OM Peru recently completed their second medical outreach this year. Mayelo Gensollen, OM Peru's leader, shared his impressions from the experience.

During the summer months, OM Ukraine in Odessa facilitated a camp, during which the Lord touched the hearts of many children.

Long-term follower of Jesus, Nikolay, stepped out in faith to help orphans in Ukraine, and partners with OM in this ministry to children.

An OM Panama associate volunteers a month of his vacation time to serve the OM team.

OM EAST’s publication captures the attention of the Arli in Serbia.

SIR Andy Murray has sent a heartfelt message to NHS staff for their heroic work during the coronavirus crisis.

Inspired by the Good Shepherd who leaves the flock to look for the one, workers publish the Truth in Nivkh dialects though the people group is small.

IT was on board a supply ship which had docked in the port of Marseille that Barney Roberts learned the news that the war was over.

THE SRU would be “very happy” to host the Scottish Cup semi-final between Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian at BT Murrayfield, the governing body’s Chief Operating Officer revealed yesterday.

PLANS for league reconstruction have been scrapped after Ladbrokes Premiership clubs indicated there isn't enough support for the proposed changes at this time.

WHAT’S a little distancing between us? Go on, stick your nose closer to the page or screen. Let’s snuggle in a little closer.

There is no point in discussing what testing program best provides accountability if the tests do not actually measure any of the things we want schools to be accountable for.

An Albanian man's heart is forever changed after suffering a heart attack and meeting Jesus in his recuperation.

There have been no previous large studies of congenital heart disease in very low birth weight infants.

This study characterized the frequency, mortality rate, and lesion distribution of serious congenital heart disease in very low birth weight infants by using a large international multicenter database. (Read the full article)

Combined auditory brainstem response/otoacoustic emission testing is used to screen for auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD), which leads to failure to develop normal auditory behavior and oral language. Prevalence estimates have been obtained for infants in NICUs.

ANSD risk in well-infant nurseries has not been examined. This study contributes ANSD prevalence estimates for infants admitted to well-infant nurseries and compares the costs of 2 different 2-technology screening protocols. (Read the full article)

Previous analyses have suggested that center volume is associated with outcome in children undergoing heart surgery. There are limited data regarding factors that may mediate this volume–outcome relationship.

A multicenter analysis of 35 776 children revealed that the higher mortality observed at lower volume centers may be related to a higher rate of mortality in those with postoperative complications, rather than a higher rate of complications alone. (Read the full article)

Recent studies have called into question the benefit of perioperative corticosteroids in children undergoing heart surgery, but have been limited by small sample size, the lack of placebo control, and the grouping of various steroid regimens together in analysis.

We evaluated outcomes across methylprednisolone regimens versus no steroids in a large cohort of neonates and found no mortality or length-of-stay benefit associated with any regimen, and a higher risk of infection in certain subgroups. (Read the full article)

Disparities in outcomes of ethnic minority children have been reported, and have been ascribed to having barriers to access to health care. Minority parents have indicated that difficulties in access are because of problems with transportation and being non-English speaking.

This population-based study of Texas infants with severe congenital heart disease reports that neither home distance from a cardiac center nor Hispanic children having a Latin American–born parent were risk factors for first-year mortality. (Read the full article)

Although obesity is correlated with levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, there is little evidence if the increases in obesity over the last 40 years have resulted in increased blood pressure levels.

Despite increases in obesity in Bogalusa, Louisiana between 1974 and 1993, there was no increase in systolic or diastolic blood pressure levels. It should not be assumed that trends in high blood pressure have paralleled those for obesity. (Read the full article)

Neonatal hearing screening occasionally fails because of several perinatal and neonatal factors. However, the effect of mode of delivery on hearing screening has not yet been established.

We show significantly more failures on hearing screening in cesarean delivery infants. Hence, the timing of screening after cesarean delivery should preferably be postponed beyond 48 hours to improve success rate, minimize maternal anxiety, and decrease costs. (Read the full article)

Risk of preterm birth (PTB) has been noted to be higher for newborns with congenital heart defects (CHDs). The role of associated anomalies, whether PTB is spontaneous or medically induced, or specific categories of CHDs have not been elucidated.

By using population-based data, we found that PTB associated with CHDs was due to spontaneous PTB. Associated anomalies accounted for a small part of this increase, and there were specific associations between categories of CHDs and PTB. (Read the full article)

Understanding human disease genomics requires large population-based studies. There is lack of standardization, as well as social and ethical concerns surrounding the consent process for pediatric participation in a biorepository.

The study identifies specific barriers to pediatric participation in biorepositories relative to adults, and proposes strategies to improve ethical and responsible participation of pediatric-aged patients in large-scale genomics and biorepository-driven research without significantly increasing research burden for affected families. (Read the full article)

Heart rate continues to be the single most important indicator of well-being in a newborn. Availability of a reliable method to determine heart rate in the first minute would help determine resuscitation interventions, particularly for the extremely premature infant.

Electrocardiograms can provide a reliable, continuous heart rate in the most premature infants in the first minute of resuscitation compared with pulse oximeters. (Read the full article)

With increasing survival rates, there is growing interest in long-term quality of life among patients with univentricular heart defects, and neurodevelopmental deficits play a major role in adverse outcome.

Although median cognitive performance was within normal limits, major neurodevelopmental impairment was found in one-fourth, and minor neurologic dysfunction in almost half of patients. Brain MRI showed mostly ischemic findings of different degrees in the majority of patients. (Read the full article)

Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at increased risk for poor growth. Several factors may play a role in poor growth, including feeding difficulties, increased caloric requirements, and the effects of cardiac lesions on growth regulation.

In children with CHD, impaired growth as measured by weight, length, and head circumference occurs simultaneously rather than sequentially, supporting the theory that altered growth regulation likely plays an important role in the poor growth of children with CHD. (Read the full article)

Accurately identifying ill hospitalized children with vital signs concerning for clinical deterioration is fundamental to inpatient pediatrics. Normal vital sign ranges for healthy children are useful for outpatient practice but have limited application to detecting deterioration in the hospital setting.

Percentile curves for heart and respiratory rate in hospitalized children were developed and validated. The distributions differed from existing reference ranges and early warning scores. They may be useful to identify vital signs deviating from ranges expected among hospitalized children. (Read the full article)

The etiology of congenital heart defects (CHDs) is largely unknown. A few studies have suggested that maternal emotional stress around the time of conception may be related to the occurrence of CHDs.

Using a large registry-based data source from Denmark, we found that prenatal exposure to maternal bereavement, as a marker of severe stress exposure, may increase the prevalence of CHDs in offspring. (Read the full article)

Pulse oximetry testing in newborns can detect asymptomatic cases of critical congenital heart defects and has been added to the US Recommended Uniform Screening Panel. However, the impact that earlier diagnosis may have on survival in this population is unclear.

One-year survival for infants with critical congenital heart defects has been improving over time, yet mortality remains high. Survival has been greatest for those diagnosed after 1 day of age and may increase more with screening using pulse oximetry. (Read the full article)

Universal oxygen saturation screening by pulse oximetry is now recommended for early detection of critical congenital heart disease. The distribution of saturations in asymptomatic newborns in a large population has not been described.

Our study is the largest to date to establish simultaneous pre- and postductal oxygen saturation nomograms in asymptomatic newborns at ~24 hours after birth. The mean postductal saturation is higher than preductal during this time. (Read the full article)

Routine head ultrasound scans (HUSs) are frequently performed in the preoperative evaluation of the infants with congenital heart disease, and brain MRI is being increasingly used in the research setting. The utility of HUSs in this population has not yet been established.

This is the first study to prospectively evaluate the utility of routine HUSs compared with MRIs in asymptomatic newborns and young infants undergoing cardiac surgery. Our findings suggest that routine HUS is not indicated in asymptomatic term or near-term neonates undergoing surgery for CHD. (Read the full article)

The incidence of permanent hearing loss doubles between birth and school age. Otoacoustic emissions screening has been used successfully in early childhood educational settings to identify children with losses not found through newborn screening.

Using otoacoustic emissions to screen the hearing of young children during routine health care visits is feasible and can lead to the identification of permanent hearing loss overlooked by providers relying solely on subjective methods. (Read the full article)

Prenatal diagnosis and clinical examination do not identify all infants with critical congenital heart defects before hospital discharge. To improve early critical congenital heart defect detection, New Jersey was the first state to implement legislatively mandated newborn pulse oximetry screening.

This report is the first to evaluate statewide pulse oximetry screening implementation. New Jersey had a high statewide screening rate and identified 3 infants with previously unsuspected critical congenital heart defects that otherwise might have resulted in significant morbidity and mortality. (Read the full article)

Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) was recently added to the US Recommended Uniform Screening Panel for newborns.

Routine screening could cost an estimated additional $6.28 per newborn and $40 385 per life-year gained. The incremental cost of screening might be approximately $0.50 per newborn with reusable sensors. Future analysis of newborn screening programs may help refine these projections. (Read the full article)

Newborns with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) are at risk for cardiovascular collapse or death if discharged from the birth hospital without a diagnosis. Newborn screening aims to identify CCHD missed in prenatal and postnatal examinations.

Birth hospital nursery level and CCHD type were found to be associated with late CCHD detection. Routine newborn screening could conceivably reduce differences in the frequency of late diagnosis between birth hospital facilities. (Read the full article)

Pulse oximetry screening at 24 hours of age improves detection of critical congenital heart disease in asymptomatic newborns.

This study describes an initial experience with pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart disease and provides a strategy for preparing for state implementation of recent federal newborn screening recommendations. (Read the full article)

Several studies have suggested that probiotics may prevent necrotizing enterocolitis and death in preterm infants. However, there are no data on the preventive effect of probiotics in infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease.

Although duration of hospitalization was not significantly decreased, Bifidobacterium lactis plus inulin appears to decrease the rate of nosocomial infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, and death in infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease. (Read the full article)

Children with congenital heart disease demonstrate a high prevalence of low-severity developmental problems in the areas of language, motor skills, attention, and executive function. Systematic evaluation has been recommended to promote early detection of problems and ensure appropriate intervention.

This study presents results of longitudinal testing in early childhood. Developmental delays were common. Feeding difficulty and medical and genetic comorbidities increased risk for delays. Exposure to risk and prevalence of delay change over time; therefore, repeated evaluations are warranted. (Read the full article)

Congenital heart disease is known to be a commonly treated and resource-intense condition across children’s hospitals, yet knowledge regarding the degree of cost variation across hospitals and associated factors is lacking.

Using a linked clinical and administrative data set, we establish benchmarks for hospital costs for common congenital heart operations, and demonstrate wide variation in cost between hospitals related in part to differences in length of stay and complications. (Read the full article)

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other organizations have recommended critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) pulse oximetry screening. Small studies have revealed lower saturations at higher altitude, but this effect on CCHD screening is unknown. The AAP requested additional studies at altitude to help clarify the dilemma.

The AAP has endorsed higher-altitude studies of CCHD screening. This observational prospective study revealed a higher positive screen rate at moderate altitude than at sea level. These findings suggest that current national recommendations may result in increased screening failures at moderate altitude. (Read the full article)

Early referral of infants with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) is recommended to reduce mortality. However, few population-based data have been published showing the relationship between CCHD neonatal mortality and timing of cardiac evaluation at a specialty center.

In neonates with CCHD, 35% were not evaluated at a cardiac center by 4 days of age. These cases accounted for a significant number of CCHD deaths. This information enhances the rationale for pulse oximetry screening of neonates for CCHD. (Read the full article)

Delayed diagnosis of critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

Despite increasing prenatal diagnosis rates, delayed diagnosis of CCHDs continues to occur, with rates highest among isolated cases and those delivered at nontertiary care hospitals. Better understanding of delayed diagnosis could help to improve screening efforts. (Read the full article)

Asymptomatic neonatal subdural hemorrhage (SDH) is common, resolves within 4 weeks, and is typically infratentorial or posterior when supratentorial. Subdural hemorrhages may occur after cardiac surgery in infancy. Some hypothesize a causal relationship between hypoxia and SDH in infancy.

Asymptomatic neonatal SDH is often supratentorial and over the convexities. Small infratentorial SDHs may persist for ≤90 days. In young infants with congenital heart disease, an association between hypoxia and SDH could not be demonstrated. (Read the full article)

The detection of critical congenital heart disease by fetal echocardiography or neonatal physical examination can have limitations. The addition of pulse oximetry screening in the newborn nursery increases the rate of diagnosis of these conditions before hospital discharge.

In a tertiary-care center with comprehensive fetal echocardiography, nearly all newborns with critical congenital heart disease are diagnosed prenatally. Pulse oximetry will identify more infants from settings with lower prenatal detection. Improving access to and training in fetal echocardiography should also improve detection of these conditions. (Read the full article)

Handheld echocardiography is a more portable and lower-cost alternative to standard echocardiography for rheumatic heart disease screening. Direct comparison of handheld echocardiography and auscultation for the detection of rheumatic heart disease has not been done previously.

Handheld echocardiography significantly improves detection of rheumatic heart disease compared with auscultation alone and may be a cost-effective screening strategy in developing countries. (Read the full article)

Heart rate (HR) increases with increasing body temperature. Previous studies have characterized the relationship among HR, age, and temperature for patients in primary care and emergency department settings but not in hospitalized children.

Our data demonstrate an overall increase in HR by ~10 beats/minute for each 1°C increase in body temperature. Expected heart rates for hospitalized children differ from those for primary care and emergency department patients at the same age and temperature. (Read the full article)

Newborn screening for critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs) has been implemented in many hospitals, yet there is uncertainty about the number of infants with CCHDs that might be detected through universal implementation of newborn CCHD screening in the United States.

We estimated that ~875 infants with CCHDs might be detected, and ~880 missed, annually through universal CCHD screening in the United States. Increases in prenatal diagnosis are unlikely to substantially impact the number of infants detected through CCHD screening. (Read the full article)

Prenatal diagnosis may lead to benefits in outcomes for certain forms of critical congenital heart disease. Despite recognized benefits, single-center studies and focused regional efforts suggest that prenatal detection rates for congenital heart disease remain low in the United States.

We describe prenatal detection rates for a large cohort of neonates and infants undergoing heart surgery across a range of congenital heart defects. Additionally, this study adds new information by demonstrating geographic variability of prenatal detection rates across the United States. (Read the full article)

Poor neurocognitive outcomes are associated with some types of congenital heart defects (CHDs). Guidelines for developmental screening for children with CHDs have been published. Population-based information on special education services needed among children with CHDs is limited.

Children in metropolitan Atlanta with congenital heart defects (CHDs) received special education services more often than children without birth defects. These findings highlight the need for special education services and the importance of developmental screening for all children with CHDs. (Read the full article)

High bilirubin levels are associated with sensorineural hearing loss. Exchange transfusions are recommended when bilirubin levels reach certain thresholds. However, the relative and excess risks of hearing loss in infants with bilirubin levels at/above exchange transfusion thresholds are unknown.

In this Northern California population of term and late preterm infants, elevated bilirubin levels were not associated with an increased risk of sensorineural hearing loss unless the levels were at least 10 mg/dL above exchange transfusion thresholds. (Read the full article)

Adding second-stage automated auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing for infants who failed the initial OAE test in a two-stage neonatal hearing screening has been shown to reduce false referrals to the hearing clinic.

Infants with hearing loss may be missed by a 2-stage hearing screening because they pass the automated ABR test. In our study, a significant number of infants with hearing loss >45 decibel hearing level passed screening with automated ABR. (Read the full article)