Debora Porter

Daddy’s Home by Gary Markstein and Anthony Rubino Jr. ( arcamax.com/thefunnies )           source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/07/31/sunday-funnies-516/

To decrease the percentage of patients undergoing an abdominal X-ray for evaluation of constipation within twenty-four hours of their initial gastroenterology visit. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00665-5/fulltext?rss=yes

King Clave | Planet Drum ft. Mickey Hart  from Playing For Change  on YouTube : Through the rhythms of this song, hearts are connected, and differences disappear, illuminating how deeply humanity is interconnected and revealing the truth of the adage: WE ARE ONE.     source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/07/30/cool-video-of-the-week-517/

*This post originally appeared on The PediaBlog on July 29, 2021.   Lyme Cases Tick Up     More than three years ago on The PediaBlog we noticed an explosion of Lyme disease in Pennsylvania, where for the first time children and adults were being diagnosed in all 67 counties. This year, because of a mild winter and early spring, a spike in the blacklegged tick population is being recorded across the state. With COVID-19 winding down at least temporarily over the summer, John Hayes says more people have been spending time outdoors where the ticks live… and bite: A spike in the state’s tick population is coinciding with unprecedented participation in hiking, camping, fishing and other outdoor activities. In Harrisburg on Tuesday, the chiefs of three Pennsylvania agencies said a surge in tick-borne diseases has spread across the state. Patrick McDonnell, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the agency has collected twice the ...

Check out our upcoming livestream with UMHS alumni as they discuss their unique challenges and opportunities practicing medicine in rural regions. They will be joined by a special guest panelist, Brock Slabach, COO of the National Rural Health Association. There will be ample time for Q&A. We hope you can join! from University of Medicine and Health Sciences https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvors86YptU via UMHS YouTube Channel

Check out our upcoming livestream with UMHS alumni as they discuss their unique challenges and opportunities practicing medicine in rural regions. They will be joined by a special guest panelist, Brock Slabach, COO of the National Rural Health Association. There will be ample time for Q&A. We hope you can join! from University of Medicine and Health Sciences https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvors86YptU via UMHS YouTube Channel

  American Academy of Pediatrics President Moira A. Szilagyi, M.D. recently moved back into her California home that was destroyed four years ago by a wildfire. That experience helped inform her perspective of the emergency at hand: Though many of us think the impact of climate change will be felt far from where and how we live, the reality is we exist within the natural world and are governed by its forces. Climate change affects every aspect of the circle of life. It leads to more severe weather patterns and causes drought, flooding, dust bowls, crop failure, lack of potable water, wildfires, melting ice packs, species loss, worsening poverty, disease, mortality, mass migrations and conflict among humans worried about their own resources and survival. There is a phrase in Judaism, “tikkun olam,” that means to “repair the world.” As pediatricians, we have a special interest in mitigating climate change because children are uniquely vulnerable to its impacts. Children breathe...

  Last week during a press event highlighting his administration’s new actions on climate change, the President of the United States did not declare a National Climate Emergency. The president’s omission is newsworthy not just because summer temperature records were smashed in the U.S. and in cities  across the globe last week (115° Fahrenheit in Wichita Falls, Texas; 110° in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; 104° in West Plains, Missouri; 115° in Lousã, Portugal; 109° in Ourense, Spain; 104° in London), but because a growing chorus of Americans that include doctors, nurses, and other health providers and public health experts have been loudly demanding immediate and aggressive climate action. For example, last September the New England Journal of Medicine published an appeal for “urgent action to limit greenhouse gas emissions to protect human health.” In an unprecedented move, the editorial simultaneously appeared in more than 200 health journals worldwide: Health is alread...

Is the MCAT Required for Admission Into UMHS? https://hubs.la/Q01hBpsT0 Yes, currently, we require all United States citizens and other permanent residents to submit their MCAT scores as part of their application to UMHS. However, there are no minimum MCAT score requirements for application or acceptance into our medical school. For non-US citizens, the MCAT is not required but is highly recommended for all applicants. Please note that the COVID 19 pandemic may temporarily change MCAT policies. Please check our website for updates. Please subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrk0x4lh5OkYnAHpzgYjcUw?sub_confirmation=1 This video is part of a playlist of Frequently Asked Questions about UMHS School of Medicine. Please check out all the videos on the playlist here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7_-WDU1Vnt0kM6nRflkemkRzst315QYJ If you are a prospective Medical student and are interested in learning why people choose the University of Medicine and Health Scienc...

How Does UMHS Assist Students in the Residency Match Process? https://hubs.la/Q01hBnZx0 Obtaining a residency is one of the single most important steps in the path to becoming a practicing Physician. UMHS puts an enormous amount of effort into assisting students by helping them apply strategically to the residency programs that can give them the highest chance of matching into. They work with students on an individual basis on everything from residency interview coaching to residency application strategies. This video is part of a playlist of Frequently Asked Questions about UMHS School of Medicine. Please check out all the videos on the playlist here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7_-WDU1Vnt0kM6nRflkemkRzst315QYJ Please subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrk0x4lh5OkYnAHpzgYjcUw?sub_confirmation=1 If you are a prospective Medical student and are interested in learning why people choose the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, then please check out...

How Does UMHS Assist Students in the Residency Match Process? https://hubs.la/Q01hBnZx0 Obtaining a residency is one of the single most important steps in the path to becoming a practicing Physician. UMHS puts an enormous amount of effort into assisting students by helping them apply strategically to the residency programs that can give them the highest chance of matching into. They work with students on an individual basis on everything from residency interview coaching to residency application strategies. This video is part of a playlist of Frequently Asked Questions about UMHS School of Medicine. Please check out all the videos on the playlist here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7_-WDU1Vnt0kM6nRflkemkRzst315QYJ Please subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrk0x4lh5OkYnAHpzgYjcUw?sub_confirmation=1 If you are a prospective Medical student and are interested in learning why people choose the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, then please check out...

Can UMHS Graduates Attend Residencies and Get Licensed in California? https://hubs.la/Q01hB6020 Yes, graduates from UMHS can attend residencies, get licensed, and practice in the State of California. We currently have graduates in Residency programs and alumni practicing in California. This will be a part of our continuing series of Frequently Asked Questions series of videos - so please check back often Please subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrk0x4lh5OkYnAHpzgYjcUw?sub_confirmation=1 If you are a prospective Medical student and are interested in learning why people choose the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, then please check out our Caribbean Medical School Page https://www.umhs-sk.org/caribbean-medical-schools#why_umhs Please check out all the videos on our channel https://www.youtube.com/user/umhsstkitts/videos #caribbeanmedicalschools #premedical #premedstudent #medicalschool #UMHS #medicaleducation from University of Medicine and Health Scie...

Can UMHS Graduates Attend Residencies and Get Licensed in California? https://hubs.la/Q01hB6020 Yes, graduates from UMHS can attend residencies, get licensed, and practice in the State of California. We currently have graduates in Residency programs and alumni practicing in California. This will be a part of our continuing series of Frequently Asked Questions series of videos - so please check back often Please subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrk0x4lh5OkYnAHpzgYjcUw?sub_confirmation=1 If you are a prospective Medical student and are interested in learning why people choose the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, then please check out our Caribbean Medical School Page https://www.umhs-sk.org/caribbean-medical-schools#why_umhs Please check out all the videos on our channel https://www.youtube.com/user/umhsstkitts/videos #caribbeanmedicalschools #premedical #premedstudent #medicalschool #UMHS #medicaleducation from University of Medicine and Health Scie...

Dr. Jonas Salk administers the polio vaccine he developed in his Pittsburgh laboratory   A young American adult male unvaccinated against poliomyelitis recently travels to Hungary and Poland. Upon returning home to Rockland County, N.Y., he develops sudden weakness and then paralysis in his lower extremities. The man is hospitalized, and testing reveals the first confirmed case of polio in the United States since 2013. (It’s been more than 40 years (1979) since the last homegrown (not imported) case of polio occurred in the U.S.). Prognosis for a full recovery remains unclear. Rockland County is known for vaccine resistance and refusal among members of its ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. In 2018 and 2019, the county was at the epicenter of a well-publicized measles outbreak. Last week’s news  from this New York City suburb about this one man’s experience should remind everyone of the importance for keeping children and adults up-to-date on immunizations. Poliomyelitis i...

  We knew it was coming almost two years ago: With the N-1-1 Special Services List already exhausted, the Federal Communications Commission last month designated 9-8-8 as the new, nationwide, 3-digit phone number for callers to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors. By July of 2022, all 9-8-8 calls will go directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK).   Rhitu Chatterjee explains how the new suicide and crisis hotline works: The 988 lifeline will connect people to the existing network of more than 200 local crisis call centers around the country. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s 10-digit number — 1-800-273-8255 — will remain active, but calls will be routed to 988. People who call or text the number will be connected to a trained counselor at a crisis center closest to them. If a local crisis center is too busy to respond right away, the call gets routed to one of 16 backup centers around the country...

Peanuts by Charles Schultz ( GoComics.com )   (This comic strip was originally published on February 10, 1961. Check out some new stars on yesterday’s C00l Video Of The Week!)   source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/07/24/sunday-funnies-515/

Highlights: First Images from the James Webb Space Telescope from NASA on YouTube . NASA revealed the first five full-color images and spectrographic data from the world’s most powerful space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). The world got its first look at the full capabilities of the mission at a live event streamed from the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on July 12, 2022. The event showcased these targets: – Carina Nebula: A landscape speckled with glittering stars and cosmic cliffs – Stephan’s Quintet: An enormous mosaic with a visual grouping of five galaxies – Southern Ring Nebula: A nebula with rings of gas and dust for thousands of years in all directions – WASP 96-b: A distinct signature of water in the atmosphere of an exoplanet orbiting a distant Sun-like star – SMACS 0723: The deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date ...

*This post originally appeared on The PediaBlog on July 22, 2021.   Cancer And The Environment     “Cancers ravage people in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As community leaders, parents and caregivers, health care providers, business owners, researchers, advocates—we all want to do everything we can to support them and prevent others from having to face a cancer diagnosis.” “In Southwestern Pennsylvania, there is a need for bold action on a cancer prevention strategy that is often overlooked: reducing environmental chemicals that are put into our air, water, food, homes, workplaces, and products.” Reducing Pollution: Critical Pathway for Cancer Prevention A Southwestern Pennsylvania Declaration   Last week, the Cancer and Environment Network of Southwestern Pennsylvania released its declaration on the “twin crises of cancer and environment” in our region. Kristina Marusic attended the virtual rollout of this important document: A group of local physici...

  Yesterday  on The PediaBlog , we learned about new research showing that children transition to kindergarten better and perform in school with higher social, emotional, and academic functioning when they sleep 10 or more hours every night. As children get older, every parent will tell you, sleep becomes a precious commodity. Sleep deprivation in teenagers may be one of the biggest factors leading to today’s crisis in mental health in this age group. Noting that more than a third of high-schoolers reporting persistently sad or hopeless feelings, and 1 in 5 saying they’ve seriously considered suicide, Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright believe “this generation of teens is the most sleep-deprived population in human history.” You read that correctly. No group has ever slept as little as the modern adolescent. Seventy percent of young kids and 65 percent of adults get healthy sleep, but by their senior year, only about 15 percent of high-schoolers do. The...

  Penn State University researchers recently confirmed their suspicion that toddlers and preschoolers who consistently get a good night’s sleep “show higher levels of socioemotional and learning engagement, executive functioning, and academic outcomes [during kindergarten]… compared with children with lesser amounts of sleep.”  Ten hours or more of sleep every night predicted a smoother social adjustment to kindergarten and better school performance in the children who participated in the study : These findings suggest that efforts to promote children’s K adjustment should be especially attuned to child sleep before K start. Good sleep hygiene (eg, organized bedtime routines, limited screen access, and bedtimes before 9 Pm ) may be as critical for the well-being of children as it is for adults.   By the time children turn 5 years old, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the National Sleep Foundation recommend 10 to 13 hours of sleep per 24 hours. ...

Meningitis refers to an inflammation of the protective tissue lining the brain and spinal cord. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and non-infectious conditions like some autoimmune diseases, trauma, and drugs can all cause meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is a serious and life threatening infection. Fortunately, vaccines given during childhood to provide safe and effective protection against  Streptococcus pneumoniae,   Neisseria meningitidis, and  Haemophilus influenzae type B (HiB)  make bacterial meningitis a rare diagnosis today. In addition, good prenatal care helps prevent and minimize the risk of meningitis and sepsis caused by Group B Streptococcus in newborns and young infants. Untreated bacterial meningitis often results in rapid deterioration and death, sometimes within hours of acquiring the infection. Those who survive treatment are frequently left with lifelong, disabling brain damage, hearing loss, and learning problems. It’s much more com...

Advances in medical technology have enabled survival in children with one or multiple organ systems that cannot maintain sufficient physiologic function. Examples include tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation for chronic respiratory failure; dialysis for end-stage renal disease; and parenteral nutrition (PN) for intestinal failure. The health problems that necessitate these technologies are devastating to children and their families. The technologies used to counteract these problems are not benign. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00635-7/fulltext?rss=yes

Headlines would have us believe that “Burnout” among healthcare workers is a new phenomenon – not so! In 1983 Thomas W. Muldary authored a book called “Burnout and Health Professional: Manifestations and Management”, a 240-page paperback exclusively dealing with burnout in healthcare settings.1 In 1984, I did a Pediatric Grand Rounds on burnout called “Handling Stress- Moping or Coping”. It was a hot topic even then. source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00634-5/fulltext?rss=yes

American Academy of Pediatrics   Child Vaccination Across America   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in April that fewer kindergartners received the standard, state-required immunizations during the pandemic. The news didn’t surprise pediatricians, who, during extended periods of lockdowns and school closures, saw fewer families coming into their offices for routine checkups and vaccines. Missed vaccines were also attributed to “a groundswell of resistance to Covid-19 shots spilling into unease about other vaccines,” say Benjamin Mueller and Jan Hoffman: During the 2020-21 school year, about 94 percent of kindergartners had the required vaccines, a drop of roughly one percentage point from the previous school year, the C.D.C. said. That pulled coverage levels below the target of 95 percent, raising fears that life-threatening childhood illnesses like measles could at some point become more prevalent. “This means there are 35,000 more childr...

Overboard by Chip Dunham ( GoComics.com )               This month is Plastic Free July . Read more about it on The PediaBlog here .   source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/07/17/sunday-funnies-514/

(PLASTIK) from Studio Birthplace on Vimeo : (PLASTIK) follows a child who looks through a telescope she made out of a plastic bottle and experiences glimpses of our plastic-polluted future.   This month is  Plastic Free July . Read more about it on The PediaBlog here .   source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/07/16/cool-video-of-the-week-515/

To compare the efficacy of, and complications from the two main treatments for achalasia are endoscopic dilatation and surgical cardiomyotomy (Heller’s myotomy) source https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00631-X/fulltext?rss=yes