Pediatric Central Nervous System Cancers, Version 2.2025, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines In Oncology.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Pediatric Central Nervous System Cancers provide multidisciplinary diagnostic workup, staging, and treatment recommendations for diffuse high-grade gliomas and medulloblastomas in children and adolescents. This article summarizes the studies and panel discussion that serve as the rationale for comprehensive care recommendations included in the NCCN Guidelines for Pediatric Central Nervous System Cancers.

Ophthalmology Examinations in Children With Skull Fractures and Underlying Focal Hemorrhage.

Objectives: To assess the frequency and yield of retinal examination in children below 2 years old undergoing abuse evaluations in the setting of skull fracture(s) and small underlying intracranial hemorrhage.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used CAPNET, a multicenter child physical abuse network, to identify children below 2 years with a skull fracture(s) and intracranial injury limited to an underlying small focal intracranial hemorrhage undergoing subspeciality child abuse evaluations. Our outcomes of interest were (1) the performance of a retinal examination, (2) the identification of retinal hemorrhages, and (3) associations of clinical factors and CAPNET site with the performance of retinal examinations.

The Interplay of Pollution, Child Opportunity, and High Health Care Utilization in Children With Asthma in San Diego County.

Objectives: This study aims to (1) compare air pollution and child opportunity between neighborhoods with and without high health care utilization (HHU) for asthma, and (2) compare health care utilization frequency by race, ethnicity, primary language, and insurance type at the patient level.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined children with asthma within the Rady Children's Health System (2015-2020) who met HHU criteria [≥2 emergency department (ED) visits in 6 months or ≥2 hospitalizations in 12 mo]. Patient addresses were geocoded to census tracts, and ArcGIS was used to map CalEnviroScore 4.

Pediatric cardiac patients with pulmonary hemorrhage supported on ECMO: An ELSO registry study.

Background: Pulmonary Hemorrhage (PH) is a rare but potentially devastating condition and pediatric cardiac patients are at increased risk for. ECMO may be used to safely support these patients, but data is limited.

Methods: Observational retrospective cohort study from the ELSO registry database in pediatric cardiac patients from birth to 18 years old with PH supported on ECMO from January 2011 through December 2020.

Outcomes and risk factors of death among individuals with alcohol use disorder hospitalized with COVID-19: an observational Brazilian cohort study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes and mortality risk factors associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Methods: We analyzed a national database containing information on the clinical and sociodemographic aspects of patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome between February 2020 and February 2023 in Brazil, including those aged > 18 years with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. The primary exposure of interest was a history of AUD before admission and the primary outcome was in-hospital mortality.

Ventilator Liberation Practices in Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care.

Mechanical ventilation is common in critically ill children with cardiac disease, but literature focused on ventilator liberation practices for this unique pediatric subpopulation is limited. We aimed to describe current ventilator liberation practices in critically ill children with cardiac disease. Through the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium, an electronic survey was distributed to pediatric ICU attending physicians caring for patients with cardiac disease evaluating institutional protocols and individual practices around ventilator liberation including criteria for extubation readiness testing (ERT), ERT components, spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) method and duration, timing of extubation, and postextubation respiratory support.

Integrated Efficacy and Safety Analysis of Abrocitinib in Adolescents With Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis.

Background: Abrocitinib has demonstrated long-term efficacy (48 weeks) and safety (~4 years) in adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). This analysis evaluated abrocitinib efficacy in adolescents through 112 weeks, and safety of up to 4.6 years of exposure.

Synergistic RAS-MAPK and AKT Activation in MYC-Driven Tumors via Adjacent PVT1 Rearrangements.

MYC-driven (MYC+) cancers are aggressive and often fatal. MYC dysregulation is a key event in these cancers, but overexpression of MYC alone is not always enough to cause cancer. (), a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) adjacent to MYC on chromosome 8 is a rearrangement hotspot in many MYC+ cancers.

Gut microbiota and derived metabolites mediate obstructive sleep apnea induced atherosclerosis.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by intermittent hypoxia/hypercapnia (IHC), affects predominantly obese individuals, and increases atherosclerosis risk. Since we and others have implicated gut microbiota and metabolites in atherogenesis, we dissected their contributions to OSA-induced atherosclerosis. Atherosclerotic lesions were compared between conventionally-reared specific pathogen free (SPF) and germ-free (GF) Apoe mice following a high fat high cholesterol diet (HFHC), with and without IHC conditions.

Cutaneous Ceramide Synthesis is Dysregulated in Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), like atopic dermatitis (AD), is a disease of epithelial barrier dysfunction. The predisposing factors remain under investigation and few links between the skin and esophagus are known. There are no surrogate markers for EoE risk.

Factors Associated With Premature Physeal Closure After Distal Femur Physeal Fracture.

Background: Premature physeal closure (PPC) after distal femur fractures is a recognized complication. To date, risk factors for PPC have not been well identified. This study's purpose is to identify risk factors for this challenging problem and start the discussion for changing practice guidelines in high-risk patients.

Changing Epidemiology of Pediatric Pulmonary Exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis.

Rationale: The introduction of elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI), a highly effective cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapy, to younger ages and the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly reduced pulmonary exacerbations requiring hospitalization among children with CF.

Objective: To assess demographic and clinical characteristics of children and young adults with CF hospitalized for pulmonary exacerbations before and after pediatric ETI approval.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted at five United States CF Foundation-accredited care centers.

Bladder Outcomes in Bilateral Renal Agenesis.

Background: Bilateral renal agenesis is a rare congenital urinary anomaly that leads to lethal pulmonary hypoplasia. Amnioinfusion has been used to improve survival outcomes with bilateral renal agenesis. However, there is limited information regarding the bladder anatomy of these patients.

ROCKET: a phase 3 program evaluating the efficacy and safety of rocatinlimab in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting ~ 10% of adults and ~ 20% of children globally. Many patients with moderate-to-severe AD receiving systemic therapies, including biologics and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, fail to reach or maintain treatment goals due to lack of durable response or safety/tolerability issues. Rocatinlimab is a T-cell rebalancing therapy that inhibits and reduces pathogenic T cells by targeting the OX40 receptor.

Are all rings created equal? A single centre experience of fetal and paediatric vascular rings.

Background: Vascular rings cause highly variable clinical presentations. This study assesses the impact of prenatal versus postnatal diagnosis on clinical outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a single centre retrospective review of isolated vascular ring patients (without significant CHD) from 2011 to 2022 and compared clinical and operative data between patients with prenatal and postnatal diagnoses.

POCUS Standoff: Comparing Ultrasound Interfaces for Soft Tissue Foreign Body Imaging.

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound can be used to identify foreign bodies (FBs) in soft tissue. Imaging interfaces such as standoff pads and water baths can improve image resolution for superficial soft tissue structures. Our objective was to determine the optimal interface for FB detection.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Use for Newborns With Relatively Lower Illness Acuity.

Background And Objectives: Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) aggregate service and outcome descriptions focus on high-illness-acuity neonates. We sought to describe the high-level landscape of lower-acuity inborn NICU admissions (LAINAs).

Methods: This cross-sectional study of a nearly three-quarters population sample from 2022 describes 120 California hospitals with inborn NICU admissions.

-related disorders: expansion of the phenotypic spectrum and long-term efficacy of deep brain stimulation.

Heterozygous mutations in are associated with an early-onset, progressive and often complex dystonia (DYT28). Key characteristics of typical disease include focal motor features at disease presentation, evolving through a caudocranial pattern into generalized dystonia, with prominent oromandibular, laryngeal and cervical involvement. Although -related disease is emerging as one of the most common causes of early-onset genetic dystonia, much remains to be understood about the full spectrum of the disease.

Minimally Invasive Versus Open Cranial Vault Remodeling Procedures for Single-Suture Craniosynostosis: What Do We Know?

Craniosynostosis is a congenital condition characterized by the premature fusion of cranial sutures, disrupting normal skull and potentially brain growth. The current gold standard for nonsyndromic single-suture craniosynostosis is open cranial vault remodeling, which was pioneered by surgeons like Tessier and Whitaker in the 1970s. Recent advances have led to minimally invasive techniques, such as endoscopic-assisted strip craniectomy with helmeting, spring-assisted cranioplasty, and distraction osteogenesis.

Efficacy and Safety of Once-Daily Roflumilast Cream 0.05% in Pediatric Patients Aged 2-5 Years With Mild-to-Moderate Atopic Dermatitis (INTEGUMENT-PED): A Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background/objectives: Efficacy and safety of roflumilast cream 0.15% were demonstrated in patients aged ≥ 6 years with atopic dermatitis (AD) in two Phase 3 trials. This Phase 3 parallel-group, double-blind trial (INTEGUMENT-PED; NCT04845620) compared the efficacy and safety of roflumilast cream 0.

Pediatric Cholecystectomy Case Volume and Complexity Following the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background And Objectives: Historically, cholecystectomy was infrequently performed in children. Lifestyle changes, delays in health care access, and increases in childhood obesity occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of these shifts on need for cholecystectomy are poorly understood.

Epilepsy surgery in patients with Sturge-Weber Syndrome.

Sturge-Weber Syndrome (SWS) is a neurovascular condition caused by a mutation in the GNAQ gene. The most common neurological manifestations of SWS are epilepsy, developmental delay, and stroke-like episodes. Seizures are often the first neurological symptom, and most patients have drug-resistant epilepsy.

Extubation Practices and Outcomes During Pediatric Respiratory Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Analysis of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry, 2018-2022.

Objectives: To evaluate the outcomes associated with extubation during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in pediatric patients.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) registry, 2018-2022.

Setting: Multicenter and international database of all ECMO centers in the ELSO registry.

Effect of neonatal intensive care unit design on infants with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome.

Background/objective: Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) requires advanced and often prolonged medical care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We examined the effect of NICU design on treatment and NICU length of stay (NICU-LOS) for infants with NOWS.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of eligible infants with NOWS was conducted from 2013 to 2018.