Publications by authors named "Penelope Dennehy"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to investigate whether starting valganciclovir treatment after one month of age could enhance hearing in children with congenital cytomegalovirus-associated hearing loss.
  • Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind trial involving 54 participants aged 1 month to 3 years, comparing the effects of 6 weeks of valganciclovir versus a placebo on hearing outcomes and viral load.
  • Results showed no significant improvement in hearing for the treatment group compared to the placebo, despite a notable reduction in viral load, indicating that starting treatment later does not effectively improve hearing in affected children.
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A diagnosis of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children should be made in the appropriate context and after ruling out other infectious causes. At the same time, clinicians should be diligent as the initial presentation can be unusual and the clinical picture can evolve over time. We report a case that was initially diagnosed as a retropharyngeal infection that did not improve on appropriate antimicrobial coverage.

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The danger of vaccine hesitancy is perhaps one of the most critical challenges we face as practitioners. This riveting narrative helps us find common ground and courage as it reaches into the hearts of those of us who have encountered parents who also want what's best for their child.

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Background: Systems for standardizing physician payment have been shown to undervalue cognitive clinical encounters. Because health care reform emphasizes value-based approaches, we need an understanding of the way pediatric cognitive specialties are used to contribute to the provision of high-value care. We sought to investigate how clinical and administrative stakeholders perceive the value of pediatric infectious disease (PID) specialists.

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Background: Vancomycin is frequently used to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in pediatric patients. Vancomycin exposure may lead to an increase in frequency of nephrotoxicity. Our aim was to conduct a systematic review to describe predictors of nephrotoxicity associated with vancomycin, including documented trough concentrations ≥15 mg/L.

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Background: In February 2015, two unlinked culture-confirmed cases of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (MenB) disease occurred at a local college in Rhode Island ("college X") within 3 days. This represented a 489-fold increase in the incidence of MenB disease, and an outbreak was declared. For the first time, bivalent rLP2086 (Trumenba) was selected as a mandatory intervention response.

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Background: Refugee populations in the US have a higher reported prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The objective of this study was to assess adherence to LTBI treatment in refugee and non-refugee children living in Rhode Island.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of LTBI patients seen in the Hasbro Pediatric Tuberculosis Clinic between August 2009 and September 2011.

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Objective: To outline the reasoning behind use of bivalent rLP2086 in a Rhode Island college meningococcal B disease outbreak, highlighting the timeline from outbreak declaration to vaccination clinic, emphasizing that these two time points are <3 days apart.

Participants: Staff, faculty, and students at College X eligible for vaccination.

Methods: An outbreak response was initiated, advantages/disadvantages of available MenB vaccines were discussed, and a vaccination clinic was coordinated.

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Background: Neonatal enterovirus sepsis has high mortality. Antiviral therapy is not available.

Methods: Neonates with suspected enterovirus sepsis (hepatitis, coagulopathy, and/or myocarditis) with onset at ≤15 days of life were randomized 2:1 to receive oral pleconaril or placebo for 7 days.

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Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe diarrhea disease in infants and young children worldwide. Vaccination is the only control measure likely to have a significant impact on the incidence of severe disease. Rotavirus vaccines have reduced the burden of disease in the United States and Europe and vaccine programs are being introduced in Asia and Africa where it is hoped that vaccine will have significant impact on severe infection.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study compared 6 months of valganciclovir therapy to the standard 6 weeks for newborns with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease, focusing on hearing improvement and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • Results showed no significant difference in hearing improvement at 6 months, but at 12 and 24 months, total-ear hearing was better in the 6-month therapy group compared to the 6-week group.
  • Additionally, the longer treatment group demonstrated improved neurodevelopmental scores, although both groups experienced a similar incidence of severe neutropenia (low white blood cell count).
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During the vaccination phase of the Rotavirus Efficacy and Safety Trial (REST), the period between the administration of dose 1 through 13 days after the administration of dose 3, there were more wild-type rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) cases among vaccine recipients compared with placebo recipients using the protocol-specified microbiological plaque assay in the clinical-efficacy cohort, a subset of subjects where vaccine efficacy against RVGE of any severity was assessed. In this study, a rotavirus genome segment 6-based reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay was applied post hoc to clarify the accuracy of type categorization of all these RVGE cases in vaccine recipients during the vaccination phase of REST. The assay characterized 147 (90%) of 163 re-assayed RVGE cases or rotavirus-associated health care contacts as type-determinable: either wild-type or vaccine-type rotavirus strains.

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Background: Live oral rotavirus vaccines have been less immunogenic and efficacious for children of developing countries than for those in middle income and industrialized countries, and the basis for these differences is not fully understood. Recently, we demonstrated that breastmilk from mothers in India had significantly higher IgA and neutralizing activity against rotavirus that could reduce the effective titer of rotavirus vaccines reaching the gut when compared with that from mothers in the United States. We extended our study to understand the specific contribution of those nonantibody components in breastmilk to the neutralizing activity against rotavirus vaccine we observed.

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Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe diarrhea disease in infants and young children worldwide and continues to have a major global impact on childhood morbidity and mortality. No antiviral therapy is available. Treatment of rotavirus gastroenteritis is limited to rehydration therapy.

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Background: Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a significant cause of respiratory tract infections. Little is known about HMPV in children who are at high risk for lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI).

Methods: To determine the prevalence of HMPV in high-risk children and to identify HMPV risk factors, children ≤24 months with prematurity, chronic lung disease, and/or congenital cardiac disease who were hospitalized with LRTI were prospectively enrolled.

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Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe diarrhea disease in infants and young children worldwide and continues to have a major global impact on childhood morbidity and mortality. Vaccination is the only control measure likely to have a significant impact on the incidence of severe dehydrating rotavirus disease. Rotavirus vaccines have reduced the burden of rotavirus disease in the United States.

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Purpose Of Review: Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe diarrhea disease in infants and young children worldwide and continues to have a major global impact on childhood morbidity and mortality. Two effective rotavirus vaccines are available and recommended for routine immunization of all infants. These vaccines have been introduced in both developed and developing countries.

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Antigenemia is commonly detected in children with acute rotavirus diarrhea, but the prevalence of viremia has not been clearly defined. We examined antigenemia in plasma and RNAemia in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of children with acute diarrhea by EIA, RT-PCR, and Southern hybridization, using primers and a probe specific to rotavirus NSP4 gene. We detected the presence of rotavirus antigen in 33.

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Background: Poor neurodevelopmental outcomes and recurrences of cutaneous lesions remain unacceptably frequent among survivors of neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease.

Methods: We enrolled neonates with HSV disease in two parallel, identical, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Neonates with central nervous system (CNS) involvement were enrolled in one study, and neonates with skin, eye, and mouth involvement only were enrolled in the other.

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Post-hoc analyses of the Rotavirus Efficacy and Safety Trial (REST) were conducted to determine whether the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) confers early protection against rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) before completion of the 3-dose regimen. To evaluate the efficacy of RV5 between doses in reducing the rates of RVGE-related hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits in infants who ultimately received all 3 doses of RV5/placebo, events occurring from 2 weeks after the first and second doses to receipt of the subsequent dose (Analysis A) and events occurring from 2 weeks after the first and second doses to 2 weeks after the subsequent dose (Analysis B) were analyzed. In Analysis A, RV5 reduced the rates of combined hospitalizations and ED visits for G1-G4 RVGE or RVGE regardless of serotype between doses 1 and 2 by 100% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 72-100%) or 82% (95% CI: 39-97%), respectively, and between doses 2 and 3, RV5 reduced the rates of combined hospitalizations and ED visits for G1-G4 RVGE or RVGE regardless of serotype by 91% (95% CI: 63-99%) or 84% (95% CI: 54-96%), respectively.

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