Evaluation of saliva and nasopharyngeal swab sampling for genomic detection of SARS-CoV-2 in children accessing a pediatric emergency department during the second pandemic wave.

SARS-CoV-2 infection is mainly detected by multiplex real-time RT-PCR from upper respiratory specimens, which is considered the gold-standard technique for SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnosis. A nasopharyngeal (NP) swab represents the clinical sample of choice, but NP swabbing can be uncomfortable to the patients, especially for pediatric-age participants, requires trained healthcare personnel, and may generate an aerosol, increasing the intrinsic exposure risk of healthcare workers. The objective of this study was to compare paired NP and saliva samples (SS) collected from pediatric patients to evaluate whether the saliva collection procedure may be considered a valuable alternative to the classical NP swab (NPS) sampling in children.

SARS-CoV-2-related bronchiolitis: a multicentre international study.

Background: Bronchiolitis is the main acute lower respiratory tract infection in infants. Data regarding SARS-CoV-2-related bronchiolitis are limited.

Objective: To describe the main clinical characteristics of infants with SARS-CoV-2-related bronchiolitis in comparison with infants with bronchiolitis associated with other viruses.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen combination for the management of acute mild-to-moderate pain in children: expert consensus using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT).

Background: Acute pain is a common symptom in children of all ages, and is associated with a variety of conditions. Despite the availability of guidelines, pain often remains underestimated and undertreated. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are the most commonly used drugs for analgesia in Pediatrics.

The PAWPER tape as a tool for rapid weight assessment in a Paediatric Emergency Department: Validation study and comparison with parents' estimation and Broselow tape.

Aim: To validate the PAWPER tape and assess its inter-observer reliability in children accessing a Paediatric Emergency Department (PED). As secondary outcome we compared the accuracy of the PAWPER tape with that of parents' estimation, the Broselow tape and the European Paediatric Life Support (EPLS) formula.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of children (0-12 years) enrolled in a tertiary Paediatric Emergency Department in Italy.

Management of fever in infants and children in the emergency setting and during home discharge: recommendations from an Italian panel.

In infants and children, fever is very common in the emergency setting. The overall aim of the present publication was to overview guidance and provide an algorithm for use in the emergency setting as well as recommendations to inform parents for home care. To obtain consensus, a core steering committee drafted a management algorithm and general consensus was obtained by remote voting among experts.

Neonatal and Pediatric Emergency Room Visits in a Tertiary Center during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy.

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting healthcare services worldwide. We investigated the impact of a strict lockdown policy on the characteristics of neonatal and pediatric attendances to our pediatric emergency department (PED). The clinical features of PED visits in March-April 2020 (COVID-19) and March-April 2019 (non-COVID-19) were analyzed.

Characteristics and risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 in children tested in the early phase of the pandemic: a cross-sectional study, Italy, 23 February to 24 May 2020.

BackgroundVery few studies describe factors associated with COVID-19 diagnosis in children.AimWe here describe characteristics and risk factors for COVID-19 diagnosis in children tested in 20 paediatric centres across Italy.MethodsWe included cases aged 0-18 years tested between 23 February and 24 May 2020.

COnsensus on Pediatric Pain in the Emergency Room: the COPPER project, issued by 17 Italian scientific societies.

In the pediatric setting, management of pain in the emergency department - and even in common care - is a challenging exercise, due to the complexity of the pediatric patient, poor specific training of many physicians, and scant resources.A joint effort of several Italian societies involved in pediatrics or in pain management has led to the definition of the PIPER group and the COPPER project. By applying a modified Delphi method, the COPPER project resulted in the definition of 10 fundamental statements.

Italia-Netherland PhD Program: the I.O. PhD Research Program.

In the framework of long-term scientific collaboration among the founder members coming from Holland and Italy there was a growing consensus to activate a philosophical doctorate (PhD) program, involving young Italian researchers in the field of perinatal medicine, neonatology and pediatrics. The aims were to promote excellence in research, offering to young Italian physicians the opportunity to maturate an International research experience leading to PhD degree, and to promote human and technological improvement energies in perinatal, neonatal and pediatrics research. Thus, an official collaboration among the Dutch Universities from Maastricht and Utrecht and the Italian Children's Hospital from Alessandria, has been activated on March 1st 2010, finalized to the PhD program.

Fat cell size, insulin sensitivity, and inflammation in obese children.

Objective: To assess the association between adiposity indexes (body mass index [BMI], fat mass, adipocyte size) and circulating inflammation markers with known metabolic relevance or insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese children.

Study Design: Twenty-eight children (males/females: 13/15) with different degrees of overweight (BMI z-score: 1.64-3.

Obesity and inflammation: evidence for an elementary lesion.

In obesity, an inflammatory process of the adipose tissue has been hypothesized; however, direct evidence for a tissue lesion is still lacking. Macrophage infiltration in the adipose tissue of obese individuals seems to be proven, but other alterations of the tissue have not been demonstrated. Moreover, in humans it has not been clarified whether inflammation is an early characteristic of obesity, because no data from obese children are available.

Ghrelin, insulin sensitivity and postprandial glucose disposal in overweight and obese children.

Objective: To explore the changes of ghrelin circulating levels induced by a mixed meal and their relationship with postprandial substrate oxidation rates in overweight and obese children with different levels of insulin sensitivity.

Methods: A group of ten boys (age 9-12 years) with different levels of overweight (standard deviation score of body mass index: 1.6-3.