Prevalence and sequelae of asymptomatic Clostridioides difficile colonization in children with inflammatory bowel disease.

Colonization by Clostridioides difficile is common in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and complicates both the management of IBD and the diagnosis of C. difficile infection (CDI). There is a paucity of data on rates, risk factors, and outcomes associated with asymptomatic C.

Interventions to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 Among People Experiencing Sheltered Homelessness: Chicago, Illinois, March 1, 2020-May 11, 2023.

To compare the incidence, case-hospitalization rates, and vaccination rates of COVID-19 between people experiencing sheltered homelessness (PESH) and the broader community in Chicago, Illinois, and describe the impact of a whole community approach to disease mitigation during the public health emergency. Incidence of COVID-19 among PESH was compared with community-wide incidence using case-based surveillance data from March 1, 2020, to May 11, 2023. Seven-day rolling means of COVID-19 incidence were assessed for the overall study period and for each of 6 distinct waves of COVID-19 transmission.

Longitudinal profiling of the intestinal microbiome in children with cystic fibrosis treated with elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor.

The intestinal microbiome influences growth and disease progression in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor (ELX/TEZ/IVA), the newest pharmaceutical modulator for CF, restores the function of the pathogenic mutated CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel. We performed a single-center longitudinal analysis of the effect of ELX/TEZ/IVA on the intestinal microbiome, intestinal inflammation, and clinical parameters in children with CF.

The relationship between the intestinal microbiome and body mass index in children with cystic fibrosis.

Background: The nutritional status of children with cystic fibrosis (CF), as assessed by their body mass index percentile (BMIp), is a critical determinant of long-term health outcomes. While the intestinal microbiome plays an important role in nutrition, little is known regarding the relationship of the microbiome and BMIp in children with CF.

Methods: Pediatric patients (< 18 years old) with CF and healthy comparison patients (HCs) were enrolled in the study and stool samples obtained.

Longitudinal Profiling of the Intestinal Microbiome in Children with Cystic Fibrosis Treated with Elexacaftor-Tezacaftor-Ivacaftor.

The intestinal microbiome influences growth and disease progression in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor (ELX/TEZ/IVA), the newest pharmaceutical modulator for CF, restores function of the pathogenic mutated CFTR channel. We performed a single-center longitudinal analysis of the effect of ELX/TEZ/IVA on the intestinal microbiome, intestinal inflammation, and clinical parameters in children with CF.

Clostridioides difficile toxin is infrequently detected in inflammatory bowel disease and does not associate with clinical outcomes.

Introduction: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates and outcomes can vary based on differences in testing strategy. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of toxin detection in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when compared to those without IBD. Secondly, the clinical outcomes of CDI in IBD were assessed using two-step testing strategies.

Characteristics of Inpatients Prescribed Dopamine Receptor Blocking Agents.

Dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs, also known as antipsychotics) are frequently used in hospitalized patients. These medications carry a significant side effect burden and should be used judiciously. This purpose of this study is to examine patient, disease, and medication characteristics associated with the use of DRBAs in the inpatient setting to better understand current prescribing patterns and opportunities for optimization.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Microbial Therapeutics for the Treatment of Clostridioides difficile Infection in Pediatric Patients.

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and has high rates of recurrent disease. As a disease associated with intestinal dysbiosis, gastrointestinal microbiome manipulation and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) have evolved as effective, although relatively unregulated therapeutics and not without safety concerns. FMT for the treatment of CDI has been well studied in adults with increasing data reported in children.

Association between Oral Microbiome and Esophageal Diseases: A State-of-the-Art Review.

Background: Esophageal conditions result in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is growing enthusiasm for discerning the role of microbiome in esophageal diseases. Conceivably, the focus has been on examining the role of local microbiome in esophageal diseases although this is somewhat limited by the invasive approach required to sample the esophageal tissue.

Two-step Testing for Clostridioides Difficile is Inadequate in Differentiating Infection From Colonization in Children.

Objectives: Recent Infectious Disease Society of America guidelines recommend multistep testing algorithms to diagnose Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), including a combination of nucleic acid amplification-based testing (NAAT) and toxin enzyme immunoassay (EIA). The use of these algorithms in children, including the ability to differentiate between C. difficile colonization and CDI, however, has not been evaluated.

Parent and Child Reports of Food Insecurity and Mental Health: Divergent Perspectives.

Background: Food insecurity-the inability to provide adequate food for at least one household member sometime during the year-is linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Child reports of experiences in other domains of life are only moderately related to parental proxy reports of the same experiences. The goal of our study was to assess the convergence of parent and child reports of food insecurity and several specific mental health symptoms.

Cytomegalovirus Associated Duodenal Ulcer and Duodenitis in a Malnourished Pediatric Patient.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) duodenitis is a rare occurrence, especially in pediatric patients. A thirteen-month-old female presented to the Emergency Department for a febrile seizure. She was incidentally admitted for severe malnutrition with an initial workup remarkable for only a slight elevation in her ALT at 48.

Health Care Disparities Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors in Resident Physicians.

Purpose: Health care disparities are an important but sometimes underrepresented topic in graduate medical education. In this study we measured the impact of educational and behavioral interventions on resident knowledge about and attitudes toward health care disparities.

Methods: Faculty from 6 residency programs designed and presented an hour-long educational intervention to emphasize the importance of and increase resident knowledge about health care disparities.

Chorioamnionitis: prevention and management.

Chorioamnionitis most often occurs during labor, affecting as many as 10% of laboring women. When intrapartum chorioamnionitis occurs, women are at peripartal risk for endometritis, cesarean birth, and postpartum hemorrhage; and the neonate is at significant risk for sepsis, pneumonia, respiratory distress, and death. The impact is greater for preterm infants where the incidence of chorioamnionitis is nearly 30%.