Pediatric mental health emergency department visits from 2017 to 2022: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected children's mental health (MH) and changed patterns of MH emergency department (ED) utilization. Our objective was to assess how pediatric MH ED visits during the COVID-19 pandemic differed from expected prepandemic trends. METHODS: We retrospectively studied MH ED visits by children 5 to <18 years old at nine U.S. hospitals participating in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Registry from 2017 to 2022. We described visit length by time period: prepandemic (January 2017-February 2020), early pandemic (March 2020-December 2020), midpandemic (2021), and late pandemic (2022). We estimated expected visit rates from prepandemic data using multivariable Poisson regression models. We calculated rate ratios (RRs) of observed to expected visits per 30 days during each pandemic time period, overall and by sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: We identified 175,979 pediatric MH ED visits. Visit length exceeded 12 h for 7.3% prepandemic, 8.4% early pandemic, 15.0% midpandemic, and 19.2% late pandemic visits. During the early pandemic, observed visits per 30 days decreased relative to expected rates (RR 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-0.84), were similar to expected rates during the midpandemic (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.96-1.07), and then decreased below expected rates during the late pandemic (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.98). During the late pandemic, visit rates were higher than expected for females (RR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.20) and for bipolar disorders (RR 1.83, 95% CI 1.38-2.75), schizophrenia spectrum disorders (RR 1.55, 95% CI 1.10-2.59), and substance-related and addictive disorders (RR 1.50, 95% CI 1.18-2.05). CONCLUSIONS: During the late pandemic, pediatric MH ED visits decreased below expected rates; however, visits by females and for specific conditions remained elevated, indicating a need for increased attention to these groups. Prolonged ED visit lengths may reflect inadequate availability of MH services.

Cultural water and Indigenous water science.

Australia shows the need for more sustainable and just water management.

Racial Differences in Emergency Department Visit Characteristics and Management of Preadolescents at Risk of Suicide.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide rates and frequency of pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for suicidal thoughts and behaviors have increased among Black preadolescents in the United States in recent years. This study examined whether characteristics of ED visits and treatment management of preadolescents with suicidal thoughts and behaviors differed by race. METHODS: An electronic medical record query identified patients ages 8-12 (N=504) who visited a pediatric ED with a psychiatric-related chief complaint in 2019. The authors examined suicidal thoughts and behaviors that were reported with the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions tool, ED clinical impression, and ED disposition overall and by race. RESULTS: Compared with other racial groups, Black preadolescents were less likely to report suicidal thoughts, despite equivalent lifetime histories of suicide attempts, and were more likely to be brought to the ED by police and discharged (instead of being admitted to inpatient psychiatric care). CONCLUSIONS: Research to better understand racial disparities in suicide risk among preadolescents can inform prevention efforts.

An intervention to improve safe firearm storage for adolescents presenting with suicide ideation or attempt in a pediatric emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Firearm injuries are the second leading cause of death in American youth aged 15 to 24, and over half of these deaths are suicides. Self-harm deaths in Wisconsin among adolescents have increased by 34% since 2006. Each year, our pediatric emergency department (ED) staff care for over 1100 children and adolescents who present with suicidal ideation or self-harming behaviors. We implemented an ED-based program aimed at improving the education given to families on reducing self-directed violence and providing firearm storage devices to families with the goal of reducing access to lethal means. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Our program takes place in the pediatric ED of an academic children's hospital and seeks to assist families of all patients who present with suicidal ideation or suicide attempt (SI/SA). In collaboration with our social workers, we reviewed their processes for interviewing and counseling families of patients who present with SI/SA. Social workers previously used a hospital-wide patient and family education sheet for safety planning that included information about safely storing medications and community mental health services. We teamed with our hospital's health literacy and education committees and revised the teaching sheet to include more in-depth information about safe firearm storage. For families who were interested, we developed a process to provide up to two firearm lockboxes equipped with a combination lock. Working with risk management, the parent injury prevention product liability form was updated to include firearm lockboxes. CONCLUSION: We implemented a safe firearm storage program including development of a patient and family education sheet and provision of firearm lockboxes to families. Next steps under consideration include providing lockboxes for safe medication storage and establishing a follow-up system to assess proper use of firearm lockboxes and family and social worker satisfaction.

Permanent Unilateral Vision Loss From Allergic Fungal Sinusitis.

ABSTRACT: In the absence of trauma, sudden unilateral painless visual loss is an uncommon condition in the pediatric population requiring emergent medical evaluation. In the acute care setting, clinicians face the challenge of accurately assessing the patient and determining the initial diagnostic workup. A careful history alone helps guide diagnosis with sudden visual loss that is unilateral and persistent. Several neuro-ophthalmological conditions that present with these characteristics include retinal artery or vein occlusion, diseases affecting the cavernous sinus or orbital apex region, and optic neuropathy. Simple eye examination techniques have crucial diagnostic value in helping localize the disease process, determining the level of urgency, and need for timely intervention. Here we present an adolescent patient with nontraumatic, acute unilateral visual loss who had concerning ophthalmological examination findings and was subsequently diagnosed with optic neuropathy secondary to allergic fungal sinusitis.

Factors associated with a change in disposition for mental health patients boarding in an urban Paediatric emergency department.

AIM: Paediatric emergency departments (ED) nationwide experience a shared burden of boarding mental health patients. Whilst boarding, some patients have a change in disposition from hospitalization to discharge home. This phenomenon raises concern because EDs often have scarce resources for mental health patients. We sought to understand which patient and clinical factors are associated with a change in disposition outcome. METHODS: A nested age-sex-race frequency-matched case-control study was conducted including paediatric patients who presented to an urban PED for mental healthcare over a 36-month period. Control patients included patients admitted to an inpatient psychiatric facility, whilst case patients were those discharged home. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to compare groups. RESULTS: Case patients were more likely to receive intramuscular Haloperidol (OR 2.2 [CI 1.1-4.4]) for agitation and a psychiatric consult (OR 2.3 [1.4-3.9]) whilst boarding. Case patients were also more likely to present with behavioural concerns (OR 1.8 [CI 1.1-3.1]) and have additional complexities such as medical comorbidities (OR 1.8 [CI 1.1-2.9]) or suicidal ideation/attempt (OR 2.6 [CI 1.1-6.1]). Amongst the most common themes for disposition change was improved patient status (58.8%). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that boarding mental health patients have different disposition outcomes and thus may benefit from patient-specific treatment interventions. Given that patients' statuses may change during the boarding period prompting discharge to home, more focus should be directed to developing brief evidence-based practises that may be implemented in the ED and effectively bridge the gap to outpatient mental health services.

Patterns of video-based motion analysis use among sports physical therapists.

OBJECTIVE: Examine video-based motion analysis (VBMA) use among sports physical therapists. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observation. SETTING: Survey, online-platform. PARTICIPANTS: American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy members (n = 261). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: VBMA use frequency, reasons for use, facilitators/barriers, tools used, factors associated with use. RESULTS: 194 (74.3%) used VBMA but 163 (84%) use it for ≤ 25% of their caseload. Most (57.7%) used their personal device to capture VBMA. Commonly cited reasons for use were movement analysis (93.8%) and patient education (87.6%). Barriers to use included time (30.7%), unfamiliarity with device/equipment (19.2%), and lack of device/equipment (18.4%). Younger age, advanced training, and greater time spent with return patients were each associated with use. For every 5-year increase of age, there was a 12% reduced likelihood of VBMA use (OR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.77-1.00). Board-certified sports clinical specialists were more likely to use vs. those without additional certifications/degrees (OR = 3.27; 95% CI = 1.33-8.02). Spending 30-59 (vs. <30) minutes with return patients increased the odds of use (ORs range: 2.71 to 3.85). CONCLUSION: Most respondents used VBMA, albeit infrequently. Those younger, with advanced training, and spending ≥30 min with return patients were more likely to use VBMA. Future research should investigate whether VBMA use enhances patient outcomes.

Diagnostic Discordance in Pediatric Critical Care Transport: A Single-Center Experience.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to describe diagnostic discordance rates at our pediatric tertiary care center between the reason for transfer of critically ill/injured children (determined by the referring institution) and the inpatient admission diagnosis (determined by our accepting institution), to identify potential factors associated with discordance, and to determine its impact on patient outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all critically ill/injured children transferred to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018. All patients whose initial inpatient disposition was the pediatric intensive care unit were included. RESULTS: Six hundred forty-three children (median age, 51 months) from 57 institutions (median pediatric capability level: 3) met inclusion criteria: 46.8% were transported during nighttime, 86.5% by ground, and 21.2% accompanied by a physician. Nearly half (43.4%) had respiratory admission diagnoses. The rest included surgical/neurosurgical (14.2%), neurologic (11.2%), cardiovascular/shock (8.7%), endocrine (8.2%), infectious disease (6.8%), poisoning (3.1%), hematology-oncology (2.2%), gastrointestinal/metabolic (1.9%), and renal (0.3%). Forty-six (7.2%) had referral-to-admission diagnostic discordance: 25 of 46 had discordance across different diagnostic groups and 21 of 46 had clinically significant discordance within the same diagnostic group. The discordant group had higher need for respiratory support titration in transport (43.9% vs 27.9%, p = 0.02); more invasive procedures and vasopressor needs during the day of admission (26.1% vs 11.6%, P = 0.008; 19.6% vs 7%, P = 0.006); and longer intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stays (5 vs 2 days; 11 vs 3 days, P < 0.001). When compared with respiratory admission diagnoses, patients with cardiovascular/shock and neurologic diagnoses were more likely to have discordant diagnoses (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 13.24 [5.41-35.05]; 6.47 [2.48-17.75], P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Seven percent of our critically ill/injured pediatric cohort had clinically significant referral-to-admission diagnostic discordance. Patients with cardiovascular/shock and neurologic diagnoses were particularly at risk. Those with discordant diagnoses had more in-transit events; a higher need for ICU interventions postadmission; and significantly longer ICU stays and hospitalizations, deserving further investigation.

Brain Activation Changes During Balance- and Attention-Demanding Tasks in Middle- and Older-Aged Adults With Multiple Sclerosis.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to evaluate prefrontal cortex activation differences between older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy older adults (HOA) during the performance of a balance- and attention-demanding motor task. Ten older adults with MS and 12 HOA underwent functional near-infrared spectroscopy recording while talking, virtual beam walking, or virtual beam walking while talking on a self-paced treadmill. The MS group demonstrated smaller increases in prefrontal cortex oxygenation levels than HOA during virtual beam walking while talking than talking tasks. These findings indicate a decreased ability to allocate additional attentional resources in challenging walking conditions among MS compared with HOA. This study is the first to investigate brain activation dynamics during the performance of balance- and attention-demanding motor tasks in persons with MS.

A subset of cerebrovascular pericytes originates from mature macrophages in the very early phase of vascular development in CNS.

Pericytes are believed to originate from either mesenchymal or neural crest cells. It has recently been reported that pericytes play important roles in the central nervous system (CNS) by regulating blood-brain barrier homeostasis and blood flow at the capillary level. However, the origin of CNS microvascular pericytes and the mechanism of their recruitment remain unknown. Here, we show a new source of cerebrovascular pericytes during neurogenesis. In the CNS of embryonic day 10.5 mouse embryos, CD31+F4/80+ hematopoietic lineage cells were observed in the avascular region around the dorsal midline of the developing midbrain. These cells expressed additional macrophage markers such as CD206 and CD11b. Moreover, the CD31+F4/80+ cells phagocytosed apoptotic cells as functionally matured macrophages, adhered to the newly formed subventricular vascular plexus, and then divided into daughter cells. Eventually, these CD31+F4/80+ cells transdifferentiated into NG2/PDGFRß/desmin-expressing cerebrovascular pericytes, enwrapping and associating with vascular endothelial cells. These data indicate that a subset of cerebrovascular pericytes derive from mature macrophages in the very early phase of CNS vascular development, which in turn are recruited from sites of embryonic hematopoiesis such as the yolk sac by way of blood flow.

The effects of fatigue and dissatisfaction on how physicians perceive their social responsibilities.

OBJECTIVE: To examine how fatigue and dissatisfaction with practicing medicine relate to US physicians' perceptions of their professional responsibilities in a time of upheaval in health care. METHODS: From May 30, 2012, through September 1, 2012, we mailed an 8-page paper survey, including measures of perceived social responsibility, fatigue, and satisfaction, to a random sample of 3897 physicians selected from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile. We performed bivariate tests and multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between key predictors (fatigue and satisfaction) and 3 dependent variables: obligations to care for the uninsured and underinsured, obligations to address policy issues, and agreement with cost-containment. RESULTS: A total of 2556 physicians (65.6%) responded to the survey. Nearly half of physicians (1160 [45.4%]) reported high levels of fatigue, whereas most (1810 [70.8%]) expressed satisfaction with practicing medicine. Dissatisfaction in practicing medicine proved to be a significant predictor in how physicians perceive their professional responsibilities and in medical decision-making. Overall, physicians who rated themselves as very dissatisfied had a significantly reduced likelihood of favoring limiting reimbursement to expand basic coverage (odds ratio, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.7), recognizing an obligation to care for the uninsured (odds ratio, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.7), and addressing societal health policy issues (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.5-0.9). CONCLUSION: Although fatigue and satisfaction are strongly associated, only satisfaction appears to correlate with physicians' perceived social responsibilities. Physicians who are dissatisfied with their profession may be less inclined to address health policy issues, embrace charity care, or practice cost containment.

Breast malignancy masquerading under the cloak of acute urticaria.

Urticaria is a common disorder characterised by well-demarcated and intensely pruritic erythematous skin swellings. Common triggers include infection, allergic reactions or medications. While often idiopathic, the presence of urticaria can be associated with underlying systemic disease. We report a case of a patient who presented with diffuse and refractory urticaria. A thorough workup was conducted to determine the aetiology including routine age-appropriate cancer screening. Mammography revealed four lesions in the patient's left breast with biopsy consistent with invasive ductal carcinoma. Disappearance of the urticarial lesions with mastectomy suggests an association between breast malignancy and urticaria. Thus, refractory urticaria with unknown cause should prompt a thorough history, physical examination and review of age-appropriate cancer screening.

How we created a peer-designed specialty-specific selective for medical student career exploration.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, medical students have recognized and advocated for opportunities to explore various specialties earlier in their medical education. A brief literature review, however, reveals little consensus on the best approach to introduce students to different fields during their preclinical years. AIM: We present one of the first reports of a student-led effort to design and implement a preclinical specialty-specific elective. METHODS: At Mayo Medical School, for two consecutive years the student president of the Pediatric Interest Group has created a peer-designed weeklong group elective ("selective") experience consisting of workshops, faculty and resident panel discussions, and clinical shadowing experiences based on a student needs assessment. RESULTS: Each year, more than 25% of the first- and second-year medical student body participated. The majority of students who completed the selective agreed that this experience heightened their interests and expanded their knowledge about pediatrics. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric group selective has provided students with important resources for their medical education and future careers. Students found the group selective beneficial to their learning experience and recommend continuing to offer it in the future.

Conditional deletion of Ccm2 causes hemorrhage in the adult brain: a mouse model of human cerebral cavernous malformations.

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) are irregularly shaped and enlarged capillaries in the brain that are prone to hemorrhage, resulting in headaches, seizures, strokes and even death in patients. The disease affects up to 0.5% of the population and the inherited form has been linked to mutations in one of three genetic loci, CCM1, CCM2 and CCM3. To understand the pathophysiology underlying the vascular lesions in CCM, it is critical to develop a reproducible mouse genetic model of this disease. Here, we report that limited conditional ablation of Ccm2 in young adult mice induces observable neurological dysfunction and reproducibly results in brain hemorrhages whose appearance is highly reminiscent of the lesions observed in human CCM patients. We first demonstrate that conventional or endothelial-specific deletion of Ccm2 leads to fatal cardiovascular defects during embryogenesis, including insufficient vascular lumen formation as well as defective arteriogenesis and heart malformation. These findings confirm and extend prior studies. We then demonstrate that the inducible deletion of Ccm2 in adult mice recapitulates the CCM-like brain lesions in humans; the lesions display disrupted vascular lumens, enlarged capillary cavities, loss of proper neuro-vascular associations and an inflammatory reaction. The CCM lesions also exhibit damaged neuronal architecture, the likely cause of neurologic defects, such as ataxia and seizure. These mice represent the first CCM2 animal model for CCM and should provide the means to elucidate disease mechanisms and evaluate therapeutic strategies for human CCM.

Structure of the small outer capsid protein, Soc: a clamp for stabilizing capsids of T4-like phages.

Many viruses need to stabilize their capsid structure against DNA pressure and for survival in hostile environments. The 9-kDa outer capsid protein (Soc) of bacteriophage T4, which stabilizes the virus, attaches to the capsid during the final stage of maturation. There are 870 Soc molecules that act as a "glue" between neighboring hexameric capsomers, forming a "cage" that stabilizes the T4 capsid against extremes of pH and temperature. Here we report a 1.9 A resolution crystal structure of Soc from the bacteriophage RB69, a close relative of T4. The RB69 crystal structure and a homology model of T4 Soc were fitted into the cryoelectron microscopy reconstruction of the T4 capsid. This established the region of Soc that interacts with the major capsid protein and suggested a mechanism, verified by extensive mutational and biochemical studies, for stabilization of the capsid in which the Soc trimers act as clamps between neighboring capsomers. The results demonstrate the factors involved in stabilizing not only the capsids of T4-like bacteriophages but also many other virus capsids.