An Unexpected Fever Post Serogroup B Meningococcal Sepsis.

This case report describes an invasive meningococcal group B infection followed by the development of Kawasaki disease (KD) complicated by macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) in a 2-year-old child. The presented case indicates the possible etiologic relationship between meningococcal sepsis and KD as support of bacterial toxin induced theory. It's important to maintain a high grade of suspicious for KD in every relapse of fever also during convalescence phase of severe infection.

Vaccine effectiveness against severe laboratory-confirmed influenza in children: results of two consecutive seasons in Italy.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine in preventing Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospitalisations for influenza like illness (ILI) in children.

Methods: We conducted a test negative case-control study during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 influenza seasons. Eleven paediatric hospital/wards in seven Italian regions participated in the study.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and fetal alcohol syndrome: the state of the art and new diagnostic tools.

Ethanol consumption during pregnancy is a widespread problem which is increasing in the generation of young women. Gestational alcohol consumption causes fetal exposure to this teratogen and is associated with the onset of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) including fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FASD and FAS can lead to several physical, cognitive and behavioral disabilities, whose early diagnosis is of primary importance to perform primary prevention with total abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy and secondary prevention in newborns and children for a proper follow up to reduce risk of secondary consequences.