Reading level, acuity, and speed evaluation among retinoblastoma survivors: A prospective case series.

Pediatric retinoblastoma survivors exhibit visual deficits. How these visual deficits impact reading skills is unknown. The purpose of this study is to assess reading level, reading acuity, and reading speed among retinoblastoma survivors.

Infectious complications of vascular anomalies treated with sirolimus: A systematic review.

Background And Objectives: Initially developed as immunosuppressive agents, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are currently used widely in the management of vascular malformations and tumors. The incidence of infectious complications in the vascular anomalies (VA) population is not well defined. The goal of this systematic review was to better define the types and severity of reported infectious complications in patients with VAs treated with mTOR inhibition.

Eliminating Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections in Pediatric Oncology Patients: A Quality Improvement Effort.

Unlabelled: Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) are the largest contributor to harm across the Children's Hospital's Solutions for Patient Safety network. Pediatric hematology/oncology (PHO) patients are at increased risk for CLABSI due to multiple factors. Consequently, traditional CLABSI prevention strategies are insufficient to eliminate CLABSI in this high-risk population.

Failure modes and effects analysis of pediatric I-131 MIBG therapy: Program design and potential pitfalls.

Background: There is growing interest among pediatric institutions for implementing iodine-131 (I-131) meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) therapy for treating children with high-risk neuroblastoma. Due to regulations on the medical use of radioactive material (RAM), and the complexity and safety risks associated with the procedure, a multidisciplinary team involving radiation therapy/safety experts is required. Here, we describe methods for implementing pediatric I-131 MIBG therapy and evaluate our program's robustness via failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA).

Wilms tumor in patients with osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis.

Germline pathogenic variants in AMER1 cause osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis (OSCS: OMIM 300373), an X-linked sclerosing bone disorder. Female heterozygotes exhibit metaphyseal striations in long bones, macrocephaly, cleft palate, and, occasionally, learning disability. Male hemizygotes typically manifest the condition as fetal or neonatal death.

Clostridioides difficile Infections in Inpatient Pediatric Oncology Patients: A Cohort Study Evaluating Risk Factors and Associated Outcomes.

Background: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a significant source of morbidity in pediatric cancer patients. Few reports to date have evaluated risk factors and short-term outcomes for this population.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated pediatric oncology admissions at St Louis Children's Hospital from 2009 to 2018.

Toxicity of gutkha, a smokeless tobacco product gone global: is there more to the toxicity than nicotine?

The popularity of smokeless tobacco (ST) is growing rapidly and its prevalence of use is rising globally. Consumption of Gutkha, an addictive form of ST, is particularly common amongst South Asian communities throughout the World. This includes within the US, following large-scale immigration into the country.

Modulation of sensory irritation responsiveness by adenosine and malodorants.

Respiratory tract reflex responses are an important defense mechanism against noxious airborne materials. This study was aimed at defining the effects of adenosine on sensory irritation responsiveness and its role in odorant-irritant interactions. These experiments were aimed at testing the hypothesis that adenosine, through the A2 receptor, enhances trigeminal nerve responses to multiple irritants and that odorants enhance responsiveness to irritants through A2 pathways in the female C57Bl/6 mouse.

Menthol attenuates respiratory irritation responses to multiple cigarette smoke irritants.

Menthol, the cooling agent in peppermint, is added to almost all commercially available cigarettes. Menthol stimulates olfactory sensations, and interacts with transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) ion channels in cold-sensitive sensory neurons, and transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), an irritant-sensing channel. It is highly controversial whether menthol in cigarette smoke exerts pharmacological actions affecting smoking behavior.

Role of metabolic activation and the TRPA1 receptor in the sensory irritation response to styrene and naphthalene.

The current study was aimed at examining the role of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) activation and the electrophile-sensitive transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 receptor (TRPA1) in mediating the sensory irritation response to styrene and naphthalene. Toward this end, the sensory irritation to these vapors was measured in female C57Bl/6J mice during 15-min exposure via plethysmographic measurement of the duration of braking at the onset of each expiration. The sensory irritation response to 75 ppm styrene and 7 ppm naphthalene was diminished threefold or more in animals pretreated with the CYP450 inhibitor metyrapone, providing evidence of the role of metabolic activation in the response to these vapors.