Publications by authors named "Ferrara P"

Background: The Child Opportunity Index (COI) is a new and innovative tool designed to assess the environment in which children grow up, offering a broad evaluation of the opportunities available to them in different neighborhoods. This initiative aims to ensure improvements in children's living conditions and future health outcomes.

Methods: The study was performed in the cities of Palermo and Rome.

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Background: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) commonly develop severe spinal deformity. The etiology of Parkinson's spinal deformity is not completely understood and in most cases is likely due to multiple factors. These include dystonia and focal myopathy.

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  • The study aimed to compare the effects of personalized positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) versus a standard low PEEP/FiO2 table on patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) undergoing pressure support ventilation (PSV).
  • Researchers conducted a cross-over randomized trial with 30 ARDS patients, measuring how different PEEP settings affected lung mechanics and patient comfort.
  • Results showed that the personalized PEEP significantly improved lung function, reduced respiratory effort, and did not lead to lung overdistension, making it a promising approach for treating ARDS during ventilation.
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  • - This pilot study investigates the phenomenon of "sharenting," where parents share their children's images and information online, focusing on how parents perceive its risks, including privacy concerns akin to child abuse.
  • - Utilizing a survey method, the research conducted by the Pediatric Department in Rome found that demographic factors like gender and education didn't significantly influence perceptions of sharenting as neglect or abuse, with timing and frequency being more critical.
  • - The study emphasizes the need for preventive measures, such as parental education and counseling, to protect children's well-being and privacy, and highlights the potential for expanding research efforts on the topic internationally.
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The optimal management of bone tumors requires a multidisciplinary strategy to guarantee high-quality care. At specialized centers, the medical team responsible for managing patients with bone cancer comprises oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, and rehabilitation specialists. The goal of treatment is to achieve long-term survival with minimal disability and pain.

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The significant impact of acute respiratory tract infections on healthcare systems is well-documented, given their contribution to emergency department admissions, hospitalizations, and increased use of antibiotics and other medications. However, further research is needed to understand the burden of acute respiratory tract infections in pediatric community care to develop effective public health interventions and improve child health outcomes. Real-world data were retrieved from Pedianet, an Italian network of over 200 family pediatricians.

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The COVID-19 pandemic, with over 775 million cases and 7 million deaths by May 2024, has drastically impacted global public health and exacerbated existing healthcare inequalities. The swift development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines have been critical in combating the virus, yet disparities in access to and administration of the vaccine have highlighted deep-seated inequities at global, regional, and national levels. Wealthier nations have benefited from early access to vaccines, while low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have faced persistent shortages.

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  • - Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is linked to high direct and indirect costs, primarily from medications, hospital stays, and work absenteeism; this study updated previous analyses on the economic aspects of PsA.
  • - Out of 27 studies, it was found that biologic therapies, particularly bimekizumab and ixekizumab, showed better cost-effectiveness compared to non-biologic treatments for managing PsA.
  • - Despite an increase in economic evaluations since the last review, PsA remains a significant economic burden globally, indicating a need for further studies to understand its financial impact better.
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Anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has saved millions of lives in the past few years. To maintain a high level of protection, particularly in at-risk populations, booster doses are recommended to counter the waning of circulating antibody levels over time and the continuous emergence of immune escape variants of concern (VOCs). As anti-spike serology is now widely available, it may be considered a useful tool to identify individuals needing an additional vaccine dose, i.

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Child maltreatment is a widespread global issue involving any form of harm or neglect by a parent or caregiver, leading to various forms of physical or emotional damage, with approximately 150 million affected children globally. This study discusses the potential mechanism of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction and cortisol hormone changes in linking child maltreatment to mental health disorders. It also discusses supportive strategies to prevent mental diseases and counteract the biological embedding of these conditions, emphasizing the need for comprehensive interventions to address the long-term impact of child maltreatment on mental health.

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Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative and inflammatory disease causing pain and worsening patients' quality of life. Various conservative treatment options exist, but a gap between scientific evidence and clinical practice is still present. The aim of this prospective multicenter observational study is to describe the real outpatient territorial management of patients with knee osteoarthritis and to analyze the correlation between the anthropometric and clinical characteristics of the population of patients suffering from symptomatic knee osteoarthritis who were screened in the national survey.

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Background: Critically ill patients are exposed to several physical and emotional stressors, needing analgesic and sedative drugs to tolerate invasive procedures and the harsh intensive care unit (ICU) environment. However, this pharmacological therapy presents several side effects: guidelines suggest using a light sedation target, keeping critically ill patients calm, conscious, and cooperative. Personalized music therapy (MT) can reduce stress and anxiety, decreasing the need for drugs.

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Background: Nowadays children live in a digital world, exposed to relevant risks for their health and safety. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of multimedia devices in a sample of children and adolescents.

Methods: The study was performed between November 2018 and June 2019 in a third-level University Hospital, recruiting children and adolescents during general or specialistic follow-up visits.

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Introduction: The role of rehabilitation during and after the COVID-19 pandemia was influenced by the progressive acquisition of knowledge on the pathology with the adaptation of the rehabilitative instruments to the heterogeneous impairments of the patients. The aim of this systematic review is to describe the effects of the rehabilitation tools applied in the last three years in the different phases of the COVID-19 disease.

Evidence Acquisition: A literature search of MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) was conducted.

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Background: The adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV), consisting of varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E (gE) and the AS01 adjuvant system, effectively prevents herpes zoster (HZ). In the absence of a well-defined correlate of protection, it is important to monitor the RZV immune response, as a proxy of clinical effectiveness.

Methods: This systematic review examined post-vaccination parameters: humoral and cell-mediated immunity, avidity index, geometric mean concentration of antibody (GMC), and immunity persistence.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A review of recent literature (last 10 years) focused on clinical trials, guidelines, and systematic reviews, primarily about stroke rehabilitation and epicondylitis, revealing moderate-low bias in results.
  • * Overall, the evidence supports the effectiveness of botulinum toxin for pain management, although there are some limitations in study designs and clarity of findings in the existing research.
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Objectives: To estimate the incidence and prevalence of SLE in Italy, and to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed SLE.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using The Health Improvement Network general practice database in Italy, encompassing data from 634 753 people. SLE cases were identified over the period 2017-2022, employing three alternative definitions to provide a more detailed understanding of SLE characteristics.

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Carbohydrates and lipids provide the majority of substrates to fuel mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Metabolic inflexibility, defined as an impaired ability to switch between these fuels, is implicated in a number of metabolic diseases. Here, we explore the mechanism by which physical inactivity promotes metabolic inflexibility in skeletal muscle.

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Introduction: Enuresis (NE) is a socially stigmatising and stressful condition affecting children's and parent's quality of life. The aim of this review was to evaluate and summarize the current knowledge about the pharmacological and non-pharmacological traditional and innovative treatments in children with NE.

Material And Methods: We examined the following bibliographic electronic databases: PubMed and the Cochrane Library, from January 2000 until July 2023.

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  • The Italian Academy of Pediatrics, along with several professional societies, is creating a position paper aimed at providing guidance on standardized support for adolescents with Gender Dysphoria (GD).
  • The treatment approach emphasizes a collaborative process involving families and healthcare professionals, ensuring that care is personalized and evidence-based while addressing individual needs.
  • Establishing accredited multidisciplinary centers is vital to delivering high-quality care and combating discrimination based on gender identity.
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Musculoskeletal pain is a common symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that is not adequately treated with current dopaminergic drugs. This pilot study sought to investigate the effect of focal muscle vibration (fMV) on a group of Parkinson's disease patients suffering from chronic cervical pain. In addition to conventional physiotherapy, twenty-two patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (Hoehn and Yahr stages II-III) received three weeks of bilateral focal musclevibration to the trapezius muscles.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is defined by progressive worsening of gait, posture, and balance, as well as disability in daily life activities, and improvement in chronic musculoskeletal pain, particularly neck pain associated with worsening of balance. The study's goal is to look into the relationship between scoliosis, balance, and cervical pain in Parkinson's disease patients. Cross-sectional, pilot study.

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