New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) in paediatric patients: causes, characteristics and outcomes.

Background: New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) refers to patients without a previous history of seizures who have refractory status epilepticus for at least 72 hours without an identified aetiology. Despite the severe neurological sequelae of NORSE, little is known about this condition in paediatric patients.

Objective: To describe the profile of paediatric patients with NORSE, the profile of seizures, possible causes attributed to this condition, treatments offered to patients and the outcomes at discharge from the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Association of nutritional status with clinical outcomes of critically ill pediatric patients with complex chronic conditions.

Background & Aims: There is a high prevalence of children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). However, information on the nutritional status (NS) of this specific population is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the NS of critically ill pediatric patients with CCCs and to relate it to clinical outcomes.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patient- and Family-Centered Care and on the Mental Health of Health Care Workers, Patients, and Families.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals around the world were forced to reorganize their processes in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus while still providing adequate care to patients. In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) setting, changes in family visitation protocols and restrictions on parent chaperones during hospitalization, as well as other changes, interfered with care. Based on a narrative review of the literature, supported by the authors' observations in practice, we aimed to describe the impact of the pandemic on patient and family-centered care (PFCC) in the PICU environment, especially regarding the presence of family members, family support, and communication with patients and their families, as well as the effects of changes in these practices on the mental health of those involved.

Weight excess association with severity in children and adolescents with COVID-19: A systematic review.

Background & Aims: Concomitantly to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in the child population there was already another pandemic wave in progress: childhood obesity. Numerous studies in adults have been carried out and describe obesity as an independent risk and prognostic factor for the severity of COVID-19. This study aims to systematically review the literature on the relation between weight excess and the severity of COVID-19 in children and adolescents.

Parents' satisfaction with care in pediatric intensive care units.

Objective: To verify the parents' satisfaction in relation to the care provided to their child admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit and associated clinical factors.

Method: Exploratory, cross-sectional study, with a total of 84 parents, in a private hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Data collection took place from March 2019 to January 2020, in the post-discharge period.

Prevalence and functional status of children with complex chronic conditions in Brazilian PICUs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: The proportion of children with complex chronic conditions is increasing in PICUs around the world. We determined the prevalence and functional status of children with complex chronic conditions in Brazilian PICUs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The authors conducted a point prevalence cross-sectional study among fifteen Brazilian PICUs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The impact of emotional signals on credibility assessment.

Fake news is considered one of the main threats of our society. The aim of fake news is usually to confuse readers and trigger intense emotions to them in an attempt to be spread through social networks. Even though recent studies have explored the effectiveness of different linguistic patterns for fake news detection, the role of emotional signals has not yet been explored.

Comparison of nursing workload in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit estimated by three instruments.

Objective: To compare the nursing workload using the Nursing Activities Score (NAS), Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System-28 (TISS-28) and Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score (NEMS) instruments in children admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in a university hospital.

Method: A prospective cohort study performed in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, with a sample formed of all children hospitalized during the study period. Nursing workload was evaluated using the TISS-28, NEMS and NAS instruments, and further divided into two groups: Group 1 forming a category of basic activities items and Group 2 forming a category of other support and intervention activities.

Patent citation network analysis: A perspective from descriptive statistics and ERGMs.

Patent Citation Analysis has been gaining considerable traction over the past few decades. In this paper, we collect extensive information on patents and citations and provide a perspective of citation network analysis of patents from a statistical viewpoint. We identify and analyze the most cited patents, the most innovative and the highly cited companies along with the structural properties of the network by providing in-depth descriptive analysis.

Performance of prognostic markers in pediatric sepsis.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic performance of the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (PIM2), ferritin, lactate, C-reactive protein (CRP), and leukocytes, alone and in combination, in pediatric patients with sepsis admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a PICU in Brazil. All patients aged 6 months to 18 years admitted with a diagnosis of sepsis were eligible for inclusion.

Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Children With Excess Weight: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Because of its high prevalence and negative impact on quality of life and longevity, overweight in childhood and adolescence is a major public health concern. The objective of the present study was to determine whether excess weight is associated with clinical outcomes in critically ill children and adolescents admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Method: This retrospective cohort study was performed with children and adolescents admitted to a PICU over 3 years.

Medical Cannabis in Patients with Chronic Pain: Effect on Pain Relief, Pain Disability, and Psychological aspects. A Prospective Non randomized Single Arm Clinical Trial.

Background: There is an increasing interest in the medical use of cannabis, particularly in the treatment of chronic pain.

Objectives: The aim is to evaluate the effects of cannabis use and the associated benefits reported by patients with various chronic pain diagnoses.

Material And Methods: A total of 338 patients with different chro- nic pain conditions were treated with a Cannabis Flos 19% decoction for 12 months, in addition to their pharmacological therapy.

Modulation of anxiety and fear via distinct intrahippocampal circuits.

Recent findings indicate a high level of specialization at the level of microcircuits and cell populations within brain structures with regards to the control of fear and anxiety. The hippocampus, however, has been treated as a unitary structure in anxiety and fear research despite mounting evidence that different hippocampal subregions have specialized roles in other cognitive domains. Using novel cell-type- and region-specific conditional knockouts of the GABAA receptor α2 subunit, we demonstrate that inhibition of the principal neurons of the dentate gyrus or CA3 via α2-containing GABAA receptors (α2GABAARs) is required to suppress anxiety, while the inhibition of CA1 pyramidal neurons is required to suppress fear responses.

Mutations in NONO lead to syndromic intellectual disability and inhibitory synaptic defects.

The NONO protein has been characterized as an important transcriptional regulator in diverse cellular contexts. Here we show that loss of NONO function is a likely cause of human intellectual disability and that NONO-deficient mice have cognitive and affective deficits. Correspondingly, we find specific defects at inhibitory synapses, where NONO regulates synaptic transcription and gephyrin scaffold structure.

Behavioral functions of GABAA receptor subtypes--the Zurich experience.

GABAA receptors are the major inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors in the brain. They are heteropentamers that are typically classified according to their α subunits. By rendering each of the benzodiazepine-sensitive α subunits (α1, α2, α3, and α5) insensitive to modulation by classical benzodiazepines by His to Arg point mutations in knock-in mice, we were able to identify behavioral functions mediated by different GABAA receptor subtypes, which led to the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Treatment of neck pain with type A botulinum toxin evaluated by Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ).

Aims: To investigate the effects of a treatment with botulinum toxin in patients suffering of cervical pain can be defined as a painful condition of the upper region of the spinal column affecting neck and shoulders. It is one of the most frequent complaints and estimates suggest it affects 7 out of 10 people, with varying degrees of intensity. Although there is a number of causes, most often muscular contraction is involved as a probable consequence of a variety of irritative phenomena.

Dissecting the role of diazepam-sensitive γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors in defensive behavioral reactivity to mild threat.

Moderate reductions in synaptic γ-aminobutyric acid(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs) have been associated with an enhanced defensive behavioral reactivity to mild threat, sensitive to diazepam. We here tested whether a deficit in α2 subunit-containing GABAergic synapses is sufficient to cause this anxiety-related phenotype and to prevent its attenuation by the benzodiazepine. Wild type (α2+/+), heterozygous (α2+/-) and homozygous (α2-/-) knock-out littermates were tested in the free-choice exploratory (FCE) and the light/dark choice (LDC) paradigms.

Role of α1- and α2-GABA(A) receptors in mediating the respiratory changes associated with benzodiazepine sedation.

Background And Purpose: The molecular substrates underlying the respiratory changes associated with benzodiazepine sedation are unknown. We examined the effects of different doses of diazepam and alprazolam on resting breathing in wild-type (WT) mice and clarified the contribution of α1- and α2-GABA(A) receptors, which mediate the sedative and muscle relaxant action of diazepam, respectively, to these drug effects using point-mutated mice possessing either α1H101R- or α2H101R-GABA(A) receptors insensitive to benzodiazepine.

Experimental Approach: Room air breathing was monitored using whole-body plethysmography.

[Our experience in the chemical spinal neuromodulation in chronic pain from spinal collapse due to osteoporosis.].

Aims: Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease of the bone characterized by reduced bone mass and microstructural deterioration of bone tissue with a consequent increase in bone fragility and risk of vertebral collapse. Treatment of osteoporosis with the new molecule is effective in improving the density and quality of bone but does not provide an analgesic effect for patients with vertebral collapse. The treatment of chronic pain from vertebral collapse is difficult and may require the use of opioids, but for some patients the intake of these drugs is burdened with systemic side effects.

A reduction in hippocampal GABAA receptor alpha5 subunits disrupts the memory for location of objects in mice.

The memory for location of objects, which binds information about objects to discrete positions or spatial contexts of occurrence, is a form of episodic memory particularly sensitive to hippocampal damage. Its early decline is symptomatic for elderly dementia. Substances that selectively reduce alpha5-GABA(A) receptor function are currently developed as potential cognition enhancers for Alzheimer's syndrome and other dementia, consistent with genetic studies implicating these receptors that are highly expressed in hippocampus in learning performance.