Author: Kayla Korzekwinski

Opportunistic dried blood spot sampling validates and optimizes a pediatric population pharmacokinetic model of metronidazole

Posted on by Kayla Korzekwinski

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy • April 2024

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Randell RL, Balevic SJ, Greenberg RG, Cohen-Wolkowiez M, Thompson EJ, Venkatachalam S, Smith MJ, Bendel C, Bliss JM, Chaaban H, Chhabra R, Dammann CEL, Downey LC, Hornik C, Hussain N, Laughon MM, Lavery A, Moya F, Saxonhouse M, Sokol GM, Trembath A, Weitk

Pharmacokinetic models rarely undergo external validation in vulnerable populations such as critically ill infants, thereby limiting the accuracy, efficacy, and safety of model-informed dosing in real-world settings. Here, we describe an opportunistic approach using dried blood spots (DBS) to evaluate a population pharmacokinetic model of metronidazole in critically ill preterm infants of gestational age (GA) ≤31 weeks from the Metronidazole Pharmacokinetics in Premature Infants study.

Fluconazole Results-at-a-Glance

Posted on by Kayla Korzekwinski

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Fluconazole is an antifungal medicine often used to treat and prevent yeast infections in infants born prematurely and full-term. In infants, yeast can cause serious infections all throughout the body, including the skin, blood, heart, eyes, and brain. These yeast infections occur because infants have weaker immune systems than older children and adults, and the infections can lead to long-term health issues or even death. Despite the frequent use of fluconazole in infants, there was little data available on the pharmacokinetics, or how the medicine is processed in infants’ bodies.

Leveraging School Infection Data to Address Community COVID-19 Data Gaps

Posted on by Kayla Korzekwinski

Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society • December 2023

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Moreda E, Al-Dhalimy H, Ha M, Nwanaji-Enwerem E, Nguyen A, Pieters K, Brookhart MA, Hickerson J, Benjamin, Jr DK, Zimmerman KO, Boutzoukas AE

At-home COVID-19 testing resulted in significant data gaps; K-12 data could have supplemented community data. In future public health emergencies, reporting of school data could minimize data gaps, but requires additional resources including funding to track infections and standardized data reporting methods.

Ticarcillin-clavulanate Results-at-a-Glance

Posted on by Kayla Korzekwinski

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Ticarcillin-clavulanate is an antibiotic that can be used to treat many infections that occur in premature infants. However, there is little information on the pharmacokinetics (how the drug is processed) in premature infants’ bodies. This information is necessary for health care providers to prescribe the safest, most effective dose of ticarcillin-clavulanate when treating infections in premature infants.

Risk factors and epidemiology of spontaneous intestinal perforation among infants born at 22-24 weeks’ gestational age

Posted on by Kayla Korzekwinski

Journal of Perinatology • January 2024

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Thakkar PV, Sutton KF, Detwiler CAB, Henegar JG, Narayan JR, Perez-Romero M, Strausser CM, Clark RH, Benjamin DK Jr, Zimmerman KO, Goldberg RN, Younge N, Tanaka D, Smith PB, Greenberg RG, Kilpatrick R

This study sought to describe the epidemiology, risk factors, and timing of spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP) among infants born at 22-24 weeks’ gestational age (GA). Antenatal magnesium exposure, antenatal indomethacin exposure, postnatal hydrocortisone exposure, postnatal indomethacin exposure, and weight loss ≥15% were associated with SIP.

Mentorship

Posted on by Kayla Korzekwinski

Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society • December 2023

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Zimmerman KO

A unique feature of the Duke Summer Training in Academic Research (STAR) program is its focus on mentorship. STAR is an opportunity for junior faculty members and fellows to learn how to be mentors, and for undergraduate and high school students to learn how to be mentored. These are important and fundamental points; mentorship, from the perspective of mentor or mentee, should be a deliberate and skilled activity that can result from adequate training.