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In Brief

Targeting a Bacterial Switch to Treat Chronic Ear Infections
 Targeting a Bacterial Switch to Treat Chronic Ear Infections 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Child Sex Trafficking in the U.S. is Real — and a New Tool can Help Doctors Identify Victims
 Child Sex Trafficking in the U.S. is Real — and a New Tool can Help Doctors Identify Victims 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Researchers exploring the alarmingly high prevalence of child sex trafficking in the United States have validated a practical tool for identifying victims in multiple health care settings. At least one in every 10 minors visiting emergency departments, child advocacy centers and teen clinics for sexual trauma or assault are victims of child sex trafficking, according…

Researchers Identify Proteins Triggering Imbalance of Cells in Chronic Lung Disease
 Researchers Identify Proteins Triggering Imbalance of Cells in Chronic Lung Disease 1024 575 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood
Illustration of lungs on blue silhouette of upper chest on black background

A protein that triggers an imbalance of mucous and ciliated cells in patients with chronic lung disease could be a target for treatments to restore airways. Many chronic lung diseases in children and adults have one thing in common: the airway lining that normally traps and sweeps out bacteria, viruses and diesel particulates stops functioning…

DNA Variations Associated With Prolonged Walking in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
 DNA Variations Associated With Prolonged Walking in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 1024 575 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood
boy with muscular dystrophy completing walk test

Genome-wide association study identifies two variants that may yield therapies for children with DMD. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s have found that two DNA variants that play a role in gene regulation are associated with prolonged ability to walk in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Kevin Flanigan, MD, director of the Center for Gene Therapy,…

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
By: Abbie Miller

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…

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

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: “They Get the Job Done”
 Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: “They Get the Job Done” 1024 575 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

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…

Smoke Alarms Using Mother’s Voice Wake Children Better than High-Pitch Tone Alarms
 Smoke Alarms Using Mother’s Voice Wake Children Better than High-Pitch Tone Alarms 1024 575 Laura Dattner
By: Laura Dattner
Color image of young boy asleep in bed

When residential fires happen at night while people are sleeping, deaths are more likely to occur. Smoke alarms are important for preventing these deaths, yet many young children don’t wake up to traditional high-pitch tone alarms. In a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Sleep Disorders Center at Nationwide…

Using Quality Improvement to Customize Opioid Reduction Strategies
 Using Quality Improvement to Customize Opioid Reduction Strategies 1024 681 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

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…

Treating Pilonidal Disease with Laser Hair Depilation
 Treating Pilonidal Disease with Laser Hair Depilation 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Lymphocyte Response After a Burn Predicts Infection
 Lymphocyte Response After a Burn Predicts Infection 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

How to Reduce Cast Complications in Orthopedics
 How to Reduce Cast Complications in Orthopedics 150 150 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips

Enzyme Treatment Slows Decline in Common Form of Batten Disease
 Enzyme Treatment Slows Decline in Common Form of Batten Disease 150 150 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

The Changing Medical and Legal Landscape for Cannabidiol
 The Changing Medical and Legal Landscape for Cannabidiol 150 150 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips

Is Your Patient Really Allergic to Penicillin?
 Is Your Patient Really Allergic to Penicillin? 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

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
By: Abbie Miller

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…

Feeding Difficulties in Opioid-Exposed Infants — Mechanics and Possible Causes
 Feeding Difficulties in Opioid-Exposed Infants — Mechanics and Possible Causes 1024 575 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

A recent study suggests altered vagus nerve activity, creating resistance in the esophagus while swallowing. Infants exposed to opioids prenatally often show signs of gastroesophageal reflux disease. But a study by neonatologists at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that feeding troubles are more likely due to excessive pressure and a lack of coordinated muscle contractions in…

Can Ultrasound or MRI Help Monitor Dysgenetic Gonads for Tumors?
 Can Ultrasound or MRI Help Monitor Dysgenetic Gonads for Tumors? 150 150 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips

Dysplastic gonads that have neoplasms are often deemed “normal” in imaging studies. Patients with gonadal dysgenesis and a Y chromosome have a substantial risk of gonadal neoplasm, so providers have traditionally recommended bilateral gonadectomy for them. But relatively recent concerns about caring for children with differences of sex development (DSDs) have called that recommendation into…

Saving Constipation Treatment Costs With a Bowel Management Program
 Saving Constipation Treatment Costs With a Bowel Management Program 1024 575 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips
Simple illustrated diagram of the GI track with organs colorized and body outline and background in blue

A protocolized approach significantly reduced ED visits and hospital admissions for children with chronic constipation – and became a driver for surgical referrals. If hospitals are willing to foot the bill for staffing and start-up costs, a structured bowel management program for children with chronic severe constipation likely saves both individual and institutional health care…

Race, Insurance, and ED Visits for Pediatric Crohn’s Disease
 Race, Insurance, and ED Visits for Pediatric Crohn’s Disease 1024 680 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips
Close up color photo of little boy holding hands on his belly

Black children and children insured by Medicaid make more repeat emergency department visits for Crohn’s disease than their white and privately insured peers. In what appears to be the first nationally representative study evaluating the impact of race and insurance status on emergency department treatment for Crohn’s disease, a team of physicians and researchers at…

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

Housing for Health: An Early Look at What Can Happen When a Pediatric Health System Begins to Treat a Neighborhood as a Patient
 Housing for Health: An Early Look at What Can Happen When a Pediatric Health System Begins to Treat a Neighborhood as a Patient 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

In a recent publication in the journal Pediatrics, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital present a case study for treating a neighborhood as a patient. Neighborhood effect syndrome, characterized by symptoms of extreme poverty including blight, housing insecurity, racial segregation, trauma, violence, poorly performing schools, low social cohesion and support and environmental toxins, has debilitating consequences…

Guidance on Counseling Children at Risk for Fertility and Sexual Function Issues
 Guidance on Counseling Children at Risk for Fertility and Sexual Function Issues 150 150 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips

Many childhood medical conditions and treatments can affect reproductive health. A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics explains when and how doctors should address those concerns. While fertility and sexual function are most often considered adult issues, even very young children may have conditions that will have an impact on reproductive health later…

Antibiotic-Induced Disruption of Intestinal Microbiota Leads to Increased Mortality From a Respiratory Viral Infection
 Antibiotic-Induced Disruption of Intestinal Microbiota Leads to Increased Mortality From a Respiratory Viral Infection 150 150 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck

Recent study indicates that antibiotic use disrupts gastrointestinal microbial communities and can indirectly influence host immune response, even in distant tissues. “The indiscriminate and overuse of antibiotics may have further reaching consequences than just evolution of antibacterial-resistant superbugs,” says physician-scientist Mitchell Grayson, MD, lead author of a new study published in Frontiers in Immunology. Dr. Grayson, who…

Preclinical Gene Therapy Study Shows Muscle Restoration in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Model
 Preclinical Gene Therapy Study Shows Muscle Restoration in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Model 150 150 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Tests of NT-3 gene therapy on mouse models suggest potential to treat a host of muscle-wasting conditions.

QI Project Improves Response Time to Nurse Triage Phone Calls in Busy ENT Practice
 QI Project Improves Response Time to Nurse Triage Phone Calls in Busy ENT Practice 1024 683 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

A high-volume pediatric otolaryngology practice receives a lot of phone calls from patients and families. The practice at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which sees 32,000 clinic visits and 9,000 surgical patients each year, averaged more than 200 triage calls per week over the last 5 years. The response times to those calls needing clinician input ranged…

Could Earlier Spirometry Get CF Inpatients Home Sooner?
 Could Earlier Spirometry Get CF Inpatients Home Sooner? 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

A retrospective chart review suggests early spirometry is associated with shorter length of stay. As multicenter studies examine whether length of hospital stay and duration of treatment can be safely shortened for cystic fibrosis-related pulmonary exacerbations, physician-researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have been exploring another unresolved angle related to these admissions: when to do pulmonary…

Reducing Radiation Exposure and Imaging Costs for Children With Appendicitis
 Reducing Radiation Exposure and Imaging Costs for Children With Appendicitis 1024 575 Rachael Hardison
By: Rachael Hardison
Black and white photo of boy sitting up on hospital bed

Appendicitis is one of the most common indications for abdominal surgery in children. Accurate, efficient diagnosis is critical for initiating timely treatment. Current imaging options for diagnosing appendicitis include ultrasound and computed tomography (CT). CT scans, while readily available and highly sensitive, require radiation exposure that can increase the risk of malignancy over the child’s…

More Screening Needed for Young Females at Risk for von Willebrand Disease
 More Screening Needed for Young Females at Risk for von Willebrand Disease 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD
Black and white image of teen girl posing outside

A new study finds most girls with heavy menstrual bleeding are not screened for the bleeding disorder. Despite recommendations by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, approximately 90 percent of girls with heavy menstrual bleeding are not being screened for von Willebrand disease, according to a new study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Von Willebrand disease is…

Why Obese Women Have More Surgical Infections After Cesarean Delivery
 Why Obese Women Have More Surgical Infections After Cesarean Delivery 1024 575 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips
Illustration showing the precise pattern of a biofilm - a perfect, 3D matrix

Even though all pregnant woman typically undergo a standardized antiseptic preparation before a cesarean delivery, obese women are twice as likely to develop a surgical site infection after the procedure as women with a normal body mass index. A new, first-of-its-kind study from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital shows why — and…

Crafty Hepatitis E Virus Uses Decoy to Evade Immune System
 Crafty Hepatitis E Virus Uses Decoy to Evade Immune System 1024 683 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Researchers find a related protein cloaking the virus has differences that could become treatment targets. A protein that doctors use as a marker of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is not directly involved in the virus lifecycle but acts as a decoy drawing away antibodies, helping HEV evade the immune system and thrive, researchers in…

Improving Feeding and Growth in Children With Cleft Palate
 Improving Feeding and Growth in Children With Cleft Palate 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD
Black and white photo of baby bottle with formula on the table in front of a simple background

Targeted interventions result in improved feeding efficiency and growth in infants with cleft lip and/or palate. Cleft lip and/or palate is a relatively common birth defect that occurs when certain parts of the face and mouth fail to fuse during development. Infants with the condition can struggle to suck or extract liquid from the breast…

Bridging the Gap Between the Genomics Lab and the Cardiology Clinic: CardioGX for Phenotype-Driven Variant Analysis
 Bridging the Gap Between the Genomics Lab and the Cardiology Clinic: CardioGX for Phenotype-Driven Variant Analysis 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

The cloud-based platform is a free tool that empowers clinicians and fosters collaboration to find new genetic mutations that cause heart disease. Finding ways to support clinicians and researchers in accessing and utilizing genomic data is paramount to incorporating genomics into clinical care. CardioGX (CardioGenomics eXchange commons) is an interactive web application designed to help clinicians and…

Age-Related Racial Disparities in Suicide Rates Among Youth Ages 5 to 17 Years
 Age-Related Racial Disparities in Suicide Rates Among Youth Ages 5 to 17 Years 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

Under the age of 13, suicide rates are roughly double for black children compared with white children. Suicide rates in the United States have traditionally been higher among whites than blacks across all age groups. However, a new study from researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and collaborators published in JAMA Pediatrics shows that racial disparities in suicide…

Room for Improvement: Heart Catheterization Risks in Young Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension
 Room for Improvement: Heart Catheterization Risks in Young Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension 1024 575 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
Illustration of heart, CAVD

Identifying risk factors for cardiac catheterization complications offers physicians a way to improve pulmonary hypertension care. Up until a few years ago, cardiac catheterization in patients with pulmonary hypertension was considered a low-risk procedure for children and young adults. Some of the country’s best physicians had published studies showing very few complications among hundreds of…

A Revolution in Deformity Correction Plus Limb Lengthening
 A Revolution in Deformity Correction Plus Limb Lengthening 1024 575 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Orthopedic surgeons demonstrate that acute deformity correction and gradual limb lengthening can be accomplished simultaneously using an internal lengthening nail. In the past, limb lengthening and femoral deformity correction meant a long, painful, very visible process — an external fixator with manual adjusters, a knee that was difficult to bend, high infection risk and more.…

From What-if to Widely Available – A Proposed Path for Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts
 From What-if to Widely Available – A Proposed Path for Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

What if you could utilize tissue engineering, imaging and 3D printing technologies to bring the benefits of a tissue engineered vascular graft to every child who needs one? Children born with a single ventricle heart defect undergo a series of surgeries and procedures to reroute the blood flow through their heart. The Fontan operation is…

Is Caregiver Education About Sickle Cell Trait Effective?
 Is Caregiver Education About Sickle Cell Trait Effective? 1024 575 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller
Color photo of Black father holding infant on shoulder in front of nursery background with clouds on the wall

Researchers evaluate the standardized education in Ohio to determine if it achieves high caregiver knowledge. Despite universal newborn screening that detects the presence of sickle cell trait (SCT), only 16 percent of Americans with SCT know their status. To address this issue, in Ohio, in-person education is offered to caregivers of referred infants with SCT.…

How Can We Optimize Fertility Related Discussions With Male Survivors of Childhood Cancer?
 How Can We Optimize Fertility Related Discussions With Male Survivors of Childhood Cancer? 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

A recent study suggests that fertility is a “later” issue for adolescents and young adults, rather than a “now” concern, leading to low rates of conversation with health care providers. Survival rates for pediatric cancers exceed 80 percent. But late effects can persist throughout the survivor’s lifetime. Among those late effects, infertility may have both…

Starting the Conversation on Sickle Cell Disease and Reproductive Health
 Starting the Conversation on Sickle Cell Disease and Reproductive Health 1024 575 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
A close-up medical illustration of blood vessels showing normal round red blood cells flowing through the vessel, with a cluster of rigid, crescent-shaped sickle cells causing a blockage. White blood cells are also visible against the dark background.

Adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease — and their caregivers — care about future fertility. But what should doctors tell them? Until just a few decades ago, sickle cell disease (SCD) was often fatal in childhood. Now that more patients reach adulthood, clinicians and researchers need to ask — and answer — questions…

Femoral Nerve Blockade May Reduce Need for Intravenous Opioids
 Femoral Nerve Blockade May Reduce Need for Intravenous Opioids 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Researchers find no differences in postoperative pain measures for patients receiving intravenous opioids and those receiving regional anesthetic. Femur fractures often require surgical fixes and can be quite painful. Although traditionally treated with intravenous opioids, regional anesthesia may offer an alternative option. In a new study, published in the Journal of Pain Research, researchers evaluated the…

New Guidelines Offer Practical Tools to Treat GI Reflux
 New Guidelines Offer Practical Tools to Treat GI Reflux 150 150 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips

An international committee’s new recommendations reflect shifting opinions about acid-suppressive medications and include an expanded diagnostic algorithm. While reflux-related complaints are heard often by pediatric gastroenterologists and primary care physicians, it can be difficult to tell when gastroesophageal reflux (GER) crosses the line into gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) — or how that disease should be…

Is Whole Exome Sequencing the Future of Kidney Stone Management?
 Is Whole Exome Sequencing the Future of Kidney Stone Management? 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

The first use of whole exome sequencing for monogenic causes of kidney stone disease reveals the diagnostic tool is ripe for clinical application. In the first-ever study of whole exome sequencing for early-onset kidney stone disease, an international team of researchers led by clinician-scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital expanded on their prior finding that many…

Reevaluate the Evaluation of Febrile Infants?
 Reevaluate the Evaluation of Febrile Infants? 1024 575 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
Black and white photo of infant crying in hospital

For decades, complete blood cell counts have been the go-to way to identify babies at high risk for serious bacterial infections. But recent research shows the popular lab test isn’t as useful as everyone thought. The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) has worked for the past decade to both evaluate new technologies and…

The National Mortality Rate for the Comprehensive Stage 2 Procedure
 The National Mortality Rate for the Comprehensive Stage 2 Procedure 1024 575 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips

A substantial overall U.S. rate, in contrast to the low rates reported by a few single centers such as Nationwide Children’s, shows room for improvement in handling the hybrid approach for left ventricular physiology. Most published outcomes data on the pediatric Comprehensive Stage 2 procedure come from the few institutions routinely using the “hybrid approach”…

What Happens When Cancer Remission Is in Question?
 What Happens When Cancer Remission Is in Question? 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD
Photo of leukemia cells under microscope

A new study looks at outcomes for children with leukemia when two tests of remission disagree. In both clinical practice and clinical trials, remission in leukemia is determined by morphological assessment — a person counting cancer cells in a bone marrow sample under a microscope. But more sophisticated technologies, such as flow cytometry or polymerase…

Quality Improvement Boosts Use of Enteral Therapy in Patients With Crohn’s Disease
 Quality Improvement Boosts Use of Enteral Therapy in Patients With Crohn’s Disease 1024 575 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood
Color image of enteral complete liquid nutritional products of several brands

Refined procedures, tools and support promote this proven alternative to steroids. A team of researchers found that employing quality-improvement methods increased use of exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) to induce remission in children with Crohn’s disease at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. By increasing awareness of the therapy, standardizing procedures and providing support, EEN usage increased from less…

Growing Tissue to Help Children With Short Bowel Syndrome
 Growing Tissue to Help Children With Short Bowel Syndrome 1024 575 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Research using a small animal model shows that it matters where in the body the cultured intestine is grown. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital are hoping to use short bowel syndrome patients’ own cells to grow extra tissue needed for their small intestine to function properly. Using rat models, the team of physician-scientists found that…