Welcome to Research Horizons
Explore highlights of the exciting research happening at Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation with Research Horizons. Each issue features recent studies published by Cincinnati Children's investigators. By combining cutting-edge research and education with the best in pediatric care, we are striving to improve the lives of children and families everywhere.
This issue features the following news briefs:
In addition, you will find the following feature stories that highlight some of our many world-class researchers:
Obesity as a medical problem is very pervasive, affecting nearly every organ system in the body. It is associated with a shorter life span. It is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. And it is on the rise in both adults and children throughout the United States. [more]
"Obesity is one of the major problems we're facing as we head into this new century." So says Steve Daniels,MD, PhD, co-author of a recent study on outdoor playtime as a measure of physical activity in preschool-aged children."We need to start early in identifying kids at risk and try to intervene to prevent it," continues Dr. Daniels, of the Division of Cardiology at Cincinnati Children's. [more]
Since he was a teenager, Steve Daniels, MD, PhD, has toyed with research in one way or another. During high school, he spent a summer collecting mulberry leaves for a researcher studying silkworms. In medical school, he performed research for the Illinois Drug Abuse Program. Now as a professor of pediatrics and environmental health at Cincinnati Children's, he explores preventive cardiology issues, including pediatric obesity, hypertension and lipid abnormalities. [more]
What factors cause obese children and teens to drop out of a weight management program? How can that knowledge contribute to the design of more effective programs? [more]
Bariatric surgery for obese adolescents can be offered safely with multidisciplinary team management. It can reduce body weight by one-third and resolve comorbidities. But it's an extreme option that must be undertaken with great consideration by the patient, family and medical center alike. [more]
Children who are insulin resistant and obese are far more likely to develop diabetes than those who aren't, according to a new study led by David Klein,MD, PhD, and John Morrison, PhD.* "The important word is 'and,' because there seems to be an independent relationship between insulin resistance and diabetes, and also between obesity and diabetes. Now we're learning how they interact," says lead author Dr. Klein, of the Division of Endocrinology at Cincinnati Children's. [more]
