Publications by authors named "MAFFEI G"

Background: The issue of retreatment with surfactant of infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) has been poorly investigated. Our aim was to identify possible clinical predictors of the need for multiple doses of surfactant in a large cohort of very preterm infants.

Methods: Data were analyzed from three previous studies on infants born between 25 and 31 weeks of gestation with RDS who were treated with surfactant.

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Importance: A multicenter randomized clinical trial (RCT) showed a lung recruitment maneuver using high-frequency oscillatory ventilation just before surfactant administration (ie, intubate-recruit-surfactant-extubate [IN-REC-SUR-E]) improved the efficacy of treatment compared with the standard intubate-surfactant-extubate (IN-SUR-E) technique without increasing the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes.

Objective: To examine follow-up outcomes at corrected postnatal age (cPNA) 2 years of preterm infants previously enrolled in an RCT and treated with IN-REC-SUR-E or IN-SUR-E in 35 tertiary neonatal intensive care units.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a follow-up study of infants recruited into the primary RCT from 2015 to 2018 at 35 tertiary neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Italy.

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Background: Early-life antibiotic exposure is disproportionately high compared to the burden of culture-proven early-onset sepsis (CP-EOS). We assessed the contribution of culture-negative cases to the overall antibiotic exposure in the first postnatal week.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis across eleven countries in Europe, North America, and Australia.

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Di(ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant to which humans are exposed via multiple routes. Human health risk assessments for this substance have recently been updated, focusing on reproductive toxicity, including DEHP, in the list of chemicals classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction (CMR). Moreover, DEHP has also been defined as probably and possibly carcinogenic to humans based on its carcinogenicity in rodents.

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  • This study investigates the effectiveness of two surfactant administration methods—INtubate-RECruit-SURfactant-Extubate (IN-REC-SUR-E) and less invasive surfactant administration (LISA)—on improving BPD-free survival in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).
  • A total of 382 preterm infants, born at 24-27 weeks' gestation and not intubated at birth, will be randomly assigned to either method within the first 24 hours of life. The primary outcome being measured is a combination of death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age.
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In humans, nephrogenesis is completed by 32-36 weeks gestation, with a highly variable total number of nephrons, ranging from 200,000 to over 2 million. Premature birth disrupts the development and maturation of the kidneys, leading to a reduction in the final number of nephrons. Due to significant genetic variability in the number of nephrons among individuals, it is crucial to identify premature infants with fewer nephrons at birth as early as possible.

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Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are the major components of long-chain per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), known for their chemical stability and environmental persistence. Even if PFOA and PFOS have been phased out or are limited in use, they still represent a concern for human and environmental health. Several studies have been per­formed to highlight the toxicological behavior of these chemicals and their mode of action (MoA).

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  • - The study focuses on RSV, a common virus causing severe respiratory infections in infants, particularly in those under two months old, and evaluates its impact on hospitalizations at Policlinico Foggia Hospital in Italy from 2011 to 2023.
  • - Data from 1,005 RSV cases reveals that most hospitalizations occur during winter months, with a significant majority of affected patients being under one year old, and highlights that factors such as younger age, longer hospital stays, and prematurity increase disease severity.
  • - The financial burden of RSV hospitalizations averages around 3,036 euros annually, with costs being notably higher for the youngest patients, indicating the potential benefits of new immunization strategies, including the use of monoclon
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  • Half of very preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome fail treatment with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) and need mechanical ventilation (MV).
  • This study aimed to compare nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) and NCPAP during less invasive surfactant treatment (LISA) for improving respiratory outcomes.
  • Results showed no significant difference in respiratory outcomes between NIPPV and NCPAP, suggesting that both methods are equally effective and safe during LISA.
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In the present paper, multifunctional flower-like nanoparticles were synthesized to be used in the leather finishing. They are capable of conferring simultaneously and synergistic antimicrobial, self-cleaning, light resistance, hydrophobic, mechanical, thermal, and fluorescent properties due to the presence of Ag, TiO, and SiO NPs. These nanoparticles form a "flower-like" structure in which the "pistil" is made up of TiO and the "petals" that surround it of silver nanoparticles and silica nanoparticles, whose dimensions are of the order of ten nanometers.

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Objectives: To describe how SARS-CoV-2 infection at the time of delivery affected maternal and neonatal outcomes across four major waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

Methods: This is a large, prospective, nationwide cohort study collecting maternal and neonatal data in case of maternal peripartum SARS-CoV-2 infection between February 2020 and March 2022. Data were stratified across the four observed pandemic waves.

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  • Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of hospitalizations in infants, largely due to RSV, with this study focused on infants in the Apulia region of Italy in 2021.
  • Data was collected from 349 infants aged 0-12 months, finding that a significant majority were under 3 months old and required oxygen support, with high hospitalization rates peaking in November.
  • The study highlighted that younger infants faced worse outcomes, including higher rates of needing intensive care and longer hospital stays, underscoring the severity of bronchiolitis in this age group.
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  • - Antibiotic use during infancy can disrupt the microbiome and contribute to higher antimicrobial resistance, which may lead to chronic health issues later on in life.
  • - The main reason for excessive antibiotic treatment in newborns is the concern about potentially missing cases of neonatal sepsis.
  • - The authors call for a more balanced approach that weighs the risks of overtreatment against the actual risks of disease, advocating for better management of antibiotics and sepsis care.
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Importance: Appropriate use of antibiotics is life-saving in neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS), but overuse of antibiotics is associated with antimicrobial resistance and long-term adverse outcomes. Large international studies quantifying early-life antibiotic exposure along with EOS incidence are needed to provide a basis for future interventions aimed at safely reducing neonatal antibiotic exposure.

Objective: To compare early postnatal exposure to antibiotics, incidence of EOS, and mortality among different networks in high-income countries.

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Mood is an important ingredient of decision-making. Human beings are immersed into a sea of ​​emotions where episodes of high mood alternate with episodes of low mood. While changes in mood are well characterized, little is known about how these fluctuations interact with metacognition, and in particular with confidence about our decisions.

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Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a rare autosomal-dominant disorder of the connective tissue with some typical vascular findings, skeletal manifestations, craniofacial features, and cutaneous findings with a wide phenotypic spectrum. Six different genes are involved in LDS and the diagnosis is based on the identification of a heterozygous pathogenic variant in , , , , , or in children with suggestive findings. These genes distinguish LDS into six classes (LDS1-LDS6, respectively).

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Unlabelled: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common in early childhood. It has been demonstrated that neonatal acidemia at delivery can lead to significant neonatal morbidity. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between acidemia at birth and the development of FGIDs, as regurgitation, colic, and constipation, in term infants.

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Background: During the pandemic of SARS-Cov-2, among other clinical and public health issues, a major concern raised by SARS-CoV-2 is the possibility of transmission of the infection from mother to child in the perinatal period. This has placed a question mark on the safety of breastfeeding, with ambiguity on the joint management of SARS-CoV-2 positive or suspected mothers and their children. It was aimed to evaluate breastfeeding rates for newborns of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers who were temporarily separated from their babies at birth, compared to those who were not separated.

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Background: Idiopathic hemoperitoneum in the newborn is an entity very rarely encountered in clinical practice.

Case Presentation: A case of scrotal hemorrhage (SH) associated with intrabdominal hemorrhaging and acute anemia is presented. Indications for early surgery included a massive scrotal hematoma, rapid onset of severe anemia, and unknown etiology.

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The study was aimed at describing potential indirect effects of pandemic-related measures on very-low-birthweight infants in four Italian NICUs. No overall change in late-onset sepsis (LOS) and necrotizing enterocolitis was documented. However, in the NICU where baseline LOS rate was high, a significant reduction in LOS incidence was recorded.

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As the Coronavirus situation (COVID-19) continues to evolve, many questions concerning the factors relating to the diffusion and severity of the disease remain unanswered.Whilst opinions regarding the weight of evidence for these risk factors, and the studies published so far are often inconclusive or offer contrasting results, the role of comorbidities in the risk of serious adverse outcomes in patients affected with COVID-19 appears to be evident since the outset. Hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are under discussion as important factors affecting the severity of disease.

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As the novel coronavirus disease sweeps across the world, there is growing speculation on the role that atmospheric factors may have played on the different distribution of SARS-CoV-2, and on the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19. Knowing the role that environmental factors play in influenza virus outbreaks, environmental pollution and, in particular, atmospheric airborne (particulate matter, PM) has been considered as a potential key factor in the spread and mortality of COVID-19. A possible role of the PM as the virus carrier has also been debated.

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This paper addresses how impairments in prediction in young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) relate to their behavior during collaboration. To assess it, we developed a task where participants play in collaboration with a synthetic agent to maximize their score. The agent's behavior changes during the different phases of the game, requiring participants to model the agent's sensorimotor contingencies to play collaboratively.

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The authors describe a case of acute respiratory failure due to severe bronchiolitis. During high-flow nasal cannula ventilation, the blood's high levels of hypercapnia had taken them to plan the sedation and the orotracheal intubation. However, before attempting intubation, a nasal high frequency oscillatory ventilation cycle was performed and it led to a marked improvement in the blood gas, avoiding in this way the invasive ventilation.

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