Use and safety of prophylactic endoscopy from a single center serving urban and rural children with portal hypertension.

Prophylactic endoscopy is routine in adults with portal hypertension (PHTN), but there is limited data in pediatrics. We sought to describe our experience with prophylactic endoscopy in pediatric PHTN. This is a retrospective study of 87 children who began surveillance endoscopy prior to gastrointestinal bleeding (primary prophylaxis) and 52 who began after an episode of bleeding (secondary prophylaxis) from 01/01/1994 to 07/01/2019.

Readiness to Change and Prospective Effects of Weight Management Programs in Pediatric Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasing problem in pediatrics with limited treatment options. We prospectively assessed outcomes in patients managed in a hepatology clinic (HC) alone vs. those managed in combination with a multidisciplinary weight management program (MWMP).

Complications of Cryptosporidium infection after pediatric liver transplantation: Diarrhea, rejection, and biliary disease.

Background: Cryptosporidium enteritis can be devastating in the immunocompromised host. In pediatric liver transplant recipients, infection may be complicated by prolonged carriage of the parasite, rejection, and biliary tree damage and fibrosis. Herein, we report on six patients and their long-term outcomes following cryptosporidiosis.

Stimulation of fibroblast proliferation and matrix contraction by wound fluid.

Fibroblast proliferation and fibroblast-mediated matrix contraction are critical to wound healing. Different cytokines have been shown to modulate fibroblast functions but little is known about the physiological role of these soluble factors during wound repair. In these experiments we characterized a fibroblast stimulating factor in wound fluid.

Acute protein-calorie malnutrition impairs wound healing: a possible role of decreased wound nitric oxide synthesis.

Background: Nitric oxide is synthesized in wounds. Systemic inhibition of wound nitric oxide synthesis decreases wound collagen accumulation and wound mechanical strength. The role of nitric oxide during impaired healing is not known.