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Bus Driver Beaten by Crazed Attacker

Female Driver Assaulted in Her Bus The NYPD is searching for this man in connection with an attack on a female bus driver in the Bronx. -Photo by NYPD By Dan Gesslein  Bronx Voice September 18, 2024 Follow @Bronxvoice1 BRONX - A crazed attacker bashed a female bus driver’s head against a partition, cops said. At around 11:20 am on November 17, a 34-year-old driver was sitting in her bus parked at East 226 Street and White Plains Road. A man in a blue hoodie entered the parked bus and approached the driver. Cops said the man grabbed the driver and repeatedly slammed her head against the bus partition. The attacker then jumped off the bus and ran off on East 226th Street.  The victim was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center where she was treated and listed in stable condition. The NYPD released surveillance video of the suspect. He is described as a male who is 6 feet tall, and has a medium complexion. Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call th
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Why Foods Are Making Our Kids Sick

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Affects Children Too; Here’s How

-File Photo


By Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Dr. Jared Gelbs, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore 

Bronx Voice 

September 17, 2024


NEW YORK - Have you ever felt any stomach aches or pains in your life? Well, we all do at some point! How do you know whether this pain is concerning or if it’s something that will just pass and get better with time?



The good news is, that most abdominal pain is not dangerous. So, when should you go to see a doctor? If you’re experiencing abdominal pain with symptoms that include persistent diarrhea (which may be bloody), poor growth, weight loss, poor appetite, fatigue, joint pains or unexplained fevers, this may indicate the presence of a more serious condition. These are symptoms that can be seen in a medical condition called Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).


IBD affects approximately 1.6 million Americans, including as many as 80,000 children. Here in the Bronx, our Pediatric IBD team at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) cares for more than 300 children with IBD.


What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?


IBD is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The exact cause of IBD is not known, but likely involves a combination of genetic and environmental factors with immune system dysfunction. 



The immune system normally works to protect the body from infections, but in IBD, the immune system attacks one’s own intestines. The primary function of the intestine is to digest and absorb nutrients from the foods we eat and also to get rid of the waste products of digestion. The abnormal immune reaction in IBD causes inflammation and damage to the GI tract, which leads to abdominal pain and the symptoms described above. There are two main types of inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. 

In Crohn’s Disease, there can be inflammation anywhere throughout the GI tract, all the way from the mouth to the anus. In Ulcerative Colitis, the inflammation is mainly limited to the large intestine (also called the colon). 


How Is Inflammatory Bowel Disease Diagnosed? 


There are a number of blood tests and stool studies that can be ordered to support the diagnosis. However, in order to make the diagnosis, one must undergo an endoscopy and colonoscopy. An endoscopy is a study where doctors look at the throat, stomach and upper intestine using a flexible tube with a light and camera at the end, while the patient is asleep. Small tissue samples, called biopsies, are taken throughout different parts of the GI tract and then looked at under a microscope. A colonoscopy is a very similar procedure, but in a colonoscopy the doctors use the flexible tube and camera to look at the lower part of the GI tract, including the large intestine and the very end of the small intestine (call the terminal ileum). Doctors may also order a special type of imaging study, called an MRE, that will help the doctors determine the location of the inflammation as the endoscopy and colonoscopy cannot see all parts of the intestines.


Management Approach


The management goals are to get rid of symptoms and prevent their recurrence by healing the inflammation in the GI tract. This will allow patients to live a normal life. If the inflammation persists for a very long time, this can lead to long term complications such as narrowing of the intestines or even cancer. Management plans are personalized to each patient, depending on the location and severity of the disease and the age of the patient. Management options include medications, dietary therapies and sometimes even surgery. The medication options help to decrease the inflammation present in the intestines. 



The Future of IBD


Here at CHAM, our patients are cared for by a committed, multidisciplinary team that includes doctors, nurses, dieticians and social workers, to provide state of the art quality care. We see patients at multiple sites throughout the Bronx and New York and we have a beautiful new infusion center where patients can get their medicine. We are also enrolled in a national collaborative quality improvement network called Improve Care Now, that works to improve care of pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Together, we hope to one day find a cure for this condition!

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