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Despite standardization in care, heterogeneity in outcomes persists for infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). One potential factor is in utero stressors. Uteroplacental insufficiency (UPI) induces systemic vascular and myocardial adaptations in the absence of structural heart disease. The effect of UPI in HLHS is unknown.We retrospectively analyzed infants undergoing Norwood palliation for HLHS from 2007 to 2012. We compared the umbilical artery systolic to diastolic (SD) ratio to growth outcomes and postoperative right ventricular function.Forty three infants met our inclusion criteria. Fetuses without a declining SD ratio with advancing gestational age had asymmetric birth biometry, defined as birth weight minus head circumference z scores (-0.9 vs -0.05, p 0.01). The SD ratio near the end of gestation negatively correlated with asymmetric birth biometry (R = -0.521, p 0.01) and interstage growth (R = -0.49, p = 0.04). Males with higher SD ratios had a greater postoperative incidence of abnormal right ventricular function.A higher umbilical artery SD ratio was associated with asymmetric prenatal growth, poor weight gain, and decreased myocardial performance in infants with HLHS. Better understanding of UPI's effects on cardiovascular development and metabolism in HLHS will help identify new strategies for targeting morbidity in this high risk population.

Online learning has matured as a mechanism that can change how we deliver education. Open education resources are proliferating, and institutions are creating massive open online courses (MOOCs). In addition, efforts are underway to develop platforms that allow individuals to create, lead, and participate in their own courses. This bottom-up, peer-to-peer model of education illuminates new dilemmas. For example, open learning environments are heavily dependent on voluntary individual participation, but such participation is difficult to foster. In this paper, we use log data from the Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU) to explore factors related to active participation in a series of teacher, professional development courses (the P2PU School of Education). We employ learning analytics to identify how features such as course page design and course organizer activity interact with new and returning participants to foster increased participation in open learning groups.

Quantification of fetal right ventricular (RV) function by 2D-echocardiography is challenging. Velocity vector imaging (VVI) is an angle independent speckle tracking technique that assesses regional myocardial mechanics. Alteration in the deformation of the fetal RV in hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the regional mechanics of the fetal RV in HLHS.We retrospectively analyzed HLHS fetuses imaged at our center. Velocity, strain and strain rate were obtained using VVI. Global and regional parameters of RV deformation were compared between HLHS fetuses and gestational age matched controls.A total of 30 HLHS fetuses and 30 gestational age matched controls were analyzed. The mean gestational age was 30.5 ± 3.5 weeks. Global myocardial strain was significantly decreased in HLHS RVs compared to controls (-1.9% vs. -4.1%, p = 0.003). The volume of the hypoplastic left ventricle did not affect RV deformation in HLHS.Compared to controls, the RV in HLHS fetuses has decreased systolic strain. Prenatal abnormalities in RV myocardial deformation may be responsible for inefficient cardiac performance and output. RV myocardial performance in HLHS can be measured prenatally and may be predictive of post-natal RV dysfunction.

The objective of the present study was to characterize the outcomes and resource utilization of all infants born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in the Intermountain West. This was a retrospective cohort study of all infants born with HLHS in the Intermountain West from January 1995 and January 2010. The cohort was divided into 3 eras: era 1, 1995 to 1999; era 2, 2000 to 2004; and era 3, 2005 to 2010. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to assess mortality. The lifetime hospitalization days and charges were also determined. Of the 245 infants identified, 65% were male infants and 172 (70%) underwent Stage 1 palliation. The transplant-free survival rate for the entire cohort was 33% at 14 years. The 1-year transplant-free survival rate for the surgical cohort was 60% in era 3. The infants whose initial presentation included shock, restrictive or intact atrial septum, chromosomal defects, or multiorgan dysfunction had an increased risk of death. A recent era of birth, greater birthweight, and older gestational age were associated with improved survival. The factors associated with mortality after stage 1 included surgical procedure type (Blalock-Taussig vs Sano shunt, hazard ratio 2.1), requirement for postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (hazard ratio 4.2), postoperative renal dysfunction (hazard ratio 3.0), anomalous pulmonary venous return (hazard ratio 2.9), and moderate or greater tricuspid valve regurgitation at any point (hazard ratio 2.0). For patients who had undergone stage 1, 2, or 3 palliation, the median cumulative lifetime hospitalization was 32, 48, and 65 days, and the median cumulative lifetime charges for hospitalization were $201,812, $253,183, and $296,213, respectively. In conclusion, although hospital-based studies of HLHS have shown significantly improved survival after surgical palliation, population-based studies have shown that HLHS continues to have a high mortality and high resource utilization.

From 1996 to 2009, we analyzed changes in pneumococcal disease (PD) in Utah children aged