International Journal of Pediatrics

Publications in this journal

• Article: Maternal BMI, IGF-I Levels, and Birth Weight in African American and White Infants

  Adriana C Vidal, Amy P Murtha, Susan K Murphy, Kimberly Fortner, Francine Overcash, Nikki Henry, Joellen M Schildkraut, Michele R Forman, Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Joanne Kurtzberg, Randy Jirtle, Cathrine Hoyo
  International Journal of Pediatrics 05/2013;
• Article: Cortical auditory evoked potentials in children with a hearing loss: a pilot study.

  Amineh Koravand, Benoît Jutras, Maryse Lassonde
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  ABSTRACT: Objective. This study examined the patterns of neural activity in the central auditory system in children with hearing loss. Methods. Cortical potentials and mismatch responses (MMRs) were recorded from ten children aged between 9 and 10 years: five with hearing loss and five with normal hearing in passive oddball paradigms using verbal and nonverbal stimuli. Results. Results indicate a trend toward larger P1 amplitude, a significant reduction in amplitude, and latency of N2 in children with hearing loss compared to control. No significant group differences were observed for the majority of the MMRs conditions. Conclusions. Data suggest that the reduced auditory input affects the pattern of cortical-auditory-evoked potentials in children with a mild to moderately severe hearing loss. Results suggest maturational delays and/or deficits in central auditory processing in children with hearing loss, as indicated by the neurophysiological markers P1 and N2. In contrast, negative MMR data suggest that the amplification provided by the hearing aids could have allowed children with hearing loss to develop adequate discriminative abilities.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:250254.
• Article: Kidney disease and youth onset type 2 diabetes: considerations for the general practitioner.

  Allison B Dart, Elizabeth A Sellers, Heather J Dean
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  ABSTRACT: Youth onset type 2 diabetes (T2DM) continues to increase worldwide, concomitant with the rising obesity epidemic. There is evidence to suggest that youth with T2DM are affected by the same comorbidities and complications as adults diagnosed with T2DM. This review highlights specifically the kidney disease associated with youth onset T2DM, which is highly prevalent and associated with a high risk of end-stage kidney disease in early adulthood. A general understanding of this complex disease by primary care providers is critical, so that at-risk individuals are identified and managed early in the course of their disease, such that progression can be modified in this high-risk group of children and adolescents. A review of the pediatric literature will include a focus on the epidemiology, risk factors, pathology, screening, and treatment of kidney disease in youth onset T2DM.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:237360.
• Article: Neonatal stridor.

  Matija Daniel, Alan Cheng
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  ABSTRACT: Neonatal stridor is an important condition, in many cases implying an impending disaster with a very compromised airway. It is a sign that has to be considered with the rest of the history and examination findings, and appropriate investigations should then be undertaken to confirm the source of the noise. Neonates with stridor should be managed in a multidisciplinary setting, by clinicians familiar with the intricate physiology of these children, and with access to the multitude of medical and surgical investigative and therapeutic options required to provide first-rate care.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:859104.
• Article: Mechanisms of fetal programming in hypertension.

  John Edward Jones, Julie A Jurgens, Sarah A Evans, Riley C Ennis, Van Anthony M Villar, Pedro A Jose
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  ABSTRACT: Events that occur in the early fetal environment have been linked to long-term health and lifespan consequences in the adult. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which may occur as a result of nutrient insufficiency, exposure to hormones, or disruptions in placental structure or function, may induce the fetus to alter its developmental program in order to adapt to the new conditions. IUGR may result in a decrease in the expression of genes that are responsible for nephrogenesis as nutrients are rerouted to the development of more essential organs. Fetal survival under these conditions often results in low birth weight and a deficit in nephron endowment, which are associated with hypertension in adults. Interestingly, male IUGR offspring appear to be more severely affected than females, suggesting that sex hormones may be involved. The processes of fetal programming of hypertension are complex, and we are only beginning to understand the underlying mechanisms.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:584831.
• Article: Highlights for the management of a child with hypertension.

  Mouin G Seikaly
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  ABSTRACT: Over the past several decades, childhood hypertension has undergone a considerable conceptual change, as hypertension is a predictor of future development of cardiovascular disease in adults. Childhood hypertension has distinctive features that distinguish it from hypertension in adults. Pediatric hypertension is often secondary. It is widely believed that therapeutic intervention at an early age favorably modifies the long-term outcome of hypertension. Despite its significance as a cause for morbidity, childhood hypertension is underdiagnosed and less studied with many basic issues remaining contentious.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:364716.
• Article: Evolution and development of dual ingestion systems in mammals: notes on a new thesis and its clinical implications.

  Jeffrey R Alberts, Rita H Pickler
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  ABSTRACT: Traditionally, the development of oral feeding is viewed as a continuous, unitary process in which reflex-dominated sucking behavior gives rise to a more varied and volitional feeding behavior. In contrast, we consider the thesis that the infant develops two separable ingestive systems, one for suckling and one for feeding. First, we apply an evolutionary perspective, recognizing that suckling-feeding is a universal, mammalian developmental sequence. We find that in mammalian evolution, feeding systems in offspring were established prior to the evolution of lactation, and therefore suckling is a separable feature that was added to feeding. We next review an experimental literature that characterizes suckling and feeding as separable in terms of their topography, sensory controls, physiological controls, neural substrates, and experience-based development. Together, these considerations constitute a view of "dual ingestive systems." The thesis, then, is that suckling is not a simple precursor of feeding but is a complete behavior that emerges, forms, and then undergoes a dissolution that overlaps with the emergence of independent feeding. This thesis guides us to focus differently on the challenges of properly managing and facilitating oral ingestion in infants, especially those born preterm, prior to the developmental onset of suckling.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:730673.
• Source

  Available from: PubMed Central

  Article: Sex differences in vascular compliance in normal-weight but not obese boys and girls: the effect of body composition.

  Jeanie B Tryggestad, David M Thompson, Kenneth C Copeland, Kevin R Short
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  ABSTRACT: Objectives. To determine the effect of sex and obesity on vascular function in children and explore potential mechanisms that account for differences in vascular function. Methods. Participants were 61 (30 boys) normal-weight (BMI 25-75% ile for age and sex) and 62 (30 boys) obese (BMI ≥ 95% ile) children of ages 8-18 years. Measurements of large and small artery elastic index (LAEI and SAEI, resp.) and reactive hyperemia index (RHI) were obtained at rest, along with anthropometric and biochemical information. Results. In normal-weight children, LAEI was 16% higher in males than females (P = 0.04) with a similar trend for SAEI (13% higher in males, P = 0.067). In obese children, no sex-related differences in vascular measures were observed. In multivariable models, sex differences in arterial compliance were explained by higher lean mass in normal-weight boys. Fat mass predicted LAEI and SAEI in both normal-weight and obese females, but fat mass predicted arterial compliance in boys when fat mass exceeded 24 kg (37% of the sample). Conclusions. Normal-weight males have higher arterial compliance than normal-weight females due to increased lean mass, but sex-related differences were not observed among obese children due to a lack of sex-related differences in lean or fat mass.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:607895.
• Article: Pediatric nephrology: highlights for the general practitioner.

  Mouin Seikaly, Sabeen Habib, Amin J Barakat, Jyothsna Gattineni, Raymond Quigley, Dev Desi
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:270725.
• Article: Frequency Modulation and Spatiotemporal Stability of the sCPG in Preterm Infants with RDS.

  Steven M Barlow, Mimi Burch, Lalit Venkatesan, Meredith Harold, Emily Zimmerman
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  ABSTRACT: The nonnutritive suck (NNS) is an observable and accessible motor behavior which is often used to make inference about brain development and pre-feeding skill in preterm and term infants. The purpose of this study was to model NNS burst compression pressure dynamics in the frequency and time domain among two groups of preterm infants, including those with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS, N = 15) and 17 healthy controls. Digitized samples of NNS compression pressure waveforms recorded at a 1-week interval were collected 15 minutes prior to a scheduled feed. Regression analysis and ANOVA revealed that healthy preterm infants produced longer NNS bursts and the mean burst initiation cycle frequencies were higher when compared to the RDS group. Moreover, the initial 5 cycles of the NNS burst manifest a frequency modulated (FM) segment which is a significant feature of the suck central pattern generator (sCPG), and differentially expressed in healthy and RDS infants. The NNS burst structure revealed significantly lower spatiotemporal index values for control versus RDS preterm infants during FM, and provides additional information on the microstructure of the sCPG which may be used to gauge the developmental status and progression of oromotor control systems among these fragile infants.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:581538.
• Source

  Available from: PubMed Central

  Article: Accelerometry: a feasible method to quantify physical activity in ambulatory and nonambulatory adolescents with cerebral palsy.

  Jan Willem Gorter, Stephen G Noorduyn, Joyce Obeid, Brian W Timmons
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  ABSTRACT: Objective. To determine the feasibility of physical activity monitoring in adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods. A convenience sample of ambulatory and non-ambulatory adolescents (N = 23; 17 males, 6 females; mean age 13.5 y, SD 2.6 y; Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) distribution: n = 9 Level I, n = 5 Level II, n = 5 Level III, n = 4 Level IV) was recruited. Physical activity (PA) was objectively assessed using the ActiGraph GT1M activity monitor. Discomfort or adverse effects of wearing the accelerometers were recorded by participants. Levels of physical activity were determined as total PA, light PA (LPA), moderate PA (MPA), moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA), and vigorous PA (VPA) using cut-points recently validated for CP. Results. Most participants showed little reluctance. Mean daily MVPA for all participants was 30.7 minutes (SD 30.3), which corresponded to 2.7 (SD 2.4) minutes of MVPA per hour or 4.5% (SD 3.9) of the total monitoring time. Total PA and MVPA were greatest in ambulatory youth (GMFCS levels I and II) compared with youth who use a walking aid or wheelchair (GMFCS levels III and IV) (P < 0.05). Conclusion(s). The results support the use of the accelerometer as a feasible and useful measure of activity in ambulatory and nonambulatory adolescents with CP.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:329284.
• Source

  Available from: PubMed Central

  Article: Surgical management of patients with Chiari I malformation.

  John Siasios, Eftychia Z Kapsalaki, Kostas N Fountas
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  ABSTRACT: Chiari malformations (CMs) constitute a variety of four mainly syndromes (I, II, III, and IV), which describe the protrusion of brain tissue into the spinal canal through the foramen magnum. These malformations frequently occur in combination with other pathological entities such as myelomeningocele, hydrocephalus, and/or hydrosyringomyelia. The recent improvement of imaging techniques has increased not only the rate of CM diagnosis but also the necessity for its early treatment. Several different surgical techniques have been employed in the treatment of patients with symptomatic CM-I. In our current study, a systematic and critical review of the pertinent literature was made for identifying the most commonly employed surgical procedures in the management of these patients. Emphasis was given in outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each surgical approach. Moreover, an attempt was made for defining those parameters that may be prognostic factors for their surgical outcome. There is a consensus that surgical treatment is reserved only for symptomatic patients with CM-I. It has also been postulated that early surgically intervention is usually associated with better outcome. Despite the large number of previously published clinical series, further clinical research with large-scale studies is necessary for defining surgical treatment guidelines in these patients.
  International Journal of Pediatrics 01/2012; 2012:640127.