Hawai'i IDeA Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Clinical Trials.

As one of 17 clinical sites of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN), the Hawai'i IDeA Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Clinical Trials (HIPACT) was established in 2016 to participate in community-valued and scientifically-valid multi-center pediatric clinical trials to improve health and well-being of diverse multi-ethnic populations of Hawai'i. Hawai'i is home to large populations of diverse rural and underserved populations, including indigenous Hawaiian communities and immigrant populations of Pacific Islanders and Asians. Many of these communities experience significant health disparities, made worse by their geographic isolation and many socio-economic factors. In addition to providing opportunities for children and their families to participate in clinical trials, HIPACT's goal is to provide opportunities for junior faculty of the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), University of Hawai'i at Manoa, to acquire knowledge about and to develop skills in clinical trials. HIPACT's partners include the Hawai'i Pacific Health with Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children, and Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. HIPACT builds on the experiences gained through partnerships with the Mountain West IDeA Clinical and Translational Research-Infrastructure Network, and Research Centers in Minority Institutions Translational Research Network. Apart from participating in ECHO ISPCTN-sponsored studies, HIPACT junior faculty serve as committee members, Working Group leaders, Protocol Study Principal Investigators (PI) and site study PIs with ECHO ISPCTN. Through participation in ECHO ISPCTN, HIPACT has successfully increased the number of pediatric and maternal-fetal medicine faculty involved in the conduct of clinical trials.

Pediatric pulmonary hypertension: diagnosis and management.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The article is intended to provide an overview of the most current modalities for the diagnosis and management of pulmonary hypertension in the pediatric population. RECENT FINDINGS: The WHO has recently updated the classification for pulmonary hypertension to include an expanded range of pediatric disease cohorts. We continue to gain knowledge of traditional pulmonary hypertension therapies (phosphodiesterase inhibitors, endothelin-receptor antagonists, and prostanoids) and remain optimistic that new therapeutic modalities [cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) stimulators, oral prostacyclins, and gene therapy] will lead to improved outcomes in pediatric patients. SUMMARY: Pediatric pulmonary hypertension is a heterogeneous disorder that has the potential to improve in some cases as children grow throughout childhood. Utilization of dedicated multidisciplinary teams of medical providers is necessary to deliver the highest level of medical care to this complex patient population. Ongoing development of enhanced screening protocols, novel disease-specific therapeutic targets, and comprehensive registries will hopefully lead to improved morbidity and mortality in the future.