Children’s of Alabama PedsCast

Thanks to medical advances, people with cystic fibrosis (CF) are living longer than they used to. But with this development comes the increasing incidence of kidney disease among these patients. That's why Tom Harris, M.D., a pulmonologist at Children's of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), is working to improve early detection. In this episode, he explains the research he's done on diagnosis and emerging biomarkers of CF-related kidney disease.

For patients with type 1 diabetes, achieving optimal glycemic control with the current treatments can be difficult. But GLP-1s may provide the solution. In this episode, Children's of Alabama endocrinologists Dr. Giovanna Beauchamp and Dr. Ortal Resnick discuss their research on this topic and the difference GLP-1 receptor agonists could make for patients with type 1 diabetes.

As director of Developmental Therapeutics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama, Jamie Aye, M.D., works to develop novel treatments for children with cancer and blood disorders. In this episode, she explains what she and her colleagues are doing to discover these treatments and the difference they can make in the lives of patients.

For decades, doctors have relied heavily on ultrasound scans to monitor kidney health in children with spina bifida. Now, a new study from Children’s of Alabama urologists Stacy Tanaka, M.D., David Joseph, M.D., and other national experts, shows that ultrasound alone is not sufficient. The findings challenge current practice and suggest that blood tests measuring kidney function should be routinely performed alongside ultrasound. In this episode, Tanaka explains the findings, which have already changed practice at Children’s.

In recent years, endocrinologists at Children’s of Alabama have seen a drastic increase in the number of young patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia—extremely elevated triglyceride levels that can pose serious health risks if left untreated. To address this, Ambika Ashraf, M.D., was selected to join a group of leading national experts in developing a new framework and tool for managing the condition. In this episode, she describes the challenges of hypertriglyceridemia for patients and clinicians and explains how the new framework and tool can help.

You can find the tool here: https://www.lipid.org/nla/north-american-familial-chylomicronemia-calculator-or-nafcs-scoring-tool

Children’s of Alabama nephrologist Dr. Michael Seifert and his lab are using a novel technique called spatial transcriptomics, or spatial gene expression assays, to develop non-invasive biomarkers reflective of the underlying biology of kidney transplant rejection. In this episode, Seifert explains the work he and his team are doing in the UAB Spatial Core Lab and the difference it can make for patients and physicians.

The independent risk for neurodevelopmental impairments attributed to chorioamnionitis (inflammation of the fetal membranes) in premature infants remains controversial. Children’s of Alabama neonatologist Viral Jain, M.D., has done extensive research on the effects this infection can have on these babies. In this episode he discusses his work and explains what his research shows.

For a closer look at Dr. Jain's work on chorioamnionitis, please check out these links: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35644247/, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40023378/

Last year, Curtis J. Rozzelle, M.D., a pediatric neurosurgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), performed the first deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedure for epilepsy at Children’s of Alabama, offering a new treatment option for pediatric patients who experience drug-resistant seizures. During the procedure, he also implanted the first NeuroPace responsive neurostimulation (RNS) epilepsy treatment device at Children’s. In this episode, Rozzelle describes the procedure and the device, and he explains how they help patients with epilepsy.

Testicular torsion is a serious medical emergency that requires immediate surgical intervention. If not treated promptly, the condition can lead to permanent damage or loss of the affected testicle. Prompt diagnosis is crucial, but challenging. To improve diagnosis, a team at Children’s of Alabama created a testicular torsion model that provides hands-on training for residents to help them determine if the patient is suffering from a torsed testicle. They hope other institutions will be able to use what they created to replicate their own model.

Acquired hypothalamic obesity has long presented a complex challenge in health care, leaving pediatric patients struggling to lose weight. An innovative study involving a medication called setmelanotide aims to address this problem. Hussein Abdul-Latif, M.D., sheds light on this groundbreaking research, offering insights into its origin, mechanism and potential impact.