Pediatric Research最新文献

Background: Neonatal resuscitation video review (NRVR) involves recording and reviewing resuscitations for education and quality assurance. Though NRVR has been shown to improve teamwork and skill retention, it is not widely used. We evaluated clinicians' experiences of NRVR to understand how NRVR impacts learning and can be improved.

Methods: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) clinicians with previous NRVR experience were recruited for individual semi-structured interviews. Using a social constructivist viewpoint, five researchers used thematic analysis to analyze participant responses.

Results: Twenty-two clinicians (11 nurses, 11 doctors) were interviewed. All participants expressed positive attitudes towards NRVR. Four themes were identified: (1) Learning from reality-exposure to real-life resuscitations was highly clinically relevant. (2) Immersive self-regulation-watching videos aided recall and reflection. (3) Complexities in learner psychological safety-all participants acknowledged viewing NRVR videos could be confronting. Some expressed fear of judgment from colleagues, though the educational benefit of NRVR superseded this. (4) Accessing and learning from diverse vantage points-NRVR promoted group discussion, which prompted participant learning from colleagues' viewpoints.

Conclusion: Neonatal clinicians reported NRVR to be an effective and safe method for learning and refining skills required during neonatal resuscitation, such as situational awareness and communication.

Impact: Neonatal resuscitation video review is not known to be widely used in neonatal resuscitation teaching, and published research in this area is limited. Our study examined clinician attitudes towards an established neonatal resuscitation video review program. We found strong support for teaching using neonatal resuscitation video review among neonatal doctors and nurses, with key benefits including increased situational awareness and increased clinical exposure to resuscitations, while maintaining psychological safety for participants. The results of this study add evidence to support the addition of video review to neonatal resuscitation training.

Background: High plasma bile acids (BAs), for instance due to intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy or neonatal cholestasis, are associated with cardiac abnormalities. Here, we exploited the variability in plasma BA levels in Cyp2c70^-/- mice with a human-like BA composition to investigate the acute effects of elevated circulating BAs on the heart.

Methods: RNA sequencing was performed on hearts of 3-week-old Cyp2c70^-/- mice lacking mouse-specific BA species that show features of neonatal cholestasis. Cardiac transcriptomes were compared between wild-type pups, Cyp2c70^-/- pups with low or high plasma BAs, and Cyp2c70^-/- pups from dams that were perinatally treated with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA).

Results: We identified 1355 genes that were differentially expressed in hearts of Cyp2c70^-/- mice with high versus low plasma BAs with enrichment of inflammatory processes. Strikingly, expression of 1053 (78%) of those genes was normalized in hearts of pups of UDCA-treated dams. Moreover, 645 cardiac genes strongly correlated to plasma BAs, of which 172 genes were associated with cardiovascular disease.

Conclusions: Elevated plasma BAs alter gene expression profiles of hearts of mice with a human-like BA profile, revealing cardiac stress and inflammation. Our findings support the notion that high plasma BAs induce cardiac complications in early life.

Impact: Cyp2c70^-/- mice with a human-like bile acid composition show features of neonatal cholestasis but the extrahepatic consequences hereof have so far hardly been addressed Elevated plasma bile acids in Cyp2c70^-/- pups coincide with cardiac stress and inflammation Perinatal treatment with UDCA prevents dysregulated cardiac gene expression patterns in Cyp2c70^-/- pups.

Emergency clinicians must rapidly evaluate the acutely ill or injured child. In a resource-stressed environment, "spotting the sick child" is essential for appropriate stabilization, treatment, and further management. Overlooking clinical features in a child's presentation may impede timely care. Complicating factors include the volume of patients seeking care, unfettered access to emergency services, parental perceptions and expectations, and clinician biases. Notwithstanding, after an appropriate history and physical exam, some children do not fall under the standard rubric of "sick or not sick". This article explores strategies to recognise the child who may lie in the diagnostic void between those who are obviously well and those who are not.

Background: To evaluate the association between maternal MVCs during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs, including intellectual disability, ADHD, ASD, and infantile cerebral palsy) in children.

Methods: This population-based cohort of live births in Taiwan was analyzed, comparing children born to mothers involved in MVCs during pregnancy with those without such exposure. Children were linked to the insurance database to identify the possible diagnosis of NDDs. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the relative hazards.

Results: A total of 19,277 children with maternal MVCs and 76,015 children without exposure were included. Children exposed to maternal MVCs during the first two trimesters or whose mothers sustained mild to severe injuries showed a higher risk of intellectual disability. Severe maternal injuries also increased the risk of infantile cerebral palsy (aHR = 3.86; 1.27-11.78). MVCs in the third trimester, or mild maternal injuries, were associated with a higher risk of ASD (third trimester: aHR = 1.40; 1.04-1.87; mild injuries: aHR = 1.38; 1.09-1.74).

Conclusion: Children exposed to maternal MVCs with severe injuries had a higher risk of intellectual disability and cerebral palsy. Third-trimester exposure may increase the risk of ASD. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously as genetic factors may contribute to the observed association.

Impact: There is some evidence linking maternal MVCs during pregnancy to the development of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Children of mothers with severely injured were more likely to suffer from infantile cerebral palsy and intellectual disability. The risk of autism spectrum disorder is higher in children whose mothers are involved in MVCs during the late stage of pregnancy, and there is also an increased risk of intellectual disability during the first two trimesters.

Studies on the -omics of child neurodevelopmental outcomes, e.g. genome, epigenome, microbiome, metabolome, and brain connectome aim to enable data-driven precision health to improve these outcomes, or deliver the right intervention, to the right child, at the right time. However, evidence suggests that neurodevelopmental outcomes are shaped by modifiable socioenvironmental factors. Everyday exposures including family and neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status, housing conditions, and interactions with those living in the home, are strongly associated with child health and have been suggested to alter -omics. Our aim was to review and understand the biological pathways by which home factors contribute to child neurodevelopment outcomes. We review studies suggestive of the home factors contributing to neurodevelopmental outcomes that encompass the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the brain, the gut-brain-axis, and the immune system. We thus conceptualize home-ics as the study of how the multi-faceted living environment can impact neurodevelopmental outcomes through biology and highlight the importance of targeting the modifiable aspects of a child's home to optimize outcomes. We encourage clinicians and health care providers to routinely assess home factors in patient encounters, and counsel families on modifiable aspects of the home. We conclude by discussing clinical and policy implications and future research directions of home-ics. IMPACT: Home-ics can be conceptualized as the study of how home factors may shape child neurodevelopmental outcomes through altering biology. Targeting modifiable aspects of a child's home environment (e.g. parenting style, early intervention, enriched environment) may lead to improved neurodevelopmental outcomes. Clinicians should routinely assess home factors and counsel families on modifiable aspects of the home.

Background: Whether portal venous gas (PVG) is a sign of severe neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and predicts poor prognosis remains uncertain.

Methods: Patients from two centres were randomly assigned to a training set or a validation set. A nomogram model for predicting severe NEC was developed on the basis of the independent risk factors selected by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The model was evaluated based on the area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results: A total of 585 patients met the study criteria, and propensity score matching resulted in 141 matched pairs for further analysis. Patients with PVG had a greater risk of surgical intervention or death compared with patients without PVG. A prediction model for severe NEC was established based on PVG, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), serum platelet count (PLT) and pH <7.35 at the onset of NEC. The model had a moderate predictive value with an AUC > 0.8. The calibration curve and DCA suggested that the nomogram model had good performance for clinical application.

Conclusion: A prediction nomogram model based on PVG and other risk factors can help physicians identify severe NEC early and develop reasonable treatment plans.

Impact: PVG is an important and common imaging manifestation of NEC. Controversy exists regarding whether PVG is an indication for surgical intervention and predicts poor prognosis. Our study suggested that patients with PVG had a greater risk of surgical intervention or death compared with patients without PVG. PVG, IMV, PLT and pH <7.35 at the onset of NEC are independent risk factors for severe NEC. A prediction nomogram model based on PVG and other risk factors may help physicians identify severe NEC early and develop reasonable treatment plans.

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare condition of unknown origin in newborns with jaundice. In BA bile ducts are non-functional, causing neonatal cholestasis and following liver fibrosis and failure.

Methods: This retrospective study included liver biopsies of 14 infants with BA aged [mean ± SD] 63 ± 23 days. Patients were grouped according to the clinical course (jaundice-free vs recurrent jaundice vs required liver transplantation or liver fibrosis (Ishak fibrosis score)) and followed for 1.61-5.64 years (mean 4.03). Transcriptome profiles were assessed using a panel of 768 fibrosis-specific genes, reanalyzed via qRT-PCR, and confirmed via immunostaining. Plasma from an additional 30 BA infants and 10 age-matched controls were used for amyloid precursor protein (APP) quantification by ELISA.

Results: Different clinical outcome groups showed a homogeneous mRNA expression. Altered amyloid-metabolism-related gene expression was found between cases with Ishak fibrosis score greater than 4. Immunostaining confirmed a distinct presence of APP in the livers of all BA subjects. APP plasma levels were higher in BA than in age-matched controls and correlated with the histological fibrosis grade.

Conclusions: These results suggest that amyloidosis may contribute to BA and liver fibrosis, indicating that APP could serve as a potential liquid biomarker for these conditions.

Impact: Biliary atresia patients with higher fibrosis scores according to Ishak have higher hepatic expression of amyloid-related genes while amyloid precursor protein accumulates in the liver and increases in the circulation. After a recent study revealed beta-amyloid deposition as a mechanism potentially involved in biliary atresia, we were able to correlate amyloid-metabolism-related transcript levels as well as amyloid precursor protein tissue and plasma levels with the degree of hepatic fibrosis. These findings suggest that amyloid precursor protein is a fibrosis marker in infants with biliary atresia, reinforcing the role of amyloid metabolism in the pathogenesis of this serious disease.

Objective: Teleneonatology, the use of telemedicine for newborn resuscitation and care, can connect experienced care providers with high-risk deliveries. In a simulated resuscitation, we hypothesized that teleneonatal resuscitation, compared to usual resuscitation, would reduce the no-flow fraction.

Study design: This was a single-center, randomized simulation trial in which pediatric residents were randomized to teleneonatal or routine resuscitation. The primary outcome was no-flow fraction defined as time without chest compressions divided by the time during which the heart rate was <60. Secondary outcomes included corrective modifications of bag-mask ventilation and times to intubation and epinephrine administration.

Results: Fifty-one residents completed the scenario. The no-flow fraction (median [IQR]) was significantly better in the teleneonatal group (0.06[0.05]) compared to the routine resuscitation group (0.07[0.82]); effect (95% CI): -16 (-43 to 0). Participants in the teleneonatal resuscitation group more frequently performed corrective modifications to bag-mask ventilation (60% vs 15%; p < 0.001). Time to intubation (214 s vs 230 s; p = 0.58) and epinephrine (395 s vs 444 s; p = 0.21) were comparable between groups.

Conclusions: In this randomized simulation trial of neonatal resuscitation, teleneonatal resuscitation reduced adverse delivery outcomes compared to routine care. Further in hospital evaluation of teleneonatology may substantiate this technology's impact on delivery outcomes.

Clinicaltrials:

Gov id: NCT04258722 IMPACT: Whereas telemedicine-supported neonatal resuscitation may improve the quality of resuscitation within hospital settings, unique challenges include the need for real-time, high-fidelity audio-video communication with a low failure rate. The no-flow fraction, which evaluates the quality of chest compressions when indicated, has been associated with survival in other clinical contexts. We report a reduction in no-flow fraction in neonatal resuscitations supported with telemedicine, in addition to improvements in the quality of neonatal resuscitation. Telemedicine-supported neonatal resuscitation may improve the quality of resuscitation within hospital settings without direct access to neonatologists.

Background: To determine the prevalence of pediatric Post-COVID-19 condition (PPCC), identify risk factors, and assess the quality of life in children with differing severities of acute COVID-19.

Methods: During a prospective longitudinal study with a 1-year follow-up, we compared non-hospitalized (mild) and hospitalized (severe) COVID-19 cases to a negatively tested control group.

Results: 579 children were included in this study. Of these, 260 had mild acute disease (median age:8, IQR:6-10), 60 had severe acute disease (median age:1, IQR:0.1-4.0), and 259 tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 (NT) (median age:8, IQR:5-10). At three months, 14.6% of the SARS-CoV-2 positive mild group (RR:6.31 (CI 95%: 2.71-14.67)) and 29.2% of the severe group (RR:12.95 (CI 95%: 5.37-31.23)) reported sequelae, versus 2.3% of the NT group. PPCC prevalence in the mild group decreased from 16.1% at one month to 4.4% at one year. Children with PPCC exhibited lower physical health-related quality of life scores and higher fatigue scores than the NT children.

Conclusions: Severe acute COVID-19 in children leads to a higher PPCC prevalence than in mild cases. PPCC prevalence decreases over time. Risk factors at three months include prior medical history, hospital admission, and persistent fatigue one month after a positive test.

Impact: We demonstrate children with severe COVID-19 are more likely to develop Post-COVID-19 condition than those with mild or no infections, and highlights the risk factors. Here we have stratified by acute disease severity, prospectively included a negative control group, and have demonstrated the heterogeneity in prevalence when utilizing various recent definitions of post-COVID. Identifying risk factors for pediatric post-COVID and highlighting the heterogeneity in prevalence based on various current definitions for post-COVID should aid in correctly identifying potential pediatric post-COVID cases, aiding in early intervention.