Publications by authors named "Athena Zuppa"

Article Synopsis
  • Viral lower respiratory tract infection (vLRTI) significantly impacts global child health, prompting research into the host immune responses using proteomics for better understanding and diagnosis.
  • The study analyzed 1,305 proteins from tracheal aspirate and plasma of 62 critically ill children, finding 200 differentially expressed proteins that reveal key immune responses, with a robust nine-protein TA classifier showing high diagnostic accuracy (AUC of 0.96).
  • It also highlighted the limited correlation between tracheal aspirate and plasma proteins and examined how viral load and bacterial co-infections influence immune signaling pathways.
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Article Synopsis
  • Viral lower respiratory tract infection (vLRTI) is a major cause of pediatric hospitalization and mortality globally, yet the immune responses involved are not well understood.
  • A study analyzed over 1,300 proteins in tracheal aspirate and plasma from critically ill children, identifying significant protein changes linked to vLRTI and developing a diagnostic tool with high accuracy.
  • Key findings included increased interferon and T cell responses in the lower airway, distinct protein profiles in plasma, and novel protein biomarkers that could enhance diagnostic approaches for severe vLRTI.
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Background: Sepsis-associated brain injury is associated with deterioration of mental status, persistent cognitive impairment, and morbidity. The SUR1/TRPM4 channel is a nonselective cation channel that is transcriptionally upregulated in the central nervous system with injury, allowing sodium influx, depolarization, cellular swelling, and secondary injury. We hypothesized that genetic variation in ABCC8 (SUR1 gene) and TRPM4 would associate with central nervous system dysfunction in severe pediatric sepsis.

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Background: Tracheal intubation (TI)-associated cardiac arrest (TI-CA) occurs in 1.7% of pediatric ICU TIs. Our objective was to evaluate resuscitation characteristics and outcomes between cardiac arrest patients with and without TI-CA.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to pilot test a nurse-led chronotherapeutic bundle (RESTORE Resilience R 2) in critically ill children on mechanical ventilation from 2017 to 2021 across two PICUs in the U.S.
  • The intervention involved a seven-item bundle focusing on replicating the child's daily routine, modulating environmental light and sound, providing minimal sedation, and promoting early mobility, with notable improvements in compliance during the intervention phase.
  • Results showed a significant increase in daytime activity consolidation post-extubation, although some components, like nursing care continuity and parent diaries, saw little change.
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Purpose: Sepsis causes significant worldwide morbidity and mortality. Inability to clear an infection and secondary infections are known complications in severe sepsis and likely result in worsened outcomes. We sought to characterize risk factors of these complications.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on pediatric in-hospital CPR events, particularly those involving bradycardia with poor perfusion, to evaluate the effects of early epinephrine on survival outcomes in children.
  • Researchers analyzed data from the ICU-RESUS trial, which involved CPR events that lasted 2 minutes or longer, examining the timing of epinephrine administration and the development of pulselessness.
  • Findings indicated that early epinephrine did not significantly improve the chances of survival or favorable neurological outcomes, while a high percentage of patients experienced pulselessness within the first few minutes of CPR.
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Article Synopsis
  • * A study involving 88 critically ill pediatric patients identified three immune subphenotypes linked to clinical outcomes, indicating meaningful differences in immune dysregulation between patients with and without sepsis.
  • * The research highlighted the role of STAT3 hyperactivation in lymphocytes, particularly in the sickest subgroup of patients, suggesting that targeting this dysregulated pathway could improve treatment for severe cases of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).
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Aims: The aim of this study is to describe the disposition of tranexamic acid (TXA) in adult trauma patients and derive a dosing regimen that optimizes exposure based on a predefined exposure target.

Methods: We performed a population pharmacokinetic (popPK) analysis of participants enrolled in the Tranexamic Acid Mechanisms and Pharmacokinetics in Traumatic Injury (TAMPITI) trial (≥18 years with traumatic injury, given ≥1 blood product and/or requiring immediate transfer to the operating room) who were randomized to a single dose of either 2 or 4 g of TXA ≤2 h from time of injury. PopPK analysis was conducted using nonlinear mixed-effects modelling (NONMEM).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the effectiveness of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECPR) for pediatric patients who did not respond to traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) methods, focusing on early hemodynamics and end-tidal carbon dioxide (ET CO2) levels as potential indicators for survival and neurologic outcomes.
  • Data was collected from 97 ECPR patients across 18 ICUs from 2016-2021, revealing that most patients were under one year old and had congenital heart disease; only 41% of patients survived with favorable neurologic outcomes.
  • The study found no significant differences in blood pressure measures or chest compression rates between those who survived
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Aim: Pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines recommend starting CPR for heart rates (HRs) less than 60 beats per minute (bpm) with poor perfusion. Objectives were to (1) compare HRs and arterial blood pressures (BPs) prior to CPR among patients with clinician-reported bradycardia with poor perfusion ("BRADY") vs. pulseless electrical activity (PEA); and (2) determine if hemodynamics prior to CPR are associated with outcomes.

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Volumetric absorptive microsamples (VAMS) can support pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic studies. We present the bioanalytical method development for the simultaneous quantification of ampicillin, cefepime, ceftriaxone, meropenem, piperacillin, tazobactam, and vancomycin from VAMS. Optimal extraction, chromatographic, and mass spectrometry conditions were identified.

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Objectives: To assess the presence and timing of furosemide diuretic tolerance in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and to determine if tolerance is modified by thiazide co-administration.

Study Design: We performed a retrospective cohort study among infants born very preterm with BPD exposed to repeated-dose furosemide for 72 hours, measuring net fluid balance (total intake minus total output) as a surrogate of diuresis in the 3 days before and after exposure. The primary comparison was the difference in fluid balance between the first and third 24 hours of furosemide exposure.

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Introduction: Though early hypotension after pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is associated with inferior outcomes, ideal post-arrest blood pressure (BP) targets have not been established. We aimed to leverage prospectively collected BP data to explore the association of post-arrest BP thresholds with outcomes. We hypothesized that post-arrest systolic and diastolic BP thresholds would be higher than the currently recommended post-cardiopulmonary resuscitation BP targets and would be associated with higher rates of survival to hospital discharge.

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Objectives: Viral lower respiratory tract infection (vLRTI) contributes to substantial morbidity and mortality in children. Diagnosis is typically confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of nasopharyngeal specimens in hospitalized patients; however, it is unknown whether nasopharyngeal detection accurately reflects presence of virus in the lower respiratory tract (LRT). This study evaluates agreement between viral detection from nasopharyngeal specimens by RT-PCR compared with metagenomic next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) from tracheal aspirates (TAs).

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Objectives: To assess associations between outcome and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) in children with medical cardiac, surgical cardiac, or noncardiac disease.

Design: Secondary analysis of a multicenter cluster randomized trial, the ICU-RESUScitation Project (NCT02837497, 2016-2021).

Setting: Eighteen PICUs.

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Background: One of five global deaths are attributable to sepsis. Hyperferritinemic sepsis (> 500 ng/mL) is associated with increased mortality in single-center studies. Our pediatric research network's objective was to obtain rationale for designing anti-inflammatory clinical trials targeting hyperferritinemic sepsis.

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Aim: To evaluate associations between characteristics of simulated point-of-care cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training with simulated and actual intensive care unit (ICU) CPR performance, and with outcomes of children after in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Methods: This is a pre-specified secondary analysis of the ICU-RESUScitation Project; a prospective, multicentre cluster randomized interventional trial conducted in 18 ICUs from October 2016-March 2021. Point-of-care bedside simulations with real-time feedback to allow multidisciplinary ICU staff to practice CPR on a portable manikin were performed and quality metrics (rate, depth, release velocity, chest compression fraction) were recorded.

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Intravenous β-lactam antibiotics remain a cornerstone in the management of bacterial infections due to their broad spectrum of activity and excellent tolerability. β-lactams are well established to display time-dependent bactericidal activity, where reductions in bacterial burden are directly associated with the time that free drug concentrations remain above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the pathogen during the dosing interval. In an effort to take advantage of these bactericidal characteristics, prolonged (extended and continuous) infusions (PIs) can be applied during the administration of intravenous β-lactams to increase time above the MIC.

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Intravenous β-lactam antibiotics remain a cornerstone in the management of bacterial infections due to their broad spectrum of activity and excellent tolerability. β-lactams are well established to display time-dependent bactericidal activity, where reductions in bacterial burden are directly associated with the time that free drug concentrations remain above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the pathogen during the dosing interval. In an effort to take advantage of these bactericidal characteristics, prolonged (extended and continuous) infusions (PI) can be applied during the administration of intravenous β-lactams to increase time above the MIC.

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Objectives: Describe the statistical design of the Personalized Immunomodulation in Sepsis-induced Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) (PRECISE) study.

Design: Children with sepsis-induced MODS undergo real-time immune testing followed by assignment to an immunophenotype-specific study cohort. Interventional cohorts include the granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) for the Reversal of Immunoparalysis in Pediatric Sepsis-induced MODS (GRACE)-2 trial, which uses the drug GM-CSF (or placebo) to reverse immunoparalysis; and the Targeted Reversal of Inflammation in Pediatric Sepsis-induced MODS (TRIPS) trial, which uses the drug anakinra (or placebo) to reverse systemic inflammation.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the impact of early, persistent lymphopenia (low lymphocyte count) on the outcomes of pediatric patients with severe sepsis, aiming to understand its correlation with worse health outcomes.
  • Out of 401 children studied, 38% exhibited persistent lymphopenia, which was linked to higher rates of prolonged multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and increased mortality in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
  • The presence of persistent lymphopenia was found to significantly increase the odds of poor outcomes, with a nearly threefold increase in risk, highlighting the need for further research into immune support therapies for young patients with sepsis.
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Background: Previous studies have identified pulmonary hypertension (PH) as a relatively common diagnosis in children with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), and preclinical laboratory studies have found poor outcomes and low systemic blood pressures during CPR for PH-associated cardiac arrest. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of PH among children with IHCA and the association between PH diagnosis and intra-arrest physiology and survival outcomes.

Methods: This was a prospectively designed secondary analysis of patients enrolled in the ICU-RESUS clinical trial (NCT02837497).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the occurrence and contributing factors of acute disorders of consciousness (DoC) in children under 18 years old suffering from severe sepsis with organ failure, highlighting that 18% of cases exhibited signs of DoC.
  • The primary findings indicate that older children and those with multiple organ failure (MOF) are more likely to experience DoC, with increased mortality rates and associations with specific types of MOF, including nonphenotypeable and immunoparalysis-associated.
  • The research emphasizes the importance of recognizing DoC in pediatric sepsis cases as it correlates with worse outcomes and provides insight into factors that could inform clinical management.
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