Research

Stem Cell Study Opens Door to Understanding Development of Rare Form of Congenital Heart Disease
Stem Cell Study Opens Door to Understanding Development of Rare Form of Congenital Heart Disease 150 150 Pam Georgiana

Researchers use induced pluripotent stem cell technology and single-cell genomics to pinpoint abnormal cell development in hypoplastic right heart syndrome. A rare form of hypoplastic right heart syndrome (HRHS), pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PA-IVS), occurs when the structures on the right side of the heart are malformed. Specifically, in PA-IVS, the pulmonary valve…

Higher Respiratory Severity Scores Associated with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension Risk
Higher Respiratory Severity Scores Associated with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension Risk 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD

The RSS score is noninvasive and may be clinically useful for risk stratification in extremely preterm infants. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s report that elevations in the respiratory severity score were correlated with an increased risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia-associated pulmonary hypertension in preterm infants. This study identifies a pragmatic clinical risk score that can be measured…

Gene Therapy for the Masses?
Gene Therapy for the Masses? 1024 683 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Long-lived financial and logistical hurdles make bringing new gene therapy products to market a major challenge. To help bring more of these medical miracles to fruition, experts across industry, regulatory review, science and medicine have begun to problem solve together.  With the approval of the gene therapy Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel) in 2017, the Food and Drug…

Hear Me Read: Novel Technology Approach to Reading Skills for Children with Impaired Hearing
Hear Me Read: Novel Technology Approach to Reading Skills for Children with Impaired Hearing 1024 683 Madison Storm

For children who are deaf or have impaired hearing, access to sound through tools like hearing aids, cochlear implants and/or intensive speech therapy is critical for developing speech and literacy. “The challenges faced are not the same as those an adult faces,” says Prashant Malhotra, MD, surgeon in the Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology and Hearing…

Meet Daphne©, a ChatBot for Pediatric Health Care
Meet Daphne©, a ChatBot for Pediatric Health Care 150 150 Madison Storm

Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)have exploded across the worlds of marketing and commerce in recent years. At Nationwide Children’s, clinicians and researchers are focusing on how AI and related technologies can be used to reduce clinician workloads and improve patient outcomes. Emre Sezgin, PhD, principal investigator in the Center for Biobehavioral Health at Nationwide…

Innovations in Pediatric Cancer and Transplants: Q&A With Sara K. Rasmussen, MD, PhD
Innovations in Pediatric Cancer and Transplants: Q&A With Sara K. Rasmussen, MD, PhD 150 150 Pam Georgiana

Sara K. Rasmussen, MD, PhD, is a transplant and pediatric surgeon in the Department of Abdominal Transplant and Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery and an associate principal investigator in the Center for Clinical and Translational Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She earned both her medical and doctoral degrees from West Virginia University…

Acute Kidney Injury After Comprehensive Stage Two Palliation in Infants With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Acute Kidney Injury After Comprehensive Stage Two Palliation in Infants With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome 150 150 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

Infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who undergo the Hybrid pathway palliation commonly develop acute kidney injury after the comprehensive stage 2 procedure and may require advanced medical therapy.   In a recent Cardiology in the Young publication, Andrew Yates, MD, associate medical director for the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and…

Increasing the Donor Pool for Young Children Waiting for Heart Transplants
Increasing the Donor Pool for Young Children Waiting for Heart Transplants 150 150 Pam Georgiana

The one-year survival rate following a pediatric heart transplant is over 90%, However, waitlist mortality in the United States for children remains high at 17%. Young and highly sensitized children typically experience longer waitlist times for a heart transplant, which increases their waitlist mortality. In response, doctors utilize various strategies to potentially increase the number…

Researchers Create Public Database of Nearly 40,000 Control Samples for Genetic Association Studies
Researchers Create Public Database of Nearly 40,000 Control Samples for Genetic Association Studies 1024 575 Lauren Dembeck
conceptual art of DNA

Genetic association studies provide powerful means of discovering relationships between genetic variants and disease risk. However, these studies require enrolling very large numbers of individuals with the disease (cases) and healthy individuals (controls) as well as collecting genetic data for all of those participants — a time-consuming and expensive endeavor. “Sequencing DNA for a healthy…

Meet Toni Pearson, MD: Pediatric Movement Disorders Expert
Meet Toni Pearson, MD: Pediatric Movement Disorders Expert 150 150 Pam Georgiana

Toni S. Pearson, MD, joined Nationwide Children’s in 2022 as an attending pediatric neurologist and professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She specializes in childhood movement disorders, such as dystonia, chorea, parkinsonism, ataxia, myoclonus, tremors, tics, and spasticity. Dr. Pearson is also developing a fellowship training program for a new…

Frequency of Pediatric Encounters Predicts Timely Transfer to Adult Care for Youth With Autism
Frequency of Pediatric Encounters Predicts Timely Transfer to Adult Care for Youth With Autism 1024 683 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

For adolescents and young adults with autism, the total number of pediatric appointments is strongly correlated with a timely transfer to adult care, while the reason for this correlation remains to be elucidated.   In a recent study, Laura Hart, MD, a pediatrician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and her research team reported a strong correlation…

Enhancing Intestinal Rehabilitation Workflow with Disease-Specific Documentation Tools
Enhancing Intestinal Rehabilitation Workflow with Disease-Specific Documentation Tools 150 150 Erin Gregory

Structured data entry not only reduces the amount of time physicians are spending in the electronic health record but also opens the door for new research. A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics by Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Ethan Mezoff, MD, Jennifer Lee, MD, and team has shed light on a promising solution to improve the…

Tissue Engineered Trachea: State of the Research
Tissue Engineered Trachea: State of the Research 150 150 Lauren Dembeck

The promise of tissue-engineered trachea grafts is moving closer to the clinic, as recent preclinical studies have shown successful implantation and neovascularization. Breathing is an essential biological function that provides our bodies with the oxygen necessary for survival. However, most of us rarely think about the biological structures that make it possible. The trachea, commonly…

Oncolytic Virus Immunotherapy Safe and Tolerable in Children With Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors
Oncolytic Virus Immunotherapy Safe and Tolerable in Children With Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors 1024 683 Lauren Dembeck

The overall survival rates for children with childhood cancers is now over 80%; however, for children with relapsed and refractory tumors, the survival rates remain low. “For example, children with relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma have a five-year survival of less than ten percent,” explains Keri A. Streby, MD, director of the Neuroblastoma Program in the…

Recognizing the Benefits of Music and Massage Co-therapy in Pediatric Palliative Care
Recognizing the Benefits of Music and Massage Co-therapy in Pediatric Palliative Care 1024 680 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

For adolescent patients in home-based pediatric palliative care, co-treatment with music therapy and massage therapy benefits both the patients and their families. A case study recently published in Music & Medicine reported the benefits of co-treatment with music therapy and massage therapy for a patient in home-based pediatric palliative care. Complementary therapies, such as music…

Racial Disparities in Healthcare Use Among Medicaid-Covered Children With Congenital Heart Disease
Racial Disparities in Healthcare Use Among Medicaid-Covered Children With Congenital Heart Disease 1024 683 Lauren Dembeck

In the United States, congenital heart disease is the most common birth anomaly, with almost 40,000 newborns diagnosed each year. As these children grow, they are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications. Thus, ensuring they receive recommended cardiology care is essential to their long-term health and well-being. Racial disparities in health outcomes have been…

NIDDK Grant Awarded to Launch Integrated Islet Distribution Program Islet Isolation Center
NIDDK Grant Awarded to Launch Integrated Islet Distribution Program Islet Isolation Center 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

A Nationwide Children’s Hospital research team has received federal funding to become a hub for the isolation and distribution of high-quality human islet cells for the diabetes research community. Since joining Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2022 as director of the Islet Cell Isolation Program, Balamurugan Appakalai, PhD, has been leading one of the nation’s most…

Featured Researcher — Nilsa Ramirez, MD
Featured Researcher — Nilsa Ramirez, MD 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Nilsa Del Carmen Ramirez Milan, MD, director of the Biopathology Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, leads the biorepository team that receives about 1,000 new specimens each day. These must be processed and stored properly—together with the rest of the biobank’s > 6 million specimens. Then there is the outflow of samples provided for clinical analysis…

Chaotic Genomes in Childhood Bone Tumors Are Not Always Unstable
Chaotic Genomes in Childhood Bone Tumors Are Not Always Unstable 1024 575 Jessica Nye, PhD
conceptual art of DNA

The structural genomic complexity that characterizes most osteosarcoma tumors in children was not evidence of an unstable genome and a driver of cell-to-cell variations in gene expression within each tumor. “We’ve been trying to understand how tumor cells change as they become resistant to therapy or as they metastasize and spread to different parts of…

More Than a Building: Why Our Expanded Research Facilities Matter for Kids Everywhere
More Than a Building: Why Our Expanded Research Facilities Matter for Kids Everywhere 1024 624 Dennis Durbin, MD, MSCE

At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, we proudly acknowledge the significant role research has in improving patient care and overall child heath. The integration of research and clinical care is at the heart of the hospital’s strategic plan — a $3.3 billion investment over the next several years in our commitment to transform health outcomes for all…

Going Viral: The AAV Approach to Curing Cancer
Going Viral: The AAV Approach to Curing Cancer 1024 256 Emily Siebenmorgen

According to Timothy Cripe, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, it’s an incredible time to be working on cancer treatment – and now, targeted cancer prevention. “There’s so much going on in the cancer world these days,” says Dr. Cripe, who is also a principal investigator in…

FDA Approves Micro-dystrophin: A Small Gene With Big Promise
FDA Approves Micro-dystrophin: A Small Gene With Big Promise 1024 632 Abbie Miller

UPDATE: On June 22, 2023, the FDA announced accelerated approval for SRP-9001/ELEVIDYS for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) following decades of research in the Center for Gene Therapy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The FDA approved the treatment for pediatric patients 4-5 years old with DMD. Jerry Mendell, MD, principal investigator in the Center for Gene Therapy…

Cancer-Causing Gene and Treatment Target for Ultra-Rare Rhabdomyosarcoma Confirmed Via Multiple Models
Cancer-Causing Gene and Treatment Target for Ultra-Rare Rhabdomyosarcoma Confirmed Via Multiple Models 1024 764 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

An international team has validated a cancer-causing gene fusion — and therapeutic targets — for an unusual presentation of muscle cancer in infants. In 2016, researchers first identified a novel gene mutation and fusion in rare cases of infants with rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of skeletal muscle-like cancer, normally only seen in school-age children and teenagers.…

Understanding the Cellular Mechanisms to Drive New Therapies for Neurodevelopmental Disorder with Regression, Abnormal Movements, Loss of Speech and Seizures (NEDAMSS)
Understanding the Cellular Mechanisms to Drive New Therapies for Neurodevelopmental Disorder with Regression, Abnormal Movements, Loss of Speech and Seizures (NEDAMSS) 1024 577 Jessica Nye, PhD

Derived cells from patients with NEDAMSS exhibit perturbed cellular respiration and poor neuronal survival, both of which can be improved with CuATSM treatment. NEDAMSS (neurodevelopmental disorder with regression, abnormal movements, loss of speech, and seizures) is a rare neurological disorder discovered in 2018 with only 25 formally diagnosed patients worldwide. It is primarily caused by…

Myopericarditis After COVID-19 Vaccination
Myopericarditis After COVID-19 Vaccination 1024 683 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

A meta-analysis of international studies offers more detailed insight into the severity and outcomes of vaccine-related myopericarditis in the adolescent and young adult population. Concerns over myopericarditis and other cardiovascular complications in teens and young adults have gained considerable media attention. While myopericarditis-related data have been well characterized in adults with and without vaccination, the…

Study Identifies Multiple Cell Signaling Pathways for Calcification in Aortic Valve Disease Regulated by Nitric Oxide
Study Identifies Multiple Cell Signaling Pathways for Calcification in Aortic Valve Disease Regulated by Nitric Oxide 1024 753 Lauren Dembeck

Exploring novel signaling mediators in calcific aortic valve disease may pave the way for the development of pharmacotherapies to treat this intractable condition during early stages of its progression.   Calcific aortic valve disease is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by progressive fibrosis and calcification of the heart valves, which can cause narrowing of the…

CFTR Modulation Therapy Improves Markers of Inflammation and Lung Function in Cystic Fibrosis
CFTR Modulation Therapy Improves Markers of Inflammation and Lung Function in Cystic Fibrosis 1024 575 Jessica Nye, PhD
Illustration of lungs on blue silhouette of upper chest on black background

Six months of elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor (ETI) therapy significantly reduced proinflammatory cytokines, increased immune cell composition, and improved clinical outcomes in cystic fibrosis (CF).   “Cystic fibrosis is a progressive lung disease that carries significant morbidity,” says Shahid Sheikh, MD, of the Pulmonary Medicine and Allergy/Immunology section at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and a professor at The Ohio…

Significant Weight Gain Observed in Low-Income Youth During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic
Significant Weight Gain Observed in Low-Income Youth During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic 150 150 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

Low-income youth experienced significant weight gain during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for simultaneous childhood obesity prevention and treatment.   The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent mitigation efforts profoundly affected children. Specifically, remote learning and cancellation of extracurricular activities disrupted children’s daily routines and reduced opportunities for physical activity, increasing…

TPIAT: A Way Forward for Chronic Pancreatitis
TPIAT: A Way Forward for Chronic Pancreatitis 1024 500 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
illustrated cross section of islets from pancreas

Nationwide Children’s Hospital has assembled a veritable “dream team” of pancreatitis and pediatric transplant surgery experts to offer what they hope will become the world’s preeminent pediatric center for complex pancreatic care. Imagine your child suffering from a sudden, debilitating episode of abdominal pain. No obvious cause, no cure, just pain so severe it requires…

Understanding Pediatric Critical COVID-19 Disease Around the World
Understanding Pediatric Critical COVID-19 Disease Around the World 150 150 Natalie Wilson

A large, multinational study found more children hospitalized with critical COVID-19 died than was indicated by previous studies.   Children under 18 represent around 22% of the population in the United States. Yet, just 15% of over 75 million U.S. COVID-19 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and fewer than 0.2% of over…

Multimodal Molecular Profiles Offer Clinically Valuable Information to Oncologists
Multimodal Molecular Profiles Offer Clinically Valuable Information to Oncologists 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Expanding the profiling ordered for central nervous system (CNS) tumors may meaningfully impact diagnosis and treatment. Prajwal Rajappa, MD, MS, a physician-scientist and principal investigator for the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine (IGM) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, has long advocated for a more robust use of precision medicine approaches to improve clinicians’…

Brain Organoids Provide Novel Mechanistic Insight into Microcephaly Associated with AUTS2 Syndrome
Brain Organoids Provide Novel Mechanistic Insight into Microcephaly Associated with AUTS2 Syndrome 873 552 Lauren Dembeck
Microscopy image of cerebral organoid sections

Researchers have functionally validated a genotype-phenotype relationship between a variant in the AUTS2 gene and neurodevelopmental deficits in AUTS2 syndrome using patient-derived brain organoids. Genetic variants in more than 100 genes, including the gene AUTS2, have been associated with autism spectrum disorders. However, the model systems used to study the mechanisms underlying how these genetic…

Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients With Non-ambulatory Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy
Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients With Non-ambulatory Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy 600 400 Mary Bates, PhD

Study indicates that quality of life in young people with non-ambulatory cerebral palsy decreases with the use of more antiseizure medications. In a new study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital assessed the relationship between epilepsy-specific characteristics and proxy-reported health-related quality of life in children and young people with non-ambulatory cerebral palsy. The findings indicate that…

Anal Sphincter Botox Injections for Children With Severe Constipation
Anal Sphincter Botox Injections for Children With Severe Constipation 1024 680 Mary Bates, PhD
Close up color photo of little boy holding hands on his belly

The treatment is safe and effective for many children with Hirschsprung disease and, to a lesser extent, functional constipation. In a new prospective study, researchers at Nationwide Children’s evaluated children with severe, refractory constipation treated with anal sphincter botulinum toxin (Botox) injection. They found the treatment can be effective in patients with both Hirschsprung disease…

Long-Term Pulmonary Symptoms Following COVID-19 Infection in Children
Long-Term Pulmonary Symptoms Following COVID-19 Infection in Children 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD

Fatigue and shortness of breath may persist, even in the absence of abnormal test results. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s recently published the largest U.S. study to date of pediatric patients with long-term pulmonary sequelae following COVID-19 infection. The authors note the persistence of symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue and highlight at least…

Do Symptom Scores and pH Impedance Correlate in Infants Treated for Gastroesophageal Reflux?
Do Symptom Scores and pH Impedance Correlate in Infants Treated for Gastroesophageal Reflux? 1024 683 Lauren Dembeck

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) — the passage of gastric contents into the esophagus — is a physiologic process that can be considered normal or abnormal depending on whether troublesome symptoms and/or complications also occur. In infants, it is difficult for clinicians to distinguish between GER and pathophysiologic GER disease (GERD). “Current diagnostic criteria for GERD are…

What’s the Scope of Nephritis in Pediatric Patients With IgA Vasculitis?
What’s the Scope of Nephritis in Pediatric Patients With IgA Vasculitis? 150 150 Jessica Nye, PhD

A multicenter study from the Pediatric Nephrology Research Consortium found that many pediatric patients with IgA vasculitis nephritis (IgAVN) are treated with immunosuppressive (IS) agents, and some had evidence of chronic kidney disease as early as 12 months after presentation.   IgA vasculitis (IgAV) is the most common vasculitis in children, usually presenting with typical…

Researchers Characterize Growth and Remodeling of Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessels
Researchers Characterize Growth and Remodeling of Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessels 600 400 Lauren Dembeck
Tissue engineered vascular graft

Tissue engineering may soon give babies with congenital heart disease new blood vessels capable of native function and growth.   Major cardiovascular reconstructive operations in babies with congenital heart defects require the use of artificial blood vessels called vascular grafts. Because these grafts are made of man-made materials, the recipients’ tissues eventually begin to outgrow…

How Do Children With IBD and Their Caregivers Perceive Biosimilars?
How Do Children With IBD and Their Caregivers Perceive Biosimilars? 640 427 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

Many pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease and their caregivers are unaware of biosimilars, creating an opportunity for providers to educate patients and their families about this effective and less expensive treatment option. Infliximab is a biologic therapy that effectively manages inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in adult and pediatric patients. However, biologic therapies are expensive,…

Featured Researcher — Ashley Jackson, PhD
Featured Researcher — Ashley Jackson, PhD 150 150 Natalie Wilson

Ashley Jackson, PhD, is a principal investigator in The Kidney and Urinary Tract Center at Nationwide Children’s studying renal urothelium, the special surface tissue that lines most of the urinary tract, or the drainage system of the kidneys, to slow kidney disease progression in children with urinary tract obstruction (UTO), or a blockage that prevents…

Self-Harm Risk Among Youth With First-Episode Psychosis
Self-Harm Risk Among Youth With First-Episode Psychosis 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD

Study narrows down period of acute risk and finds shared and unique risk factors among adolescents and young adults. Although it is known that young people with psychosis are at an elevated risk for suicide and suicide-related behavior, it has not been clear which patients are at the most risk and when. In a new…

Variability in Cardiac Diagnostics and Therapies for Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Variability in Cardiac Diagnostics and Therapies for Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 1024 670 Mary Bates, PhD

Survey shows different approaches to cardiac diagnostics and therapy among a multicenter collaborative network. Cardiac disease is a major cause of mortality in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), yet data regarding outcomes and cardiac disease progression are lacking. This has led to a highly variable approach to heart failure therapy in DMD from center to center,…

The True History of the Nuremberg Code: Leo Alexander’s Blueprint Uncovered
The True History of the Nuremberg Code: Leo Alexander’s Blueprint Uncovered 150 150 Abbie Miller

An investigation of Duke University’s Medical Center’s Archives boxes labeled “Alexander’s Papers” reveals a document containing six principles, which were included nearly word-for-word in the Nuremberg Code.  At the end of the famous Doctors’ Trial, the trial of Nazi doctors for their crimes and treatment of people who were identified as “research participants,” Judge Sebring…

When Functional Outcomes Are Achieved Post-Op, Do Patients and Families Care About Scarring?
When Functional Outcomes Are Achieved Post-Op, Do Patients and Families Care About Scarring? 1024 683 Abbie Miller

A recent editorial from Dr. Daniel DaJusta questions whether cosmetic concerns after surgery are primarily driven by surgeons, patients or parents. It is widely accepted that having a smaller, neater or less visible scar following surgery is a preferable cosmetic outcome to a large, ragged or highly visible scar. This is supported anecdotally by surgeons,…

Is 3D Anorectal Manometry Preferable to Traditional Anorectal Manometry in Children With Functional Constipation?
Is 3D Anorectal Manometry Preferable to Traditional Anorectal Manometry in Children With Functional Constipation? 1024 680 Mary Bates, PhD
Close up color photo of little boy holding hands on his belly

Study finds 3D-ARM is less comfortable and does not provide additional information compared to traditional ARM.   In a recent pilot study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s compared outcomes and patient experience of a new three-dimensional (3D) anorectal manometry (ARM) technique compared to regular ARM in children with functional constipation. They found that the use of…

How Does Allergic Disease Protect Against Developing Asthma After Viral Infection?
How Does Allergic Disease Protect Against Developing Asthma After Viral Infection? 1024 523 Mary Bates, PhD

Neutrophils and IL-4 are critical in preventing post-viral airway disease in mice with pre-existing allergic disease. In a new study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital show that in a mouse mode simulating human respiratory viral infection, pre-existing allergic disease prevents the development of asthma following viral infection. Further experiments revealed that this protection against post-viral…

Engineered Viruses Help the Immune System Target Cancer Cells
Engineered Viruses Help the Immune System Target Cancer Cells 1024 623 Lauren Dembeck

The seemingly unlikely “partnership” leads to strong antitumor responses in pediatric tumor models. A recent study from researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, published in the Journal for Immuno Therapy of Cancer, describes how a type of viroimmunotherapy activates the immune system to preferentially target tumor cells. “Pediatric tumor typically lack neoantigens – new proteins that…

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Blood is Associated With Worse Outcomes in Kids
SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Blood is Associated With Worse Outcomes in Kids 1024 575 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Researchers have identified a risk factor for more severe illness in children with COVID-19: detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA circulating in the blood. Children with detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the blood, called RNAemia, were more likely to require oxygen and be admitted to the intensive care unit than children with COVID-19 who did not have…

Improving Identification of Neonatal Acute Kidney Injury in the NICU
Improving Identification of Neonatal Acute Kidney Injury in the NICU 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD

Approaches at three different institutions all resulted in improved identification and care of acute kidney injury in newborns. In a new study, researchers describe three different approaches to standardizing the identification and care of acute kidney injury (AKI) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), including the approach taken at Nationwide Children’s. They report that…

Stress Increases Systemic Inflammation and Anxiety in Mouse Model of IBD
Stress Increases Systemic Inflammation and Anxiety in Mouse Model of IBD 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Exposure to stress did not induce a relapse in colitis in the mice. In a new study, researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Abigail Wexner Research Institute tested whether exposure to stress would lead to flares of intestinal inflammation in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease. They found stress did not exacerbate colitis…