The utility of renal sonographic measurements in differentiating children with grades 2, 3, and 4 hydronephrosis.

Introduction: Prior analysis of children with grade 3 and 4 congenital hydronephrosis demonstrated that renal medullary pyramidal thickness (PT) is predictive of subsequent pyeloplasty (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.78). The objective of this study was to further analyze the utility of sonographic measurements including PT, anteroposterior pelvic diameter (APD), and renal length with an expansion of the number of infants with hydronephrotic kidneys including grades 2, 3, and 4 hydronephrosis.

Opioids and pediatric urology: A prospective study evaluating prescribing habits and patient postoperative pain and narcotic utilization.

Introduction: Few pediatric urologists believe patients require a majority of the doses of opioids prescribed to them postoperatively. Seeking a better understanding of postoperative pain and analgesia in pediatric urology patients may help reduce opioid over prescription while still adequately managing postoperative pain.

Objective: We sought to better understand: 1) the postoperative pain levels experienced by pediatric urology patients, 2) the factors that correlate with postoperative pain and number of opioids consumed following pediatric urologic procedures, and 3) the patients who do not require opioids after surgery.

The utility of renal medullary pyramidal thickness measurements on the first and second postnatal ultrasound in infants with congenital hydronephrosis.

Introduction: Prior studies with postnatal ultrasound measurements of the medullary pyramid thickness (PT) demonstrate a PT < 3 mm as a significant risk factor for the diagnosis of UPJ obstruction and pyeloplasty. These studies used the postnatal ultrasound demonstrating the largest degree of hydronephrosis. Since early identification of children at increased risk of obstruction and pyeloplasty would be clinically useful, we reviewed the PT on the first and second postnatal ultrasound in infants with congenital hydronephrosis.

Phase-adaptive brain stimulation of striatal D1 medium spiny neurons in dopamine-depleted mice.

Brain rhythms are strongly linked with behavior, and abnormal rhythms can signify pathophysiology. For instance, the basal ganglia exhibit a wide range of low-frequency oscillations during movement, but pathological "beta" rhythms at ~ 20 Hz have been observed in Parkinson's disease (PD) and in PD animal models. All brain rhythms have a frequency, which describes how often they oscillate, and a phase, which describes the precise time that peaks and troughs of brain rhythms occur.

The utility of renal sonographic measurements in differentiating children with high grade congenital hydronephrosis.

Introduction: Current grading systems for hydronephrosis include a subjective determination of parenchymal 'thickness' and suffer from poor reliability. Use of more objective ultrasonographic measurements including medullary pyramidal thickness (PT) may be useful in augmenting current grading systems by decreasing subjectivity and enhancing prognostic ability.

Objective: To evaluate the utility of PT measurements in patients with SFU grades 3 and 4 hydronephrosis, we assessed the: 1) the inter-rater reliability of PT measurements, 2) the correlation between relative renal function on nuclear renal scan and PT, and 3) the pyeloplasty predictive ability of PT alone and in combination with SFU grade and/or other sonographic measurements in multivariate statistical models.

Axial levodopa-induced dyskinesias and neuronal activity in the dorsal striatum.

Levodopa-induced dyskinesias are abnormal involuntary movements that limit the effectiveness of treatments for Parkinson's disease. Although dyskinesias involve the striatum, it is unclear how striatal neurons are involved in dyskinetic movements. Here we record from striatal neurons in mice during levodopa-induced axial dyskinesias.