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Differentiating True Measles Cases From Vaccine Shedding
 Differentiating True Measles Cases From Vaccine Shedding 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Shedding of measles vaccine RNA can occur for up to four weeks post vaccination. Detection of measles vaccine RNA following vaccination is not uncommon and may occur up to four weeks post-vaccination, according to a new study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “The frequency at which detection after MMR occurs in this patient population really highlights,…

Proteinuria Reduction in Nephrotic Syndrome Without Suppressing the Immune System
 Proteinuria Reduction in Nephrotic Syndrome Without Suppressing the Immune System 375 280 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Study suggests a distinct, non-immunosuppressive mechanism of action for drugs that ameliorate proteinuria in an NS model. Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease in children and adults. NS is characterized by dysregulation of the kidneys’ glomerular filtering units, resulting in massive proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, and edema. Glucocorticoids are the primary treatment…

Optimizing Outpatient Epilepsy Care With Digital Seizure Action Plans
 Optimizing Outpatient Epilepsy Care With Digital Seizure Action Plans 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

Customized seizure action plans enhance care and family use. Many schools and caregivers require families of children with epilepsy to provide a written seizure action plan (SAP) signed by their primary care provider. The Epilepsy Foundation provides a printable PDF form to fill out, print and sign. However, the form is limited in providing space…

Weighing the Risk of Blood Clots With Reward of Less Pain
 Weighing the Risk of Blood Clots With Reward of Less Pain 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

For people with sickle cell disease who menstruate, hormonal contraception can be effective against SCD-related pain, but it also raises the risk of thrombosis.   As people with sickle cell disease (SCD) transition into their reproductive years, health care providers are increasingly focused on optimizing their overall health, including the safe management of contraception. For…

Shedding Light on Immune Responses in Children With Acute Asthma Exacerbations
 Shedding Light on Immune Responses in Children With Acute Asthma Exacerbations 969 533 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
By: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
Illustration of NK Cells, T Cells, other immune cells floating across white background

The innate immune system is upregulated in children hospitalized with acute asthma exacerbations, signaling a need for therapies that target innate immune pathways to help control acute asthma flare-ups more effectively.  Asthma affects more than 6 million children in the United States, yet little is known about the immune responses that occur with acute asthma…

Approaching Uncertainty in Medicine With a Growth Mindset
 Approaching Uncertainty in Medicine With a Growth Mindset 1024 531 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

In baseball, a really good batting average is .333 — which means the batter hits the ball and gets to first base a third of the time. That also means they miss —they fail — two-thirds of the time. Medical providers are expected to get things right 100% of the time,” says Michael Patrick, MD,…

Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts Resist Calcification
 Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts Resist Calcification 968 1024 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

Dystrophic calcification is the biggest reason for prosthetic biomaterial failure. Compared to expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) grafts, tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) exhibited superior durability, including reduced late-term calcification, according to a study published in Nature Communications. “All of the biomaterials we routinely use for cardiovascular surgery are susceptible to dystrophic calcification,” says Christopher Breuer, MD, pediatric…

CSPINE Injury Prediction Rule Could Decrease Radiographic Imaging Exposure in Children
 CSPINE Injury Prediction Rule Could Decrease Radiographic Imaging Exposure in Children 1024 675 Katelyn Scott
By: Katelyn Scott

A new study shows that implementing the rule can reduce CT scans by more than 50% without missing clinically significant injuries. While cervical spine injuries (CSI) are uncommon in children, they can be potentially devastating, resulting in quadriplegia — paralysis below the neck affecting both arms and both legs. Detecting CSIs in a clinical setting…

Health-Related Quality of Life in Pediatric Cancer Survivors: Assessing the Impacts
 Health-Related Quality of Life in Pediatric Cancer Survivors: Assessing the Impacts 1024 683 Madison Storm
By: Madison Storm

Family factors have a significant impact on health-related quality of life. Childhood cancer is a life-changing diagnosis for children and their families. Children undergoing cancer treatment often experience impairment in health-related quality of life compared to children from healthy populations. The severity of impact can depend, in part, on social determinants of health, such as…

Good Intentions but Low Adherence for Safe Sleep Guidelines
 Good Intentions but Low Adherence for Safe Sleep Guidelines 1024 585 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
By: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

Although mothers are aware of the Safe Sleep Guidelines developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, they frequently deviate from them to try to help their babies sleep better and longer. Research recently published in Pediatrics and conducted by Lara B. McKenzie, MA, PhD, FAAHB, principal investigator in the Center for Injury Research and Policy…

Virtual Surgical Planning for Musculoskeletal Oncology
 Virtual Surgical Planning for Musculoskeletal Oncology 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

CT of pelvis showing tumor MRI of pelvis showing tumor Step 1: Data acquisition: Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance images (MRI) are obtained during the same visit with markers used to help align the scans to create the composite image. That composite is used to develop the virtual model. Step 2: The 3D Printing and Innovations…

Biofilms: The Good, the Bad & the Groundbreaking
 Biofilms: The Good, the Bad & the Groundbreaking 1024 615 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Decades of research into the structure and function of bacterial biofilms have begun to pay off in the form of imminent clinical applications capable of harnessing both the protective and problematic aspects of this universal phenomenon. Imagine a hospital emergency department filled with patients — those with painful ear infections, recurrent urinary tract infections, fevers…

Delivering Implicit Bias Training for Health Care Providers – Via Smartphone
 Delivering Implicit Bias Training for Health Care Providers – Via Smartphone 1024 680 Jessica Nye, PhD
By: Jessica Nye, PhD

A Virtual and Augmented Reality Implicit Association Training (VARIAT) app developed by investigators from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University leverages mobile technology to bring implicit bias training to the hands of Medicaid clinicians. Everyone has implicit biases that manifest as favorable or unfavorable perspectives about race, gender, sexual orientation and/or socioeconomic status,…

From Scan to Plan: Making Virtual Surgical Planning the Standard of Care for Ortho-oncology Operations
 From Scan to Plan: Making Virtual Surgical Planning the Standard of Care for Ortho-oncology Operations 1024 281 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

“We deal in rarities,” says Thomas Scharschmidt, MD, director of the Pediatric Orthopedic Oncology Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and professor of Orthopedics at The Ohio State University. “When you consider that across the entire U.S. population, we have between 2,500 and 3,000 cases of primary malignant bone tumors each year, and only half of…

Empowering Therapists With Better Tools
 Empowering Therapists With Better Tools 1024 481 Wendy Margolin
By: Wendy Margolin

New research director sets out to improve mental and behavioral health care with assessments.  Providing mental or behavioral health care without simple, effective clinical assessment tools is like trying to lose weight without access to a bathroom scale, says Eric Youngstrom, PhD, the new director of the Institute for Mental and Behavioral Health Research at…

How Do Treatments for Adolescent Obesity Compare?
 How Do Treatments for Adolescent Obesity Compare? 1024 682 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

A recent review of the literature highlights current treatment strategies for adolescent obesity. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), obesity and severe obesity are chronic health conditions with increasing incidence in adolescents, putting them at risk for associated comorbidities. Obesity affects approximately 21% of adolescents (12 to 18 years of age) in the…

Advancing Predictive Models in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury
 Advancing Predictive Models in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury 1024 683 Erin Gregory
By: Erin Gregory

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability and mortality among children, causing thousands of deaths each year. Despite tools such as the Glasgow Outcomes Scale (GOS) and the Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (PGCS), reliable methods for predicting mortality during initial trauma resuscitation are limited. In a recent study, Katherine Bergus, MD, general…

Loss of RNase 6 Increases Susceptibility to Upper Urinary Tract Infections, Model Shows
 Loss of RNase 6 Increases Susceptibility to Upper Urinary Tract Infections, Model Shows 1024 575 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

The latest in a robust series of studies confirms an important role for RNase 6 in deterring infections of the ureters and kidneys.   Research teams at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have long been studying a superfamily of ribonucleases for their role as natural antimicrobials in the human urinary tract.…

Surgical Repair of Cloacal Malformation Does Not Worsen Bladder Function
 Surgical Repair of Cloacal Malformation Does Not Worsen Bladder Function 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

The complexity of the malformation, more than the surgical approach, determines post-operative urodynamics. Approximately 90% of girls with cloacal malformation exhibit some degree of bladder dysfunction. While associated conditions can impact bladder dynamics, the complex surgery required to repair cloacal malformation has also been hypothesized to cause bladder dysfunction. Strategies to repair cloacal malformation in…

Has the Next Generation of Gene Therapy Arrived?
 Has the Next Generation of Gene Therapy Arrived? 1024 683 Wendy Margolin
By: Wendy Margolin

Researchers crack the code to deliver dual gene therapy in preclinical studies – with promises of wider applications. In a gene therapy breakthrough, a Nationwide Children’s Hospital researcher has successfully used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to introduce two genes into cells with a single vector. Paul Martin, PhD, created a new dual gene vector approach…

Enhancing School Readiness for Children with Critical Congenital Heart Disease: Insights and Strategies for Health Care Clinicians
 Enhancing School Readiness for Children with Critical Congenital Heart Disease: Insights and Strategies for Health Care Clinicians 1024 664 Erin Gregory
By: Erin Gregory

A recent publication in Pediatric Cardiology explores the complexities of school readiness among children with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) compared to their peers. The study hypothesizes that children with CCHD will face more significant difficulties in school readiness, linked to specific medical risk factors associated with their condition. Identifying Barriers to Progress The study, led by…

Sacral Nerve Stimulation Improves Symptoms and Quality of Life in Children With Defecation Disorders
 Sacral Nerve Stimulation Improves Symptoms and Quality of Life in Children With Defecation Disorders 1024 656 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

A new study narrows down the patients who may benefit the most from the treatment. In a large prospective study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that sacral nerve stimulation can lead to significant and long-lasting improvements in fecal continence and quality of life in children with refractory defecation disorders. Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) involves…

Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) Improve Access to Social Resources for Better Patient Outcomes?
 Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) Improve Access to Social Resources for Better Patient Outcomes? 1024 540 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

A recent study tests the ability of the DAPHNE© Chatbot to do just that. Health care providers and organizations recognize the impact of social factors on health and are increasingly addressing social determinants to improve health outcomes and equity. However, integrating social care into health practices remains challenging due to structural barriers such as staffing,…

Long-Term Bladder Management and Continence in Girls With Cloacal Malformation
 Long-Term Bladder Management and Continence in Girls With Cloacal Malformation 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
Molly Fuchs, MD

New insights on outcomes and quality of life from Nationwide Children’s comprehensive study of pediatric patients. Over the last decade, surgical innovation has revolutionized the treatment of cloacal malformation, a congenital anomaly affecting the development of the gastrointestinal, urinary and reproductive systems in girls. This condition occurs when the rectum, vagina and urinary tracts fail…

Rethinking Male Bias in Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency
 Rethinking Male Bias in Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency 1024 683 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
By: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

Although males have historically been over-represented in pediatric growth hormone deficiency (GHD) cases, this predominance does not hold true across various classifications of GHD.   Referrals for short-stature evaluations are common in pediatric endocrinology despite the rarity of growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Historically, boys predominate these referrals, which are conducted to rule out GHD. Yet,…

Is Surfactant Treatment at Birth Associated With Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia?
 Is Surfactant Treatment at Birth Associated With Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia? 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

An observational study reviews a contemporary cohort of preterm infants. Recently, Leif D. Nelin, MD, division chief of neonatology at Nationwide Children’s and a professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and a team of doctors in the Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) Collaborative Registry speculated that the use of surfactant treatment in…

Water Beads: Sensory Fun or Ticket to the Emergency Department?
 Water Beads: Sensory Fun or Ticket to the Emergency Department? 1024 683 Laura Dattner
By: Laura Dattner

Researchers find ED visits more than doubled from 2021 to 2022 and call for federal legislation and regulation to address this child hazard. Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy and Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have found more than an estimated 8,000 visits to U.S. emergency departments (EDs) associated…

Nationwide Children’s Researchers Awarded Funding to Carry Out Groundbreaking Research on Single Ventricle Heart Disease
 Nationwide Children’s Researchers Awarded Funding to Carry Out Groundbreaking Research on Single Ventricle Heart Disease 150 150 Madison Storm
By: Madison Storm

The American Heart Association (AHA) and Additional Ventures have announced funding for five teams of scientists for research on single ventricle heart disease. Four researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital were included in the grant awards, building off their ongoing work in regenerative medicine and cardiovascular research. These Collaborative Sciences Awards bring together researchers from various…

Supporting Tracheostomy Decision-Making for Families and Providers
 Supporting Tracheostomy Decision-Making for Families and Providers 1024 683 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

The Trach Scoring Tool, developed by leaders in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, offers support for physicians and families. The decision of when to do a tracheostomy on an infant is difficult, to say the least, says Leif Nelin, MD, division chief of Neonatology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Every family has different knowledge,…

Extended Reality Offers New Ways to View Congenital Heart Disease
 Extended Reality Offers New Ways to View Congenital Heart Disease 1024 577 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Researchers are evaluating the technology’s potential to improve clinical practice, trainee and family education, and patient outcomes. What if you could put on a headset and teleport inside a model of a patient’s beating heart? What if you could interact with that heart — touch it with your fingertips, zoom in or out or view…

Study Reveals New Use for GER Tool in Neonates: Swallowing Analysis
 Study Reveals New Use for GER Tool in Neonates: Swallowing Analysis 1024 683 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
Dr. Jadcherla

Investigators have repurposed a simple test for gastroesophageal reflux (GER) disease to provide valuable insight into multiple swallowing abnormalities in newborn babies. A tool used to diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in hospitalized neonates now has another use: characterizing swallowing abilities. The researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital who pioneered the objective use of the test,…

Evaluating Caregiver Report of Developmental Delays in Young Children
 Evaluating Caregiver Report of Developmental Delays in Young Children 1024 681 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Caregiver-report measures of cognitive skills correlate with direct assessments by clinicians. Researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital report that a standardized caregiver interview can effectively identify children at risk for cognitive developmental delays. The findings suggest that caregiver-report measures may be useful in assessing young children, particularly when direct clinical assessment is not feasible. For children…

Disrupting Mitochondrial Pyruvate Uptake in Kidney Tubular Cells Bolsters Antioxidant Responses and Protects From Acute Kidney Injury
 Disrupting Mitochondrial Pyruvate Uptake in Kidney Tubular Cells Bolsters Antioxidant Responses and Protects From Acute Kidney Injury 1024 732 Jessica Nye, PhD
By: Jessica Nye, PhD

Blocking mitochondrial pyruvate uptake in the kidney was found to upregulate oxidant defense systems, ultimately mitigating the effects of an acute kidney injury (AKI). “The kidney has these reabsorption units, tubular cells, that reabsorb glucose, amino acids and specific ions. These units spend a lot of mitochondrial energy, so they need a lot of ATP…

Uncovering Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric Sleep Research
 Uncovering Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric Sleep Research 1024 683 Erin Gregory
By: Erin Gregory

In a recent study published in the Journal of Biomedical Informatics, Mattina Davenport, PhD, principal investigator in the Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, explores the impact of biases in clinical documentation on pediatric sleep research. The Motivation Behind the Study Pediatric sleep…

Novel Brace for Hip Immobilization After Bladder Exstrophy Repair
 Novel Brace for Hip Immobilization After Bladder Exstrophy Repair 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

An innovative orthopedic brace allows families to avoid the disadvantages of casts, external fixators and traction devices after bladder exstrophy surgery. After bladder exstrophy repair — a complicated surgery to move a baby’s bladder from outside of the abdomen to the inside — postoperative hip position can cause tension on the incisions, making pelvic immobilization…

Does Coinfection Lead to Longer Ventilation Times?
 Does Coinfection Lead to Longer Ventilation Times? 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

New multicenter study evaluates treatments and diagnoses of respiratory infections in young patients.    Lower respiratory tract infection, or bronchiolitis, is one of the most common reasons for intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and mechanical ventilation in children younger than two years old. Despite this, little current research exists regarding the most effective treatment when…

Demystifying Machine Learning With AutoML
 Demystifying Machine Learning With AutoML 1024 683 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

A Nationwide Children’s Hospital team from the Office of Data Sciences recently won the Advanced ML tier in the precisionFDA Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) App-a-thon Challenge: Democratizing and Demystifying Artificial Intelligence (AI). Each year, the FDA hosts challenges centered around data science and bioinformatics. This year, the challenge focuses on AutoML, a low-code ML technique…

Early Detection and Multidisciplinary Care: Successful Management of Duodenal Atresia
 Early Detection and Multidisciplinary Care: Successful Management of Duodenal Atresia 1024 737 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
person in scrubs holding a baby

The team in the Fetal Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital shares their comprehensive approach for best possible outcomes.  When a routine ultrasound reveals two enlarged, fluid-filled bubbles in the baby’s abdomen, known as the “double bubble” sign, pregnant patients and their families often feel scared and concerned. These bubbles indicate duodenal atresia, a congenital condition…

Children on Pancreatic Enzymes Experience Fewer Acute Pancreatitis Episodes
 Children on Pancreatic Enzymes Experience Fewer Acute Pancreatitis Episodes 1024 429 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Pancreatic enzyme therapy benefitted patients with pancreatic-sufficient acute recurrent pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis.  A new study shows that children with both acute recurrent pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis had significantly lower incidence of acute pancreatitis episodes per year after starting pancreatic enzyme therapy. The findings support the need for a clinical trial to determine the treatment’s…

Comparing Outcomes Between Direct and ED Admissions for Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia
 Comparing Outcomes Between Direct and ED Admissions for Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia 1024 681 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
sleeping infant

Does the method of admission affect care for patients with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia? Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, with jaundice as its primary symptom, can be scary for parents of newborns. This condition requires a blood test to measure bilirubin levels for diagnosis. Despite its concerning appearance, hyperbilirubinemia is very treatable, and patients are usually at low risk for…

Clinical Differences in Early-Onset and Adolescent-Onset Rumination Syndrome
 Clinical Differences in Early-Onset and Adolescent-Onset Rumination Syndrome 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Study suggests rumination syndrome in young children is less severe initially and improves over time.   Early-onset rumination syndrome is clinically distinct from adolescent-onset rumination syndrome, according to a new report out of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. In this largest study of pediatric patients with rumination syndrome to date, researchers found differences in sex distribution, co-occurring…

Understanding How Youths With Autism Make the Move to Adult Health Care
 Understanding How Youths With Autism Make the Move to Adult Health Care 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Study finds overlap in the utilization of pediatric and adult health care is the norm. In a new study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University teamed up to better understand how adolescents and young adults with autism navigate the transition from pediatric to adult health care. “We wanted to characterize the…

Refining the Role of Basal Urothelial Cells in Bladder Development
 Refining the Role of Basal Urothelial Cells in Bladder Development 1024 683 Jessica Nye, PhD
By: Jessica Nye, PhD

Basal keratin 5 urothelial cells (K5-UCs) were found to be age-restricted progenitors in bladders and their progenitor potential could be rescued by exogenous proliferative cues.   “The identity of the bladder urothelium progenitor is controversial and confounded by slow turnover, and a low mitotic index during homeostasis,” says Ashley R. Jackson, PhD, principal investigator in…

How Does Hodgkin Lymphoma Differ With Age?
 How Does Hodgkin Lymphoma Differ With Age? 150 150 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

A new study reveals age-related differences in pathology and medical management. When Anthony N. Audino, MD, a pediatric oncologist in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT at Nationwide Children’s, first met a preschool-aged patient with Hodgkin lymphoma, he was surprised. “It was startling to see someone so young with this disease because it’s typically diagnosed between…

New Study Demonstrates Potential for a Gene Therapy for Vanishing White Matter Disease
 New Study Demonstrates Potential for a Gene Therapy for Vanishing White Matter Disease 1024 552 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

The research, conducted in mouse models, shows promising safety and efficacy for a currently incurable, life-limiting condition. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have confirmed initial safety and efficacy data for a gene supplementation therapy for Vanishing White Matter (VWM) disease in mouse models. Testing multiple versions of therapy in two separate mouse models representing different…

Surgical Repair of Traumatic Hip Dislocations With Acetabular “Fleck” Signs
 Surgical Repair of Traumatic Hip Dislocations With Acetabular “Fleck” Signs 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD
Kevin Klingele, MD

Surgical hip dislocation with open labral repair produced excellent clinical outcomes in pediatric patients. The acetabular “fleck” sign is a radiographic finding indicative of significant labral injury in young patients with traumatic hip dislocations. In a new study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital show that treatment by surgical hip dislocation with open labral repair leads…

Opportunities to Reduce Stress for Parents of Kids With Autism
 Opportunities to Reduce Stress for Parents of Kids With Autism 1024 683 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Research suggests parenting self-efficacy and family resources influence parental stress levels, offering potential modifiable targets for clinicians aiming to help families thrive.   A study led by pediatric psychology experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has confirmed that parenting self-efficacy is associated with parental stress levels in families of children with autism, and that parenting self-efficacy…

A Noncardiomyocyte Signaling Pathway in Early Heart Development
 A Noncardiomyocyte Signaling Pathway in Early Heart Development 1024 670 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Study demonstrates role for endocardial cells in myocardial trabeculation. A new study in Nature Communications from researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital provides novel insights into a signaling pathway that regulates the developing myocardium during early heart development. The findings have implications for understanding congenital heart disease and myocardial regeneration. This research was led by Deqiang…

Outcomes of Colonic Pull-Through for Patients With Cloacal Exstrophy: Is it Really Helping Kids?
 Outcomes of Colonic Pull-Through for Patients With Cloacal Exstrophy: Is it Really Helping Kids? 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Collaborative study reveals infrequent utilization of the procedure and identifies factors correlated with success. Cloacal exstrophy is a rare grouping of congenital anorectal malformations. Although once nearly uniformly fatal, survival has increased significantly, and with it, the focus on long-term outcomes. In the last 15 years, a reconstructive surgery known as colonic pull-through has been…

Reducing Hospital Stays After Fontan Procedures by More Than 66%
 Reducing Hospital Stays After Fontan Procedures by More Than 66% 1024 575 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
Black and white photo of boy sitting up on hospital bed

A new quality improvement initiative implements new guidelines using an innovative chest tube commonly used in adults.   Before April 2020, the average length of hospital stay for patients undergoing the Fontan procedure at Nationwide Children’s was about 23 days. This prolonged hospitalization stay was longer than many other institutions due to prolonged chest tube…