Sleep and circadian disturbances in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Sleep is essential for brain development and overall health, particularly in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Sleep disruptions can considerably impact brain structure and function, leading to dysfunction of neurotransmitter systems, metabolism, hormonal balance and inflammatory processes, potentially contributing to the pathophysiology of NDDs. This Review examines the prevalence, types and mechanisms of sleep disturbances in children with NDDs, including autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and various genetic syndromes.

A cross-sectional study on the relationship between infant sleep, temperament, and bedtime practices.

Study Objectives: We explored the interplay between infant temperament, sleep characteristics, and bedtime practices.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving a large sample of infants 9-13 months of age (n = 623). Sleep data were collected through auto-videosomnography, allowing for objective, noninvasive assessment of sleep in an infant's ecological environment.

10 Cases of Nonresponse to Laser Thermoablation from a Series of 187 Patients: Histological Outcomes after Surgery and Related Evaluations.

Background: Thyroid thermoablative techniques have been developed as an alternative to surgery for the treatment of symptomatic benign nodes, with the advantage of being minimally invasive, repeatable, with a minimal complication rate, and avoiding the perioperative risks and irreversible consequences of surgery.

Methods: A series of patients undergoing laser thermoablation by the same team of endocrinologists operating in 2 centers from May 2016 to December 2022 is presented. The procedure was performed in patients with compressive symptomatology determined by a thyroid node typed TIR 2, or TIR 3A with rejection of the surgical option.

Test facility management: Responsibilities and paradigms of a new era.

GLP test facility management refers to the proper management and organization of a facility that conducts studies according to GLP regulations. Compliance with GLP regulations is necessary for data generated in such facilities to be accepted by regulatory authorities. According to GLP Principles, Test facility management (TFM) is responsible for a wide range of tasks and responsibilities to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the facility.

European expert guidance on management of sleep onset insomnia and melatonin use in typically developing children.

Sleeping problems are prevalent among children and adolescents, often leading to frequent consultations with pediatricians. While cognitive-behavioral therapy has shown effectiveness, especially in the short term, there is a lack of globally endorsed guidelines for the use of pharmaceuticals or over-the-counter remedies in managing sleep onset insomnia. An expert panel of pediatric sleep specialists and chronobiologists met in October 2023 to develop practical recommendations for pediatricians on the management of sleep onset insomnia in typically developing children.

An online survey among general pediatricians on melatonin use in children with chronic insomnia.

Objectives: Although melatonin (MLT) is the molecule most used by pediatricians for sleep problems, scarce evidence exists on its use in healthy pediatric population. The objective of this study was to describe MLT use by Italian pediatricians in healthy children with chronic insomnia.

Study Design: A cross-sectional open survey was administered to Italian pediatricians, between June and November 2022, collecting information about their use of MLT in healthy children: age range of patients, dosages used, time of administration, duration of treatment, association with other treatments, perceived efficacy, and side effects.

Long-term organ damage accrual and late mortality in systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: Progressive organ damage accrual in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) can be measured using the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium Damage Index (SCTC-DI). We aimed to evaluate the long-term evolution of organ damage accrual in SSc patients with at least 10 years of follow-up, identifying clinical and laboratory features associated with moderate and severe damage, and the association of SCTC-DI with "late mortality" (death >10 years after diagnosis).

Methods: In this single-centre retrospective study, patients with SSc were included when fulfilling the following characteristics: 1) a baseline visit corresponding to the time of diagnosis; 2) a minimum of 10 years of follow-up after diagnosis; 3) available follow-up visits at predefined timepoints.

Blood microsampling in cynomolgus monkey and evaluation of plasma PK parameters in comparison to conventional sampling.

Microsampling, a reduced volume sampling method, has successfully gained attention at the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) level and established benefits support its use in Toxicokinetic (TK) studies. These improved sampling techniques are less invasive and in large animal species improve animal welfare (refinement). To evaluate if the plasma concentrations of drugs were influenced by the blood sampling method, the traditional method from femoral vein and microsampling from tail vein in Cynomolgus monkeys were compared.

Development and validation of a bioanalytical method for the quantification of CHF6550 and its metabolite (CHF6671) in rat plasma and lung homogenate using LC-MS/MS.

A selective and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for accurate determination of CHF6550 and its main metabolite in rat plasma and lung homogenate samples. All biological samples were prepared by simple protein precipitation method using deuterated internal standards. The analytes were separated on a HSS T3 analytical column with 3.

Functional and patient-reported outcomes of bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA): A prospective case series study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional and patient-reported outcomes, and their correlation, after percutaneous bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) implantation.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted between January 2018 and December 2020 in a tertiary care center. All adult patients who were implanted with a percutaneous BAHA device during this evaluation period were included in the study.

The perceived impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the children with cerebral palsy: the parents' perspective explored within the "6-F words" framework.

Background: In 2020 the world faced the spread of the coronavirus infection disease (Covid-19). This was a general public health emergency but many people with disabilities might have been particularly affected.

Objective: This paper aims to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and their families.

Sleep habits and sleep disorders in Italian children and adolescents: a cross-sectional survey.

Study Objectives: The aim was to describe sleep habits and epidemiology of the most common sleep disorders in Italian children and adolescents.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which parents of typically developing children and adolescents (1-18 years) completed an online survey available in Italy, gathering retrospective information focusing on sleep habits and disorders.

Results: Respondents were 4,321 typically developing individuals (48.

A Narrative Review about Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Childhood: The Relationship with Shame and Moral Development.

We conducted a literature review aimed at identifying the origins of shame as well as its effects on moral development, especially in terms of behavioral outcomes, and we reflected on the practical implications of our findings. We explored the role of shame in moral development through cultural differences and parental influences, collecting evidence of psychopathological consequences of primary moral emotion dysregulation. These studies showed a dichotomous feature of shame, as a prosocial behavior enhancer in morally relevant situations and, simultaneously, a risk factor for aggressive and antisocial behaviors on other occasions.

Prevalence of cholelithiasis in lion tamarins (Leontopithecus spp.) kept under human care by using abdominal ultrasound.

Background: Cholelithiasis is a digestive system disorder of multifactorial origin that occurs due to stones formed in the gallbladder. This study aimed at investigating by abdominal ultrasound examination the prevalence of cholelithiasis in lion tamarins kept under human care.

Methods: Thirty lion tamarins from five Brazilian zoos, including 17 golden lion tamarins and 13 golden-headed lion tamarins, were evaluated.

A Pleistocene Fight Club revealed by the palaeobiological study of the Dama-like deer record from Pantalla (Italy).

Here, we report on the exceptionally well-preserved deer record from the locality of Pantalla (central Italy), dated in the Early Pleistocene (ca. 2.1-2.

Influence of Metabolic Syndrome on the Recovery from Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

 Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) is a disabling otologic urgency whose ethiopathogenesis is still controversial. Only in recent years metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been implicated as a possible aggravating factor in the prognosis of recovery from ISSHL.  To assess whether the preexistence of MetS interferes on hearing recovery levels.

Validation of an LC-MS/MS method for the quantification IOA-289 in human plasma and its application in a first-in-human clinical trial.

IOA-289 is a novel small molecule inhibitor of autotaxin developed as a first-in-class therapy of fibrotic pathologies including cancer. A method for quantitation of IOA-289 in human plasma was developed using a stable isotope labeled compound ([C]IOA-289) as internal standard. The analytes were extracted from human plasma by protein precipitation and the analysis was performed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection (LCMS/MS).

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders: how do they sleep?

Purpose Of Review: In this review we summarized the available evidence on sleep disorders in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in particular: intellectual disability (including some genetic conditions such as Prader-Willi Syndrome, Smith-Magenis Syndrome), Autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Developmental Coordination Disorder, language disorders, and specific learning disorders.

Recent Findings: Children with NDDs frequently suffer from sleep disturbances, with a higher prevalence than that of the general pediatric population.

Summary: These problems tend to be chronic and may cause additional cognitive and behavioral difficulties, often affecting the whole family's well-being.

Changes in Sleep Patterns and Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorders during the COVID-19 Lockdown.

Background: The COVID-19 lockdown determined important changes in the sleep of a large percentage of the world population. We assessed the modifications of reported sleep patterns and disturbances in Italian children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), compared to control children, before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy.

Methods: Parents of 100 ASD, 236 ADHD patients, and 340 healthy children filled out an anonymous online survey and a modified version of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), advertised via social media, to evaluate sleep patterns and disturbances of their children before and during the lockdown.

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on sleep in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Study Objectives: The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on sleep of participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was assessed.

Methods: Parents of 111 children and adolescents with ASD filled out an anonymous online survey shared via social media, investigating the sleep patterns and disturbances before and during the lockdown.

Results: The lockdown changed significantly the bedtime on weekdays in 57.

Irritability in developmental age: A narrative review of a dimension crossing paediatric psychopathology.

Objective: Irritability is an important theme in paediatric psychiatry considering its high frequency in developmental age, its association with negative outcomes and consequently significant public health impact. Present as main or associated feature of several psychiatric diagnoses, irritability represents a challenge for clinicians who try to understand its origin and role in developmental psychopathology. In this review we try to: (1) get an overview of this dimension and its relationship with each of the main neuropsychiatric disorders in paediatric population and (2) provide a summary of currently available instruments to assess irritability in children and adolescents.

COVID-19 in Italy and extreme data mining.

In this article we want to show the potential of an evolutionary algorithm called Topological Weighted Centroid (TWC). This algorithm can obtain new and relevant information from extremely limited and poor datasets. In a world dominated by the concept of big (fat?) data we want to show that it is possible, by necessity or choice, to work profitably even on small data.

Host preference, acaricides effects and population growth of Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) (Acari: Tarsonemidae) on white and colored cotton cultivars.

Background: White and colored fiber cotton cultivars have been developed to increase production and opportunities for family farming. The broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) is an important pest in cotton crops, nevertheless, different cotton cultivars may influence its host selection and population growth. For P.

Development and validation of bioanalytical methods for LNA-i-miR-221 quantification in human plasma and urine by LC-MS/MS.

LNA-i-miR-221, a 13-mer oligonucleotide, has proved favorable efficacy and safety profiles in the preclinical studies, leading to being approved for use in clinical trials by regulatory authorities. The objective of this study was to develop and validate LC-MS/MS methods to quantify LNA-i-miR-221 in human plasma and urine. Chromatographic separation was performed with a gradient system on HALO C18 column using hexafluoro-2-propanol/triethylamine buffer and methanol as mobile phase.