Biologics and small molecules: the re-evolution in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in children and adolescents. Current state of the art and future perspectives.

Introduction: In recent years, the understanding of atopic dermatitis (AD) pathogenetic mechanisms has expanded and now it is recognized that Th2 immune axis dysregulation is pivotal to AD pathogenesis. The advent of biological drugs and small molecules have marked a revolution in the treatment of AD. Dupilumab, targeting IL-4 and IL-13, has been the first to demonstrate efficacy in treating moderate to severe AD by modulating type-2 inflammation pathways.

Ultrasound imaging for sternoclavicular joint involvement in enthesitis-related arthritis: A closer look at capsular enthesitis.

Introduction: Enthesitis-related arthritis is a specific subtype of juvenile idiopathic arthritis characterised by the co-presence of arthritis and enthesitis or the evidence of one of them coupled with at least two among sacroiliac joint tenderness, inflammatory back pain, presence of human leukocyte antigen-B27, acute symptomatic anterior uveitis, onset in a male child aged 6 years or older or history of spondyloarthropathy in a first-degree relative. Small joints like the sternoclavicular joint are rarely affected, and the prevalence of their involvement in enthesitis-related arthritis has been poorly assessed in the pertinent literature.

Case Report: The authors report an atypical case of left sternoclavicular joint arthritis/enthesitis in a 12-year-old male child with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Lung function trajectories in children with early diagnosis of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis (BE) is defined as a clinical syndrome of recurrent, persistent wet cough and abnormal bronchial dilatation on chest High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) scans. The aims of this study were to characterize the pattern of the trajectories of lung function parameters and to consider the relationship between the lung function and radiological severity according to the modified Reiff score.

Methods: The study retrospectively considered 86 children (46.

Enhancing Anatomy Education Throu€gh Flipped Classroom and Adaptive Learning A Pilot Project on Liver Anatomy.

Objectives: Anatomy education plays a critical role in medical practice, and the level of anatomical knowledge among students and physicians significantly impacts patient care. This article presents a pilot project aimed at exploring the effectiveness of the Area9's Rhapsode platform, an intelligent tutoring system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize learning and collect data on mastery acquisition.

Methods: The study focused on liver anatomy (microscopic and macroscopic anatomy, embryology, clinical anatomy) and employed a flipped classroom approach, incorporating adaptive learning modules and an interactive in-class session.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor is a T cell-negative costimulatory molecule.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) is a key regulator of glucose metabolism known to be expressed by pancreatic β cells. We herein investigated the role of GLP-1R on T lymphocytes during immune response. Our data showed that a subset of T lymphocytes expresses GLP-1R, which is upregulated during alloimmune response, similarly to PD-1.

Quadrivalent Live-Attenuated Influenza Vaccine in Milan preschools: an Italian experience of school-located flu vaccination within the 2022-2023 season.

Background: In Italy, since the 2020-2021 flu season, the flu vaccine recommendation was extended to all children aged 6 months to 6 years and quadrivalent Live-Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (qLAIV) was introduced. Since school-aged children are important carriers of annual influenza epidemics, a school-based influenza vaccination program may potentially increase vaccine uptake. Recent studies, conducted in the UK and the US, show that school-based vaccination can reach higher percentage of paediatric vaccination coverage compared to children vaccinated in other settings.

Executive Functions Rehabilitation in Premature Children Using an Adaptive Motion-Interaction Videogame Platform: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Premature children are at increased risk of executive functions (EF) deficits and these difficulties persist into adolescence and adulthood, potentially undermining their development and academic achievements. The aim of the present randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to evaluate the efficacy of the Intendu trainer, an adaptive virtual reality platform, at ameliorating EF in preterm children. A single-center, RCT was conducted.

Duodenal stenosis, an unusual presentation of eosinophilic gastroenteritis: a case report.

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) are rare, chronic inflammatory disorders characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms and clinical presentations vary depending on the site and layer of the gastrointestinal wall infiltrated by eosinophils. Gastrointestinal obstruction is a serious, though uncommon, presentation.

Towards genomic-Newborn Screening: Technical feasibility of Exome Sequencing starting from dried blood spots.

Each year thousands of babies are born with rare genetic disorders not identified by current NBS panels, due to programs which are not yet optimal. Next-generation sequencing technologies have the potential to overcome many NBS drawbacks and provide large amounts of molecular data, broadening the number of diseases investigated. Here, we design and set up an NGS-based approach to evaluate the feasibility of NGS from dried blood spot starting from 34 DBSs.

Lung Function Evaluated By Structured Light Plethysmography in Children After Lung Surgery: A Preliminary Analysis.

Structured light plethysmography (SLP) is a novel light-based method that captures chest wall movements to evaluate tidal breathing. Thirty-two children who underwent lung surgery were enrolled. Their clinical history was collected along with spirometry and SLP.

Recurrent Respiratory Infections in Children with Down Syndrome: A Review.

Down Syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal abnormality compatible with life. The life of patients suffering from DS can be strongly impacted by Recurrent Respiratory tract Infections (RRIs), leading to an increased rate of hospitalisation, a higher need for intensive care and fatality. With a literature review, we summarise here the main etiological factors for RRI in this category of patients, particularly focusing on airway malformations such as tracheomalacia, tracheal bronchus and bronchomalacia, comorbidities associated with the syndrome, like congenital heart diseases, dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux, musculoskeletal involvement and obesity, and immunologic impairments, involving both innate and adaptive immunity.

Umbilical cord stump medication with a topical dermo protective powder compared to dry care in healthy full-term and near-term newborns: a two-center prospective cohort study.

Background: Proper umbilical cord stump care during the first days of life (both in hospital and at home) should not be overlooked to prevent possible complications (e.g., purulent discharge, granulomas, or periumbilical erythema or omphalitis).

Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in HIV-vertically infected young patients after three doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Background: Data on the efficacy of three SARS-CoV-2 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine doses and the role of previous SARS-CoV-2-infection in enhancing vaccine immunogenicity in HIV-vertically-infected people living with HIV (PLWH) are limited, as is the duration of vaccine-induced responses.

Methods: SARS-CoV-2 plasma neutralizing activity (NA) against the European (B.1), Delta (B.

Epidemiology and molecular analyses of respiratory syncytial virus in the 2021-2022 season in northern Italy.

Background: Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection among infants and young children worldwide, with seasonal peaks in January and February. This study aimed to characterize the RSV samples from a pediatric cohort in the 2021-2022 season in Italy.

Methods: In total, 104 samples were collected from pediatric patients attending the "Vittore Buzzi" Children's Hospital in Milan, Italy in the 2021-2022 season.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in children affected by oncologic, neurologic and liver diseases: a narrative review.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) consist of a broad group of restorative resources often linked to existing local cultures and established health care systems and are also increasingly used in children with some serious illnesses. In this narrative review, we examine the epidemiology of the use, efficacy, and safety of complementary and alternative medicine in pediatric oncology, neurology, and hepatology. We searched for relevant articles published in Pubmed evaluating CAM use and its efficacy in safety in children affected by oncologic, neurologic and liver diseases.

Early lung diffusion abnormalities and airways' inflammation in children with type 1 diabetes.

Background And Aims Of The Study: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) impacts lung function and exercise capacity in adults, but limited information is available in children. We hypothesize that T1D causes alterations in pulmonary function and cardiorespiratory fitness, i.e.

P-DOR, an easy-to-use pipeline to reconstruct bacterial outbreaks using genomics.

Summary: Bacterial Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are a major threat worldwide, which can be counteracted by establishing effective infection control measures, guided by constant surveillance and timely epidemiological investigations. Genomics is crucial in modern epidemiology but lacks standard methods and user-friendly software, accessible to users without a strong bioinformatics proficiency. To overcome these issues we developed P-DOR, a novel tool for rapid bacterial outbreak characterization.

Resting energy expenditure in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: accuracy of available prediction formulas and development of population-specific methods.

Introduction: Energy requirements are difficult to estimate in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Resting energy expenditure (REE), necessary to implement personalized nutritional interventions, is most commonly estimated using prediction formulae since indirect calorimetry, the reference method, is not available in all nutrition units. The aims of the present study were: (1) to evaluate the accuracy of the most commonly used REE prediction formulae developed for healthy children, in children with CP; (2) to assess the accuracy of the REE population-specific formula for CP children proposed in our preliminary report; (3) to develop new population-specific methods.

Preschool-located influenza vaccination and influenza-like illness surveillance: an Italian pilot experience.

Background: We describe the first school-located influenza vaccination campaign with quadrivalent live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) among pre-school children in Italy, coupled with an innovative school-centred influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) surveillance using a self-sampling non-invasive saliva collection method.

Methods: The pilot study was proposed during the 2021/2022 influenza season to fifteen pre-schools in the Milan municipality. LAIV was offered directly in school to all healthy children without contraindications.