This Injectable Hydrogel Mitigates Damage to the Right Ventricle of the Heart

An injectable hydrogel can mitigate damage to the right ventricle of the heart with chronic pressure overload, according to a new study published March 6 in Journals of the American College of Cardiology: Basic to Translational Science.  The study, by a research team from the University of California San Diego, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, was conducted in rodents.

Gold nanoparticles reverse brain deficits in multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s

Results from phase two clinical trials at UT Southwestern Medical Center showed that a suspension of gold nanocrystals taken daily by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) significantly reversed deficits of metabolites linked to energy activity in the brain and resulted in functional improvements.

Device keeps brain alive, functioning separate from body

Researchers led by a team at UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a device that can isolate blood flow to the brain, keeping the organ alive and functioning independent from the rest of the body for several hours.

Hospital Care for Children Has Shifted from General Hospitals to Children’s Hospitals Over Last 20 Years

Children’s hospital care is now concentrated in fewer locations, because of a shift in children’s care from general hospitals to higher volume children’s specialty centers, and this has important implications for hospital planning and readiness, according to a new study led Michael Steiner, MD, MPH, of UNC Health.

Study reveals how estrogen exerts its anti-diabetic effects

The quintessential female sex hormone estrogen stimulates cells that line blood vessels to deliver insulin to muscles, lowering blood sugar and protecting against Type 2 diabetes, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could eventually lead to new therapies for Type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects hundreds of millions of people around the globe and continues to grow more prevalent.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital to Expand Mental and Behavioral Health Research

Nationwide Children’s Hospital has created a new Institute for Mental and Behavioral Health Research, significantly expanding opportunities to seek a better understanding of mental and behavioral health in children and to develop better diagnostics, treatment and preventative strategies.

Iron supplements provided in prenatal visits improved outcomes

Giving free prenatal iron supplements to medically underserved pregnant patients rather than only recommending them significantly reduced anemia and postpartum blood transfusions, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health report in a study published in JAMA Network Open.

The Latest in Science and Medical Advancement in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery to be Presented at AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting

The latest research and advances in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery will be presented in Nashville, Tennessee, during the AAO-HNSF 2023 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience, September 30 – October 4.

Study Shows Nearly 300% Increase in ADHD Medication Errors

In a new study, published in Pediatrics, researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy and Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital investigated the characteristics and trends of out-of-hospital ADHD medication errors among people younger than 20 years old reported to U.S. poison centers from 2000 through 2021.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Names Alan S. Wayne, MD, as Pediatrician-in-Chief and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs

A nationally renowned medical leader, clinician and researcher in cancer and blood diseases, Alan S. Wayne, MD, has been appointed as the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Pediatrician-in-Chief at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC).

Medical Care publishes article collection on integrating evidence-based programs into clinical practice

As part of its partnership with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Medical Care has published its first PCORI-sponsored article collection, which provides specific information about the costs that healthcare systems can expect to incur in promoting the uptake of specific evidence-based programs.

Study: health equity an important aspect of improving quality of care provided to children in emergency departments

A new multi-site study led by Indiana University School of Medicine found increasing pediatric readiness in emergency departments reduces, but does not eliminate, racial and ethnic disparities in children and adolescents with acute medical emergencies.

Medical experts available: Backpack safety, Child Eye Health & Safety Month, preventing injuries in young athletes, and National Breastfeeding Month

As you plan your health coverage for this week and next, Ochsner Health has medical experts on standby to discuss backpack safety as kids head back to school, Child Eye Health & Safety Month, preventing injuries in young athletes, and…

Research pinpoints inflammation source behind atherosclerosis

Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Dallas have discovered in mice how high cholesterol causes blood vessels to become inflamed, a necessary prerequisite for atherosclerosis – the “hardening of the arteries” responsible for most heart attacks and strokes. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could lead to new interventions to protect against cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of death globally.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine Approved for $4.4 Million PCORI Funding Award to Study Telehealth

A team of researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine has been approved for a $4.4 million funding award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to assess the benefits of expanding telehealth by primary care physicians to children with complex chronic conditions and their caregivers. The project is a collaboration with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Brenner Children’s in Winston-Salem and Atrium Health Levine Children’s in Charlotte.

CRI’s Sean Morrison elected to European Molecular Biology Organization

Stem cell biologist Sean J. Morrison, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and founding Director and Professor of the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI), has been elected by his peers as an associate member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Public-private consortium will fund three gene therapy clinical trials at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health

A consortium of government, industry, and nonprofit partners will fund gene therapy clinical trials for three different rare diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health, where scientists are working on gene therapies to treat neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

As Summer Heats Up, CHOP Researchers Study Caregiver Attitudes Toward Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke

Despite prevention efforts, a child dies of heatstroke in a vehicle approximately once every 10 days. According to a new survey, most caregivers report they never leave children in their vehicles for any length of time. However, the attitudes toward those who were thought to put their children at risk for pediatric vehicular heatstroke are largely negative, which may cause some caregivers not to adopt important mitigation efforts to prevent these tragic deaths.

Public-private consortium will fund three gene therapy clinical trials at UT Southwestern

A consortium of government, industry, and nonprofit partners will fund gene therapy clinical trials for three rare diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where scientists are working on gene therapies to treat neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital Marks A Decade as One of the Nation’s Best

Nationwide Children’s Hospital has been named to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll for the 10th consecutive year. The Honor Roll is a top distinction awarded to only 10 children’s hospitals nationwide recognized by U.S. News as the “Best of the Best.” Nationwide Children’s is ranked sixth on the 2023-24 Honor Roll list.

Debriefing After Critical Events Combines Review, Reflection

The PICU bereavement/wellness committee at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago developed a tailored debriefing process to allow time for reflection and communication after critical patient events. The process was designed as a hot debriefing to be completed during the current shift, with all staff members who were involved in the event invited to participate.

CHOP Researchers Show that IgA Fine Tunes the Body’s Interactions with Microbes

A new study by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has demonstrated that IgA acts as a “tuner” that regulates the number of microbes the body sees every day, restraining the systemic immune response to these commensal microbes and limiting the development of systemic immune dysregulation.

CHOP Researchers Comprehensively Assess the Safety of Using Your Head in Youth Soccer

Repeatedly heading a soccer ball has been previously associated with negative long-term brain health for professional players. However, a new study found that a small number of repeated soccer headers equivalent to a throw-in did not cause immediate neurophysiological deficits for teens, suggesting that limited soccer heading exposure in youth sports may not result in irreversible harm if players are properly trained.

New Computational Tool Identifies Novel Targets for Cancer Immunotherapy

Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have developed a computational platform capable of discovering tumor antigens derived from alternative RNA splicing, expanding the pool of cancer immunotherapy targets. The tool, called “Isoform peptides from RNA splicing for Immunotherapy target Screening” (IRIS), was described in a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

UT Southwestern, Children’s Health to lead clinical trial on pediatric cancer patients

UT Southwestern Medical Center will lead a national multicenter clinical trial to test a treatment strategy for pediatric cancer patients that has shown promising results in adults. The trial will examine the effects of combining several chemotherapy agents with an immunotherapy drug in children with solid tumors that have recurred or shown no significant response after initial treatment.