Publications by authors named "Fabiana Auricchio"
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the brain and spinal cord characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and axonal degeneration. Area covered: Even though the pharmacological armamentarium for MS treatment is considerably improved in the last 20 years, safety data especially for the second-line and innovative treatments are lacking. In order to analyze the safety profile of drugs used for the treatment of MS, a literature review of pre-marketing, post-marketing studies and case reports was performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The practical effectiveness of second-generation antipsychotics in children and adolescents is an understudied issue. It is a crucial area of study, though, because such patients are often treated for long-lasting disorders.
Methods: We carried out a 24-month (March 2012-March 2014) observational study on an unselected population of pediatric outpatients treated with risperidone, aripiprazole, olanzapine, or quetiapine aiming to (1) describe drug use, (2) compare post hoc the discontinuation rates due to specific causes and dose adjustments by Kaplan-Meier analyses between drugs, and (3) analyze predictors influencing these outcomes by Cox multivariate models.
Purpose: Available guidelines on therapeutic drug monitoring of second-generation antipsychotics were designed for adults; therefore, they cannot be transferred as such in pediatric patients, who may have different drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Moreover, available tools that guide dosing in neuropsychiatric pediatric patients are scant, leading to the possibility of reduced efficacy and/or increased risks of toxicity. Here we describe the results of observational therapeutic drug monitoring conducted in three pediatric neuropsychiatry units across Italy in 2012-2014, with the following aims: (1) to describe the distribution of plasma concentrations of second-generation antipsychotics in our pediatric patients and (2) to identify clinical covariates associated with plasma drug levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess how effective the seasonal influenza vaccine is in preventing Emergency Department visits and hospitalizations for influenza-like illnesses in children.
- Data was collected from 704 children visiting EDs during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 influenza seasons, with 262 testing positive for influenza and 442 negative.
- The overall vaccine effectiveness was found to be 38%, with a higher effectiveness of 53% in hospitalized children, though both results lacked statistical significance and highlighted a need for further research on vaccine recommendations for children.