Increased serum levels of proNGF, mature NGF and interleukins in burn-injured children.

Objective: Burns are among the most common injuries in children. In burns of more than 20% of the total body surface area, a systemic inflammatory response involving several chemical mediators occurs. Among them, nerve growth factor (NGF) regulates the inflammatory response related to wound healing and promotes keratinocyte proliferation and angiogenesis.

A scoping review of the management of acute mastoiditis in children: What is the best approach?

Background: Acute mastoiditis (AM) is a severe infection of the mastoid air cells that occurs in cases of acute, sub-acute, or chronic middle ear infections. No definitive consensus regarding the management of AM has been identified. The current guidelines include a conservative approach (parenteral antibiotics alone, antibiotics plus minor surgical procedures such as myringotomy with a ventilation tube inserted or drainage of the subperiosteal abscess through retro-auricolar incision or needle aspiration) or surgical treatment (mastoidectomy).

Intranasal human-recombinant NGF administration improves outcome in children with post-traumatic unresponsive wakefulness syndrome.

Background: Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most dramatic events in pediatric age and, despite advanced neuro-intensive care, the survival rate of these patients remains low. Children suffering from severe TBI show long-term sequelae, more pronounced in behavioral, neurological and neuropsychological functions leading to, in the most severe cases, an unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS). Currently, no effective treatments can restore neuronal loss or produce significant improvement in these patients.

The acute bronchiolitis rebound in children after COVID-19 restrictions: a retrospective, observational analysis.

Background And Aim: Bronchiolitis represents the main cause of illness and hospitalization in infants and young children. The aim of this study was to compare the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) admissions for bronchiolitis during the post-COVID (Coronavirus disease) period to those of previous seasons and to analyze their etiology during COVID and post-COVID period.

Methods: We compared demographics, clinical and microbiological data of children admitted to PED with bronchiolitis between September 2021 and March 2022 (post-COVID period) to the previous seasons (COVID and pre-COVID period).

Non-pharmacologic approaches to neurological stimulation in patients with severe brain injuries: a systematic review.

Objective: This review aimed to evaluate and summarize the current knowledge about the non-pharmacological neurological stimulation (NPNS) in patients with severe brain injuries (SBI). The approaches we analyzed included sensory stimulation, music therapy, virtual reality, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Materials And Methods: We performed a review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) standards.

Topical delivery of nerve growth factor for treatment of ocular and brain disorders.

Neurotrophins are a family of proteins that support neuronal proliferation, survival, and differentiation in the central and peripheral nervous systems, and are regulators of neuronal plasticity. Nerve growth factor is one of the best-described neurotrophins and has advanced to clinical trials for treatment of ocular and brain diseases due to its trophic and regenerative properties. Prior trials over the past few decades have produced conflicting results, which have principally been ascribed to adverse effects of systemic nerve growth factor administration, together with poor penetrance of the blood-brain barrier that impairs drug delivery.

Intranasal nerve growth factor administration improves neurological outcome after GBS meningitis.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophin that promotes neural recovery and plasticity after experimental brain injury, supporting neuronal growth, differentiation, and survival of brain cells. Only a few studies reported NGF administration in pediatric patients with impaired brain functions after traumatic injuries, ischemic or infectious diseases, such as meningitis. We described the beneficial therapeutic effects of human-recombinant nerve growth factor (hr-NGF) treatment in an infant with persistent unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS), due to late-onset group B Streptococcus meningitis.

Staphylococcus aureus Colonization Modulates Tic Expression and the Host Immune Response in a Girl with Tourette Syndrome.

A 9-year-old girl with Tourette syndrome (TS) and increased antibody levels against Streptococcus pyogenes was monitored longitudinally for the presence of nasopharyngeal bacteria, specific antibody titers, and autoimmunity directed against brain antigens. Microbiological monitoring indicated that the child was an intermittent Staphylococcus aureus nasopharyngeal carrier. Clinical improvements in motor tic frequency and severity were observed during the S.