St. Louis hospital to study birth defect

Date: 3/31/2009

BETSY TAYLOR
Associated Press Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A top children's hospital wants to improve the survival rate of infants born with a birth defect that many families have never heard of until their child is diagnosed.

Dr. Brad Warner, surgeon-in-chief of St. Louis Children's Hospital, said Tuesday that he and others plan research to better understand the condition, known as CDH, or Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. One in 2,000 babies is diagnosed with the disease, doctors say. Half of those don't live to their first birthday.

The condition occurs when the diaphragm, which separates the chest cavity from the abdomen, does not completely form in the womb. The contents of the belly migrate to the chest, which keeps the lungs from developing properly.

Eight babies at the St. Louis hospital died last year from the condition.

Doctors at St. Louis Children's Hospital say they're part of a national database registry to collect and track information on children with the condition. They plan to recruit faculty candidates that are able to explore fetal surgery intervention and are working to collect DNA for analysis.

Treatment for the birth defect varies.

Many are stillborn. Babies who die from the birth defect usually have insufficient lung tissue to survive, or develop hypertension in the blood vessels of the lungs. Medications to lower blood pressure in the lungs lower the baby's overall blood pressure, which can be problematic.

Of those who live, some are in distress from the moment the umbilical cord is clamped; others are OK for their initial hours of life, then get worse. A third group, which is the most uncommon, initially looks good, but later exhibits signs, such as bowel sounds in the chest, that reveal the condition.

In some cases, doctors have performed surgery on pregnant women and their fetuses to try to address problems before a baby is born, but those procedures have risks. Children with CDH can grow up to be healthy adults.

Doctors say they hope to better understand predictors of good and bad outcomes for babies with the condition, as well as how to address the many complications that can arise.

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On the Net:

Breath of Hope: http://www.breathofhopeinc.com/

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Mixed reax from parents on peanut allergy advance

Date: 3/18/2009

By HOLLY RAMER
Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — One mom says she'd be first in line for a promising treatment that exposes children with peanut allergies to tiny amounts of peanut flour. Another remains fearful, with the painful image of her son's face blown up beyond recognition still fresh in her mind.

While some parents of children with life-threatening peanut allergies see a glimmer of hope in a recent study suggesting a possible cure, others remain dubious that it will ever change their children's lives.

"It's like when we were growing up 20 years ago and we saw the flip phones on Star Trek — that was going to be the wave of the future, but we thought that would never happen," said Eva Stilkey of Raymond, N.H. "It's great, but those of us who live with the disappointment and the reality of it, you kind of protect yourself. We really do hope it happens someday, but we don't want to have false hope."

Earlier this week, scientists announced the findings of a small study that involved giving a handful of highly allergic children tiny amounts of peanut flour daily for more than two years. Gradually, the children became less sensitive, and so far, five show no remaining sign of the allergy.

Larger studies are beginning to see if the treatment works for more people and how long it lasts. But it was big news for the nearly 2 million Americans who are allergic to peanuts.

Stilkey's son, Nicholas, who turns 5 on Friday, was 2½ when a single bite of peanut butter pie sparked a severe reaction.

"We had him spit it out, and when he did, when he lifted his head back up. I couldn't even recognize him. His face was blown up to a point where there was no separation between his nose or his lips. He was stuffing his hands frantically down his throat trying to breathe," she said.

Stilkey considers the study participants heroes, but she's in no hurry to follow in their footsteps.

"I am full of complete admiration for the parents and those children who put themselves through that because I know as a mother, I would be absolutely fearful to try to put Nick through that, just because I've seen what happened to him," she said.

Tamara Leibowitz, who runs a support group for parents of children with food allergies in Portsmouth, N.H., said it would be a leap of faith to subject her son to small doses of what essentially has been considered poison, but "I think we'd jump at the chance."

"My son would be terrified at the beginning, but he's been paying attention, too, even at 9 years old, and he's really encouraged by what he sees," she said, describing her own reaction as "cautiously optimistic."

In Orange County, Calif., Louise Larsen said she, too, would seek out the treatment if it becomes available.

"Would I put my child through that? Sure, if I sat right next to her, and we went very slowly and it was in a very controlled setting," said Larsen, whose 12-year-old daughter is allergic to peanuts. But she said she would never be completely convinced that the allergy was gone.

"Even if they did conclude she no longer had any allergy, as her mom, I'm going to send an EpiPen with her until she goes to college," she said, describing the portable injections used to treat anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction marked by swelling of the throat or tongue, hives, and breathing trouble.

Another California mom, Lori Fletcher, would be just as eager to try the treatment on her 6-year-old son, though she and other parents worry that publicity over the breakthrough would create more misconceptions about food allergies. She doesn't want people who have heard the news to assume that it means her son now can have "just a little bit" of food containing peanuts. "We still need to be avoiding it," she said.

But she also found the news inspiring, and plans to use it to promote an upcoming fundraising walk.

"I hope people take from it that if we do raise money, we can get a treatment fairly soon," said Fletcher, of Danville, Calif.

In the meantime, parents said they will remain vigilant, obsessively checking each food label and ensuring their children's safety at home and school.

"Every time you think you finally have come to a point where you can sit back a little and trust the school has everything in place, you get the phone call that someone has brought this in by mistake," said Stilkey.

Lori Pelletier-Baker, of Concord, N.H., hasn't faced that situation yet because her 4-year-old daughter isn't in school, but kindergarten is just around the corner.

"It is a constant weight that I think everybody, including Kaleigh, carries on their shoulders," she said. This week's breakthrough doesn't lessen that weight, she said.

"There's that piece of me that thinks, 'Wow, that's so amazing!' But the reality is that it may take a long time to reach us," she said. "I'm not going to give up hope, but I know that things aren't going to change any time soon."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

10 drink windshield wiper fluid at Ark. day care

Date: 3/13/2009

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press Writer

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Ten children at a day care center drank windshield wiper fluid after a staffer served it from a container mistaken for Kool-Aid and placed in a refrigerator, authorities said Friday.

The day care owner surrendered her state license Friday.

Doctors estimate the children, ages 2 to 7, drank about an ounce of the blue fluid late Thursday afternoon before realizing it tasted wrong, said Laura James, a pediatric pharmacologist and toxicologist at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.

Only one child remained hospitalized Friday morning, after blood samples showed "measurable levels" of methanol, a highly toxic alcohol that can induce comas and cause blindness, officials said. The day care also provided the fluid for testing.

The windshield wiper fluid was bought with several other items on a recent shopping trip, James told The Associated Press. "This product was mistakenly grabbed and thought to be Kool-Aid and put in the refrigerator," she said.

The day care's operator, Carolyn Bynum, was interviewed Friday by child welfare investigators and gave up her license, said Julie Munsell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services. Bynum declined to comment to the Associated Press.

"She was so upset about what had occurred and she was definitely worried some of the children had been injured," Munsell said. "It was just a mistake, she says. She says it was just a horrible mistake."

Bynum's license had allowed her to care for 10 children in her home in Scott, about 15 miles east of Little Rock. Munsell said Bynum had no found complaints or serious compliance issues in the past.

By surrendering her license, Bynum can no longer care for children without reapplying.

The toxicologist warned that many antifreeze or windshield wiper solutions have bright colors, which can be mistaken for fruit drinks.

"I think the take-home message is not to have these products in the kitchen or where you're doing any kind of food preparation," she said.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Court orders doctor detained in Swedish death

Date: 3/6/2009

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish court has ordered a 54-year-old pediatrician to be detained on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of an infant.

The Solna District Court did not release the doctor's name in announcing the decision on Friday.

Prosecutor Elisabeth Brandt told Swedish news agency TT she suspects the doctor of giving the baby a lethal injection in September. The pediatrician has denied the allegations.

Local media say the baby suffered a severe lack of oxygen when born several months premature in June. Her condition worsened after an accidental overdose of medicine and an ultrasound scan reportedly showed she suffered cerebral hemorrhage.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.