Clinical and molecular characterization of patients affected by Beckwith-Wiedemann spectrum conceived through assisted reproduction techniques.

The prevalence of Beckwith-Wiedemann spectrum (BWSp) is tenfold increased in children conceived through assisted reproductive techniques (ART). More than 90% of ART-BWSp patients reported so far display imprinting center 2 loss-of-methylations (IC2-LoM), versus 50% of naturally conceived BWSp patients. We describe a cohort of 74 ART-BWSp patients comparing their features with a cohort of naturally conceived BWSp patients, with the ART-BWSp patients previously described in literature, and with the general population of children born from ART.

An intervention to increase high school students' compliance with carrying auto-injectable epinephrine: a MASNRN study.

Adolescents with life-threatening allergies are at a greater risk for a fatal anaphylactic event since only about half of them carry unexpired epinephrine available for emergency use. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of school nurse interventions that consisted of either routine or periodic checks during the school year for the availability of unexpired auto-injectable epinephrine. Seventy-seven students from 11 Massachusetts high schools participated in this study.