Translational Medical Research Commons^™

Identifying The Roadblocks To Successful Pediatric Imaging Without Sedation Or Anesthesia, Iman Soliman, Ammie M. White, Md, J. Christopher Edgar, Phd, Laura Cadge, Ccls, Margaret Hamel-Daymon, Crnp, Sandra Saade-Lemus, Md, Rochelle Bagatell, Md, Elizabeth T. Drum, Md, Lisa States, Md

Phase 1

Background: Modern imaging modalities allow for assessment of a wide array of medical conditions. Because it is difficult for young children to remain still during lengthy imaging studies, there is a need for sedation and general anesthesia (GA). A growing literature, however, suggests that there may be deleterious neurocognitive effects of sedation/GA in young children. As such, it is in our patients’ best interest to critically evaluate the use of sedation/GA.

Objective: To identify the roadblocks to obtaining clinical pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams without sedation/GA.

Materials and Methods: Participants included 63 parents/guardians of 5- to 9-year-old patients who …

Acute Depression And Anxiety Symptoms Following Concussion In An Adolescent Outpatient Population, Ari M. Fish, Julia Vanni, Kristy Arbogast, Phd, Catherine C. Mcdonald, Phd, Rn, Christina Master, Md, Caqsm

Phase 1

Introduction: Research has shown that concussed youth are at increased risk of developing psychiatric symptoms as compared to non-concussed youth. Few studies, however, have detailed the presence and severity of acute depression and anxiety symptoms following a concussion in adolescents, specifically. Thus, the current study aims to describe depression and anxiety symptoms in concussed and non-concussed adolescents using validated measures of depression and anxiety.

Methods: The current study includes 284 adolescents (114 cases, 170 controls), 13-18 years of age. Cases included concussed patients at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and controls were recruited from a local, Philadelphia high school. …

Adverse Events Following Screening Eye Examinations For Retinopathy Of Prematurity In Premature Infants, Aditi Kale, Pedro Urday, Zubair H. Aghai

Phase 1

Introduction: The retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) examination is recommended for high-risk preterm infants to prevent its complications but may be associated with adverse events. The goal of this study is to determine whether the ROP examination increases the incidence of adverse events in premature infants.

Design/Methods: This was a retrospective study on all preterm infants (32 weeks gestation) born between 03/2017 and 12/2019 who survived until the first eye examination. The number of episodes of apnea (A), bradycardia (B), desaturation (D), number of infants on mechanical ventilation, and number of infants requiring sepsis evaluation were compared before and …

Impact Of Smartphone Usage On Children’S Horizontal Fusional Amplitudes, Jordan Hamburger, Judith Lavrich, Md, Kammi Gunton, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Cell phone usage has increased in pediatric patients and little research has been done on its effects on patients’ fusional vergence amplitudes. We aim to study the impact of smartphone usage on healthy pediatric patients’ fusional vergence amplitudes and report findings that may lead to future eye problems.

Methods: This is a prospective randomized study. We are currently recruiting healthy patients between the ages of 8-17 years old with no ocular problems. Data collected include refractive error, ocular alignment in the distance and at near, divergence amplitudes at near and in distance, convergence amplitudes at near and in distance, …

Effects Of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome On Long-Term Growth Parameters, Ayoung Kim, Anastasiya Latushko, Md, Zubair H. Aghai, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Past studies have shown that babies with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) have lower weight, head circumference, and height at birth. This study aims to compare their growth at 9 and 18 months of age, and to compare growth parameter of NAS infants below 10th percentile to those above 10th percentile at birth.

Methods: In this retrospective review, 260 infants admitted to Jefferson Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between 2006 and 2018 were included. The weight, height, and head circumference at birth, 9 months, and 18 months were collected and correlated by Pearson correlation. The growth parameters of infants below …

Development Of Vaccine Preferences In Parents Of Newborns, Ramon Ruiz, Neera Goyal

Phase 1

Introduction: The resurgence in cases of vaccine-preventable childhood diseases in the U.S. may be associated with increasing rates of vaccine hesitancy. Although previous research has sought to identify attributes of non-vaccinating parents, the timing in which parents make such vaccination decisions has yet to be explored. Our goal is to identify when first-time parents develop their vaccination preferences: before, after, or during pregnancy.

Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted using a convenience sample of 73 first time parents at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Survey questions addressed timing of vaccination decisions and projected compliance with vaccine schedules. Eligibility for …

The Role Of Rassf5 On Cell Growth And Hippo Signaling In Rhabdomyosarcoma, Megan Garver, Lee Helman, Md, Katrina Slemmons, Phd

Phase 1

Introduction: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood. Dysregulation of the Hippo pathway, a signaling cascade that regulates many biological processes, is associated with many human cancers. The goal of my project was to delete RASSF5, a regulator of the Hippo pathway, in RMS cells utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 and then to evaluate how the absence of RASSF5 affects RMS cell growth and Hippo signaling, with and without DNMTi Tx.

Methods: A lipofectamine transfection was performed in two different RMS cell lines, Rh30 & RD, in which two different CRIPSR/Cas9 vectors with RASSF5 guide RNA were introduced. …

Dual-Display Laparoscopic Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging For Real-Time Surgical Assistance, Jaepyeong Cha, Corey Zheng, Lung Wai Lau

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) utilizes the speckle pattern of a laser to determine the blood flow in tissues. The current approaches for its use in a clinical setting require a camera system with a laser source on a separate optical axis making it unsuitable for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). With blood flow visualization, bowel viability, for example, can be determined. Thus, LSCI can be a valuable tool in gastrointestinal surgery. In this work, we develop the first-of-its-kind dual-display laparoscopic vision system integrating LSCI with a commercially available 10mm rigid laparoscope where the laser has the same optical axis as …