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Author Interviews, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, PT-Rehabilitation / 20.10.2025

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Chris Church MPT Director, Gait & Motion Analysis Laboratory Nemours duPont Hospital for Children MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Would you briefly describe the condition of clubfoot and arthrogryposis? Response: Clubfoot is a congenital foot deformity in which the child is born with their foot (or feet) are stiff and in position with the foot pointing down (equinus) and in (inverted).  Idiopathic clubfoot is a condition in which these children only have issues with their feet.  Arthrogryposis is a condition in which children have contractures in multiple parts of their body.  Children with Arthrogryposis often have clubfeet that are tighter and more difficult to treat than the more common idiopathic type. Idiopathic clubfoot is effectively corrected with a conservative treatment known as the Ponseti method. Recent studies have shown successful short-term correction using Ponseti treatment in the stiffer clubfoot associated with arthrogryposis, but there are few studies analyzing long-term results. This study compares outcomes of the Ponseti method in 10-year-old children with idiopathic clubfoot and clubfoot associated with arthrogryposis. MedicalResearch.com: Would you describe the Ponseti method? Does it require specialized or complicated training to implement treatment? Response: Clubfoot was treated with surgery in the past.  Now we use a more conservative treatment that is provided by pediatric orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists.  The Ponseti method involved serial casting in infancy, Achillies tenotomies, and prolonged use of bracing during sleep until age 5 years.             (more…)
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Pediatrics, Weight Research / 09.09.2025

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Thao-Ly Phan, MD, MPH Medical Director, Nemours Children's Health Professor of Pediatrics Thomas Jefferson University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been extensively studied in adults, but there has been limited exploration of its effects on children and adolescents. While several studies have described weight gain trends in children during the pandemic, less is known about how having a diagnosis of COVID-19 contributed to these trends. Our study drew on the NIH’s National Clinical Cohort Collaborative database, a real-world database of electronic health data from over 90 institutions across the country.  We used this dataset’s unique features to compare a diverse group of more than 11,000 children diagnosed with COVID-19 to a matched cohort of children without a diagnosis of COVID-19. (more…)
Anemia, Author Interviews, Hematology, JAMA, Pain Research, Pediatrics / 03.09.2025

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ibrahim Gwarzo, DrPH, MPH, MBBS Research Scientist at Nemours Children’s Health Delaware Valley, Delaware USA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Would you briefly explain the condition of sickle cell disease and why young people frequently present to the ER with severe pain? Response: Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. It is passed down as an autosomal recessive disorder, meaning a person must inherit the defective gene from both parents to have the disease. The condition primarily impacts hemoglobin, the protein responsible for carrying oxygen in red blood cells, which leads to changes in the shape and stability of these cells. The complications associated with the disease, including recurrent and severe pain episodes, are a direct result of these changes. These pain episodes are debilitating and unpredictable, resulting in frequent emergency department visits where they are typically treated with pain medications, including opioids. It is estimated that around 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease, with about 40,000 being children. The disease has a significant prevalence in the Afro-Latino population. (more…)
Author Interviews, Genetic Research, Heart Disease / 14.08.2025

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Takeshi Tsuda, MD Senior Pediatric Cardiologist Nemours Cardiac Center Nemours Children’s Health Delaware MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?  Would you briefly explain the condition of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy? Response: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic muscle disorder causing progressive muscle weakness and wasting, resulting in severe disability during childhood due to absence of dystrophin protein in the muscle cells. Cardiac disease (cardiomyopathy) also develops during early adolescence, potentially leading to heart failure. Because of its insidious progression, the onset of DMD cardiomyopathy is not clearly identified. Early treatment is essential for better outcomes, but the recognition of the preclinical stages of disease is challenging. MedicalResearch.com: Is Unrelieved Wall Stress a commonly recognized echocardiogram finding? Response: Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy is a unique myocardial abnormality caused by the absence of dystrophin, which serves not only as a cytoskeletal protein to maintain cellular integrity but also as a mechano-sensor to adjust wall stress to normalize myocardial oxygen demand. Dystrophin deficiency results in lack of these functions, resulting in rapid myocyte death without compensatory response to normalize wall stress. By our methods, we are able to identify the unrelieved wall stress (increase in iWS) as an early sign of DMD cardiomyopathy before visible ventricular dysfunction prevails, not by the known routine approach. (more…)
Education, Pediatrics / 22.05.2025

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Allison Gertel-Rosenberg, M.S., VP Chief Policy and Prevention Officer Nemours Children's Health MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: This national online survey was conducted by Nemours Children’s Health to better understand the challenges educators face in supporting early literacy development among young learners. Nemours Children’s gathered insights from more than 300 certified K-3 teachers in the U.S. The findings reveal an urgent need for stronger support for early literacy. The survey shows that K-3 teachers are acutely aware of the challenges related to child literacy and believe they need more effective resources and support to help struggling students meet grade-level literacy skills. (more…)
Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, Genetic Research, Pediatrics / 10.03.2025

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ricki S. Carroll, MD Complex Care and Palliative Care Physician, Skeletal Dysplasia and Palliative Care Teams Nemours Children’s Hospital Wilmington, Delaware MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Individuals with Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) are often classified into one of four subtypes: type I (mild/nondeforming), type II (perinatal lethal), type III (severe/progressively deforming) and type IV (moderately deforming); however, this classification system continues to evolve with increasing knowledge (Sillence, 1979; Van Dyke & Sillence, 2014). Those with a mild phenotype are often diagnosed postnatally or in the pediatric setting after experiencing multiple unexplained fractures. Concerns for moderate to severely presenting OI are often noted in utero when fractures, shortening, and/or bowing of the long bones are found on prenatal ultrasound (Marini et al, 2017). When Osteogenesis imperfecta is suspected and/or molecularly confirmed in the prenatal period, families may be counseled that the diagnosis is lethal or severely life-limiting based on prenatal ultrasound observations and previously reported genotype-phenotype correlations (Yoshimura et al., 1996; Krakow et al., 2009). Ultrasound parameters for predicting lethality in skeletal dysplasias have been studied and include the chest-to-abdominal circumference ratio of <0.6 and femur length-to-abdominal circumference ratio of <0.16 (Yoshimura et al., 1996; Rahemtullah et al., 1997; Ramus et al., 1998). However, there are nuances to this strategy, for instance in cases where bowing deformities and fractures limit the accuracy of true femur length measurements (Milks et al., 2017). While genotype-phenotype correlations are also considered when predicting lethality, there can be a range of clinical variability even among those with the same genotype (Rauch et al., 2004, Marini et al, 2017). Some specialized delivery centers have reported on the accuracy of these methods in predicting lethality, yet many of the pregnancies evaluated are ultimately terminated, further limiting the ability to draw conclusions (Yeh et al., 2011). These limitations pose a challenge for perinatal providers counseling families on the diagnosis and attempting to prognosticate postnatal survival probability. Consequently, this information can cloud conversations surrounding delivery planning and influence access to potential life-saving therapies including invasive mechanical ventilation and feeding support. Advancements in medical technology and the option for life-sustaining interventions have significantly altered the prognoses for severely affected infants. In this manuscript, we describe perinatal outcomes of infants referred to a single specialized center after receiving a prior diagnosis of possibly lethal, lethal or type II OI where parents sought medical intervention after birth. We also outline advances in respiratory and feeding support needs, as well as length-of-stay for these neonates. The success of this multidisciplinary approach to neonatal OI care both challenges previously defined expectations for this patient population and offers a chance at survival. (more…)
Author Interviews, Hematology, Pain Research, Pediatrics / 10.12.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: David Brousseau, MD, MS Chair of Pediatrics Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware and the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited red blood cell disorder – the most common genetic disorder in the United States, affecting about 100,000 Americans (1 of every 365 Black births and 1 of every 16,3000 Hispanic-American births) (source: CDC). Pain is its most common symptom. Patients may experience acute or chronic pain or both. Acute episodes of pain, or pain crises, can vary in duration and severity. Many are treated at home; however when the pain is excruciating and cannot be treated at home, they lead to Emergency Department (ED) visits and even hospitalization. Reducing pain through prompt administration of pain medication in the ED is a core principle of national guidelines for SCD care. However, little data exists on how pain scores and changes in pain scores in the ED are associated with the patient’s disposition and the odds of a return visit. (more…)
Author Interviews, Dermatology, JAMA, Surgical Research / 16.11.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Peter C. Minneci, MD Chair of Surgery at Nemours Children’s Health Delaware Valley MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?  Would you briefly explain the symptoms/course of pilonidal disease?  Response: Pilonidal disease is relatively common and affects up to 1% of the population starting in adolescence and up until young adulthood. Pilonidal disease occurs when cysts or sinuses form between the buttocks. It is believed to be an inflammatory reaction to hair or debris that gets caught in the crease of the buttocks. Risk factors for the condition include a sedentary lifestyle, hygiene and obesity. Pilonidal disease can be intermittent or chronic and recurs about 33% of the time, with 80% of recurrences taking place within a year of initial treatment. These recurrences contribute to a high degree of psychosocial stress in patients, who often miss school or sports and may avoid social activities. Pilonidal cysts may become infected, in which case patients must take antibiotics or undergo surgery.   Standard treatment for pilonidal disease involves removal of hair with razors or creams, as well as recommendations such as keeping the area clean. In recent years, some practitioners have begun using laser epilation as an additional strategy to prevent recurrence by providing more durable hair removal. However, it’s important to point out that this is not covered by insurance. In addition, as a provider, I have found that my patients that do have the means to pay often don’t comply with the number of sessions needed to fully remove the hair due to many different factors including pain and discomfort during the procedure.   (more…)
Author Interviews, Gastrointestinal Disease, Pediatrics, Personalized Medicine / 26.09.2019

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: James P. Franciosi, MD Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Nemours Children's Hospital MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammation of the esophagus that is driven by eosinophils. A common class of medications used for this condition are called Proton Pump Inhibitors, or PPIs, which block the production of gastric acid in the stomach. Currently only 30 to 60 percent of children with EoE respond well when treated with PPIs. We hypothesized that genetic variants in the genes for CYP2C19 and STAT6 could plausibly be associated with response to PPI therapy for EoE. (more…)
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Pediatrics / 09.07.2019

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Nelly Mauras, MD Chief, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Nemours Children’s Health System Professor of Pediatrics Mayo College of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?   Response: Keeping blood sugars close to normal in young children with diabetes is often limited by parental fears of the risks of low blood sugars and impaired cognitive development. Dr. Nelly Mauras, at the Nemours Children’s Health System in Jacksonville FL, along with Dr. Allan Reiss at Stanford University are co-principal investigators of the Diabetes Research in Children Network, a 5-center consortium performing studies in children with diabetes, also including the University of Iowa, Washington University St Louis and Yale University. The investigators recruited 144 children with type 1 diabetes who were 4-7 years old and performed brain imaging (MRIs), did special cognitive tests, and monitored blood sugars using continuous glucose monitors. These studies were repeated after 18 months, approximately 54 months and 74 months, to examine changes in the brain and compare the results with those of 70 children the same age who do not have diabetes. (more…)