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Gina Bericchia

Suicide Rates Spike Nationally Among Youth After “13 Reasons Why” Release
Suicide Rates Spike Nationally Among Youth After “13 Reasons Why” Release 150 150 Gina Bericchia

Media depictions of suicide should follow recommended guidelines to avoid harm. A recent study revealed approximately 195 more youth suicide deaths than expected were associated with the television series “13 Reasons Why” in the nine months immediately following the series release. The study, led by Nationwide Children’s Hospital with collaborators, demonstrated that following the series…

Wishes Help Keep Pediatric Patients Out of the Hospital
Wishes Help Keep Pediatric Patients Out of the Hospital 150 150 Gina Bericchia

Cimone Stills, 15, has a medical condition that has caused her to have multiple seizures a day for most of her life. Specifically, she has treatment-resistant generalized epilepsy because of a genetic variation. Like many patients with such a serious illness, it affects her daily life and as a result, she was diagnosed with clinical…

Difficult, But Essential Conversations: Talking With Kids About Suicide
Difficult, But Essential Conversations: Talking With Kids About Suicide 1024 575 Gina Bericchia

Experts say open conversations with kids about suicide could save lives. As kids head back to school this year, many of them will be struggling. According to national statistics, we lose more than 2,000 children and teens per year to suicide. Experts say parents who check in regularly with their child could have a life-saving…

After Bariatric Surgery, Adolescents Show Decreased Risk for Cardiovascular Disease
After Bariatric Surgery, Adolescents Show Decreased Risk for Cardiovascular Disease 150 150 Gina Bericchia

Three years after surgery, only 5 percent of study participants had three or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease, a significant reduction from 33 percent before surgery. Adolescents with severe obesity who had bariatric surgery showed significant improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to the most recent “Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery” (Teen-LABS)…

New App Enables Families and Researchers to Track Seizures With an Apple Watch
New App Enables Families and Researchers to Track Seizures With an Apple Watch 150 150 Gina Bericchia

Could a wearable app help children with seizures? With the launch of the Track It! app for Apple Watch, that’s what researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital are hoping to find out. Nationwide Children’s Hospital and SeizureTracker.com recently introduced a new wearable app to help track seizures called Track It!, which free to download for the Apple Watch in the…

Changing the Game: Virtual Reality Distracts From Pain, Transforming the Patient Experience
Changing the Game: Virtual Reality Distracts From Pain, Transforming the Patient Experience 844 487 Gina Bericchia

A first-of-its-kind virtual reality experience from the hemophilia team and design experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University distracts patients with an immersive environment of penguins, pirates and hermit crabs during infusions and other procedures. A pilot study is testing the feasibility of integrating the virtual reality technology into the clinic setting.…

Using Antibiotics Alone for Children with Uncomplicated Appendicitis
Using Antibiotics Alone for Children with Uncomplicated Appendicitis 150 150 Gina Bericchia

One year follow-up of patients treated only with antibiotics found that 76 percent avoided surgery. Using antibiotics alone to treat children with uncomplicated acute appendicitis is a reasonable alternative to surgery when chosen by the family, finds a recent study led by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Three out of four children with uncomplicated appendicitis…

Genetic Testing for Pediatric Epilepsy Can Be Complicated but Beneficial
Genetic Testing for Pediatric Epilepsy Can Be Complicated but Beneficial 150 150 Gina Bericchia

Application of genetic testing in pediatric epilepsy requires understanding of the advantages and limitations of testing modalities The use of genetic testing in pediatric epilepsy is complicated and the list of known epilepsy genes changes almost daily. The steps from a doctor initially evaluating a patient when they first demonstrate the symptoms of epilepsy to genetic diagnosis…

Crohn’s Disease Not Exempt From Racial Disparities
Crohn’s Disease Not Exempt From Racial Disparities 150 150 Gina Bericchia

Disparities exist among pediatric Crohn’s patients of different races for a number of health care metrics. A study published in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases found significant differences in hospital readmissions, medication usage and both medical and surgical complications of children with Crohn’s disease related to race. In the study, black children had a 1.5 times higher frequency…