Debora Porter

  With Independence Day just around the corner, Nick Pasion has a warning about fireworks: Since Pennsylvania legalized consumer-grade fireworks in 2017, authorities have reported a sharp increase in fireworks-related accidents that have strained emergency responders, lit schools on fire and blown off fingers.   The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that injuries from fireworks rose during the pandemic: Sales of consumer fireworks increased in 2020, when many community firework displays were cancelled because of COVID-19. Sadly, severe injuries and deaths from fireworks increased, too. About 15,600 people were treated in hospital emergency departments for fireworks injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission​, and at least 18 people died. Of those injured, roughly 1,100 were under age 5, another 1,400 were ages 5 to 14, and 1,300 were 15 to 19. Parts of the body most often burned or wounded were hands and fingers (30%), head, face, ...

To assess the relationship between an area deprivation index (ADI) and a social determinant of health (SDoH) measure within a diverse sample. A pre-screening tool based on routinely collected information could reduce clinical burden by identifying patients impacted by SDoH for comprehensive assessment. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00602-3/fulltext?rss=yes

  It’s summer and that means it’s hot! While heat waves have been experienced by every prior generation of human beings, extreme heat events are becoming more numerous  and widespread for Earth’s current inhabitants. We know that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide and methane, are driving rising temperatures and causing more frequent and more severe heat waves that are lasting longer than they used to. Exposure to elevated temperatures leads to poor health outcomes, including heat-related illnesses and death which will increase as the climate crisis intensifies. The people who suffer the most from extreme heat are the same ones who bear the highest burden from fossil-fueled air pollution, infectious diseases, food insecurity, water scarcity, and other consequences of climate change which adversely affect physical and mental health: • Pregnant women and their developing fetuses ; • Infants and children ; • The elderly ...

To evaluate the risks, benefits and utility of testing for adult-onset hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) in adolescents and young adults. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00601-1/fulltext?rss=yes

  Although the risks are low, COVID-19 occurring during pregnancy is associated with complications of pregnancy and poor birth outcomes, including : • Increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness in pregnant women, making hospitalization, ICU care, and ventilator assistance are more likely • Prematurity (delivery before 37 weeks gestation) • Pregnancy loss and stillbirth   More than two years into the pandemic, researchers are just now beginning to see the impacts of maternal coronavirus infection during pregnancy on infant health. It will take several more years to determine if there are long-term impacts on growth, development, and overall pediatric health. Researchers at Harvard Medical School worry that the effect of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy on infant brain development could mimic the impact seen with other viral infections acquired during pregnancy: The potential relationship of maternal COVID-19 infection with offspring neurodevelopment, if any, is not...

A two-year-old boy sustained skin contamination by industrial liquid trichloroethylene (TCE), involving about 30% of his body surface area. As reported, a large amount of solvent was accidently spilled staining the anterior left side of his body and most of his face. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00596-0/fulltext?rss=yes

To determine the effect of the implementation of an automated sepsis screening tool on the median cost for affected patient encounters. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00600-X/fulltext?rss=yes

The early SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was temporally associated with a reduction in many childhood infections, although the impact on bacterial colonization is unknown. We longitudinally assessed S. aureus colonization prior to and through the first year of the pandemic. We observed a decline in MRSA colonization associated with SARS-CoV-2 prevention mandates. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00599-6/fulltext?rss=yes

To evaluate early growth following primary or staged repair of neonatal symptomatic tetralogy of Fallot (sTOF). source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00598-4/fulltext?rss=yes

  After a long wait, parents and pediatricians from all around the country were relieved last week to finally be able to safely provide young children powerful immune protection against the devastating pandemic virus that has killed over a million Americans and damaged the physical and mental health of tens of millions more (some permanently) over the last 30 months. Allegheny Health Network issued a press release last week describing the burden of disease young people have suffered — and continue to suffer — from coronavirus: Although COVID-19 is normally less severe in children than adults, the virus can be life threatening for some kids. COVID is the fifth leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, according to CDC data . More than 200 children ages 6 months to 4 years old have died from COVID since January 2020. More than 2 million children in this age group have been infected during the pandemic, and more than 20,000 have been hospitalized. “The availability of a ...

To assess whether the severity of cases of spina bifida changed after mandatory folic acid fortification in the United States. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00597-2/fulltext?rss=yes

Red and Rover by Brian Basset ( arcamax.com/thefunnies )             source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/06/26/sunday-funnies-511/

TILES from Diatomic studio on Vimeo : This film explores the module as the origin of harmony of a pattern, finding beauty in simplicity. Using basic elements of geometry such as points, lines, circles, triangles, or squares, and combining them with the basic formulas of kinetics such as transaction, rotation, trajectory, or scale, we achieve new compositions of tessellated patterns of linear progression by increments.     source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/06/25/cool-video-of-the-week-512/

*This post originally appeared on The PediaBlog on June 24, 2019.   Nutrition 4 K ids   Starting Solids: The Choices, The Anxiety, The Reality By Jennifer Yoon, RDN/LDN, Breastfeeding Educator , AHN Pediatrics  St. Clair     There is no doubt that feeding our children has become a much more complicated endeavor and is a great source of anxiety for parents. Choosing breastfeeding or formula, or struggling to breastfeed and needing to use formula is the first obstacle in the minefield of feeding. And just when you have that down, the scary world of starting solid foods appears like a dark tower ahead. Will you start with purees or try Baby-Led Weaning ? Which foods are best to start with? Are we introducing common allergens early or later? Will you use commercially prepared baby food or make your own? Are pouches or jars better? Hey, there’s an awesome new gourmet baby food home delivery service! The overwhelming number of feeding choices for our babi...

  June is National Healthy Homes Month . This week we’ve learned that it only takes 5 minutes to begin making our homes healthier. We asked questions to help find hidden dangers  threatening children’s health that can be present in every home. And we reviewed the Eight Principles of a Healthy Home . It should be obvious to everyone that firearms are not compatible with healthy homes. Whether they are put there by adults who simply collect them, use them for hunting or target practice, or feel the need to keep one close for self-defense, the fact is that whenever guns are discharged — in an assault or just as a threat — an act of violence has occurred. And engaging or experiencing violence is not healthy for any person, especially a child. The mere presence of firearms in the house raises the potential threat level for violence, whatever its purpose for being there. Carefully consider these statistics on gun violence in America: • One out of every three American ch...

In honor of Pride Month, UMHS is thrilled to welcome back alumnus Soren Estvold, MD, MPH to host a special livestream event, “LGBTQ+ Medicine & Theory: Providing Compassionate Care.” Dr. Estvold is a family medicine physician who specializes in treating LGBTQ+ patients at Augusta University Medical Center in Georgia and a volunteer physician at the Equality Clinic in Augusta, Georgia, a primary care clinic serving mostly transgender patients needing Hormone Replacement Therapy. The presentation will address key considerations for working with LGBTQ+ patients, describe how to provide compassionate care, offer practical advice for medical professionals and allies, and share resources for patients and providers. from University of Medicine and Health Sciences https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwfJRNDB04o via UMHS YouTube Channel

In honor of Pride Month, UMHS is thrilled to welcome back alumnus Soren Estvold, MD, MPH to host a special livestream event, “LGBTQ+ Medicine & Theory: Providing Compassionate Care.” Dr. Estvold is a family medicine physician who specializes in treating LGBTQ+ patients at Augusta University Medical Center in Georgia and a volunteer physician at the Equality Clinic in Augusta, Georgia, a primary care clinic serving mostly transgender patients needing Hormone Replacement Therapy. The presentation will address key considerations for working with LGBTQ+ patients, describe how to provide compassionate care, offer practical advice for medical professionals and allies, and share resources for patients and providers. from University of Medicine and Health Sciences https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwfJRNDB04o via UMHS YouTube Channel

In the article “Stratification of Culture-Proven Early-Onset Sepsis Cases by the Neonatal Early-Onset Sepsis Calculator: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis” by Achten et al (J Pediatr 2021;234:77-84.e8), errors occurred in Table III of this article. The online version of the article has since been updated. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00523-6/fulltext?rss=yes

  June is National Healthy Homes Month. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development created a toolkit for helping homeowners and residents who rent to identify housing-related hazards and taking no-cost or low-cost steps to mitigate them. Here are HUD’s eight simple principles for keeping a home healthy and safe: 1. Keep it Dry Prevent water from entering your home through leaks in roofing systems, rain water from entering the home due to poor drainage, and check your interior plumbing for any leaking. 2. Keep it Clean Control the source of dust and contaminants, creating smooth and cleanable surfaces, reducing clutter, and using effective wet-cleaning methods. 3. Keep it Safe Store poisons out of the reach of children and properly label. Secure loose rugs and keep children’s play areas free from hard or sharp surfaces. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and keep fire extinguishers on hand. 4. Keep it Well-Ventilated Ventilate bathrooms and kitchens a...

June is National Healthy Homes Month . According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual Healthy Homes campaign, some of the most serious health problems in children start at home. HUD wants parents to think about the hidden dangers  that threaten children’s health that are found in every home by asking these important questions: • Is the air in your home clean and healthy? The air inside can be more harmful to your family’s health than the air outdoors. Air can be unhealthy if it has too many pollutants. Indoor air pollutants can be lots of things—from oven cleaner to cigarette smoke to mold. It is not always easy to tell if your home has unhealthy air. You may notice bad smells or see smoke, but you cannot see or smell other dangers, like carbon monoxide or radon. (See HUD factsheet about radon .) • Do your children have breathing problems, like asthma? Allergies and asthma are health problems that have a lot to do with the air you bre...

To describe cerebral abnormalities and their risk factors in a contemporary cohort of extremely premature infants after the introduction of routine Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) at term-equivalent age. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00485-1/fulltext?rss=yes

    June is National Healthy Homes Month . Every year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gathers partners from around the country “to increase awareness of housing-related health hazards” and “to encourage residents to take steps for safe and healthy homes.” This year’s campaign theme is “A Healthy Home at Any Age.” HUD  explains why children deserve special attention: Creating healthier housing promotes the healthy growth and development of children and has the potential to save billions in health care costs. Everyone needs a healthy home and some of the most serious health problems for children start in their home. There are special reasons to think about children: • Children’s bodies are still growing. • For their size, children eat more food, drink more water and breathe more air than adults. • Children play and crawl on the ground and put their fingers into their mouths. • Children depend on adults to make their homes safe. ...

                  Happy Father’s Day!   source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/06/19/sunday-funnies-510/

Childline: Nobody is Normal from Catherine Prowse on Vimeo : A film for the children’s charity Childline demonstrating that nobody is normal, and that however weird you feel inside you’re not alone.     source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/06/18/cool-video-of-the-week-511/

*This post originally appeared on The PediaBlog on June 17, 2019.   Keeping Baby Cool     Picture this scenario: It’s a hot, sunny summer day. You are taking a nice, relaxing stroll outside with your baby in a stroller. The sun feels hot on your skin so you correctly deduce  (she doesn’t yet speak, so she can’t tell you) that your infant is feeling the heat as well. You decide to cover the stroller with a blanket to produce instant shade (which will also protect her from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays) but in the process, says Wendy Wisner, create a new and dangerous problem: You see, by placing a blanket – even a light one, like a muslin cloth – over the stroller, you are actually locking heat in, rather than keeping it out. And it turns out that the temperature that the inside of your baby’s stroller could rise to is potentially very dangerous – even deadly.   Infants and young children are more vulnerable to the effects of heat than older ki...

  OUT OF THE OLD BLACK BAG   My Old Man: “Love’s Austere and Lonely Offices”   By  Anthony Kovatch, M.D.   Musical Accompaniment : “Leader of the Band” by Dan Fogelberg   “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me the most were the very things that connected me with  all  the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” — James Baldwin (1924-1987), American author and activist who wrote passionately on the subject of race in our country. He grew up in Harlem, New York and was inspired by the cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance.   I had absolutely no awareness as I was running the Detroit Marathon in October, 2017 (read “Strange Magic in Motown” ) through an impoverished part of the Motor City called Paradise Valley that the literary champion Robert Hayden, who spent an emotionally trau...

A 3-year-old girl who was up to date with vaccines and had a history of atopic dermatitis of the limbs since infancy, presented to the emergency room with progressively pruritic facial lesions, chills and malaise for two days. Physical examination showed diffuse right greater than left facial clusters of vesicles in the periocular and perioral areas (Figure). She was febrile at 38.5°C and had a normal white blood cell count of 8×109/L. There was no intraocular involvement or palpable lymphadenopathy. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00552-2/fulltext?rss=yes

  The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 later today. Once the recommendation from the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is final and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the chance to review it at their meeting on Friday, the long wait will be over for the more than 18 million American youngsters who haven’t yet been eligible to receive protection from the safe and highly effective vaccines. Rob Stein describes the “maddening wait for parents of babies, toddlers and other young kids.” They’re the last group to get a chance to get vaccinated. And that’s because the studies for these littlest kids started later than adults and older kids, and it turned out to be a lot trickier than expected to find just the right dose for these littlest ones. But it looks like Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech finally did it. The FDA has released the agency’s assessments of...