Donna R Halloran

• Saint Louis University

Background: Late preterm infants (34-36 weeks) have increased perinatal morbidity compared to term infants (37-40 weeks). It is unclear if this increased morbidity persists throughout infancy and whether it leads to increased healthcare utilization. Objective: Assess differences in healthcare utilization between late preterm and term infants. Met...

Objective: Black infants are more likely to be late preterm (34-36 weeks) than white infants. Such late preterm infants have increased health care utilization, but it is unclear if this increased utilization varies by race. The objective was to examine if the relationship between late preterm delivery and increased healthcare utilization differs by...

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common medical problem among new mothers that can have a negative impact on infant health. Traditional treatments are often difficult for low-income mothers to complete, particularly given the numerous barriers families face. Objective: Among low-income, primarily racial, and ethnic minority mo...

Radiation therapy is often considered the treatment of choice for low-grade gliomas. However, given the long-term effects of radiation on the developing brain, the appropriate use of radiation therapy in pediatric patients remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) of pediatric low-grade glioma...

Objective: To determine the effect of increasing maternal obesity, including superobesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 50 kg/m2), on perinatal outcomes in women with diabetes. Study design: Retrospective cohort study of birth records for all live-born nonanomalous singleton infants ≥ 37 weeks' gestation born to Missouri residents with diabetes from...

Objective: To estimate the effect of race on perinatal outcomes in obese women. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of birth records linked to hospital discharge data for all live born singleton infants ≥37 weeks gestation born to African-American or Caucasian Missouri residents from 2000 to 2006. We excluded major congenital anomalies and women...

Our objective was to explore the trends in prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) for black and white teenagers over time and the association between elevated BMI and outcomes based on race. This was a retrospective cohort study of singleton infants (n = 38,158) born to black (34%) and white (66%) teenagers (<18 years of age). We determined the prevale...

Ectodermal dysplasia (ED) syndromes are a diverse group of disorders that affect multiple ectodermally derived tissues. Small studies and case reports suggest an increase in atopy and primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) among patients with ED syndromes. To determine the prevalence of clinical symptoms suggestive of atopy or immunodeficiency among a l...

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of maternal superobesity (body mass index [BMI], ≥ 50 kg/m(2)) compared with morbid obesity (BMI, 40-49.9 kg/m(2)) or obesity (BMI, 30-39.9 kg/m(2)) on perinatal outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of birth records that were linked to hospital discharge data for all liveborn sing...

To estimate the risk of short-term complications in neonates born between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation. This is a retrospective cohort study. Deliveries in 2005 in the USA. Singleton live births between 34 and 40 weeks of gestation. Gestational age was subgrouped into 34, 35, 36 and 37-40 completed weeks of gestation. Statistical comparisons were p...

Examine the effect of prepregnancy weight and maternal gestational weight gain on postterm delivery rates. This was a retrospective cohort study of term, singleton births (N=375 003). We performed multivariable analyses of the association between postterm pregnancy and both prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and maternal weight gain. Prolonged or p...

We sought to examine perinatal outcomes in women with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m(2) comparing those whose weight gain met 2009 IOM guidelines to women meeting 1990 IOM guidelines. This is a retrospective cohort study utilizing birth records linked to hospital discharge data for all term, singleton infants born to overweight, Missouri reside...

OBJECTIVE—To determine the effect of maternal super-obesity (BMI ≥50 kg/m 2 ) compared to morbid obesity (BMI 40–49.9 kg/m 2 ) or obesity (BMI 30–39.9 kg/m 2 ) on perinatal outcomes. STUDY DESIGN—Retrospective cohort study of birth records linked to hospital discharge data for all live born singleton term infants born to obese Missouri residents fr...

Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of atypical antipsychotic use in privately insured children and the diagnoses associated with treatment. Study design. Claims were used to conduct a retrospective cohort study of children aged 2 through 18 years in the Midwest, covered by private insurance between 2002 and 2005 (n = 172 766). The 1-year prevale...

To estimate the sensitivity and specificity of pure-tone audiometry hearing screening in the primary care setting. Prospective cohort study. Eight academic and private pediatric practices. A subset of children from a convenience sample of 1061 children between 3 and 19 years of age were screened for hearing loss using pure-tone audiometry. Interven...

Determine the baseline incidence of birth asphyxia in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) survivors in a developing country and the early neurodevelopmental outcomes of such infants. This cross-sectional, prospective study collected diagnostic and examination findings on all infants seen in the University of Zambia NICU follow-up clinic over a 4-we...

Our goal was to estimate the quarterly prevalence of and evaluate trends for chronic medication use in children. A cross-sectional study of ambulatory prescription claims data from 2002 to 2005 was conducted for a nationally representative sample of >3.5 million commercially insured children who were 5 to 19 years old. Prevalence of chronic medicat...

Objective: To estimate prevalence and evaluate trends in obesity-related chronic medication use among children. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross sectional study of ambulatory prescription claims from 2002 to 2005 for a sample of over 3.5 million commercially-insured children 5 to 19 years. Main Outcome Measures: Quarterly prevalence and tre...

Research has identified increasing trends in the use of antidepressant medications in children and adolescents despite the fact that the majority of these drugs have not been approved for use in children. Using administrative data for a large Midwestern health plan we evaluated the prevalence of antidepressant use and the diagnoses associated with...

BACKGROUND: Atypical antipsychotic medications (risperidone, olanzapine, clozapine, and quetiapine fumarate) have not been carefully studied in children despite a dramatic increase in their use. One study in a midwestern Medicaid population found a prevalence for atypical antipsychotics of 13 per 1000 children with psychiatric diagnoses such as att...

The aim of the study is to (i) reexamine risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and (ii) describe the relationship between length of gestation and age at death from SIDS. To evaluate risk factors for SIDS, we used multivariable logistic regression and included maternal demographic characteristics, maternal health and behavioral factor...

Background While birth asphyxia is the leading cause of neonatal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 23% of neonatal deaths, little is known of the morbidity of birth asphyxia in developing countries. Survivors of birth asphyxia are at risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnoses...

To determine hearing screening failure rates in primary care settings and to examine the referral practices in response to an abnormal screening test. We enrolled a convenience sample of children between 3 and 19 years of age who were undergoing hearing screening during a well-child visit. A failure was defined as missing any frequency (1000, 2000,...