Neurodevelopmental outcome of preterm very low birth weight infants admitted to an Italian tertiary center over an 11-year period.

Preterm very low birth weight infants (VLBWi) are known to be at greater risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcome. Identifying early factors associated with outcome is essential in order to refer patients for early intervention. Few studies have investigated neurodevelopmental outcome in Italian VLBWi.

Depressive symptoms and maternal psychological distress during early infancy: A pilot study in preterm as compared with term mother-infant dyads.

Background: Preterm birth does not only affect infants but also represents an unexpected and traumatic event for parents. There are few reports on parenting stress during early infancy comparing preterm and term mothers, with the results being somewhat inconsistent.

Methods: As part of a longitudinal study, preterm mother-infant and term mother-infant dyads were enrolled.

Effect of maternal psychopathology on neurodevelopmental outcome and quality of the dyadic relationship in preterm infants: an explorative study.

The literature shows that parents of preterm infants are at risk of psychological distress and that this may impact on the quality of the parent-child relationship and on the child's development. This longitudinal study was conducted to examine in preterm infants relationships between maternal psychological variables, parental protective factors, perinatal infant variables, and neurodevelopmental outcome. Furthermore, we explored the impact of these variables on the quality of the mother-infant relationship (dyadic synchrony).

The Mother-Child Relationship during the First Months of Life: Preliminary Considerations in Preterm as Compared with Term Mother-Infant Dyads.

Introduction:  From the prognostic perspective, the quality of the mother-child relationship during the first months of life has been variously associated with different factors such as the child's psychomotor/cognitive development and emotional-behavioral disorders.

Methods:  The main aim of this study was to describe, at term age and 3 months of corrected age, the features and the prevalent patterns of the mother-child relationship in a group of 20 mother-preterm infant dyads and to compare them with those of a group of 20 mother-term infant dyads.

Results:  A relatively high rate of inadequate dyadic synchrony was found in our sample of preterms at 40 weeks of gestational age (half of the sample analyzed).

Exploring Autoimmunity in a Cohort of Children with Genetically Confirmed Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the presence of autoimmune manifestations and characterize the autoantibody production in a cohort of patients with Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS).

Methods: Seventeen patients with a genetically-confirmed diagnosis of AGS were recruited. At the time of enrollment, past medical and family history was reviewed, looking for possible signs or symptoms of autoimmune disorders.