Analysis of longitudinal patterns of child maltreatment reports in the United States.

Background: Child maltreatment is a continuous and prevalent issue, and victims of maltreatment often suffer adverse effects well into adulthood. Since child maltreatment rates tend to be clustered geographically and temporally, intervention programs are best implemented at a local level, targeting local risk factors for sustained and effective reduction over time.

Objective: Quantifying geographic variation in child maltreatment rate trajectories can help states identify local risk factors to guide program development and resource allocation.

Reporting of Child Maltreatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Southern State in the United States.

Objectives: COVID-19-related stay-at-home orders (SAHOs) created an immediate physical barrier between children and professionals such as pediatricians and teachers, who are often first to identify and report signs of child maltreatment. Our objective was to determine how the SAHO in a southern state was associated with reports of child maltreatment and whether this association was modified by sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: We linked data on reports of child maltreatment from a southern state in the United States from October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2020, to data from the US Census Bureau to obtain data on county-level socioeconomic characteristics.

Global Health Training Collaborations: Lessons Learned and Best Practices.

Interest in global health training experiences among trainees from higher income countries has grown. The Working Group on Ethics Guidelines for Global Health Training (WEIGHT) clarified best practices in 2010 based on expert consensus. These guidelines address both balancing priorities in international partnerships and local sustainability concerns related to short-term experiences.

Psychopharmaceutical Prescription Monitoring for Children in the Child Welfare System.

Objective: Children in the child welfare system are more likely to receive psychotropic medication prescriptions than children in the general population. The authors used prescription- and administrative-level data to quantify variability in prescribing practices among prescribers for the child welfare population in a southern U.S.

Comparison of three models of adverse childhood experiences: Associations with child and adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is prevalent and confers risk for psychopathology later in life. Approaches to understanding the impact of ACEs on development include the independent risk approach, the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP) distinguishing between threat and deprivation events, and the cumulative risk approach. The present research provides an empirical confirmation of DMAP and a comparison of these three approaches in predicting internalizing and externalizing symptoms in youth.

Incidence and neighborhood-level determinants of child welfare involvement.

Background: Child maltreatment is a global public health issue that has been linked with multiple negative health and life outcomes.

Objective: This study evaluates the association between children placed in out-of-home care and neighborhood-level factors using eight years of administrative data.

Participants And Setting: Between 2011-2018, 33,890 unique instances of child welfare involvement were captured in a department of child and family services database in a southern state in the United States.

Predictors of placement disruptions in foster care.

Background: Many children who are removed from a dangerous or neglectful home and placed in state custody subsequently experience additional disruptions while in custody, which can compound the effects of ongoing stress and instability. As such, placement stability has been identified as a critical objective and a key indicator of success for children residing in substitutive care.

Objective: To examine the utility of child protective services data in identifying predictors of placement disruption.

Installing trauma-informed care through the Tennessee Child Protective Services Academy.

The Child Protective Services (CPS) Academy was designed to equip members of the child-welfare workforce with knowledge that would assist them with addressing trauma in the lives of children and families. In its design, the CPS Academy applied principles of trauma-informed care, integrating evidence-based research, and a variety of clinical strategies into a comprehensive training program. Over a 2-year period, 277 frontline workers completed training through the CPS Academy.

Implementing clinical outcomes assessment in everyday school mental health practice.

Evidence-based assessment (EBA) has been shown to improve clinical outcomes, but this practice is frequently not implemented in school mental health practice. This article reviews potential barriers to implementation and offers practical strategies for addressing these challenges. Several valid and reliable tools for assessment are reviewed, and information is provided on clinical use.

Evidence-based interventions for adolescents with disruptive behaviors in school-based settings.

Disruptive behaviors in the school setting can threaten the maintenance of optimal learning environments in schools. Challenging behaviors, such as defiance, hostility, and aggression, often define disruptive classroom behaviors. This article presents a clinical review of existing literature on interventions for adolescent disruptive behavior problems in school-based settings and in outpatient mental health settings and makes recommendations around working with adolescents with disruptive behaviors in school-based settings.

The effect of long-term release of Shh from implanted biodegradable microspheres on recovery from spinal cord injury in mice.

After spinal cord injury (SCI), loss of cells and damage to ascending and descending tracts can result in paralysis. Current treatments for SCI are based on patient stabilization, and much-needed regenerative therapies are still under development. To activate and instruct stem and progenitor cells or injured tissue to aid SCI repair, it is important to modify the injury environment for a protracted period, to allow time for cell activation, proliferation and appropriate fate differentiation.

Influenza vaccine given to pregnant women reduces hospitalization due to influenza in their infants.

Background: Infants aged <12 months are at high risk of hospitalization for influenza. Influenza vaccine is recommended for pregnant women and for most children; however, no vaccine is approved for infants aged <6 months. Effective approaches are needed to protect this vulnerable population.

Evaluation of a new transcutaneous bilirubinometer.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the Minolta/Hill-Rom Air-Shields Transcutaneous Jaundice Meter model JM-103.

Methods: We studied a convenience sample of 849 newborns > or =35 weeks of gestation in 3 hospitals. These infants had total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels measured on clinical indication, and transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) levels were obtained within 1 hour of the TSB levels.

Current concepts in universal newborn hearing screening and early hearing detection and intervention programs.

Newborns are routinely screened for hearing loss; screening typically occurs in the newborn nursery and newborn intensive care unit. Understanding the process and outcomes of initial hearing screening and ongoing early hearing detection and intervention programs (EHDI) are important roles of the newborn/neonatal intensive care (NICU) nurse. Infants that require NICU care are at higher risk of hearing loss and need close follow-up and repeat hearing testing throughout their first 3 years of life.

The changing face of bronchopulmonary dysplasia: Part 2. Discharging an infant home on oxygen.

Transitioning an infant with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) home on oxygen is a complex process. It requires an interdisciplinary team, with clear but flexible discharge criteria, and a coordinated process to manage the complexity. In "The Changing Face of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: Part I" (Advances in Neonatal Care, December 2002, pp 327-338), the evolving nature of BPD was presented, along with new diagnostic criteria, a description of the risk factors and clinical profile of this condition, and a discussion of preventative strategies as well as the medical and neurodevelopmental outcomes.