Publications by authors named "Ausilia Desiree Collotta"
Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a life support in newborns with severe respiratory failure. Our main objective was to evaluate the mortality of patients and define positive and negative predictive factors of survival.
Methods: We performed a Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)-conformed retrospective observational study and a systematic review, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).
Purpose: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) usually causes a mild disease in children and the most serious consequence is multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Currently, there are no data about the protective role of vaccination performed by parents on children regarding the development of MIS-C. The aim of our study is to establish whether parental vaccination is related to MIS-C and the protective value of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination performed by parents against the occurrence of MIS-C in their children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute Respiratory Tract Infections (ARTIs) in Children after COVID-19-Related Social Distancing: An Epidemiological Study in a Single Center of Southern Italy.
Diagnostics (Basel)
June 2024
Article Synopsis
- In Sicily, viruses like RSV, rhinovirus, and influenza led to increased respiratory infections in children, particularly after lockdowns and during the post-pandemic period.
- A study analyzed respiratory virus data from 204 pediatric patients, revealing that RSV was the most common cause of infections, with rhinovirus and influenza A also being significant contributors.
- The findings suggest a seasonal pattern for these viruses, emphasizing the need for targeted preventive measures, especially for RSV, which was the leading virus during winter months.
Background: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the neurological consequences of delayed pyridoxine administration in patients diagnosed with Pyridoxin Dependent Epilepsies (PDE).
Materials And Methods: We reviewed 29 articles, comprising 52 genetically diagnosed PDE cases, ensuring data homogeneity. Three additional cases were included from the General Pediatric Operative Unit of San Marco Hospital.
Article Synopsis
- - GNAO1 encephalopathy involves severe neurological symptoms like hypotonia, psychomotor retardation, and movement disorders, linked to genetic variations like the E246K mutation in the Gα subunit affecting G protein signaling.
- - Molecular modeling studies were used to explore the impact of the E246K mutation on G protein signal transduction and test the effectiveness of the drug tetrabenazine in addressing these abnormalities.
- - Results showed that tetrabenazine could normalize signal transduction affected by the E246K mutation, suggesting it might be a viable treatment for pediatric patients with this rare form of encephalopathy.
Purpose: Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of corticosteroids on seizure control in drug-resistant epilepsies (DREs). Our primary goal was to assess the response to steroids for various underlying etiologies, interictal electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns and electroclinical seizure descriptions. Our second goal was to compare steroid responsiveness to different treatment protocols.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe optimal therapeutic management of cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) remains elusive. The objective of this study was to document our clinical experience in the Pediatric Department of San Marco Hospital and to survey the literature on pediatric CVS treatment, aiming to update the guidance on the most effective treatment strategies for this not-so-uncommon condition. Data from 70 patients with CVS, admitted to our Pediatric Department between September 2011 and December 2021, were aggregated and included in the study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: For patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy, a therapeutic option is ketogenic diet. Currently, data on young infants are scarce, particularly during hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the short-term (3-month) efficacy and side effects of ketogenic diet in infants with "drugs-resistant" epilepsy treated during NICU stay.
Background: Existing therapeutic alternatives for neonatal crises have expanded in recent decades, but no consensus has been reached on protocols based on neonatal seizures. In particular, little is known about the use of midazolam in newborns.
Aim: The aim of our study is to evaluate the response to midazolam, the appearance of side effects, and their impact on therapeutic decisions.
Pediatric COVID-19 determines a mild clinical picture, but few data have been published about the correlation between disease severity and PCR amplification cycles of SARS-CoV-2 from respiratory samples. This correlation is clinically important because it permits the stratification of patients in relation to their risk of developing a serious disease. Therefore, the primary endpoint of this study was to establish whether disease severity at the onset, when evaluated with a LqSOFA score, correlated with the gene amplification of SARS-CoV-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: SARS-CoV-2 infection tends to be lethal to the elderly population. However, sometimes children are also involved.
Case Presentation: We present the case of a female infant with a corrected gestational age of 39 weeks and 4 days with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and co-infection of that was supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
Background: The study of consciousness has always been considered a challenge for neonatologists, even more when considering the uterine period. Our review aimed to individuate at what gestational age the fetus, which later became a premature infant, can feel the perception of external stimuli. Therefore, the aim of our review was to study the onset of consciousness during the fetal life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The ketogenic diet (KD) is found to be an effective non-drug treatment for children with drug-resistant epilepsy, aiming to reduce seizure frequency.
- A systematic review identified eight randomized controlled trials, revealing that nearly 48% of kids experienced a significant decrease in seizures after starting the diet.
- The analysis demonstrated that children on the KD are 5.6 times more likely to have at least a 50% reduction in seizures compared to those not on the diet, indicating its strong efficacy as a treatment option.
Background: This study aimed to show the impairment of autonomic cardiac conduction causing bradycardia and/or electrocardiographic alterations in children affected by spinal muscular atrophy type 1 and 2 (SMA 1 and 2).
Methods: We included 25 spinal muscular atrophy patients, admitted from November 2016 to May 2017. All patients underwent an electrocardiographic examination and we studied PR and QRS intervals, P-waves and QRS amplitudes, and heart rate in spinal muscular atrophy patients compared to a control group.