Reflections of a paediatric pulmonologist: strategies for optimising lung function tests in preschool children.

In recent years, our clinical practice as paediatric pulmonologists has focused on refining strategies to optimise pulmonary function tests (PFTs) for preschool children, particularly those aged as young as 2 years and 5 months. This viewpoint reflects on our experience conducting over 7000 spirometry and impulse oscillometry (IOS) tests, sharing practical insights into achieving high success rates with young children. We emphasise the importance of creating a child-friendly, minimally stimulating environment, tailored communication using familiar and engaging language, and leveraging gamification and positive reinforcement.

Epileptiform discharges in the context of self-limited pediatric focal epilepsy (EDSelFEC) in pediatric hemispherotomy patients: Role of white matter abnormalities.

Objective: To investigate the frequency of epileptiform discharges associated with self-limited focal epilepsy (EDSelFEC) in children who have undergone a hemispherotomy and to evaluate whether patients with coexistence of EDSelFEC and structural hemispheric epilepsies differ from patients without coexistence of EDSelFEC and whether there are differences between the two groups with regard to preoperative management and postoperative outcome.

Methods: Data on 131 children who underwent a hemispherotomy between January 1999 and January 2015 were retrieved from the Epilepsy center's epilepsy surgery database. Children with EDSelFEC were compared with children without EDSelFEC with respect to epileptogenic hemispheric pathology, family history, age at epilepsy onset, timing of surgery, lesion laterality, preoperative cognitive function, response to sodium channel blocker antiepileptic medication, and surgical outcome.

Risk factors for 3-year mortality in selected patients with Parkinson's disease from a Romanian cohort.

This study aimed to identify and analyze factors associated with a higher risk of 3-year mortality in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) within a Romanian cohort, focusing on individuals with more advanced disease stages as indicated by the Hoehn and Yahr scale. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study on 42 patients with PD treated at the Neurology Clinic I, Cluj-Napoca County Emergency Clinical Hospital, between October 2019 and January 2021. All participants were at stages 2.

Biochemical assessment in a cohort of pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a recessive inherited disorder caused by genetic mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator () gene. It is a multisystem condition that primarily induces abnormal mucus accumulation in the respiratory system and obstructs the intrapancreatic common bile duct, causing a reduction in the delivery of digestive enzymes to the small intestine. Thus, patients with CF are characterized by maldigestion, malabsorption, and recurrent airway bacterial infections.