Decreasing Prescribing Errors in Antimicrobial Stewardship Program-Restricted Medications.

Objectives: Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) restrict prescribing practices to regulate antimicrobial use, increasing the risk of prescribing errors. This quality improvement project aimed to decrease the proportion of prescribing errors in ASP-restricted medications by standardizing workflow.

Methods: The study took place on all inpatient units at a tertiary care children's hospital between January 2020 and February 2022.

RSV causes more severe respiratory illness than influenza in admitted children under 2-years-old.

Introduction: Both respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza-associated lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) cause serious respiratory infections in infants and toddlers. We aimed to assess the frequency of complex hospital courses among patients admitted with influenza versus RSV LRTI.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on admissions of children <2 years who were admitted for LRTI and tested positive for influenza or RSV from 2016 to 2019.

Extracellular matrix remodeling following myocardial infarction influences the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells.

Introduction: Although stem cell therapy is a promising treatment for myocardial infarction, the minimal functional improvements observed clinically limit its widespread application. A need exists to maximize the therapeutic potential of these stem cells by first understanding what factors within the infarct microenvironment affect their ability to regenerate the necrotic tissue. In this study, we assessed both differentiation capacity and paracrine signaling as a function of extracellular matrix remodeling after myocardial infarction.

Enhanced function of immuno-isolated islets in diabetes therapy by co-encapsulation with an anti-inflammatory drug.

Immuno-isolation of islets has the potential to enable the replacement of pancreatic function in diabetic patients. However, host response to the encapsulated islets frequently leads to fibrotic overgrowth with subsequent impairment of the transplanted grafts. Here, we identified and incorporated anti-inflammatory agents into islet-containing microcapsules to address this challenge.