For the majority of the pandemic, it has been recommended that people gather outdoors if they must gather at all, but that appears to be changing a little. The Delta variant of covid-19 has changed the playing field even among the vaccinated. Initially, we were advised to take as much of our daily lives outdoors […]
Category: Dr. Allen Cherer (Page 1 of 2)
Sick newborns often rely on a ventilator to supply oxygen, and are tethered by a plastic endotracheal tube (ETT). Often-times, this tube accidentally pops out. This represents the fourth most common complication experienced by newborns in NICUs. It can cause oxygen deficiency (hypoxia), high carbon dioxide levels in the blood, trauma to their airway, intraventricular […]
It’s been said that statistics can be used to prove just about anything. Take, for example, one study that I recently read about, which examined the link between vegetarianism among pregnant women and an increased risk of drug and alcohol abuse among their children. The study examined over 5,000 women and their children, and finding that if […]
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious illness in the newborn and young infant. The virus, first discovered in the mid-1960s, is transmitted through percutaneous (i.e., puncture through skin) or mucosal (i.e., direct contact with mucous membranes) exposure to infectious blood or body fluids. The virus is highly infectious, can be transmitted in the […]
In 1943, Julia Bell and James Martin first described the sex-linked heritable condition now termed Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). In their paper, “A Pedigree of Mental Deficit Showing Sex-Linkage”, they described a single kindred in which eleven males spanning two generations exhibited mental deficiency. After detailed investigation, the researchers concluded that the condition was heritable, sex-linked, and involved abnormal […]
Working in the field of neonatal care, I know all too well the health risks that come with pregnancy and childbirth, especially among women who can’t readily access health care. Some common (and serious) postpartum health conditions include diabetes, hypertension, and depression, all of which are more common among racial and ethnic minority women. However, […]
Rotavirus gastroenteritis is the leading cause of diarrhea-associated hospitalizations and death in children younger than 5 years of age. Rotavirus illness is caused by a virus which enters the body by mouth and infects the intestines. It is a particularly hardy and contagious virus, capable of surviving on inanimate surfaces for long periods and spreading […]
It has been over 50 years that the association between congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and hearing loss was described by Medearis et al. During that time, advances in understanding the pathogenesis and the natural history of the disease have been made. It is now acknowledged that CMV infection is not only the most common congenital […]
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) is a serious health issue, especially in the very young infant. It is caused by a bacteria, Bordetella pertussis, and is transmitted person to person via aerosol droplets usually by coughing or sneezing. The illness typically begins with cold-like symptoms which may then progress to the characteristic paroxysms of cough terminating with […]
Neonatal tetanus is one form of a devastating illness with a very high mortality rate. The illness was recognized by Hippocrates as early as the 5th century BC. The causative bacterium and its exotoxin were identified in the late 1800s. An effective toxoid vaccine was developed in 1924 and widely used during World War II […]
