Effectiveness and safety of biologics in pediatric inflammatory boweldisease: Real-life data from the Sicilian Network.

Background: Biological therapies have modified the disease course of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and are routinely used in clinical practice. Our observational study aims to evaluate effectiveness and safety of biologics in IBD.

Method: Clinical benefit and safety data of 93 children with IBD, receiving biologics (Infliximab - IFX, Adalimumab - ADA, Golimumab - GOL) from January 2013 to December 2017, were extracted from the cohort of the Sicilian Network of IBD.

Adrenal disorders and the paediatric brain: pathophysiological considerations and clinical implications.

Various neurological and psychiatric manifestations have been recorded in children with adrenal disorders. Based on literature review and on personal case-studies and case-series we focused on the pathophysiological and clinical implications of glucocorticoid-related, mineralcorticoid-related, and catecholamine-related paediatric nervous system involvement. Childhood Cushing syndrome can be associated with long-lasting cognitive deficits and abnormal behaviour, even after resolution of the hypercortisolism.

Pediatric idiopathic intracranial hypertension and the underlying endocrine-metabolic dysfunction: a pilot study.

Aim: To unravel the potential idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) endocrine-metabolic comorbidities by studying the natural (and targeted drug-modified) history of disease in children. IIH is a disorder of unclear pathophysiology, characterized by raised intracranial pressure without hydrocephalus or space-occupying lesion coupled with normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition.

Methods: Retrospective study (years 2001-2010) of clinical records and images and prospective follow-up (years 2010-2013) in 15 children (11 girls, 4 boys; aged 5-16 years) diagnosed previously as "IIH", according to the criteria for pediatric IIH proposed by Rangwala, at four university pediatric centers in northern, central, and southern Italy.

Massive right atrial myxoma: an unusual presentation in an elderly patient.

Primary heart tumors are rare with an estimated incidence ranging 0.0017-0.19%.

Different characteristics of chronic heart failure (CHF) in elderly diabetics and non-diabetics.

Higher plasma concentrations of the N-terminal fragment of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) and the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) have been observed in patients affected by chronic heart failure (CHF). Recent clinical studies have tried to correlate the plasma levels of these biomarkers with severity of the disease. To evaluate the role of NT-pro-BNP, TNF-alpha and C-reactive protein (CRP) in a population of geriatric patients affected by CHF, and to assess their different plasma levels in diabetics and in normoglycemic patients, we enrolled 57 patients affected by CHF: 29 patients were diabetic and 28 were normoglycemic.