Heart rate variability in HIE

In studying heart rate variability in infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) before and during hypothermia, Goulding et al. found that heart rate variability increased during hypothermia, particularly in components related to parasympathetic control. Heart rate variability in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy during therapeutic hypothermia

Promoting healthy eating and active play

Recognizing the childhood obesity epidemic in Hong Kong, Sobko et al. devised a program for families and domestic workers to promote healthy eating and active playtime for preschool children. Unique to the program was a component that encouraged outdoor activities. The results of this pilot study showed that the program was feasible and acceptable to families as well as its validity as a new tool for assessing nature relatedness in preschool children. Stay tuned for the planned randomized control trial and follow-up studies. Promoting healthy eating and active playtime by connecting to nature families with preschool children: evaluation of pilot study “Play&Grow”

Biomarkers of marijuana exposure

New methods of detecting marijuana metabolites enabled Wilson et al. to evaluate marijuana exposure in young children hospitalized with bronchiolitis. They found that 16% of the children (aged 1 month to 2 years) were exposed to marijuana and that children with high levels of a nicotine metabolite were more likely to also have detectable marijuana metabolites. Detecting biomarkers of secondhand marijuana smoke in young children

A new definition of short bowel syndrome

In this review article, Cohran et al. describe how short bowel syndrome has shifted from being a death sentence to one of possible survival. In light of this shift, the authors recommend a change to the criteria for listing candidates for intestinal transplantation. Redefining short bowel syndrome in the 21st century

Cytokines in the prediction of neonatal sepsis

Acknowledging the difficulty of acute diagnosis of sepsis, Ye et al. examined serum cytokines drawn at the time of presentation of clinical symptoms. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 were most predictive of a positive blood culture. For IL-6 alone, the area under the curve was 0.98, indicating a very high sensitivity and specificity for this test. Utility of cytokines to predict neonatal sepsis

Effects on offspring from a gestational diabetic pregnancy

The offspring of mothers with gestational diabetic pregnancy exhibit long-term changes, including changes in signal transduction. In a study in mice, Li et al. found that calorie restriction prevented these changes. Calorie restriction prevents the development of insulin resistance and impaired lipid metabolism in gestational diabetes offspring