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This study assessed the relationship between ethnicity, social determinants of health (SDH), and measures of health outcomes for children during the COVID-19 pandemic. This retrospective study reviewed electronic medical records of 1234 in-person well child visits (WCVs for age <18 years) at a single academic primary care clinic in a Chicago suburb for the results of SDH screening in the domains of food, financial, and transportation insecurity. The association between ethnicity, unmet SDH domains, routine medical care delay, vaccine delays, and utilization of acute and emergency department (ED) visits were evaluated. Patients with unmet SDH were more likely to be non-White (P <.001), ≥3 years of age (P <.001) and have Medicaid coverage (P <.001). Unmet social needs were also associated with more acute visits (P <.001), ED visits (P <.001), and WCV delays (P <.001). The results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected patients with unmet SDH in obtaining routine pediatric well child care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loyola Medical Center is located in Maywood, IL, a community that faces high rates of poverty, violence, and barriers to healthcare. These factors can contribute to toxic stress, which has been shown to negatively impact children's health. Objectives: The goal of this project was to partner with community organizations to obtain a baseline needs assessment from families in Maywood regarding sources of toxic stress and to identify interventions of interest. Methods: In total, 75 anonymous surveys were collected from the Loyola Outpatient Center Pediatric Clinic and a Maywood community center. Survey responses were statistically analyzed in order to determine toxic stressors most commonly impacting families in Maywood as well as interventions of most interest to the community. Results: There were 78 respondents for a response rate of approximately 71%. The most common stressors were smoking in the home (33.3%), food insecurity (29.5%), and exposure to violence (26.9%). In this sample, Black respondents were 11.5 times more likely than non-Black respondents to report that their child was exposed to violence in the community – even after controlling for concern about their child's behavior which served as a surrogate measure of the child's exposure to toxic stress (P = 0.001). Further, those living with food insecurity were 7.40 times more likely to report that access to food and transportation vouchers were important (P <.001). For every 1-point increase in the total toxic stress score, respondents were 1.35 times more likely to report that increasing access to mental health resources was important to them, though this was not significant (P =.10). Conclusion: The data demonstrate that toxic stressors, health risks and unmet social needs are prevalent in the Maywood community, which puts local children at risk for future adverse health outcomes. With this information, pediatricians at Loyola Medical Center can work with community organizations to allocate resources to address toxic stressors in Maywood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of performing a lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) with a modified Lemaire technique (MLT) in conjunction with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in children and adolescents at increased risk for failed ACLR. Methods: A consecutive series of patients ≤19 years who underwent simultaneous ACLR and LET with minimum two-year follow-up data were reviewed. Patients were indicated for LET when one or more of the following risk factors were present: participant in high-risk competitive sport such as football, lacrosse, soccer or basketball, grade 3 pivot shift, hyperlaxity (Beighton score > 6), recurvatum, revision ACLR, contralateral ACLR, or chronic ACL insufficiency. ACLR was performed using either full-thickness quadriceps tendon (QUAD) for skeletally immature patients or bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) autograft for skeletally mature patients. All-epiphyseal (AE) or complete transphyseal (CT)techniques were used depending on patients' skeletal maturity. At a minimum two-year follow-up, patient-reported outcome measures included Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), Pediatric International Knee Documentation Committee (Pedi-IKDC), and the HSS Functional Activity Brief Scale (HSS Pedi-FABS) scores. Return-to-sport (RTS)data and second surgeries were also obtained. Results: Sixty-one consecutive patients (mean age 15.17 ±1.73 years, range 11-19 years, 62% female) were analyzed (Table 1). 59 patients (97%) participated in organized sports including soccer, basketball, football and lacrosse, with soccer being the most popular one. The average grade at the time of surgery was 9th grade. Ten patients (16%) were revision ACLR procedures. Seven (11%) patients underwent AE and 54 (89%) underwent CT ACLR. Forty-two (69%) cases employed a QUAD autograft, while 19 (31%) utilized a BTB autograft. All patients underwent a LET with a MLT and 2 patients underwent simultaneous implant mediated guided growth with a plate for structural genu valgum. At two-year follow-up, mean SANE score was 95, median Pedi-IKDC score was 91, and median HSS-Pedi Fabs score was 27. RTS rate was 91.8%. Ten patients had subsequent surgical procedures, including two hardware removal procedures for hemiepiphysiodesis, three contralateral ACLR, three meniscus surgeries, one lysis of adhesions, and one revision ACLR for BTB graft re-rupture. Two patients were lost to follow-up and excluded from the study. Conclusions: The findings suggest that concomitant LET and ACLR in adolescent patients with risk factors for failed ACLR is associated with favorable patient-reported outcomes, high return to sports participation, and low ACL re-rupture rate at two years follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations for HIV testing of 4 population groups in health care settings: adults, adolescents, pregnant women, and newborns. Important components of the revised recommendations included opt-out routine HIV screening; eliminating prevention counseling for opt-out routine HIV screening; repeat HIV testing in the third trimester for all women at high risk for acquiring HIV and for women receiving health care in facilities and/or jurisdictions with high HIV burden; testing during labor and delivery for women with undocumented HIV status; and testing the newborn when the mother's HIV status is unknown. To assess the integration of these testing recommendations into state laws and to inform future recommendations, we researched and assessed statutes and regulations that addressed HIV testing in the 4 population groups in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2018. We then classified the laws, based on their consistency with the recommendations for each of the 4 population groups. Of 31 states and the District of Columbia that had relevant laws, all addressed at least 1 component of the recommendations. Although no state had laws that incorporated all the recommendations for all the population groups, 5 states (Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, and New Hampshire) had incorporated all the recommendations for adults and adolescents, and 4 states (Connecticut, Nevada, North Carolina, and West Virginia) had incorporated all the recommendations for pregnant women and newborns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]