The effects of joint hypermobility on pain and functional biomechanics in adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia: secondary baseline analysis from a pilot randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Joint hypermobility is a common clinical finding amongst hereditary connective tissue disorders that is observed in pediatric rheumatological settings, and often associated with chronic pain. Joint hypermobility may also contribute to deficits in physical functioning and physical activity, but previous findings have been inconsistent. It is possible that physical activity impairment in joint hypermobility may be due to chronic aberrant movement patterns subsequent to increased joint laxity. METHOD: As part of a larger randomized pilot trial of juvenile onset fibromyalgia (JFM), a secondary analysis was conducted to explore whether adolescents with JFM and joint hypermobility differed from non-joint hypermobility peers in terms of pain, daily functioning, and biomechanics (i.e., kinetics and kinematics) during a moderately vigorous functional task. RESULTS: From the larger sample of adolescents with JFM (N = 36), 13 adolescents (36.1%) met criteria for joint hypermobility and 23 did not have joint hypermobility. Those with joint hypermobility exhibited poorer overall functioning (Md = 20, Q1,Q3 [5.8, 7.6] vs. Md = 29, Q1,Q3 [5.1, 7.6]) but there were no differences in pain (Md = 6.9, Q1,Q3 [22, 33], vs. Md = 6.45, Q1,Q3 [15, 29.5]). Inspection of time-series plots suggests those with joint hypermobility exhibited decreased hip flexion and frontal plane hip moment (e.g., resistance to dynamic valgus) during the landing phase (early stance) and greater hip and knee transverse plane moments during the propulsion phase (late stance) of the drop vertical jump task (DVJ). No other differences in lower extremity biomechanics were observed between study groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this exploratory study, there were small but notable differences in biomechanics between patients with JFM who also had joint hypermobility versus those without joint hypermobility during a landing and jumping task (e.g., DVJ). These differences may indicate decreased joint stiffness during landing, associated with increased joint laxity and decreased joint stability, which may put them at greater risk for injury. Further study with a larger sample size is warranted to examine whether these biomechanical differences in patients with JFM and joint hypermobility affect their response to typical physical therapy or exercise recommendations.

Structural racism and geographic access to food retailers in the United States: A scoping review.

This scoping review summarized findings and key measures from U.S.-based studies that 1) examined associations between geographic indicators of structural racism (e.g., redlining, racial segregation) and access to food retailers (e.g., supermarkets, convenience stores) or 2) documented disparities in access by neighborhood racial/ethnic composition. In 2022, relevant scientific literature was reviewed using Covidence software. Independent reviewers examined 13,069 citations; 163 citations advanced to the full-text review stage and 70 were selected for inclusion. Twenty-one studies (30%) linked one or more indicator of structural racism to food retailer access while 49 (70%) solely examined differences in access by neighborhood racial/ethnic composition. All studies featuring indicators of structural racism reported significant findings; however, indicators varied across studies making it difficult to make direct comparisons. Key indicators of structural racism in the food access literature included redlining (n = 3), gentrification (n = 3), and racial segregation (n = 4). Many U.S.-based studies have evaluated food retailer access by neighborhood racial/ethnic composition. Moving forward, studies should model indicators of structural racism and determine their influence on geographic access to large and small food retailers.

Nutritional markers accompanying acquired chylothorax in infants: a systematic review.

CONTEXT: Chylothorax is a well-established acquired complication of thoracic surgery in infants. Current data suggest acquired chylothorax may affect infant growth and nutrition because of a loss of essential nutrients via chylous effusion. OBJECTIVE: The 3 objectives for this study were: (1) identify nutritional markers affected by the development of acquired chylothorax in infants; (2) highlight the variability in methods used to assess nutritional status and growth in this patient population; and (3) highlight nutritional deficits that can serve as treatment targets during postoperative feeding protocols. DATA SOURCES: A systematic literature search was conducted between May 31, 2021, and June 21, 2022, using the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases. Search terms included, but were not limited to, "chylothorax," "infants," and "nutrition." DATA EXTRACTION: Inclusion criteria required studies that measured quantitative markers of nutrition in ≥10 participants aged <1 year with acquired chylothorax. A total of 575 studies were screened and all but 4 were eliminated. Nutritional markers were categorized into 4 different groups: total serum protein level, triglyceride levels, growth velocity, and weight for length. DATA ANALYSIS: The variation in methods, time points, interventional groups, and nutritional markers did not facilitate a meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias in Nonrandomized Studies assessment tool. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the need for reliable quantitative markers of nutrition that will enable providers to assess the nutritional needs of infants with chylothorax. Future studies must focus on measuring markers of nutrition at regular intervals in larger study populations.

Impact of prenatal opioids on cardiac and autonomic development: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Prenatal opioid exposure has recently risen four-fold with limited data on the developmental effects on neonatal physiology. The objective of this systematic review is to develop an association between prenatal opioid exposure and fetal and neonatal cardiac and autonomic development and function. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA Guidelines, and searches were conducted using PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science between May 25 and October 27, 2020. Twenty studies fit inclusion criteria, in four categories: (1) fetal cardiac outcomes, (2) neonatal cardiac outcomes, (3) noninvasive autonomic outcomes, and (4) clinical and behavioral measures. For the meta-analysis, three studies (total of 210 subjects) were included. Effect sizes were measured as the mean difference in fetal heart rate between opioid-exposed and non-exposed groups. Mothers with prenatal opioid use had a significantly lower fetal heart rate as compared to mothers without prenatal opioid use, requiring further studies to determine clinical significance.

Pain and QOL in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease: Buffering by Resilience Processes.

OBJECTIVE: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited blood disorders. The central feature of this chronic condition is pain. Several identified risk factors exacerbate the impact of pain on quality of life (QOL) in SCD; however, there are relatively fewer investigations of strengths-based resilience variables that might buffer the influence of pain on living with SCD. The purpose of this study was to examine strength-based resilience processes in youth with SCD and their parents. Grounded in an ecological resilience-risk model, we evaluated whether adolescent and parent protective factors (pain acceptance, mindfulness, and psychological flexibility) moderated the relation between adolescent-reported pain burden and QOL. METHODS: Ninety-three 12- to 18-year-old adolescents with SCD and their parents participated. Adolescents completed assessments of pain characteristics, pain acceptance, mindfulness, and QOL. Parents completed instruments measuring demographic and disease variables and parent psychological flexibility. RESULTS: Pain variables were associated with protective factors in predicted directions. Adolescent acceptance and mindfulness were positively correlated with QOL. Parent psychological flexibility and adolescent QOL were not related. After controlling for demographic, pain, and disease variables, moderation analyses indicated that adolescent pain acceptance buffered the relation between SCD pain burden and QOL. Moderation analyses were not significant for adolescent mindfulness or parent psychological flexibility. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that strengths-based factors may play an important role for adolescents' QOL within the context of SCD pain. Interventions that enhance teenagers' ability to accept pain might be particularly useful to improve QOL in adolescents living with SCD pain.

Pain is Associated With Increased Physical and Psychosocial Impairment in Youth With a History of Burn Injuries.

Burn injuries are significantly painful and associated with physical and psychological impairment. However, little research to-date has examined the potential role of the subjective experience of pain in either physical or psychological impairment in this population. This may be particularly important to examine, given that the pain experience can often be a significant barrier to recovery in other pediatric populations. The current study examined the cross-sectional and predictive relationships between patient-reported experience of pain (operationalized as PROMIS pain interference and self-reported pain intensity) and physical and psychosocial outcomes. Data were gathered as part of the Burn Model System National Database (1994-2018) with the data request inclusive of pediatric self-report PROMIS measures, child PTSD, and post-traumatic growth symptoms assessed at 6- and 12-month postdischarge following initial injury. A total of 65 youth between the ages of 6 and 16 years at the time of their injury were included in the dataset. Correlational and regression analyses indicated that pain interference was cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with decreased physical functioning, depressive symptoms, and peer relationships. Pain intensity was significantly associated with and predictive of physical functioning and pain interference. Results of the current study are an important first step in understanding the pain experience and associated outcomes in youth with a history of burn injuries. Future research is needed to further examine these relationships. PERSPECTIVE: This study presents preliminary findings from a national database on pain-related outcomes both cross-sectionally and longitudinally in youth with a history of burn injury. To-date, pain-related outcomes are poorly understood in this population and the results of this study serve to inform future research and treatment-related efforts.

Incidence, Treatment Intensity, and Incremental Annual Expenditures for Patients Experiencing a Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infection: Evidence From a Large US Payer Database 1-Year Post Implantation.

BACKGROUND: Because of the increasing use of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), it is important to estimate the incidence and annual healthcare expenditures associated with CIED infections. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with a record of an initial or replacement (full implant or generator only) CIED implant during the calendar years 2009 to 2012 in MarketScan Commercial Claims and Medicare Supplemental database were identified. CIED infections were classified into 4 categories: (1) infection not managed by inpatient admission nor implant removal, (2) infection managed by inpatient admission but no implant removal, (3) infection managed by an implant removal either in an inpatient or in an outpatient setting, and (4) infection with severe sepsis and managed in an inpatient setting with implant removal. Using separate models for initial and replacement cohorts, annualized incidence of infection and incremental annual expenditures by treatment intensity were estimated. Cumulative incidence of infection at 1 year post implant was 1.18% for initial CIED implants and 2.37% for replacement. Median time to infection was 35 days for initial and 23 days for replacement. Incremental healthcare expenditures by treatment intensity categories for initial implant patients at 1 year were $16 651, $104 077, $45 291, and $279 744. For replacement patients, incremental expenditures at 1 year by treatment intensity categories were $26 857, $43 541, $48 759, and $362 606. CONCLUSIONS: The management of CIED infections results in a substantial healthcare burden with a significant increase in annual expenditures the year after implant when device infection occurs.