Risk factors for hospital readmission among infants with prolonged neonatal intensive care stays.

OBJECTIVE: To assess risk factors associated with 30-day hospital readmission after a prolonged neonatal intensive care stay. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 57,035 infants discharged >14 days from the NICU between 2013 and 2016. Primary outcome was 30-day, all-cause hospital readmission. Adjusted likelihood of readmission accounting for demographic and clinical characteristics, including chronic conditions was also estimated. RESULTS: The 30-day readmission rate was 10.7%. Respiratory problems accounted for most (31.0%) readmissions. In multivariable analysis, shunted hydrocephalus [OR 2.2 (95%CI 1.8-2.7)], gastrostomy tube [OR 2.0 (95%CI 1.8-2.3)], tracheostomy [OR 1.5 (95%CI 1.2-1.8)], and use of public insurance [OR 1.3 (95%CI 1.2-1.4)] had the highest likelihood of readmission. Adjusted hospital readmission rates varied significantly (p < 0.001) across hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The likelihood of hospital readmission was highest for infants with indwelling medical devices and public insurance. These findings will inform future initiatives to reduce readmission for high risk infants with medical and social complexity.

Flipping the classroom: a national pilot curriculum for physiology in neonatal-perinatal medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To explore interest, feasibility, perceived effectiveness, and acceptability of a standardized, national physiology curriculum for neonatal-perinatal medicine (NPM) fellows using online videos for knowledge acquisition paired with flipped classrooms (FCs) for knowledge application. STUDY DESIGN: Two educational programs pairing online videos with FCs were developed and peer-reviewed. These programs were piloted at five institutions. Fellows completed surveys, and fellows and educators participated in focus groups after their FC experiences. RESULTS: Thirty-five fellows responded to the survey. Forty-one fellows and six educators participated in focus groups. Fellows and educators preferred online videos paired with FCs over didactic teaching and perceived them to be effective for knowledge acquisition and application. CONCLUSION: Fellows and educators preferred FC learning over traditional didactics and reported that FCs facilitated creation of a learning community, fostering active learning. The favorable response toward this pilot project and the feasibility of its use supports further development of a standardized NPM physiology curriculum for fellowship training.

BMP promotes motility and represses growth of smooth muscle cells by activation of tandem Wnt pathways.

We present a novel cell-signaling paradigm in which bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) consecutively and interdependently activates the wingless (Wnt)-ß-catenin (ßC) and Wnt-planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathways to facilitate vascular smooth muscle motility while simultaneously suppressing growth. We show that BMP-2, in a phospho-Akt-dependent manner, induces ßC transcriptional activity to produce fibronectin, which then activates integrin-linked kinase 1 (ILK-1) via α4-integrins. ILK-1 then induces the Wnt-PCP pathway by binding a proline-rich motif in disheveled (Dvl) and consequently activating RhoA-Rac1-mediated motility. Transfection of a Dvl mutant that binds ßC without activating RhoA-Rac1 not only prevents BMP-2-mediated vascular smooth muscle cell motility but promotes proliferation in association with persistent ßC activity. Interfering with the Dvl-dependent Wnt-PCP activation in a murine stented aortic graft injury model promotes extensive neointima formation, as shown by optical coherence tomography and histopathology. We speculate that, in response to injury, factors that subvert BMP-2-mediated tandem activation of Wnt-ßC and Wnt-PCP pathways contribute to obliterative vascular disease in both the systemic and pulmonary circulations.