Pediatrics
20 Dec Child Homicides, Rising for Years, Rise Sharply in 2020
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rebecca F. Wilson, PhD Division of Violence Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Our report shows the homicide rate among children aged 0 to 17 years has been increasing annually on average 4.3% since 2013, and rose sharply from 2019 to 2020. The largest 2019 to 2020 rate increases were among children 11-17 years old, boys, and Black children. Overall increases varied by geography and demographics, with some racial and ethnic disparities persisting for more than 20 years. Firearms were the most common weapon used in child homicides. Homicides of younger children (infants to 10 years) were mostly perpetrated by parents and caregivers and precipitated by abuse and/or neglect. Homicides of older children (11-17 years) were mostly perpetrated by someone known to them, like a friend or acquaintance, and precipitated by crime, arguments, and community violence.
06 Dec Multiple Demographic Disparities in Cardiovascular Risk After Pediatric and Youth Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59798" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Berkman[/caption]
Amy Berkman, MD
Department of Pediatrics
Duke University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Cancer incidence in adolescents and young adults (AYAs, aged 15-39 years at diagnosis) is increasing, with approximately 90,000 new diagnoses annually in the US. Improvements in 5-year survival have led to a growing population of survivors of AYA cancer, currently estimated at >600,000 survivors. Survivors are at increased risk of treatment related chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease (CVD).
We wanted to determine whether certain sociodemographic and medical history factors further increase the risk of CVD in AYA cancer survivors and also compare risk of CVD between AYA cancer survivors and the general population.
27 Oct Baby Foods Not as Good for Oral Health, BDA Research Finds
The British Dental Association stays on top of important trends that affect health. Baby food is the latest research subject in their crosshairs. With infant health a high concern, there is good reason to take a longer look at food consumption. Oral Care Exams Your first infant oral exam at NorthStar Dental Care will go into detail about the dos and don’ts of nutrition. Preventing oral health issues will eliminate some of the most debilitating problems when growing up. This is why the latest research from the BDA is so important, but the devil is still in the details. Before going down the rabbit hole of information, make sure that your baby is scheduled and up to date with all of their dental appointments. The first exam is one of many, with each one after being just as important as the last.
20 Oct USPSTF: Screening Can Help Identify Anxiety and Depression in Older Children and Teens
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58144" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Kubik[/caption]
Martha Kubik, Ph.D., R.N.
Professor, School of Nursing
College of Health and Human Services
George Mason University
Member, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Too many children and teens in the United States experience mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors. There is a critical need to address the mental health of children and adolescents in primary care so that they can get the support they need to thrive.
06 Oct UCLA Study Finds Kids Attending Higher Performing Charter Schools Had Lower Alcohol and Marijuana Use
Posted at 20:56h
in Addiction, Alcohol, Author Interviews, Cannabis, Education, JAMA, Pediatrics, Social Issues, UCLA
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_59623" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Wong[/caption]
Mitchell Wong, MD PhD
Professor of Medicine
Executive Vice Chair for Research Training
Department of Medicine
Executive Co-Director, Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program
Director, UCLA CTSI KL2 Program
UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research Los Angeles, CA 90024
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: It is estimated that social factors like poverty, education, and housing have a large impact on health. Yet, there are few interventions that exist to directly address those issues. Schools are a promising solution since society already invests heavily in education and schools are an everyday part of most children’s lives.
28 Sep Myths About Teenager Sleep Needs Are Common
Posted at 16:49h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Melatonin, Pediatrics, Sleep Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_59589" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Robbins[/caption]
Rebecca Robbins, Ph.D.
Instructor in Medicine
Associate Scientist, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders
Investigator, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders
Departments of Medicine and Neurology
Brigham and Women's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Teens face myriad challenges to sleep, ranging from biological factors, including a preference for later bedtimes and increased need for sleep, to social factors, including social pressures and increased academic workloads, all limiting teenagers in their ability to keep a healthy sleep schedule.
In a nationally representative sample, we explored the prevalence of another potential barrier to sleep among teens, which are a set of beliefs that are held in the population, yet are actual counter to scientific principles regarding sleep and circadian rhythms.
20 Sep USPSTF: Assesses Benefits and Harms of Screening for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59555" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Cabana[/caption]
Michael Cabana, M.D., M.A., M.P.H
Professor of Pediatrics
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Physician-in-chief at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore
Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Dr. Cabana joined the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in January 2019
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes have historically been far more common in adults, but the number of children and teens who have these conditions is rising. However, there is still very limited research on whether screening, early detection, and early treatment of diabetes will improve a child’s long-term health. Due to this lack of evidence, the Task Force was unable to assess the benefits and harms of screening, particularly in Black, Hispanic, American Indian, and Pacific Islander populations, who are at a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. We are calling for more research on this important topic.
28 Jul Huge Number of Children Newly Classified as Obese In Only a Decade
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59343" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Staiano[/caption]
Amanda Staiano, PhD
Associate Professor
Director, Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Baton Rouge, LA
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: The U.S. government funds the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is an ongoing surveillance study on the health and nutritional status of people living in the U.S. What is special about NHANES is it’s designed to be nationally representative and it uses objective measurements, so we’re more confident that this accurately reflects the health of the country. For this paper, we looked at the most recently released data to see how many children in the U.S. have obesity, meaning they’re above the 95th percentile for height and weight based on their age and sex. We extracted data from 2011 to 2020, which includes nearly 15,000 children and adolescents and is the most recently available data prior to the March 2020 COVID-19 shutdown when NHANES paused.
06 Jul Pediatric Peanut Allergies Blunted But Not Eliminated by Early Introduction
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59303" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Soriano[/caption]
Victoria Soriano PhD
Research Assistant/Officer, Population Allergy
University of Melbourne
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Peanut allergy is one of the most common childhood food allergies, and children rarely grow out of it. The only proven way to prevent peanut allergy is to give infants age-appropriate peanut products in the first year of life.
We previously showed there was a dramatic increase in peanut introduction from 2007-11 to 2018-19, following changes to infant feeding guidelines. We wanted to know if earlier peanut introduction would reduce peanut allergy in the general population (in Melbourne, Australia).
06 Jun If FDA Approved, Dulaglutide Provides New Treatment Option for Youth with Type 2 Diabetes
Fasting plasma glucose concentrations improved with Dulaglutide....
13 Apr Poverty During Pregnancy Associated with Reduced Infant Brain Size
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Regina Triplett, M.D., M.S. Developmental Neuroscience Post-Doctoral Research Scholar Department of Neurology Washington University in St. Louis, MO MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: This is an ongoing, longitudinal, prospective study of 399 pairs of mothers studied throughout pregnancy and their infants, designed to investigate exposure to early life adversity (prenatal poverty and stress) on infant brain development and behavior in early childhood. We examined measures of maternal socioeconomic status including neighborhood factors and stress/mental health during pregnancy in relation to data from infant brain MRI scans conducted in the first weeks after birth. We found that poverty during pregnancy is associated with reduced size and folding of infant brains. We found these associations across the whole brain and not specific to one region.
27 Mar Atopic Dermatitis and Growth Parameters in Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58947" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Drucker[/caption]
Aaron Drucker MD, ScM, FRCPC
Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Women’s College Hospital
Scientist, Women’s College Research Institute
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicin and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation
University of Toronto
Adjunct Scientist, ICES
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Because atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition that is common in children, parents and physicians often wonder if it will affect overall child well-being, including their growth parameters. Previous studies were mostly cross-sectional, so we conducted a longitudinal study to follow children over time.
We found that although young children with atopic dermatitis were somewhat shorter with higher BMI than children without atopic dermatitis, these differences were small and attenuated as children grew older.
07 Mar Children Exposed to Lead May Benefit from Early Intervention Programs
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58840" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Stingone[/caption]
Jeanette Stingone PhD
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology
Mailman School of Public Health
Columbia University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Lead is a well-established neurotoxin, particularly when exposure occurs early in life and in childhood. Associations between elevated blood lead levels and lower scores on tests of neurodevelopment and cognition are seen consistently across studies, even when examining lower levels of exposure.
While reducing exposure to lead is the primary intervention to prevent these adverse outcomes, there aren’t many interventions designed to support the neurodevelopment of children who have been exposed to lead. Some municipalities consider elevated blood lead levels as a criteria for inclusion in Early Intervention programs. Early Intervention programs are mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and provide services for children younger than 3 years old with disabilities or developmental delays.
The objective of this study was to compare 3rd grade standardized test scores among children who had elevated blood lead levels early in life to see if children who had received Early Intervention services performed better on these tests than those who did not receive services. Using matching methods and an existing administrative data linkage of children who were born and attended public school in New York City, we observed that children exposed to lead who received Early Intervention services scored higher on standardized tests in both math and English Language arts than children exposed to lead who did not receive services.
17 Feb Childhood Insomnia: Parents and Providers Should Not Assume Symptoms Will Go Away
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58809" align="alignleft" width="153"]
Dr. Fernandez-Mendoza[/caption]
Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, PhD, CBSM, DBSM
Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health
Sleep Research & Treatment Center
Director, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Is insomnia familial?
Response: Consistent research has shown that about 25% of school-age children have insomnia symptoms consisting of difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep. However, what has remained unknown is to what extent those insomnia symptoms persist all the way into adulthood, or whether they developmentally remit (go away with age) as the child grows into adolescence or young adulthood. This is the question that our study focused on.
16 Feb Faster Growth in Early Childhood Linked to Earlier Puberty
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58751" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Aris[/caption]
Izzuddin M Aris, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute
Boston, MA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Puberty is a key stage during child development. Previous research indicates that children in the United States are entering puberty at younger ages. These children may be in danger of developing certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, later in life. A better understanding of how early life factors affect puberty development is important for combating earlier puberty onset. .
04 Feb Number of Extremely Preterm Births Varies with Season
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58736" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Hviid[/caption]
Anders Hviid M.Sc.,Dr.Med.Sci.
Head of Department (acting),
Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology,
Department of Epidemiology Research
Statens Serum Institut
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: An unusually low number of extremely preterm births have been observed in some countries during the initial covid-19 lockdowns. We speculated that this could be because of fewer infections, reduced activity levels, less stress etc. These are also factors that change with the seasons, and we hypothesized that extremely preterm birth might be associated with seasonality.
03 Feb Masking in Early Child Care Programs Linked to Fewer Closures
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58724" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Murray[/caption]
Thomas Murray MD PhD
Associate Professor, Yale School of Medicine
Department of Pediatrics, Infectious Disease and Global Health
Associate Medical Director, Infection Prevention
Yale New Haven Children's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: This study was performed by Yale- CARES (Children and Adults Research in Early Education Study Team) a multidisciplinary group of researchers that are interested in learning how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted early child care programs in the US including the effects on both the children and those who care for them in this setting. This is important because when child care programs close it becomes very difficult for working families to find safe, affordable alternative care.
We surveyed over 6000 child care workers from across the US in May/June 2020 with a follow up survey in May/June 2021. This includes both center based and home based child care programs. One question we were interested in was what things they were doing in their programs to reduce the risk of COVID-19. We then asked whether their program closed at any time in that year because of COVID-19.
20 Jan Diabetes: Closed-Loop Artificial Pancreas Improved Glucose Control in Very Young Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58667" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Ware[/caption]
Dr Julia Ware
(née Fuchs)
Clinical Research Associate
Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science-Metabolic Research Laboratories
and Medical Research Council Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge
Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Management of type 1 diabetes is challenging in very young children, due to their high variability of insulin requirements and unpredictable eating and activity patterns. As a result, many young children do not meet the recommended glycemic targets, or only maintain recommended glycemic control with extensive caregiver input. This in turn leads to high management burden and reduced quality of life for the whole family.
While the increasing use of continuous glucose-monitoring devices and insulin-pump therapy has led to reductions in the incidence of severe hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis, and has been accompanied by modest improvements in glycemic control, the burden of management has remained high. Hybrid closed-loop systems (also called an artificial pancreas), in which an algorithm automatically adjusts insulin delivery on the basis of real-time sensor glucose levels, may address ongoing challenges in this age group. However, to date hybrid closed-loop studies involving very young children have been small and of short duration and the efficacy and safety of longer term use of a closed-loop system, as compared with standard therapy, was unclear.
To address this knowledge gap, we compared 16-week use of the Cambridge closed-loop algorithm with sensor-augmented pump therapy in children aged 1 to 7 years with type 1 diabetes in a multi-national randomised crossover study.
18 Jan Survival Chances Improving For Extremely Premature Babies, But Many Face Long Term Problems
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58650" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Bell[/caption]
Edward Bell, MD
Professor of Pediatrics-Neonatology
Vice Chair for Faculty Development,
Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
University of Iowa
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has supported the Neonatal Research Network (NRN) since 1986. The NRN, a group of US academic centers, is tasked with conducting research to improve the treatment and health outcomes of premature and critically-ill babies in US neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Every few years, the NRN publishes reports on the survival rates and outcomes of surviving extremely premature babies, those born before 28 weeks of gestation. These reports help us to judge progress in the care and outcomes of these infants. This paper is the 9th in this series of reports but the first that includes not only survival and in-hospital outcomes but also outcomes at 2 years of age.
11 Jan Pediatric COVID: Teenagers Most at Risk of Severe Outcomes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58626" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Freedman[/caption]
Stephen Freedman MDCM, MSc
Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine
Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Professor in Child Health and Wellness
Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine
University of Calgary
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: During the early stages of the global 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, children represented fewer than 5% of reported cases. However, children now represent a significant percent of all new COVID-19 cases. Similarly, pediatric hospitalizations due to COVID-19, are now at an all-time high. Although COVID-19 is generally mild in children, severe outcomes and death do occur. The risk of severe outcomes among SARS-CoV-2 infected children is poorly understood with estimates varying considerably between study designs, settings, and regions. Studies generally include large administrative databases (i.e. community based), hospitalized populations, and children admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).
Identified risk factors for severe COVID-19 in children have included young (i.e. 1-3 months) or old (15-18 years) pediatric age group, male sex, and pre-existing medical condition. However, data from large prospective cohort studies which include children with early or mild stages of disease seeking emergency department (ED) care are lacking.
To address this knowledge gap we sought to quantify the frequency of and risk factors for severe outcomes in SARS-CoV-2 infected children enrolled in a prospective ED-based cohort study.
07 Jan Cannabis Poisonings in Children Increase After Pot Legalized
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58615" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Myran[/caption]
Daniel Myran, MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC
Family and Public Health and Preventive Medicine Physician
CIHR Fellow, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Department of Family Medicine Innovation Fellow
University of Ottawa
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Canada legalized recreational, or non-medical, cannabis in October 2018. Canada took phased approach to legalization initially only allowing flower-based cannabis products and oils and after one year permitting the sale of commercial cannabis edibles (e.g. THC containing candies, baked goods, and drinks). In this study we took advantage of this phased roll out of legal cannabis to understand the impact of legalization on cannabis exposures or poisonings in children aged 0-9 years and the contribution of different types of cannabis products to these events.
06 Jan COVID-19: Neurodevelopment Effects on Infants Exposed in Utero
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58598" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Dumitriu[/caption]
Dani Dumitriu, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (in Psychiatry)
The Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology
Columbia University, New York
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: A lot of research has focused on the effects of COVID-19 in various vulnerable populations, such as elderly individuals, immunocompromised patients, and individuals with severe comorbidities. However, one vulnerable population that has remained relatively understudied are the infants exposed to maternal COVID-19 disease during pregnancy.
While early on in the pandemic we and other groups showed reassuring data on low risk of vertical transmission, meaning the passing of the virus from mother-to-infant is rare, this does not necessarily mean that these infants wouldn't experience long-term consequences related to the maternal infection through other means. We know from other viral illness that maternal illness, most commonly through the activation of her immune system, can lead to a cascade of events that affect fetal development. This is why a large number of physicians and researchers at Columbia University spearheaded the COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes (COMBO) Initiative -- to look at potential long-term health effects on both infants and mothers.
31 Dec Youth Tackle Football: Study Evaluates Effects of Head Impacts Across 4 Seasons
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sean C. Rose, MD
Child Neurology
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
The Ohio State University, Columbus
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between repetitive head impacts during youth contact sports and worse neurocognitive outcomes. Most research has been conducted in older adults, while the research in children is mostly limited to 1-2 sports seasons.
15 Dec Whole-Plant Medical Cannabis Found Beneficial in Study of Childhood Epilepsy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rayyan Raja Zafar BSc. MSc. MRSB. Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership (MRC DTP) PhD Candidate Centre for Psychedelic research & Neuropsychopharmacology Division of Psychiatry Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Professor David Nutt DM, FRCP, FRCPsych, FSB, FMedSci Faculty of Medicine, Department of Brain Sciences The Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology Imperial College London MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Since 2018 medical cannabis prescription has become legal in the UK for patients to access. In spite of this legal change less than 3 NHS prescriptions have been made available and access to whole-plant medical cannabis products has been restricted largely to private prescriptions with very few clinicians prescribing such products. There has been a lot of anecdotal and real world evidence of the value of whole-plant medical cannabis in children suffering with treatment resistant epilepsy.
10 Dec USPSTF: Importance of Preventing Dental Caries in Young Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58505" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Cabana[/caption]
Michael Cabana, M.D., M.A., M.P.H
Professor of Pediatrics
Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Physician-in-chief , Children's Hospital at Montefiore
Chair of the Department of Pediatrics
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Member, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study and recommendation statement?
Response: Dental caries, also known as cavities or tooth decay, is the most common chronic disease in children in the United States and can develop in any child whose teeth have come in. Many young children under five years old do not visit a dentist, so the Task Force reviewed the latest evidence on how primary care clinicians can help prevent tooth decay in young children.
The Task Force’s research led to two important findings: all young children whose teeth have come in should have fluoride varnish applied by their clinician, and all children six months and older whose water supply doesn’t contain enough fluoride should receive fluoride supplements. Both approaches can help prevent cavities in kids.
The Task Force also determined that there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against screening for tooth decay in the primary care setting for children under five. This is consistent with the Task Force’s 2014 recommendation on dental caries.
08 Dec NEJM: Dupilumab for Pediatric Uncontrolled Moderate-to-Severe Asthma
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58461" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Bacharier[/caption]
Leonard B. Bacharier, MD
Janie Robinson and John Moore Lee Chair in Pediatrics
Professor of Pediatrics
Director - Center for Pediatric Asthma Research
Scientific Director - Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Section Chief - Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Division of Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonary Medicine
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Is Dupilumab used for other atopic conditions, ie eczema/atopic dermatitis?
Response: Many children with moderate-severe asthma continue to experience asthma exacerbations and poor asthma control despite use of controller therapies. Dupilumab has been shown to reduce asthma exacerbations in adolescents and adults, as well as to improve atopic dermatitis in children and adults.
25 Oct Cannabis Vaping Increasing Among Adolescents, Including Higher Potency THC Products
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Carmen Lim BSc(Hons), MSc, CStat PhD Candidate National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane Australia MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: This review has systematically summarized the trends and products used for cannabis vaping using 17 studies published globally between Jan 1, 2003 and August 19, 2020. The pooled prevalence has increased for lifetime use (6.1% in 2013 to 13.6% in 2020), past-year use (7.2% in 2017 to 13.2% in 2020) and past-month use (1.6% in 2013 to 8.4% in 2020). Adolescents' preference for cannabis products may be shifting from less potent products (e.g., herbal cannabis) to highly potent vape oil and concentrates.
28 Sep e7Health.com CEO Discusses Implications of COVID-19 Vaccination of Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_57633" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Baktari[/caption]
Jonathan Baktari, MD
CEO of e7health.com
Dr. Baktari, CEO discusses Pfizer’s recent announcement that their vaccine trial for children ages 5-11 has been safe and effective, marking a major milestone in the fight against COVID-19.
MedicalResearch.com: What risks should parents weigh?
Response: Pfizer has already said that based on their studies the lower dose two shot COVID vaccine for children is safe, meaning that their data shows minimal side effects. If that data is correct, then we should expect the same minor symptoms we see with teenagers to the COVID vaccine
27 Sep More Than Half of Children Admitted for COVID-19 in Early Pandemic Had No Co-Morbidities
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58162" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Morris[/caption]
Shaun K. Morris MD, MPH, FRCPC, FAAP, DTM&H
Divisions of General Pediatrics
Clinician-Scientist, Division of Infectious Diseases
Division of Infectious Diseases at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)
for the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program COVID-19 Study Team
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The SARS-CoV-2 virus can cause the disease we now call COVID-19. In early 2020, when the SARS-CoV-2 virus first spread outside of China, it quickly became apparent that cases may be seen in Canada. It was not known at the time how infection with the virus would affect children and youth. Because more severe disease from other respiratory viruses often disproportionally affect the very young, we expected that a similar pattern may be seen with SARS-CoV-2. We also did not know if children and youth with certain underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk for more severe disease.
Ultimately, this study was designed to get a better understanding of how often children and youth in Canada are hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection, how often severe disease happens, and which children or youth may be at higher risk for severe disease.