Children's Memorial Online Rounds

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February 2008

Welcome to the e-newsletter from Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Access the new multimedia lectures for free CME credit, and read hospital and research news from Children’s Memorial below.

The next issue will present new faculty-authored articles soon to be added to the Children’s Memorial online CME program. Please forward this e-newsletter to colleagues who are interested in free CME opportunities and may wish to sign up for a free subscription to Online Rounds.

In This Issue

Earn up to 2.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™  toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award by listening to multimedia lectures by Children’s Memorial physicians, who hold academic appointments at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and responding to a post-test. Answers will be graded immediately, and an AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™  certificate will be issued automatically to qualified participants.

Release date 2/15/08
CME quiz must be taken before 2/15/09 to receive credit.
Target audience: Community physicians

Topics

• CME: Cleft Lip and Palate
  At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to: identify the genetics, etiology and associations with cleft lip and palate; recognize the special feeding needs of newborns with cleft lip and palate; recognize the special language and hearing challenges associated with cleft lip and palate.
• CME: Brain Cooling for the Treatment of Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
  At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to: describe the pathophysiology of hypoxic-iscemic encephalopathy; discuss the management of perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy; explain the application, efficacy and safety of hypothermia in the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
• CME: Gastroesophageal Reflux In Infants: More than Just Spitting Up?
  At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to: describe the natural history of gastroesophageal reflux in infants; list complications of gastroesophageal reflux; recognize which children are at the greatest risk for complications of gastroesophageal reflux; list acid blocking medications useful in treating gastroesophageal reflux.
• CME: Diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis
  At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to: recognize the limitations of various testing for cystic fibrosis; explain the evidence behind newborn screening for cystic fibrosis.

Visit our online CME section to view other available topics.

City Approval for Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago:

On February 6, 2008, the Chicago City Council approved plans for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago – the state-of-the-art facility Children’s Memorial intends to build on the campus of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Read more about the future hospital...

New Center for Autonomic Medicine in Pediatrics:

Debra E. Weese-Mayer, MD, pediatric researcher in genetic disorders of the autonomic nervous system, started at Children’s Memorial in January as the medical director of the new Center for Autonomic Medicine in Pediatrics. Most recently she was the section chief of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine at Rush Children’s Hospital at Rush University Medical Center, where she developed the program integrating clinical care, clinical research and basic science research. She will continue her focus on the study and ongoing care of children with respiratory control abnormalities, for which she is internationally recognized. Her research has focused on identifying the genetic basis for the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS). She has received extensive research funding, including more than $3.5 million from the National Institutes of Health.

New Division Head for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition:

Barry Wershil, MD, started in February as the new head for the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. He comes to Children’s Memorial from the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, NY, where he was the Blume Biomolecular Scholar and Professor of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and section chief, Division of Pediatric GI and Nutrition. Wershil has previously held faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School and the State University of New York Health Sciences Center. He has a national and international reputation in the field of pediatric gastroenterology and mucosal immunology. He has served on study sections at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been on the editorial board of several scientific and clinical journals, and has played a leadership role in a number of professional societies. His NIH-funded research program has focused on the role of mast cells and eosinophils in gastrointestinal inflammation.

Wershil succeeded Peter Whitington, MD, who has headed the division over the past 10 years, substantially expanding the clinical, research and education programs into national prominence. Whitington will continue to lead the Siragusa Transplantation Center at Children’s Memorial and focus additional effort on research in hepatobiliary disease in children as head of the Digestive Diseases and Immunobiology Research Center at Children’s Memorial Research Center.

Consortium Recognized as Childhood Obesity Prevention Champion:

February 4, 2008, the U.S. Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Steven Galson, MD, MPH, presented the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) with the “Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Champion” certificate in recognition of its research and innovation in tackling the growing incidence of childhood obesity in Chicago. Housed at Children’s Memorial Research Center, CLOCC brings together hundreds of researchers, community organizations, public health advocates and clinicians in efforts to confront childhood obesity and promote healthy and active lifestyles for children throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.

Reprogramming Cancer Cells:

Mary J.C. Hendrix, PhD, president and scientific director of Children’s Memorial Research Center, has received a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. Her lab is studying how the activity of human metastatic melanoma cells can be altered by growing them in the presence of factors released by normal embryonic stem cells. In previous studies, Hendrix and co-workers found that these cancer cells become similar to embryonic stem cells. With this research, she expects to gain new insights into the ways melanoma cells change when in an embryonic microenvironment — which could lead to novel treatments for this devastating cancer. Hendrix is the Medical Research Institute Council Professor.

Genomic and Proteomic Study of Childhood Food Allergies:

Xiaobin Wang, MD, MPH, ScD, received funding from The Searle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust to conduct the first genome-wide association study of food allergies, using data from the ongoing clinical study on food allergies at Children’s Memorial Hospital. Wang also will apply a cutting-edge proteomic technique to identify important proteins involved in the development of food allergies. Results will pinpoint genetic variants of food allergies and establish a panel of biomarkers that will help predict, diagnose and treat these allergies in children. Wang is the Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Research Professor and director of the Smith Child Health Research Program at Children’s Memorial Research Center. Her research also is funded by the Food Allergy Project Inc., established by Denise and David Bunning, and the Sacks Family Foundation.