Comparison of Postoperative Antibiotic Protocols for Pediatric Complicated Appendicitis: A Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium Study.

Background: There is no consensus on the appropriate duration of postoperative antibiotics for complicated appendicitis in children. Commonly used antibiotic endpoints include normalization of white blood cell count (WBC) or completion of a minimum number of prespecified treatment days. We compared clinical outcomes resulting from varying postoperative antibiotic protocols for complicated appendicitis in children.

Cervical spine clearance in the pediatric trauma population: What you need to know.

Abstract: Evaluation of the pediatric cervical spine after blunt trauma is an important topic that requires special consideration. In this article, we will review background information and differences between the pediatric and adult cervical spine. We will then give up-to-date guidance on best practice for screening and clearance of the cervical spine in children, including the advantages and disadvantages of different imaging techniques.

Modeling the Relationship Between Firearm Restrictions, Medicaid Expansion, and Political Partisanship with Pediatric Firearm Mortality Costs.

Introduction: Firearms are now the leading cause of pediatric mortality in the U.S., but few studies have investigated the economic impact of these deaths.

Stimulus-Induced Theta-Band LFP Oscillations Format Neuronal Representations of Social Chemosignals in the Mouse Accessory Olfactory Bulb.

Social communication is crucial for the survival of many species. In most vertebrates, a dedicated chemosensory system, the vomeronasal system (VNS), evolved to process ethologically relevant chemosensory cues. The first central processing stage of the VNS is the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), which sends information to downstream brain regions via AOB mitral cells (AMCs).

Immediate responses to ambient light reveal distinct subpopulations of suprachiasmatic VIP neurons.

The circadian rhythm pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), mediates light entrainment via vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) neurons (SCN). Yet, how these neurons uniquely respond and connect to intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) expressing melanopsin (Opn4) has not been determined functionally in freely behaving animals. To address this, we first used monosynaptic tracing from SCN neurons in mice and identified two SCN subpopulations.

People with HIV who smoke cigarettes non-daily.

Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of mortality in people with HIV (PWH) in the United States (US). A rising proportion of US tobacco users smoke non-daily, a phenomenon that is common among PWH. PWH who smoke non-daily may be attractive targets for cessation efforts, and, thus, a fuller understanding of non-daily smoking in PWH is important.

Association Between Antibiotic Redosing Before Incision and Risk of Incisional Site Infection in Children With Appendicitis.

Objective: To evaluate whether redosing antibiotics within an hour of incision is associated with a reduction in incisional surgical site infection (iSSI) in children with appendicitis.

Background: Existing data remain conflicting as to whether children with appendicitis receiving antibiotics at diagnosis benefit from antibiotic redosing before incision.

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study using data from the Pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program augmented with antibiotic utilization and operative report data obtained though supplemental chart review.

Association of Gangrenous, Suppurative, and Exudative Findings With Outcomes and Resource Utilization in Children With Nonperforated Appendicitis.

Importance: The clinical significance of gangrenous, suppurative, or exudative (GSE) findings is poorly characterized in children with nonperforated appendicitis.

Objective: To evaluate whether GSE findings in children with nonperforated appendicitis are associated with increased risk of surgical site infections and resource utilization.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter cohort study used data from the Appendectomy Targeted Database of the American College of Surgeons Pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, which were augmented with operative report data obtained by supplemental medical record review.

Light-guided sectioning for precise in situ localization and tissue interface analysis for brain-implanted optical fibers and GRIN lenses.

Optical implants to control and monitor neuronal activity in vivo have become foundational tools of neuroscience. Standard two-dimensional histology of the implant location, however, often suffers from distortion and loss during tissue processing. To address that, we developed a three-dimensional post hoc histology method called "light-guided sectioning" (LiGS), which preserves the tissue with its optical implant in place and allows staining and clearing of a volume up to 500 μm in depth.

Dorsal Raphe Dopamine Neurons Signal Motivational Salience Dependent on Internal State, Expectation, and Behavioral Context.

The ability to recognize motivationally salient events and adaptively respond to them is critical for survival. Here, we tested whether dopamine (DA) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) contribute to this process in both male and female mice. Population recordings of DRN neurons during associative learning tasks showed that their activity dynamically tracks the motivational salience, developing excitation to both reward-paired and shock-paired cues.

Delayed presentation and sub-optimal outcomes of pediatric patients with acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: Early presentation and prompt diagnosis of acute appendicitis are necessary to prevent progression of disease leading to complicated appendicitis. We hypothesize that patients had a delayed presentation of acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected severity of disease on presentation and outcomes.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who were treated for acute appendicitis at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital (MSCH) between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak in New York City (NYC).

Negative feedback control of neuronal activity by microglia.

Microglia, the brain's resident macrophages, help to regulate brain function by removing dying neurons, pruning non-functional synapses, and producing ligands that support neuronal survival. Here we show that microglia are also critical modulators of neuronal activity and associated behavioural responses in mice. Microglia respond to neuronal activation by suppressing neuronal activity, and ablation of microglia amplifies and synchronizes the activity of neurons, leading to seizures.

Development of pediatric surgical decision-making guidelines for COVID-19 in a New York City children's hospital.

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, experience-based guidelines are needed in the pediatric population in order to deliver high quality care in a new way that keeps patients and healthcare workers safe and maximizes hospital resource utilization.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented strain on national health care resources, particularly in New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. Prudent allocation of surgical resources during the pandemic quickly became essential, and there is an unprecedented need to weigh the risks of operating versus delaying intervention in our pediatric patients.

RecV recombinase system for in vivo targeted optogenomic modifications of single cells or cell populations.

Brain circuits comprise vast numbers of interconnected neurons with diverse molecular, anatomical and physiological properties. To allow targeting of individual neurons for structural and functional studies, we created light-inducible site-specific DNA recombinases based on Cre, Dre and Flp (RecVs). RecVs can induce genomic modifications by one-photon or two-photon light induction in vivo.

Simpler is better: Predicting consumer vehicle purchases in the short run.

When agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establish future greenhouse gas emissions standards for new vehicles, forecasting future vehicle purchases due to changes in fuel economy and prices provides insight into regulatory impacts. We compare predictions from a nested logit model independently developed for US EPA to a simple model where past market share predicts future market share using data from model years 2008, 2010, and 2016. The simple model outperforms the nested logit model for all goodness-of-prediction measures for both prediction years.

Knowledge about Age-Related Decline in Fertility and Oocyte Cryopreservation: A National Survey.

Context: Women worldwide are delaying childbearing, but are they aware of the age-related decline in fertility?

Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate awareness of age-related decline in fertility and oocyte cryopreservation.

Settings And Design: A primary analysis of a cross-sectional electronic survey with a nationally representative sample of nulliparous women aged 25-45 years.

Subjects And Methods: A national online survey performed March 4-March 9, 2016.

Should We Separate the Pulmonary Surveillance Protocol for Postsurgical T1a and T1b Renal Cell Carcinoma? A Multicenter Database Analysis.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of pulmonary metastases (PM) and the utility of the surveillance chest radiography (CXR) in detecting PM after curative treatment to better define surveillance recommendations for T1a and T1b renal cell carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of a multi-institutional database was performed to include patients with renal masses treated with partial nephrectomy or radical nephrectomy. Patients were excluded for ≥T2 disease, benign pathology, and metastases.

Temporal Response Properties of Accessory Olfactory Bulb Neurons: Limitations and Opportunities for Decoding.

The vomeronasal system (VNS) is a major vertebrate chemosensory system that functions in parallel to the main olfactory system (MOS). Despite many similarities, the two systems dramatically differ in the temporal domain. While MOS responses are governed by breathing and follow a subsecond temporal scale, VNS responses are uncoupled from breathing and evolve over seconds.

Predictors of hypogammaglobulinemia during rituximab maintenance therapy in rheumatoid arthritis: A 12-year longitudinal multi-center study.

Objective: Rituximab (RTX) is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that selectively depletes B-cell population. Thus, it presents a potential risk for the development of hypogammaglobulinemia and related infectious events. Our aim was to identify predictors of hypogammaglobulinemia in RA patients long-term treated with RTX.

Role of Stromelysin 2 (Matrix Metalloproteinase 10) as a Novel Mediator of Vascular Remodeling Underlying Pulmonary Hypertension Associated With Systemic Sclerosis.

Objective: To elucidate the role of gene candidates involved in pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Gene candidates were identified through microarray experiments performed on Affymetrix GeneChip Human Exon 1.0 ST arrays in endothelial progenitor cell (EPC)-derived endothelial cells (ECs) obtained from patients with SSc-associated PH, patients with SSc without PH, and healthy control subjects.