GeneXpert MTB/RIF Ultra in Pediatric Tuberculosis: How Disease Characteristics Modify Test Performances.

Introduction: The diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis (TB) is challenging, due to the lower sensitivity of microbiological tests, such as culture and microscopy, compared to their performance in adult cases. Guidelines have introduced molecular tests, including GeneXpert MTB/ RIF and GeneXpert MTB/RIF Ultra. These tests use a real-time polymerase chain reaction method and provide information on M.

You Are as Old as the Connectivity You Keep: Distinct Neurophysiological Mechanisms Underlying Age-Related Changes in Hand Dexterity and Strength.

Background: Aging can lead to a decline in motor control. While age-related motor impairments have been documented, the underlying changes in cortico-cortical interactions remain poorly understood.

Methods: We took advantage of the high temporal resolution of dual-site transcranial magnetic stimulation (dsTMS) to investigate how communication between higher-order rostral premotor regions and the primary motor cortex (M1) influences motor control in young and elderly adults.

Fever management in children and insights into fever of unknown origin: a survey among Italian pediatricians.

Background: Fever is a common symptom in children, but despite existing guidelines, pediatricians may not fully apply recommendations. Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO) is generally referred to as an unexplained prolonged fever. However, a standardized FUO definition and management is missing.

Treatment of acute pharyngitis in children: an Italian intersociety consensus (SIPPS-SIP-SITIP-FIMP-SIAIP-SIMRI-FIMMG).

Sore throat represents one of the main causes of antibiotic overprescription in children. Its management is still a matter of debate, with countries considering streptococcal pharyngotonsillitis a benign and self-limiting condition and others advocating for its antibiotic treatment to prevent suppurative complications and acute rheumatic fever. Italian paediatricians frequently prescribe antibiotics on a clinical basis regardless of microbiological results.

Treatment of mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia in previously healthy children: an Italian intersociety consensus (SIPPS-SIP-SITIP-FIMP-SIAIP-SIMRI-FIMMG-SIMG).

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an acute infection of the lung parenchyma acquired outside the hospital or other healthcare settings, typically affecting previously healthy individuals. This intersociety consensus aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for the antibiotic treatment of mild to moderate CAP in previously healthy children in Italy.A systematic review was conducted to identify the most recent and relevant evidence.

Immune response to viscerotropic : a comprehensive review.

and infections are associated with a broad clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic cases to visceral leishmaniasis (VL) with high mortality rates. Clinical manifestations such as post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) and visceral leishmaniasis-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis-mimic (VL-associated HLH-mimic) further contribute to the diversity of clinical manifestations. These clinical variations are intricately influenced by the complex interplay between the host's immune response and the parasite's escape mechanisms.

Definition and assessment of fever-related discomfort in pediatric literature: a systematic review.

Unlabelled: Guidelines advocate that the symptomatic management of fever should prioritize alleviating the child's discomfort. We investigated the definition and assessment of discomfort in febrile children within the scientific pediatric literature. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines and preregistered on the Prospero database (CRD42023471590).

Management of respiratory issues in patients with Rett syndrome: Italian experts' consensus using a Delphi approach.

Background: Despite the publication of the 2020 guidelines on how to manage Rett Syndrome (RS), some fundamental topics are still open, in particular respiratory problems.

Objective: Identification and reinforcement of current recommendations concerning the management of respiratory issues in RS patients.

Materials And Methods: Using a Delphi approach, the leading group reviewed the literature and formulated 14 statements.

From evidence to practice: A systematic review-based diagnostic algorithm for paediatric eosinophilia across socioeconomic context.

Aim: Paediatric eosinophilia is a common clinical dilemma, often leading to resource- and time-consuming assessments. We aim to evaluate the main aetiologies of eosinophilia in children from different socioeconomic settings and propose a diagnostic algorithm.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted through PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library.

Neural Hyperresponsivity During the Anticipation of Tangible Social and Nonsocial Rewards in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Concurrent Neuroimaging and Facial Electromyography Study.

Background: Atypical anticipation of social reward has been shown to lie at the core of the social challenges faced by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, previous research has yielded inconsistent results and has often overlooked crucial characteristics of stimuli. Here, we investigated ASD reward processing using social and nonsocial tangible stimuli, carefully matched on several key dimensions.

Effects of dopamine and opioid receptor antagonism on the neural processing of social and nonsocial rewards.

Rewards are a broad category of stimuli inducing approach behavior to aid survival. Extensive evidence from animal research has shown that wanting (the motivation to pursue a reward) and liking (the pleasure associated with its consumption) are mostly regulated by dopaminergic and opioidergic activity in dedicated brain areas. However, less is known about the neuroanatomy of dopaminergic and opioidergic regulation of reward processing in humans, especially when considering different types of rewards (i.

Driving Hebbian plasticity over ventral premotor-motor projections transiently enhances motor resonance.

Background: Making sense of others' actions relies on the activation of an action observation network (AON), which maps visual information about observed actions onto the observer's motor system. This motor resonance process manifests in the primary motor cortex (M1) as increased corticospinal excitability finely tuned to the muscles engaged in the observed action. Motor resonance in M1 is facilitated by projections from higher-order AON regions.

Biochemical and genetic tools to predict the progression to Cystic Fibrosis in CRMS/CFSPID subjects: A systematic review.

Objectives: Aim of this study was to identify risk factors for a progression to cystic fibrosis (CF) in individuals detected as CF Screening Positive, Inconclusive Diagnosis (CFSPID).

Methods: This is a systematic review through literature databases (2015-2023). Blood immunoreactive trypsinogen (b-IRT) values, CFTR genotype, sweat chloride (SC) values, isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) from respiratory samples, Lung Clearance Index (LCI) values in CFSPIDs who converted to CF (CFSPID > CF) and age at CF transition were assessed.

Fixed-dose antiretroviral combinations in children living with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1): a systematic review.

Fixed-Dose antiretroviral Combinations (FDCs) are the most used drug regimes in adult patients with human-immunodeficiency virus 1 infection, since they increase adherence to antiretroviral therapy and enable good quality of life. The European AIDS Clinical Society guidelines recommend the use of FDCs in paediatrics. However, the use of FDCs in paediatric population is restricted since studies in children and adolescents are mostly conducted in small sample sizes and are heterogeneous in settings and design.

Extrapulmonary and Drug-Resistant Childhood Tuberculosis: Unveiling the Disease to Adopt the Optimal Treatment Strategy.

Paediatric tuberculosis (TB) is a substantial threat among infectious diseases, particularly considering the high risk of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB), severe forms of the disease, and the spreading of drug-resistant strains. Describing the characteristics of children with EPTB and those with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) and analysing the role of second-line drugs could facilitate the management of these cases. This retrospective study was conducted on 271 children diagnosed with active TB disease (44 EPTB cases, 9 DR-TB cases), originating from diverse geographic areas, who were referred to the infectious disease unit at Meyer Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy, from 2006 to 2022.

Does multiple gastric aspirate collection increase sensitivity of M. tuberculosis detection in children with pulmonary tuberculosis?

This study aims to investigate the sensitivity of microscopy, culture and polymerase chain reaction on three gastric aspirates (GAs) in the microbiological confirmation of active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and to identify possible changes in sensitivity derived from the collection of a different number of aspirates. Children with clinical and radiological diagnoses of active pulmonary TB who underwent three GAs between March 2007 and June 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. Clinical, radiological, and microbiological data were collected.

Care Issues in Patients with Rett Syndrome: A Parental Perspective.

Background: The purpose of this study is to better understand the way caregivers of patients with Rett syndrome perceive the quality of the health care services they receive and identify its main shortcomings.

Methods: A survey was distributed to all caregivers who are part of AIRETT (the Italian Association of Relatives of Patients with RS). The survey gathered information on the management of relatives of patients with Rett syndrome.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in people with Cystic Fibrosis: a systematic review of prevalence, risk factors and management.

To summarize the current knowledge of the clinical impact of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (SM) in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. A systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guideline recommendations, was performed through searches in PubMed and EMBASE databases, and CF National and International Registries websites from 2000 to 2022. Overall, 184 articles were initially retrieved, out of which 15 were selected and included in the review.