In news from California, USA, funds have been provided for a new initiative that will study 300 mother-child pairs to screen for Adverse Childhood Experiences as part of a precision medicine multi-disciplinary approach.
"Currently, the only screening method for ACEs involves questionnaires for parents and caregivers. But screening rates are generally low in pediatric practices, and the questionnaires are not able to identify which babies and children are having a toxic stress response.
The team at Children's Hospital Los Angeles will study a potential new screening method that combines a robust questionnaire--the Pediatric ACEs Screening and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS)--with development of a novel lab test that measures potential disturbances to critical cell structures called mitochondria, which are responsible for producing energy for cells to function normally. The biomarker measures mitochondrial allostatic load (MAL). The group aims to show that MAL measures are a "red flag warning" for toxic stress in infants.
Families who screen positive for ACEs will be referred to intervention services through a Children's Hospital Los Angeles behavioral health program that specializes in family-centered infant mental health.
The multidisciplinary collaboration brings together experts on precision medicine, clinical test development and validation, pediatric health care, child development, infant mental health, use of new measures to identify stress-related health risk, and research on health equity improvement."
For more information, please visit the link below.
https://www.news-medical.net/a...cision-medicine.aspx
Kudos to California and its Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris who continues to make strides in her plan to reduce ACEs and toxic stress by half in one generation.
Such vision and tenacity are much needed here in the Caribbean. We look forward to seeing how Dr. Burke-Harris can use her influence to impact decision making with respect to health and health outcomes throughout CARICOM.
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