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Browsing by Author "Mack, Cara L."
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Item Impact of Steroid Therapy on Early Growth in Infants with Biliary Atresia: The Multicenter Steroids in Biliary Atresia Randomized Trial(Elsevier, 2018-11) Alonso, Estella M.; Ye, Wen; Hawthorne, Kieran; Venkat, Veena; Loomes, Kathleen M.; Mack, Cara L.; Hertel, Paula M.; Karpen, Saul J.; Kerkar, Nanda; Molleston, Jean P.; Murray, Karen F.; Romero, Rene; Rosenthal, Philip; Schwarz, Kathleen B.; Shneider, Benjamin L.; Suchy, Frederick J.; Turmelle, Yumirle P.; Wang, Kasper S.; Sherker, Averell H.; Sokol, Ronald J.; Bezerra, Jorge A.; Magee, John C.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineOBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of corticosteroid therapy on the growth of participants in the Steroids in Biliary Atresia Randomized Trial (START) conducted through the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network. The primary analysis in START indicated that steroids did not have a beneficial effect on drainage in a cohort of infants with biliary atresia. We hypothesized that steroids would have a detrimental effect on growth in these infants. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 140 infants were enrolled in START, with 70 randomized to each treatment arm: steroid and placebo. Length, weight, and head circumference were obtained at baseline and follow-up visits to 24 months of age. RESULTS: Patients treated with steroids had significantly lower length and head circumference z scores during the first 3 months post-hepatoportoenterostomy (HPE), and significantly lower weight until 12 months. Growth trajectories in the steroid and placebo arms differed significantly for length (P < .0001), weight (P = .009), and head circumference (P < .0001) with the largest impact noted for those with successful HPE. Growth trajectory for head circumference was significantly lower in patients treated with steroids irrespective of HPE status, but recovered during the second 6 months of life. CONCLUSIONS: Steroid therapy following HPE in patients with biliary atresia is associated with impaired length, weight, and head circumference growth trajectories for at least 6 months post-HPE, especially impacting infants with successful bile drainage.Item Outcomes of Childhood Cholestasis in Alagille Syndrome: Results of a Multicenter Observational Study(Wiley, 2020-03) Kamath, Binita M.; Ye, Wen; Goodrich, Nathan P.; Loomes, Kathleen M.; Romero, Rene; Heubi, James E.; Leung, Daniel H.; Spinner, Nancy B.; Piccoli, David A.; Alonso, Estella M.; Guthery, Stephen L.; Karpen, Saul J.; Mack, Cara L.; Molleston, Jean P.; Murray, Karen F.; Rosenthal, Philip; Squires, James E.; Teckman, Jeffrey; Wang, Kasper S.; Thompson, Richard; Magee, John C.; Sokol, Ronald J.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineAlagille syndrome (ALGS) is an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder with cholestasis as a defining clinical feature. We sought to characterize hepatic outcomes in a molecularly defined cohort of children with ALGS‐related cholestasis. Two hundred and ninety‐three participants with ALGS with native liver were enrolled. Participants entered the study at different ages and data were collected retrospectively prior to enrollment, and prospectively during the study course. Genetic analysis in 206 revealed JAGGED1 mutations in 91% and NOTCH2 mutations in 4%. Growth was impaired with mean height and weight z‐scores of <−1.0 at all ages. Regression analysis revealed that every 10 mg/dL increase in total bilirubin was associated with a decrease in height z‐score by 0.10 (P = 0.03) and weight z‐score by 0.15 (P = 0.007). Total bilirubin was higher for younger participants (P = 0.03) with a median of 6.9 mg/dL for those less than 1 year old compared with a median of 1.3 mg/dL for participants 13 years or older. The median gamma glutamyl transferase also dropped from 612 to 268 in the same age groups. After adjusting for age, there was substantial within‐individual variation of alanine aminotransferase. By 20 years of age, 40% of participants had developed definite portal hypertension. Estimated liver transplant–free survival at the age of 18.5 years was 24%. Conclusions: This is the largest multicenter natural history study of cholestasis in ALGS, demonstrating a previously underappreciated burden of liver disease with early profound cholestasis, a second wave of portal hypertension later in childhood, and less than 25% of patients reaching young adulthood with their native liver. These findings will promote optimization of ALGS management and development of clinically relevant endpoints for future therapeutic trials.Item Recurrence of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis After Liver Transplant in Children: An International Observational Study(Wolters Kluwer, 2021) Martinez, Mercedes; Perito, Emily R.; Valentino, Pamela; Mack, Cara L.; Aumar, Madeleine; Broderick, Annemarie; Draijer, Laura G.; Fagundes, Eleonora D. T.; Furuya, Katryn N.; Gupta, Nitika; Horslen, Simon; Jonas, Maureen M.; Kamath, Binita M.; Kerkar, Nanda; Kim, Kyung Mo; Kolho, Kaija-Leena; Koot, Bart G. P.; Laborda, Trevor J.; Lee, Christine K.; Loomes, Kathleen M.; Miloh, Tamir; Mogul, Douglas; Mohammed, Saeed; Ovchinsky, Nadia; Rao, Girish; Ricciuto, Amanda; Rodrigues Ferreira, Alexandre; Schwarz, Kathleen B.; Smolka, Vratislav; Tanaka, Atsushi; Tessier, Mary E. M.; Venkat, Venna L.; Vitola, Bernadette E.; Woynarowski, Marek; Zerofsky, Melissa; Deneau, Mark R.; Pediatrics, School of MedicineBackground and aims: Recurrent primary sclerosing cholangitis (rPSC) following liver transplant (LT) has a negative impact on graft and patient survival; little is known about risk factors for rPSC or disease course in children. Approach and results: We retrospectively evaluated risk factors for rPSC in 140 children from the Pediatric PSC Consortium, a multicenter international registry. Recipients underwent LT for PSC and had >90 days of follow-up. The primary outcome, rPSC, was defined using Graziadei criteria. Median follow-up after LT was 3 years (interquartile range 1.1-6.1). rPSC occurred in 36 children, representing 10% and 27% of the subjects at 2 years and 5 years following LT, respectively. Subjects with rPSC were younger at LT (12.9 vs. 16.2 years), had faster progression from PSC diagnosis to LT (2.5 vs. 4.1 years), and had higher alanine aminotransferase (112 vs. 66 IU/L) at LT (all P < 0.01). Inflammatory bowel disease was more prevalent in the rPSC group (86% vs. 66%; P = 0.025). After LT, rPSC subjects had more episodes of biopsy-proved acute rejection (mean 3 vs. 1; P < 0.001), and higher prevalence of steroid-refractory rejection (41% vs. 20%; P = 0.04). In those with rPSC, 43% developed complications of portal hypertension, were relisted for LT, or died within 2 years of the diagnosis. Mortality was higher in the rPSC group (11.1% vs. 2.9%; P = 0.05). Conclusions: The incidence of rPSC in this cohort was higher than previously reported, and was associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Patients with rPSC appeared to have a more aggressive, immune-reactive phenotype. These findings underscore the need to understand the immune mechanisms of rPSC, to lay the foundation for developing new therapies and improve outcomes in this challenging population.