Cerebral oxygenation in preterm infants receiving transfusion.

Background: The influence of severity of anemia and cardiac output (CO) on cerebral oxygenation (CrSO) and on the change in CrSO following packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion in preterm infants has not been evaluated. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the effect of pre-transfusion hemoglobin (Hb) and CO-weighted oxygen delivery index (ODI) on CrSO and on the post-transfusion CrSO change.

Methods: Preterm infants of <32 weeks gestational age (GA) receiving PRBC transfusion were enrolled.

The Role of Disaccharidase Deficiencies in Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders-A Narrative Review.

Disaccharidase deficiencies are reportedly underdiagnosed in pediatric populations. Though typically thought to cause diarrheal disease, they can also be a cause of abdominal pain and dyspepsia, and patients diagnosed with these functional disorders may actually have associated enzyme deficiencies. While the effects of lactose deficiency have been widely studied, sucrase, maltase, and isomaltase are less frequently considered when approaching a patient with an apparent functional abdominal pain disorder.

Hemosuccus pancreaticus from superior mesenteric artery pseudoaneurysm within perceived pancreatic mass.

Bleeding from the pancreatic duct is a rare source of gastrointestinal hemorrhage and is referred to as hemosuccus pancreaticus. Often a result of pseudoaneurysm formation from chronic pancreatitis, hemosuccus pancreaticus is a difficult diagnosis due to its peculiar clinical presentation. This is a case of a 51-year-old male with a history of chronic pancreatitis, who initially presented with a pancreatic mass found on CT scan.

Tetralogy of Fallot With Absent Pulmonary Valve and Nonconfluent Pulmonary Arteries: A Management Conundrum.

Tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve syndrome is a rare form of congenital heart disease. Among the different variations with this rare anomaly is nonconfluent pulmonary artery branches with anomalous origin of the left pulmonary artery from the ductus arteriosus. The authors present one such case which was diagnosed prenatally to have tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve and identified postnatally to have nonconfluent pulmonary artery branches in addition.

Evaluation of Neonates With Suspected Congenital Heart Disease: A New Cost-Effective Algorithm.

We assessed the value of existing guidelines for the evaluation of suspected congenital heart disease (CHD) in term neonates and propose a revised algorithm. Retrospective chart review of newborns referred for cardiac evaluation at a tertiary care center was performed. A total of 777 newborns qualified for the study.

Prevalence of Synchronous Oligopolyposis in Incident Colorectal Cancer: A Population-Based Study.

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading causes of cancer death among men and women. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of oligopolyposis (≥20 synchronous colorectal adenomas) and its associated clinicopathological characteristics in Hispanics with incident CRC.

Methods: Pathology reports from individuals diagnosed with CRC (2007 to 2011) were obtained from the PR Central Cancer Registry.

Measuring emotion socialization in families affected by pediatric cancer: Refinement and reduction of the Parents' Beliefs about Children's Emotions questionnaire.

The aim of this study is to conduct a multimethod psychometric reduction in the Parents' Beliefs about Children's Emotions (PBCE) questionnaire using an item response theory framework with a pediatric oncology sample. Participants were 216 pediatric oncology caregivers who completed the PBCE. The PBCE contains 105 items (11 subscales) rated on a 6-point Likert-type scale.

Increased risk of fibrinolysis shutdown among severely injured trauma patients receiving tranexamic acid.

Background: The association between tranexamic acid (TXA) and fibrinolysis shutdown is unknown. We hypothesize that TXA is associated with fibrinolysis shutdown in critically injured trauma patients.

Methods: Two hundred eighteen critically injured adults admitted to the intensive care unit at an urban Level I trauma center from August 2011 to January 2015 who had thromboelastography performed upon intensive care unit admission were reviewed.

Beta blockers in critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury: Results from a multicenter, prospective, observational American Association for the Surgery of Trauma study.

Background: Beta blockers, a class of medications that inhibit endogenous catecholamines interaction with beta adrenergic receptors, are often administered to patients hospitalized after traumatic brain injury (TBI). We tested the hypothesis that beta blocker use after TBI is associated with lower mortality, and secondarily compared propranolol to other beta blockers.

Methods: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Clinical Trial Group conducted a multi-institutional, prospective, observational trial in which adult TBI patients who required intensive care unit admission were compared based on beta blocker administration.

Prevalence of Hypertension (HTN) and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Hospitalized Pediatric Hemophilia Population.

Improved life expectancy in hemophilia has led to a greater interest in age-related disorders. Hypertension (HTN) as well as cardiovascular disease have been increasingly reported in hemophilic adults but there is currently very limited data in the pediatric population. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2012 National Health Cost and Utilization Project database to determine the prevalence of HTN and associated cardiovascular risk factors in a hospitalized pediatric hemophilia population, between the ages of 0 to 21 years, in comparison with the general pediatric population.

Prehypertension is real and can be associated with target organ damage.

Prehypertension (systolic blood pressure 120-139 or diastolic blood pressure 80-89 mm Hg) confers a risk of progression to hypertension, impairment of cognitive function, increased left ventricular mass, risk of end-stage renal disease, and an association with arteriosclerosis. Recent studies provide data that could support the rationale for treating prehypertensives subjects with antihypertensive medications in addition to lifestyle modification, especially if they have concomitant cardiovascular risk factors.

Incidence and Outcome of Pericardial Effusion in Pediatric Patients After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A Single-institution Experience.

Background: Pericardial effusion (PE) is a known complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Limited data is currently available regarding the incidence and outcomes of PE in pediatric HSCT.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on a cohort of patients who underwent HSCT between 2004 and 2015.

Adolescent Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation versus Sexually Abused Adolescents.

We have discovered in our clinical review that sexually abused girls have significantly better therapeutic outcomes than girls who have been victims of sex trafficking. Thus, we compared the mental health records of 25 adolescent female victims of commercial sexual exploitation with a group of 25 girls with a history of sexual abuse matched for age. Exclusion criteria included IQ <70, organicity, and psychosis.

A Descriptive Analysis of Traction Splint Utilization and IV Analgesia by Emergency Medical Services.

Unlabelled: Study Objectives Traction splinting has been the prehospital treatment of midshaft femur fracture as early as the battlefield of the First World War (1914-1918). This study is the assessment of these injuries and the utilization of a traction splint (TS) in blunt and penetrating trauma, as well as intravenous (IV) analgesia utilization by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Miami, Florida (USA).

Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients who sustained a midshaft femur fracture in the absence of multiple other severe injuries or severe physiologic derangement, as defined by an injury severity score (ISS) <20 and a triage revised trauma score (T-RTS)≥10, who presented to an urban, Level 1 trauma center between September 2008 and September 2013.

An Updated Review of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning: Clinical, Epidemiological, Environmental, and Public Health Management.

Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) is the most frequently reported seafood-toxin illness in the world. It causes substantial human health, social, and economic impacts. The illness produces a complex array of gastrointestinal, neurological and neuropsychological, and cardiovascular symptoms, which may last days, weeks, or months.

Intermediate-Term Results After Extracardiac Conduit Fontan Palliation in Children and Young Adults with Single Ventricle Physiology-A Single-center Experience.

The Fontan operation and its modifications are currently the standard palliation in patients with single ventricle physiology. The advantages of extracardiac conduit Fontan operation (ECF) have previously been described. We evaluated the outcome of patients who underwent ECF operation at our center since the year 2000 to assess morbidity, mortality and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class in the current era.

Salter-Harris type-IV displaced distal radius fracture in a 5-year-old.

Displaced Salter-Harris type-IV fractures are rare in young children and can result in articular incongruity or premature physeal arrest. We describe a 5-year-old boy who sustained a displaced left distal radial Salter-Harris type-IV fracture. The patient had normal wrist function and physeal growth at the 3-year postoperative follow-up.

Military-to-civilian translation of battlefield innovations in operative trauma care.

Background: Historic improvements in operative trauma care have been driven by war. It is unknown whether recent battlefield innovations stemming from conflicts in Iraq/Afghanistan will follow a similar trend. The objective of this study was to survey trauma medical directors (TMDs) at level 1-3 trauma centers across the United States and gauge the extent to which battlefield innovations have shaped civilian practice in 4 key domains of trauma care.

Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome: review of imaging findings and current literature.

Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome (PLS) is a rare autosomal recessive condition that causes palmoplantar keratoderma and premature exfoliation of primary and secondary dentition. There are several diseases that can mimic PLS, and it is estimated that the disease is far more prevalent than documented but may either be misdiagnosed or not acknowledged. Radiological exams can provide important clues to differentiate between these syndromes and make an accurate diagnosis.

Modification of the tube-in-tube pedicled anterolateral thigh flap for total phalloplasty: the mushroom flap.

Background: Malformation or absence of the penis can lead to physical and psychological problems for male patients. Reconstruction of the phallus should optimally be completed in a single procedure, be aesthetically pleasing, retain erogenous and tactile sensation, enable micturition in the standing position, and allow for penetrative sexual intercourse. The tube-in-tube flap was described nearly 30 years ago and forms both a urethra and an outer penile shaft with a single flap.

Cardiac effects in perinatally HIV-infected and HIV-exposed but uninfected children and adolescents: a view from the United States of America.

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a primary cause of acquired heart disease, particularly of accelerated atherosclerosis, symptomatic heart failure, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Cardiac complications often occur in late-stage HIV infections as prolonged viral infection is becoming more relevant as longevity improves. Thus, multi-agent HIV therapies that help sustain life may also increase the risk of cardiovascular events and accelerated atherosclerosis.