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We performed a single-centre, retrospective study to assess physiologic changes of infants in the cardiac ICU while being held by their parent. Continuous data streaming of vital signs were collected for infants included in the study from January 2021 to March 2022. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected from the electronic medical record. The physiologic streaming data were analysed using mixed-effects models to account for repeated measures and quantify the effect of parental holding. Comparison analysis was also performed controlling for intubation, pre-operative versus post-operative status, and whether the holding was skin-to-skin or not. Ninety-five patients with complete physiologic data were included in the study. There were no immediate adverse events associated with holding. Heart rate decreased during the response time compared to its baseline value (p = 0.01), and this decrease was more pronounced for the non-intubated and pre-operative patients. The near-infrared spectroscopy-based venous saturation increased overall (p = 0.02) in patients while being held. We conclude that parental holding of infants in the cardiac ICU can be safely accomplished, and the haemodynamic and oximetric profile during the holding is favourable compared to the infants' baseline prior to holding.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-operated devices to insufflate nicotine or other psychoactive e-liquid aerosols. Despite initial claims of e-cigarettes as a nicotine-cessation device, aggressive marketing of e-cigarettes has led to an explosion in adolescents' and young adults' use over the last few years. Coupled with a lack of adequate investigation and regulation of e-cigarettes, the USA is facing an outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) starting in mid-2019. While little long-term health hazard data are available, the components and constituents of e-cigarettes may adversely impact health. Propylene glycol and glycerin are humectants (water-retaining excipients) that generate pulmonary irritants and carcinogenic carbonyl compounds (e.g., formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein) when heated in e-cigarettes. Metals contained in heating coils and cartridge casings may leach metals such as aluminum, chromium, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, and tin. Flavoring agents are considered safe for ingestion but lack safety data for inhalational exposures. Diacetyl, a common buttery flavoring agent, has known pulmonary toxicity with inhalational exposures leading to bronchiolitis obliterans. In 2019, clusters of lung injury associated with e-cigarette use were identified in Wisconsin and Illinois. Patients with EVALI present with a constellation of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and constitutional symptoms. Radiographically, patients have bilateral ground glass opacifications. As of February 18, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control has identified 2807 hospitalized patients diagnosed with either "confirmed" or "probable" EVALI in the US. Currently, vitamin E acetate (VEA) used as a diluent in tetrahydrocannabinol vape cartridges is implicated in EVALI. VEA cuts tetrahydrocannabinol oil without changing the appearance or viscosity. When inhaled, pulmonary tissue lacks the mechanism to metabolize and absorb VEA, which may lead to its accumulation. While most EVALI patients were hospitalized, treatment remains largely supportive, and use of corticosteroids has been associated with clinical improvement. The outbreak of EVALI highlights the need for regulation of e-cigarette devices and e-liquids. Clinicians need to be aware of the health hazards of e-cigarettes and be vigilant in asking about vaping.

Objectives: To report a severe case of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury with complex course requiring venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation., Design: Case report., Setting: PICU in an academic medical center., Patients: A 16-year-old girl presenting with gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms was admitted to our PICU after having progressive respiratory failure and bilateral pulmonary ground-glass opacities on chest CT., Interventions: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:: After extensive infectious workup was unrevealing, she reported a history of vaping e-cigarette containing either nicotine or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol oil prior to symptom onset. She was given a presumptive diagnosis of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury. The PICU team in consultation with pulmonology and medical toxicology started high-dose IV methylprednisolone 1 mg/kg bid. Despite initial improvements, she continued to require positive pressure ventilation and developed pneumomediastinum with progression to tension pneumothoraces and a persistent air leak. Unable to maintain her oxygenation, she was placed on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for a prolonged course and had a tracheostomy placement. The clinical course, severity, and range of interventions in affected patients around the country have varied widely. Respiratory symptoms have been the most severe, but the constellation of symptoms in e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury include constitutional symptoms (fevers, weight-loss) and gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). In many cases, steroid use led to rapid clinical improvements. However, other cases with severe illness, like our patient, necessitated high-dose IV steroids, intubation, and venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The underlying etiology and pathophysiology of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury remains unknown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in conjunction with state/local health departments and the Food and Drug Administration is actively investigating the outbreak., Conclusions: Clinicians need to be aware of the current outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury and ask about vaping in patients presenting with gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms. Treatment options are anecdotal and necessitate a multidisciplinary approach.

Objective: The aim of this study was to elucidate the involvement of mutations in three relatively common deafness genes in Mexican individuals with non-syndromic hearing loss., Methods: We sequenced GJB2 for mutations, screened for two deletions involving GJB6, del(GJB6-D13S1830) and del(GJB6-D13S1854), and for the m.1555A>G mutation in the MTRNR1 gene in 76 (71 simplex and 5 multiplex) unrelated Mexican probands with prelingual non-syndromic hearing loss. Samples were obtained from the Department of Genetics at Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitacion in Mexico City., Results: Eight previously reported pathogenic variants and two polymorphic variants in GJB2 were identified. The two screened GJB6 deletions and the m.1555A>G mutation were not detected. Eight cases (10.6%) were found to have bi-allelic mutations in GJB2 and six (7.9%) were found to have a monoallelic GJB2 mutation. Of the six monoallelic mutations, one (p.R184Q) was a previously reported autosomal dominant variant. The most frequent pathological allele detected in this population was the c.35delG mutation in the GJB2 gene. The p.V27I polymorphic variant was also detected, with an allele frequency of 0.24. All eight probands with GJB2 mutations had symmetric profound deafness, whereas patients without GJB2 mutations had moderate, severe or profound hearing loss., Conclusions: This study shows that GJB2 mutations are an important cause of prelingual deafness in the Mexican population., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)