Serious Games in the new era of digital-health interventions: A narrative review of their therapeutic applications to manage neurobehavior in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders generally show adaptive, cognitive and motor skills impairments associated with behavioral problems, i.e., alterations in attention, anxiety and stress regulation, emotional and social relationships, which strongly limit their quality of life.

Cardiac function in adolescents and young adults with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome without congenital heart disease.

Background: Diagnosis and treatment of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) have led to improved life expectancy and achievement of adulthood.

Is There a Chance of Normal Life in Severe Laryngeal web.

Introduction: Laryngeal web is a rare cause of pediatric stridor and respiratory distress. The clinical presentation is variable and symptoms usually correlate with the severity of the airway obstruction.

Case Reports: We describe the cases of three children unexpectedly diagnosed with laryngeal web after a severe episode of bronchiolitis and after thirteen and eleven years, respectively, of persistent symptoms despite asthma medications.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Reduced Physical Activity: Is There an Impact on Healthy and Asthmatic Children?

Physical activity (PA) has been seen to improve asthma symptoms, lung function, and quality of life, as well as to reduce airway inflammation and bronchial responsiveness. As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the minimal amount of PA recommended by the World Health Organization-i.e.

Impact of a supervised training course on spirometry competency for primary care pediatricians.

Objective: Spirometry is the most commonly performed lung function test, and performance, adherence to acceptability and repeatability criteria, and accurate interpretation of results help optimize the test's usefulness. This study aimed to measure the effects of spirometry training courses supported by the Italian Pediatric Respiratory Society (IPRS) on primary care pediatricians' (PCP) knowledge of spirometry test quality, ability to interpret results, and overall degree of satisfaction with the course.

Methods: Of the six face-to-face courses, four lasted two days and two lasted one day: mean duration of theoretical lessons was five and four hours respectively; and practical sessions lasted eight and six hours, respectively.

Italian pediatric respiratory society recommendations on pediatric pulmonary function testing during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Effective prevention and control strategies are mandatory to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Main Text: The Italian Pediatric Respiratory Society promotes a series of new recommendations that should be followed in pulmonary function testing laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion: Pulmonary function testing should be performed in children with chronic lung disease only if it is needed to guide management and limited to the necessary tests, namely spirometry.

Direct and indirect effects of Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) on lung function in children: A mediation analysis.

Background: Studies on pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) children are lacking. The aims of this study were: (i) to investigate PFTs in GHD pre-pubertal children with respect to Controls, before starting Growth Hormone Therapy (GHT) (T0); (ii) to evaluate changes of PFTs in GHD vs Controls, after 1-year GHT (T1). For both aims the mediation analysis (MA) was applied to evaluate the extent to which the relationship between GHD and PFTs could be ascribed to a height-mediated (indirect) or a GH direct effect.

Effects of inhaled hypertonic (7%) saline on lung function test in preschool children with cystic fibrosis: results of a crossover, randomized clinical trial.

Background: This crossover, randomized, double-blind study (conducted over a 32-week period) was performed to determine, in clinically stable Cystic fibrosis (CF) preschool children: the effects of 7% inhaled hypertonic saline on spirometry and interrupter resistance technique (Rint), and the possible side effects.

Methods: Twelve CF children (6M, mean age ± SD: 5.7 ± 0.

Cardiorespiratory fitness: a comparison between children with renal transplantation and children with congenital solitary functioning kidney.

Children with end-stage renal disease are known to have a cardiorespiratory fitness significantly reduced. This is considered to be an independent index predictive of mortality mainly due to cardiovascular accidents. The effects of renal transplantation on cardiorespiratory fitness are incompletely known.

Cardiorespiratory fitness and sports activities in children and adolescents with solitary functioning kidney.

Background: An increasing number of children with chronic disease require a complete medical examination to be able to practice physical activity. Particularly children with solitary functioning kidney (SFK) need an accurate functional evaluation to perform sports activities safely. The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of regular physical activity on the cardiorespiratory function of children with solitary functioning kidney.

Prevalence and risk factors for atopic disease in a population of preschool children in Rome: Challenges to early intervention.

Background: Allergic diseases are complex identities determined by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors, resulting in the clinical manifestation of the disease. So far in Italy, updated data about the prevalence and risk factors of respiratory and allergic diseases in preschool children are not available.

Methods: Children aged 3-5 years, attending four different nursery schools in an urban district of the city of Rome.

Primary school children often underestimate their nasal obstruction.

Background: No consensus has ever been reached about the correlation between nasal resistance and the subjective sensation of nasal patency. The aim of the present study was to better de ne whether primary school and secondary school aged children correctly estimate their nasal obstruction.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred eighty four children (168 males and 116 female) aged between 6 and 14 years (9.

Sublingual immunotherapy in children and its potential beneficial collateral effect on respiratory tract infections.

Although directed to the control of allergic symptoms, a possible effect of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) on susceptibility to infections has been hypothesized. Two hundred sixty-five children aged between 3 and 4 years of age affected by allergic rhinitis completed a 6 year prospective case-control study. One hundred forty-three children after 2 years of SLIT reported a lower prevalence of respiratory tract infections when compared to children not undergoing SLIT.

Intranasal budesonide in children affected by persistent allergic rhinitis and its effect on nasal patency and Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) score.

Background: Intranasal steroids are recognized as an effective treatment for allergic rhinitis (AR) although their effect on nasal patency has never been evaluated with an objective instrument such as anterior rhinomanometry in children. Moreover this effect has been widely assessed with total Nasal Symptom Scores (NSS) including all symptoms of allergic rhinitis and not with scores specifically focused on nasal obstruction such as the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation score (NOSE).

Materials And Methods: Sixty children (42 males and 18 female) aged 6-10 years, affected by persistent AR, were randomized and divided in two groups of 30 children to be included in an unblinded trial: one group treated with intranasal budesonide and isotonic nasal saline for 2 weeks and the other group treated only with isotonic nasal saline for 2 weeks.

Duration of a cow-milk exclusion diet worsens parents' perception of quality of life in children with food allergies.

Background: In Italy, rigorous studies obtained with specific and validated questionnaires that explore the impact of exclusion diets on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with food allergies are lacking. In this cross-sectional study, we wished to validate the Italian version of a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire, and assess the impact of exclusion diets on the HRQoL in a cohort of Italian children with IgE-mediated food allergies.

Methods: Children on an exclusion diet for ≥1 food were enrolled consecutively, and their parents completed the validated Italian version of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Parent Form (FAQLQ-PF) and Food Allergy Independent Measure (FAIM).

Pediatric asthma evaluation: what's to be considered?

The increasing evidence that asthma begins very early in childhood leads the need for having outcome's measures able to identify the early damage and its evolution both for research than for clinical purposes. The current available methods are clinical questionnaires, pulmonary function tests, airway reactivity tests and direct or indirect inflammation markers' measures. Among the first, ISAAC questionnaire, for epidemiological purpose, Asthma Control Test, for clinical monitoring and Health Related Quality of Life questionnaire are the most used.

Influence of physical activity on cardiorespiratory fitness in children after renal transplantation.

Background: Cardiorespiratory fitness is significantly reduced in children with end-stage renal disease. The role of renal transplantation in improving cardiorespiratory fitness has not been thoroughly investigated.

Methods: In this work, we wanted to assess whether, in children after a successful renal transplant, the amount of weekly physical exercise affects cardiorespiratory fitness and left ventricular mass (LVM).

Cardiopulmonary response to exercise and cardiac assessment in patients with turner syndrome.

Turner syndrome (TS) is a chromosomal disorder; however, little is known about the exercise tolerance of patients with this syndrome. The aim of the present study was to measure the maximal aerobic capacity and cardiac function using cardiopulmonary exercise testing and lung function tests and to evaluate the cardiac parameters using echocardiography in patients with TS and control subjects. A total of 50 women with TS (mean age 21.

Microaspiration in infants with laryngomalacia.

Objectives/hypothesis: Laryngomalacia is the most common congenital laryngeal anomaly and the most frequent cause of stridor in infants. Infants with laryngomalacia may have associated respiratory symptoms other than stridor. In this study, we evaluated whether infants with laryngomalacia have episodes of microaspiration by calculating the amount of lipids present in the alveolar macrophages.

Bronchial adenoma: an unusual cause of recurrent pneumonia in childhood.

Primary lung tumors are rare in childhood and often overlooked owing to the nonspecific presentation. We report the case of a 15-year-old boy with a 3-year history of recurrent pneumonia always involving the right lower lobe due to bronchial mucinous adenoma. After endoscopic removal the tumor recurred locally, necessitating open surgical resection of the tumor.

Bronchial artery embolization for the management of nonmassive hemoptysis in cystic fibrosis.

Study Objectives: Hemoptysis is a common complication in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Current approaches to patients with hemoptysis include conservative medical therapy, bronchial artery embolization (BAE), and surgery. We investigated the effectiveness of early BAE on the outcome in patients with minor bleeding.