Valanejad, L; Lewis, K; Wright, M; Jiang, Y; D'Souza, A; Karns, R; Sheridan, R; Gupta, A; Bove, K; Witte, D; Geller, J; Tiao, G; Nelson, DL; Timchenko, L; Timchenko, N. FXR-Gankyrin axis is involved in development of pediatric liver cancer. Carcinogenesis. 38(7):Pages 738–747.
In the course of these studies, we found that RNA binding protein CUGBP1 is a new tumor suppressor protein which reduces in all HBL samples. Therefore, we generated CUGBP1 KO mice and examined HBL signatures in the liver of these mice. Micro-array studies revealed that the HBL-specific molecular signature develops in livers of CUGBP1 KO mice at very early ages. Thus, we conclude that FXR-Gank-TSPs-Stem cells pathway is a key determinant of liver cancer in animal models and in pediatric liver cancer. Our data provides a strong basis for the development of FXR-Gank-based therapy for treatment of patients with hepatoblastoma.
Polites, S; Rodrigue, BB; Chute, C; Hammill, A; Dasgupta, R. Propranolol versus steroids for the treatment of ulcerated infantile hemangiomas. Pediatr Blood Cancer.
There has been a paradigm shift from steroids to propranolol for the pharmacologic treatment of infantile hemangiomas (IH); however, the outcomes for ulcerated IH are not well studied. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of steroids and propranolol specifically for ulcerated IH.
Wang, Q; Wang, B; Saxena, V; Miles, L; Tiao, J; Mortensen, JE; Nathan, JD. The gut-liver axis: impact of a mouse model of small-bowel bacterial overgrowth. Journal of Surgical Research. 221:Pages 246-256.
We developed a reproducible mouse model of small-bowel bacterial overgrowth with evidence of liver inflammation, altered hepatobiliary transporter expression, and alterations in bile composition. This model may help to elucidate the mechanisms by which gut-derived bacterial factors impact the liver and contribute to the exacerbation of liver diseases and biliary injury.
Apelt, N; Schaffzin, J; Bates, C; Brown, RL; Mecoli, M; Sadhasivam, S; Garcia, V. Surgical site infection related to use of elastomeric pumps in pectus excavatum repair. Lessons learned from root cause analysis. Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 52(8):Pages 1292-1295.
Pectus excavatum repair (PEX) is among the most painful thoracic procedures performed. Continuous peripheral nerve blockade (CPNB) is efficacious in optimizing pain control while limiting narcotic use in adult thoracic procedures. Introduced in May 2015 it is as a bridge to oral pain control in children undergoing PEX. Consequently, the surgical site infection (SSI) rate increased from 2.7% to 27.7%. Introduction of CPNB coincided with a significant increase in SSI. There needs to be further study to assess the safety of CPNB in pediatric PEX.
Cushing, CC; Threlkeld, MRS; Martinez-Leo, B; Hall, J; Hossain, M; Dickie, BH; Rymeski, B; Helmrath, M; Zeller, MH; Frischer, JS. Initial development and validation of a fecal incontinence-specific quality of life measure. Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 53(6):Pages 1148-1153.
Fecal incontinence is a prevalent pediatric condition with psychosocial impacts on both children and their caregivers. We sought to develop and validate the Cincinnati Fecal Incontinence Scale (CINCY-FIS) as a psychometrically valid measure to assess the quality of life and caregiver impacts of pediatric fecal incontinence.