Opioid Abuse? 150 150 Abbie Miller
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In vitro models can help answer big questions about neonatal abstinence syndrome and fetal drug exposure.

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Breaking the Cycle: Preventing and Treating Addiction in Youth
 Breaking the Cycle: Preventing and Treating Addiction in Youth 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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Virtually all addictions begin during adolescence. And nearly 4 million 12-25 year olds in the United States have a substance abuse problem, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Substance abuse in adolescents is not restricted to opioids, but in the midst of this national crisis, too many young people are finding…

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Is Your Patient Really Allergic to Penicillin?
 Is Your Patient Really Allergic to Penicillin? 150 150 Abbie Miller
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Cumulative Subconcussive Impacts in a Single Season of Youth Football Not Associated With Declines in Neurocognitive Measures
 Cumulative Subconcussive Impacts in a Single Season of Youth Football Not Associated With Declines in Neurocognitive Measures 1024 575 Abbie Miller
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In an investigation of head impact burden and change in neurocognitive function during a season of youth football, researchers find that sub-concussive impacts are not correlated with worsening performance in neurocognitive function. Each year, more than 3 million children in primary and high school play tackle football in the United States. Growing concern about the…

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