Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Blood's Concentration Of Lead And Arsenic Associated With Anemia In Peruvian Children, Ana Maria Linares, Jason M. Unrine, Amanda Thaxton Wigging, Juan C. Tantalean, Vlad C. Radulescu

Nursing Faculty Publications

This exploratory, descriptive cohort study (N = 60) determined lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) blood concentrations in Peruvian children and their association with hematological parameters of iron-deficient anemia (IDA) and anthropometric measurement. The mean age of children was 10.8 months (SD = 4.7) and ranged from 3 to 24 months old. Anemia (Hb levels below 10.5 g/dL) was found in 20% of this cohort. Additionally, microcytosis (MCV < 70 fL) was present in 54%, and hypochromia (MCH < 23 pg) in 42% of the group of children. Chi-square analysis showed that 88% of the children with anemia also had microcytosis and hypochromia (p < 0.001). Pb and As were detected in 100% of the infants’ blood samples, and the concentrations were significantly higher in older infants than in younger ones. Pb and As were not associated with the sex, anthropomorphic parameters, or infant hemogram changes. Infants who received iron supplementation were 87% less likely to have low Hb compared with those who did not (OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.02–0.88, p = 0.04). Herbal tea intake was significantly associated with microcytosis and hypochromia. Our finding uncovered that hematological parameters for anemia are modified in Peruvian children with high levels of microcytosis …

Downbeat Nystagmus In A 7-Year-Old Girl With Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Meningitis And Cerebellitis, Cameron A. Wade, David Neil Toupin, Kyle Darpel, Kimberly S. Jones, Donita D. Lightner

Neurology Faculty Publications

Downbeat nystagmus is a type of jerk nystagmus that may be seen in patients with lesions affecting the vestibulocerebellum. This is a case of a 7-year-old girl presenting with a history of fever, headache, and episodic vertigo with downbeat nystagmus. The diagnosis of Epstein-Barr virus meningitis with acute cerebellitis was made by contrast magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and serum Epstein-Barr virus titers. Contrast magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated enhancement of the meninges and inferior cerebellar folia, correlating with the neuroophthalmological symptom of downbeat nystagmus.

Examining Criteria For Defining Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms In Children And Adolescents, Grant L. Iverson, Justin E. Karr, Bruce Maxwell, Ross Zafonte, Paul D. Berkner, Nathan E. Cook

Psychology Faculty Publications

Researchers operationalize persistent post-concussion symptoms in children and adolescents using varied definitions. Many pre-existing conditions, personal characteristics, and current health issues can affect symptom endorsement rates in the absence of, or in combination with, a recent concussion, and the use of varied definitions can lead to differences in conclusions about persistent symptoms and recovery across studies. This study examined how endorsement rates varied by 14 different operational definitions of persistent post-concussion symptoms for uninjured boys and girls with and without pre-existing or current health problems. This cross-sectional study included a large sample (age range: 11–18) of girls (n = …

Working Towards Inclusive And Equitable Trauma Treatment Guidelines: A Child-Centered Reflection, Eva Alisic, Jessica Roth, Vanessa Cobham, Rowena Conroy, Alexandra De Young, Gertrud Hafstad, Tobias Hecker, Rachel Hiller, Nancy Kassam-Adams, Betty Lai, Markus Landolt, Meghan L. Marsac, Soraya Seedat, David Trickey

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Clinical practice guidelines, such as those focusing on traumatic stress treatment, can play an important role in promoting inclusion and equity. Based on a review of 14 international trauma treatment guidance documents that explicitly mentioned children, we reflect on two areas in which these guidelines can become more inclusive and equitable; a) representation of children's cultural background and b) children's opportunity to have their voice heard. While a few guidelines mentioned that treatment should be tailored to children's cultural needs, there was little guidance on how this could be done. Moreover, there still appears to be a strong white Western …

Pharmacological Intervention In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder With Standard Supportive Therapies Significantly Improves Core Signs And Symptoms: A Single-Center, Retrospective Case Series, Hamza A. Alsayouf, Haitham Talo, Marisa L. Biddappa, Mohammad Qasaymeh, Shadi Qasem, Emily De Los Reyes

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Faculty Publications

Purpose: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder with high heterogeneity and no clear common cause. Several drugs, in particular risperidone and aripiprazole, are used to treat comorbid challenging behaviors in children with ASD. Treatment with risperidone and aripiprazole is currently recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA for children aged 5 and 6 years and older, respectively. Here, we investigated the use of these medications in younger patients aged 4 years and older.

Patients and Methods: This retrospective case series included 18 children (mean age, 5.7 years) with ASD treated at the Kids …

Attending To The Not-So-Little "Little Things": Practicing Trauma-Informed Pediatric Health Care, Aimee K. Hildenbrand, Scottie B. Day, Meghan L. Marsac

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Foot Pressure Analysis To Predict Reoccurrence Of Deformity For Children With Unilateral Clubfoot, Juanita Jean Wallace

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Reoccurrence of deformity can affect upwards of 64% of children with clubfoot. The ability to use foot function as a measure of reoccurrence has not been previously assessed. The purpose of this investigation was to utilize foot pressure analysis to predict the probability of reoccurrence in children with unilateral clubfoot. Retrospective foot pressure data revealed predictive algorithms detecting the probability of experiencing any type of reoccurrence (overall reoccurrence) and for experiencing a tibialis anterior tendon transfer (TATT). The equation for overall reoccurrence reported sensitivity and specificity of 0.82 and 0.81 and the equation for TATT reported values of 0.81 and …

Effects Of Allergen Sensitization On Response To Therapy In Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Robert D. Pesek, Mallikarjuna Rettiganti, Erin O'Brien, Sarah Beckwith, Caroline Daniel, Chunqiao Luo, Amy M. Scurlock, Peggy Chandler, Rebecca A Levy, Tamara T. Perry, Joshua L. Kennedy, Sheva Chervinskiy, Maryelle Vonlanthen, Helen Casteel, Stephen C. Fiedorek, Troy Gibbons, Stacie M. Jones

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background: In children with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) foods are the most common disease triggers, but environmental allergens are also suspected culprits.

Objective: To determine the effects of environmental allergen sensitization on response to treatment in children with EoE in the southeastern United States.

Methods: Patients 2 to 18 years old who were referred to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders Clinic from January 2012 to January 2016 were enrolled in a prospective, longitudinal cohort study with collection of demographics, clinical symptoms, medical history, allergy sensitization profiles, and response to treatment over time. Comparisons were made between complete responders (peak …

An Initial Application Of A Biopsychosocial Framework To Predict Posttraumatic Stress Following Pediatric Injury, Meghan L. Marsac, Nancy Kassam-Adams, Douglas L. Delahanty, Jeffrey Ciesla, Danielle Weiss, Keith F. Widaman, Lamia P. Barakat

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Objectives—Each year millions of children suffer from unintentional injuries that result in poor emotional and physical health. This study examined selected biopsychosocial factors (i.e., child heart rate, peritrauma appraisals, early coping, trauma history) to elucidate their roles in promoting emotional recovery following injury. The study evaluated specific hypotheses that threat appraisals (global and trauma-specific) and coping would predict subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), that coping would mediate the association between early and later PTSS, and that heart rate would predict PTSS and appraisals would mediate this association.

Method—Participants were 96 children hospitalized for injury and assessed at 3 …

Children With Asthma: What About The Quality Of Life Of Their Parents?, Anna Trzcieniecka-Green, Kamilla Bargiel-Matusiewicz, Agnieszka Wilczyńska, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

An increased frequency of asthma in children has been lately observed. The course of asthma depends not only on treatment. but also on the actions taken by the parents of a sick child. Design: A non-experimental cross-sectional design. Methods: In this study the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were administered to 60 parents of children with :asthma. Two groups of parents were compared. The first group consisted of parents of children who had been diagnosed with asthma less than three months before the beginning of the study. The second group consisted of …

Do Not Play With Fire, Joav Merrick, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light and various reaction products. Fire is intriguing and therefore something that will attract a curious child from an early age. In 2010, the United States fire department responded to 44,900 fires started by someone, usually a child, playing with fire. These fires caused 90 civilian deaths, 890 civilian injuries and $210 million in direct property damage. Preschoolers and kindergartners are most likely to start these fires, while playing with matches or lighters and most likely to die in these fires. Most fire-play …

Hospitalization Of Children With Down Syndrome, Ariel Tenenbaum, Rana N. Hanna, Diana Averbuch, Isaiah D. Wexler, Maor Chavkin, Joav Merrick

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Children with Down syndrome present with multiple medical problems in a higher prevalence compared with the general population, which may lead to hospitalizations.

METHODS: Analysis of 560 hospitalizations of 162 children aged 0-16 years with Down syndrome at Hadassah Medical Center during the years 1988-2007 compared with data on children in the general population, hospitalized at the same period. Data was collected from patient files and statistical data from the Ministry of Health.

RESULTS: Respiratory infections were the leading cause for hospitalization of children with Down syndrome. The number of hospitalizations of children with Down syndrome compared to the …

Children, Violence And Bullying, Joav Merrick, Isack Kandel, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Adolescent violence is a very visible phenomenon in our modern society, where you just have to open the newspaper or the television and you find yourself right in the middle of it. In order to understand the scope of the problem, we need to look at the epidemiology of global violence. Each year, more than 1.6 million people worldwide lose their lives to violence and for every person who dies as a result of violence, many more are injured and suffer from a range of physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health problems. Violence places a massive burden on national economies …

Adolescence And Sexuality, Joav Merrick, Ariel Tenenbaum, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Primary Closure Without Diversion In Management Of Operative Blunt Duodenal Trauma In Children, Katherine Smiley, Tiffany Wright, Sean Skinner, Joseph A. Iocono, John M. Draus

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background. Operative blunt duodenal trauma is rare in pediatric patients. Management is controversial with some recommending pyloric exclusion for complex cases. We hypothesized that primary closure without diversion may be safe even in complex (Grade II-III) injuries. Methods. A retrospective review of the American College of Surgeons' Trauma Center database for the years 2003-2011 was performed to identify operative blunt duodenal trauma at our Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. Inclusion criteria included ages < 14 years and duodenal injury requiring operative intervention. Duodenal hematomas not requiring intervention and other small bowel injuries were excluded. Results. A total of 3,283 hospital records were reviewed. Forty patients with operative hollow viscous injuries and seven with operative duodenal injuries were identified. …

Suicide In Prepubertal Children, Kimberly K. Mcclanahan, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mental Health And Chronic Disease, Marlene B. Huff, Kimberly K. Mcclanahan, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

By 2015, worldwide, 1.2 billion children aged 5-14 years will have some kind of significant chronic disease. Although scientific evidence indicates that children with chronic illness have more mental health issues than their healthy peers, many controversies and gaps in the literature exist. It is imperative that an understanding of the effects of chronic illness upon the mental health status of children and adolescents be undertaken. This chapter uses a biopsychosocial perspective to investigate the connection between chronic illness and mental health. The intent of the chapter is to suggest ways that medical and mental health professionals can provide services …

Chronic Illness And Mental Health Issues, Marlene B. Huff, Kimberly K. Mcclanahan, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

By 2015, worldwide, 1.2 billion children aged 5-14 years will have some kind of significant chronic disease. Although scientific evidence indicates that children with chronic illness have more mental health issues than their healthy peers, many controversies and gaps in the literature exist. It is imperative that an understanding of the effects of chronic illness upon the mental health status of children and adolescent be undertaken. This article uses a biopsychosocial perspective to investigate the connection between chronic illness and mental health. The intent of the article is to suggest ways that medical and mental health professionals can provide services …

Hyperandrogenism And Obesity, Amit M. Deokar, Shawn J. Smith, Amanda J. Goodwin, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

This chapter has a two-fold objective. One, ti addresses the association of hyperandrogenism and obesity and the complex metabolic derangements that are part of the problem. Clinical management of these co-morbidities is challenging and complex. Second, this chapter will aid health care providers with the key features to an early diagnosis and intervention to decrease the morbidities in the short as well as long term. Method: Systematic review of articles and information on the topic of interest that were published in the last 15 years. Conclusion: Obesity and hyperandrogenism are integral parts of Metabolic Syndrome/Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)/Hyperandrogenism, Insulin resistance, …

A Policy And Intervention For Overweight Children And Adolescents, Kimberly K. Mcclanahan, Marlene B. Huff, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The global epidemic of childhood and adolescent overweight has become a major public health concern. Not only are these youth more likely to become obese adults, and thus more prone to obesity-related diseases than their non overweight peers, they are also likely to suffer emotional and social effects associated with overweight. Overweight in youth has been linked to depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, negative body image, and stigma. It appears to be bi-directional in nature, with overweight sometimes predicting certain psychological effects and psychosocial issues sometimes predicting overweight. Effective assessment and treatment of psychological and mental health issues in overweight …

Ovarian Tumors In Children And Adolescents, Linah Al-Alem, Amit M. Deokar, Rebecca Timme, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Ovarian tumors are uncommon in the child and adolescent population, but given that cancer is a leading cause of death even in this age group it is important for the general practice physician to be aware of the signs and symptoms. These can include abdominal pain, increased abdominal girth, a palpable mass on pelvic or abdominal exam, nausea and vomiting, decreased appetite, weight loss, constipation, back pain, leg cramps, dyspareunia, urinary symptoms, abnormal uterine bleeding, and ascites, to name a few. The types of gynecological tumors seen in adults are also seen in children except in differing frequencies. The most …

Breast Disorders In Children And Adolescents, Donald E. Greydanus, Hatim A. Omar, Lyubov A. Matytsina, Artemis Tsitsika

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Concerns about problems of the breast are often noted in adolescents and their parents. This review discusses issues and disorders of the breast in children and adolescents, starting with basic principles of embryology and adolescent breast development. Concepts that are covered include congenital breast disorders, abnormal timing of breast development, breast asymmetry, underdeveloped breasts, breast atrophy, tuberous breasts, mammary hyperplasia, fibroadenoma, giant fibroadenoma, cystosarcoma phyllodes, intraductal breast papilloma, adenocarcinoma, mastitis, traumatic breast disorders, benign breast disease, fibrocystic change, mastalgia, gynocomastia, and galactorrhea. A number of figures are provided illustrating breast pathology. Clinicians caring for children and adolescents are encouraged to …