Acute rheumatic fever prophylaxis in high-income countries: clinical observations from an Italian multicentre, retrospective study.

Objectives: The aim of the study is to evaluate the compliance rate to secondary prophylaxis and the presence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in a cohort of Italian patients with acute rheumatic fever (ARF).

Methods: This is a multicentre retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups by the presence or absence at last follow-up of RHD.

Respiratory syncytial virus infection in a Sicilian pediatric population: risk factors, epidemiology, and severity.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of hospitalization for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in young children worldwide. This study evaluated the epidemiological and clinical patterns of RSV infection in infants hospitalized for LRTIs in Sicily. Over a 7-month period (October 1, 2005 to April 30, 2006), all children <2 years of age hospitalized for LRTIs were evaluated and tested for respiratory viruses.