In Brief

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

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…

Pushing the Boundaries of Regional Anesthesia for Complex Urological Surgery
Pushing the Boundaries of Regional Anesthesia for Complex Urological Surgery 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Physician-researchers extend the possibilities for regional anesthesia using combined spinal/caudal catheter anesthesia, allowing even complex, time-consuming pediatric urological surgeries to be completed without general anesthesia. In an effort to extend more regional anesthetic options to children undergoing urological procedures — and to obviate concerns about airway safety and theoretical neurocognitive effects of general anesthesia (GA)…

How Similar Is Chronic Pancreatitis Among Pediatric and Adult Patients?
How Similar Is Chronic Pancreatitis Among Pediatric and Adult Patients? 150 150 Lauren Dembeck

A large, international study highlights room for improvement in care and transition of patients ages 17 to 24 years old. A new study that compared adult patients with pancreatic disease starting when they were children with pediatric patients with pancreatic disease revealed remarkable similarities in the cause of the disease and progression to chronic pancreatitis.…

Most Seymour Fractures Can be Effectively Treated in the Emergency Room
Most Seymour Fractures Can be Effectively Treated in the Emergency Room 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

After decades of unclear optimal management for Seymour fractures, evidence suggests orthopedic surgeons need not treat all of these cases in the operating room. Seymour fractures — open fractures of the distal phalanx with a juxta-epiphyseal pattern — were long managed nonsurgically following their namesake’s landmark study from the 1960s that asserted the risks of…

Use of Cardiac MRI to Monitor Medical Treatment of Rhabdomyoma
Use of Cardiac MRI to Monitor Medical Treatment of Rhabdomyoma 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Case study shows success for medical therapy and MRI monitoring of a cardiac rhabdomyoma. In a new case study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital report treating cardiac rhabdomyoma in a newborn with an mTOR inhibitor called everolimus. They monitored the tumor’s regression using cardiac MRI. Cardiac rhabdomyoma is a common type of heart tumor in…

Preventing the Development of Muscular Dystrophy Through Surrogate Gene Therapy
Preventing the Development of Muscular Dystrophy Through Surrogate Gene Therapy 1024 683 Lauren Dembeck

Researchers identify a key regulatory protein implicated in Galgt2 overexpression and begin to elucidate its protective mechanism against muscular dystrophy. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have identified a small, soluble protein that can activate a human gene known to inhibit the development of muscular dystrophy when overexpressed in muscle. That is, when there is a…

Uroplakin Plaque Key to Protecting Kidney During Urinary Tract Obstruction
Uroplakin Plaque Key to Protecting Kidney During Urinary Tract Obstruction 150 150 Kevin Mayhood

Plaque appears to help remodel urothelium, allowing kidney to hold excess urine without damage, Urinary tract obstruction (UTO) is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease in children. But the extent of damage caused by obstruction differs from child to child. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital studying why suggest that uroplakin…

New Ultrasound Technique for Monitoring Liver Disease
New Ultrasound Technique for Monitoring Liver Disease 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Ultrasound elastography accurately and noninvasively measures liver fibrosis in patients with short bowel syndrome.

A Narrowing Gender Gap in Youth Suicides
A Narrowing Gender Gap in Youth Suicides 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD
Teen girl with backpack

Recent data show a disproportionate increase in the suicide rate among female relative to male youth, highlighting a significant reduction in the historically large gap in suicide rates between sexes.

Weight-Loss Surgery in Teens with Severe Obesity Offers Greater Benefits Than Waiting Until Adulthood
Weight-Loss Surgery in Teens with Severe Obesity Offers Greater Benefits Than Waiting Until Adulthood 1024 575 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
scale

Research reveals that gastric bypass surgery during the teen years offers a greater chance of reversal of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure than when the surgery is delayed until adulthood.

Addressing Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Primary Care
Addressing Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Primary Care 150 150 Jeb Phillips

Primary care providers play an important role in recognizing the disorder and in providing a bridge to mental health care providers.

Suicide Attempts by Self-Poisoning Have More Than Doubled in Teens, Young Adults
Suicide Attempts by Self-Poisoning Have More Than Doubled in Teens, Young Adults 1024 683 Katelyn Scott
silhouette girl portrait

A new study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center found rates of suicide attempts by self-poisoning among adolescents have more than doubled in the last decade in the U.S., and more than tripled for girls and young women. The study, published online today in The Journal of Pediatrics, evaluated the incidence and…

Why Preteens in the ED Should be Screened for Suicide Risk
Why Preteens in the ED Should be Screened for Suicide Risk 480 320 Kevin Mayhood

Screening revealed that 7% of 10-to-12-year-olds who came to three children’s hospital emergency departments for medical complaints such as headache, back pain or seizures, were at risk for suicide, a recent study found. More than half of children in the same age group presenting to the emergency department with psychiatric complaints such as depression, violent…

Development of Innovative Scoring Systems for Sickness and Tissue Damage From Clostridium difficile Colitis
Development of Innovative Scoring Systems for Sickness and Tissue Damage From Clostridium difficile Colitis 1024 575 Lauren Dembeck

In a new publication, the team reported the development of two novel scoring systems to consistently and efficiently assess sickness and tissue injury during antibiotic-associated C. difficile colitis in a murine model. “My laboratory at Nationwide Children’s Research Institute has collaborated for several years with two other laboratories, those of Dr. Steven Goodman and Dr. Michael Bailey.…

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…

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

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…

Toward a Cell-based Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease
Toward a Cell-based Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease 150 150 Jeb Phillips

Because cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease caused by mutations in the CFTR gene, the pulmonary disease could be reversed if CF airway epithelial cells were replaced with basal cells expressing CFTR without mutations. That is one of the ideas underpinning the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Epithelial Stem Cell Consortium, but there are a number of…

Pediatric Patients Receive Higher Radiation at Non-pediatric Trauma Centers
Pediatric Patients Receive Higher Radiation at Non-pediatric Trauma Centers 150 150 Bailey Dye

A novel software tool for calculating radiation burden has determined that pediatric trauma patients, evaluated using CT imaging primarily at adult trauma centers, demonstrate higher radiation exposure than those imaged primarily at a pediatric trauma center. Computed tomography (CT) is a mainstay of the diagnosis and treatment of trauma, the leading cause of death in…

Can Brain Imaging Help Predict Bipolar Disorder in High Risk Children?
Can Brain Imaging Help Predict Bipolar Disorder in High Risk Children? 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Patterns in connectivity in a portion of the frontal lobe called the inferior frontal gyrus appears to be an early biomarker in children of parents with bipolar disorder. Researchers report a potential neural marker of individual risk in those with a family history of bipolar disorder. The study, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, points to particular…

Novel Metric Predicts Severity of Community-Acquired Pneumonia
Novel Metric Predicts Severity of Community-Acquired Pneumonia 150 150 Rachael Hardison

Researchers utilize a biomarker to predict disease severity during early stages of pneumonia. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of hospitalization and mortality in children. Each year, 4 percent of children under 5 years of age will develop CAP in industrialized countries. Although pneumonia is common, diagnosing and treating it remains a challenge for…

“Learn From Every Patient” to Improve Clinical Care
“Learn From Every Patient” to Improve Clinical Care 150 150 Lauren Dembeck

How can busy clinicians tending to clinical care simultaneously conduct translational research and improve treatments for patients? The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Cerebral Palsy team recently reported an evidence-based change in practice — eliminating annual screening X-rays in patients mildly affected by CP — facilitated by use of the Learn From Every Patient (LFEP) Program. LFEP…

What Pediatric Care Providers Need to Know About Kratom
What Pediatric Care Providers Need to Know About Kratom 150 150 Laura Dattner

The herbal supplement is increasingly the source of toxic exposures and health care facility admissions. In recent years, kratom has become popular as a treatment for chronic or acute pain as well as mood conditions such as depression and anxiety. It is also sometimes used to help with opioid withdrawal. While there is a perception…

Acid Reflux Index Severity Alone Should Not Determine GERD Diagnosis
Acid Reflux Index Severity Alone Should Not Determine GERD Diagnosis 150 150 Kevin Mayhood

ARI severity plays little role in symptom generation, but symptoms alone are unreliable for diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease, researchers say. However, a new study from the Neonatal and Infant Feeding Disorders Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital shows that stomach acid alone doesn’t appear to have much to do with GERD at all, and responses to esophageal stimulation…

Vaccine Enables Model to Clear Hepatitis C Virus and Prevent Persistence
Vaccine Enables Model to Clear Hepatitis C Virus and Prevent Persistence 150 150 Kevin Mayhood

Scientists are conceptualizing an effective HCV vaccine using a new animal model. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) subverts responses of immune cells, resulting in chronic infection in more than 71 million people worldwide. The virus causes 1.79 million new infections and 399,000 deaths worldwide annually. Antivrials can cure the disease but are unaffordable or not available…

Keeping Young Patients With Congenital Heart Disease Connected to Care
Keeping Young Patients With Congenital Heart Disease Connected to Care 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Race, type of insurance and severity of disease affect likelihood of experiencing a lapse in care for CHD patients younger than 5 years. Lapse in care is prevalent among congenital heart disease survivors by age five, with nonwhites demonstrating elevated risk, according to a new study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital researchers. Medicaid patients and those…

A Simple Measure to Help Early Detection of Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy in Infants
A Simple Measure to Help Early Detection of Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy in Infants 150 150 Jeb Phillips

An easily derived Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination asymmetry score, in combination with the total HINE score, differentiates typically developing infants from those with hemiplegic CP. While cerebral palsy can now be diagnosed at 6 months of age – allowing for earlier interventions and better potential outcomes than ever before – evaluation can be difficult in…

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

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]…

Simple Tip for Elbow Pinning: Adjust Your Wire Size
Simple Tip for Elbow Pinning: Adjust Your Wire Size 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Growth Hormone Also Has Metabolic Benefits
Growth Hormone Also Has Metabolic Benefits 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Do All Cystic Fibrosis Modulators Improve Killing of Bacteria?
Do All Cystic Fibrosis Modulators Improve Killing of Bacteria? 150 150 Lauren Dembeck

Study Provides New Clinical Evidence That Avoids Painful Tests for Infants With Fever
Study Provides New Clinical Evidence That Avoids Painful Tests for Infants With Fever 150 150 Nationwide Children's

New Guidelines for Home Oxygen Therapy in Pediatric Patients
New Guidelines for Home Oxygen Therapy in Pediatric Patients 150 150 Abbie Miller

A High Risk of Urological Diagnosis in Anorectal Malformations
A High Risk of Urological Diagnosis in Anorectal Malformations 150 150 Jeb Phillips

Predicting Subsequent Hip Slips in Children Using MRI
Predicting Subsequent Hip Slips in Children Using MRI 150 150 Lauren Dembeck

Suicide Deaths Among Incarcerated Youth
Suicide Deaths Among Incarcerated Youth 150 150 Abbie Miller

Endocrinology Considerations in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Endocrinology Considerations in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 150 150 Jeb Phillips

New Year’s Resolution: Be Mentally Fit
New Year’s Resolution: Be Mentally Fit 150 150 Gina McDowell, LPCC

Concussion is Associated With a 2x Higher Risk of Suicide
Concussion is Associated With a 2x Higher Risk of Suicide 150 150 Jeb Phillips

Acid Suppression Should Not Be the First Treatment for Infants With Reflux
Acid Suppression Should Not Be the First Treatment for Infants With Reflux 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is common in infants. Many show no symptoms more serious than agitation and frequent regurgitation, and most cases resolve on their own by the time the child is 1 year old.

Despite a paucity of well-controlled clinical trials, acid suppression medications are commonly prescribed for infants with GER. In a paper published in Pediatric Drugs, physician researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital review the data regarding acid suppressants for infants as well as clinical practice guidelines for how and when to use these medications.

Influences of Maternal Diabetes on Fetal Heart Development
Influences of Maternal Diabetes on Fetal Heart Development 150 150 Abbie Miller

Beyond Survival: Improving Social Development in Preterm Infants
Beyond Survival: Improving Social Development in Preterm Infants 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Prediction of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension by Combining Clinical and Genetic Data
Prediction of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension by Combining Clinical and Genetic Data 150 150 Lauren Dembeck

Chronic Constipation: What Manometry Tells Us About Gastro-Colonic Response and Pathophysiology
Chronic Constipation: What Manometry Tells Us About Gastro-Colonic Response and Pathophysiology 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES