A new epidemic wave of Bordetella pertussis in paediatric population: impact and role of co-infections in pertussis disease.

Background: In recent months, Bordetella pertussis has reappeared after maintaining a low rate for many years. Although pertussis is usually characterized by a favorable course, several factors can contribute to the severity of the disease, such as mixed respiratory infections. In this study, we evaluate B.

Depression and Distress Screening in Oncology Patients: A Descriptive Analysis.

This retrospective study aimed to describe the characteristics of cancer patients undergoing depression and distress screening at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and to assess factors associated with their screening results. Data were retrieved from electronic medical records of adult Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center patients with at least one oncology encounter between January 2021 and June 2022, who underwent both depression and distress screening using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2/9 for depression and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network distress thermometer for distress during the encounter. Demographics, clinical factors, and screening results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression.

Occult Serious Bacterial Infections in Neonates and Infants Up to Three Months of Age with Bronchiolitis: Are Invasive Cultures Required?

(1) Background: The literature reports a low risk of serious bacterial infections (SBIs) in febrile infants presenting with bronchiolitis or respiratory syncytial virus infection, but current microbiological techniques have a higher accuracy. (2) Methods: We assessed the risk of SBIs in neonates and infants with bronchiolitis from 2021 to 2023. We also evaluated C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and leukocyte values.

Normative Values for the Children Voice Handicap Index-10 (CVHI-10) and for the Children Voice Handicap Index-10 for Parents (CVHI-10-P).

Objectives: The objective of this study was to establish normative data and cut-off scores for the Children Voice Handicap Index-10 (CVHI-10) and the Children Voice Handicap Index-10 for Parents (CVHI-10-P) METHODS: For normative data, CVHI-10 and CVHI-10-P questionnaires originally developed in the Italian language were completed by 201 children without dysphonia and with no history of voice disorders, and by 1 of their parents. The results were analyzed for mean, standard deviation (SD), and standard error of the mean (SEM) for both questionnaires. For cut-off values determination, data from 49 dysphonic children and from 1 of their parents were also used.

Clinical, histologic, and immunologic signatures of Small Fiber Neuropathy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Background And Objectives: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) often causes damage to small nerve fibers, leading to distressing painful and autonomic symptoms. Despite this, Small Fiber Neuropathy (SFN) remains an underrecognized complication for SLE patients. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to assess SFN in patients with SLE and to explore its correlations with immunologic disease features and clinical manifestations.

Hydroxychloroquine-induced generalized myopathy in a patient with lupus tumidus: a case report.

A subtype of cutaneous lupus erythematosus known as lupus erythematosus tumidus (LET) is characterized by sun-exposed areas that typically display urticaria-like papules and plaques. For LET, systemic therapy with antimalarials - particularly hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) - is the first line of treatment. Even though the safety profile of these medications appears to be high, there have been very few reports of side effects in the literature, including hemolytic anemia, retinal toxicity, maculopapular rash, gastrointestinal disturbance, and blue-gray discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes.

Presence and Significance of Multiple Respiratory Viral Infections in Children Admitted to a Tertiary Pediatric Hospital in Italy.

Viral co-infections are frequently observed among children, but whether specific viral interactions enhance or diminish the severity of respiratory disease is still controversial. This study aimed to investigate the type of viral mono- and co-infections by also evaluating viral correlations in 3525 respiratory samples from 3525 pediatric in/outpatients screened by the Allplex Respiratory Panel Assays and with a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-COronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) test available. Overall, viral co-infections were detected in 37.

Whooping Cough Cases Increase in Central Italy after COVID-19 Pandemic.

Pertussis continues to be a highly contagious respiratory infection, especially in children, with cyclical peaks of disease spread every three to five years. Here, we report relevant cases of infection between August 2023 and January 2024, and compare them with prevalence in pediatric patients admitted to the Reference Italian Pediatric Hospital, located in Rome, from January 2015 to July 2023. A total of 5464 tests for were performed during the study period, and 6.

Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Origin in Children: Analysis of 17 Cases Admitted to the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome.

This study described 17 cases of children admitted to the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital with acute hepatitis of unknown origin between mid-April and November 2022. Following the World Health Organization's working case definition of probable cases, 17 children, with a median age of 2.1 years (interquartile range: 1.

Dermoscopy as a Tool for Identifying Potentially Metastatic Thin Melanoma: A Clinical-Dermoscopic and Histopathological Case-Control Study.

Despite being early-stage tumors, thin cutaneous melanomas contribute significantly to mortality and have a rising incidence. A retrospective case-control study was performed to identify clinical-dermoscopic and histopathological variables linked to local and distant metastases in melanomas ≤0.8 mm.

Studying the stability of polymer nanoparticles by size exclusion chromatography of radioactive polymers.

The properties of nanomedicines will influence how they can deliver drugs to patients reproducibly and effectively. For conventional pharmaceutical products, Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) documents require monitoring stability and storage conditions. For nanomedicines, studying these important considerations is hindered by a lack of appropriate methods.

Prognostic Value of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Genetic Alterations in Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.

Introduction: Evidence is limited on whether fibroblast growth factor receptor gene alterations (FGFRalt) impact clinical outcomes in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC). This study evaluated progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with mUC based on FGFRalt status in the first-line setting (1L).

Patients And Methods: Data on mUC patients were retrieved via convenience sampling of oncologists/urologists surveyed between August and September 2020 who treated at least 1 FGFRalt patient between July 2017 and June 2019.

The effect of cellular nuclear function alteration on the pathogenesis of shoulder adhesive capsulitis: an immunohistochemical study on lamin A/C expression.

Background: The network of intermediate filament proteins underlying the inner nuclear membrane forms the nuclear lamina. Lamins have been associated with important cellular functions: DNA replication, chromatin organization, differentiation of the cell, apoptosis and in maintenance of nuclear structure. Little is known regarding the etiopathogenesis of adhesive capsulitis (AC); recently, a dysregulating fibrotic response starting from a subpopulation has been described within the fibroblast compartment, which suddenly turns on an activated phenotype.

Faster refill in an urban emergency medical services system saves lives: A prospective preliminary evaluation of a prehospital advanced resuscitative care bundle.

Introduction: Military experience has demonstrated mortality improvement when advanced resuscitative care (ARC) is provided for trauma patients with severe hemorrhage. The benefits of ARC for trauma in civilian emergency medical services (EMS) systems with short transport intervals are still unknown. We hypothesized that ARC implementation in an urban EMS system would reduce in-hospital mortality.

Are lung ultrasound features more severe in infants with bronchiolitis and coinfections?

Background: The lung ultrasound (LUS) score can be a useful tool to predict the need for respiratory support and the length of hospital stay in infants with bronchiolitis.

Objective: To compare lung ultrasound features in neonates and infants up to three months of age with bronchiolitis to determine whether LUS scores (range 0-36) differ in infants with coinfections or not.

Methods: Neonates and infants younger than three months admitted to neonatal units from October 2022 to March 2023, who underwent lung ultrasound evaluation on admission, were included in this retrospective study.

Assessment of Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia (VIN) Grades Based on Dermoscopic Features: A Diagnostic Study.

Introduction: Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) is a vulvar skin lesion considered a precursor of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma. No characteristics have been discovered to date that allows us to differentiate between grades of VIN, such as correlating the thickness of involvement of the epithelium (VIN1, VIN2, and VIN3) to the dermoscopic pattern.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to correlate the clinical and dermoscopic features of VIN cases with histopathological findings, with the purpose of identifying dermoscopic characteristics that allow us to differentiate between different grades of VIN.

[Case Report: MPO-ANCA Associated Vasculitis After Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination].

We report a case of MPO-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody ANCA-associated vasculitis, with pulmonary-renal syndrome, after the mRNA booster third dose vaccine Pfizer BioNTech against COVID-19 in 71-year-old Caucasian man with no specific past medical history. A kidney biopsy diagnosed ANCA-associated pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis. Renal function and constitutional symptoms have been partially improved with treatment with dialysis, intravenous rituximab and steroid pulse therapy.

Spatial Proximity and Relative Distribution of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Macrophages Predict Survival in Melanoma.

Tumor microenvironment plays a crucial role in primary cutaneous melanoma (CM) progression. Although the role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) density has been known for a long time, its spatial distribution and impact with or without tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) remain controversial. Herein, we investigated spatial proximity between tumor cells and immune cells in 113 primary CM and its correlation with disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Recognition in Primary Melanoma by Deep Learning Convolutional Neural Network.

The presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is associated with a favorable prognosis of primary melanoma (PM). Recently, artificial intelligence (AI)-based approach in digital pathology was proposed for the standardized assessment of TILs on hematoxylin and eosin-stained whole slide images (WSIs). Herein, the study applied a new convolution neural network (CNN) analysis of PM WSIs to automatically assess the infiltration of TILs and extract a TIL score.

Influenza viruses circulation in a tertiary care children hospital in Rome: a comparison between 2022 and the previous 5 years.

Background: Influenza surveillance aims to determine onset, duration and intensity of the seasonal Influence-like Illness (ILI); data collection begins in the week 42 of a year and ends in the week 17 of the following year. In this observational study, we report the experience of a tertiary care children hospital in Rome about Influenza viruses circulation during the calendar year 2022 (January-December) in comparison with the previous five years (2017-2021), with a special focus on the weeks 18-41, usually not under surveillance.

Methods: This retrospective study involved 36782 respiratory samples referred to 21354 patients (pts), median age 2.

Case Report: Resolution of Lichen Planus Pemphigoides as an unexpected outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

It is well known that viral infections play a relevant role in inducing or protecting from autoimmune diseases, thus representing a major environmental factor in the disruption of the immune system in genetically susceptible individuals. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic a great number of clinical and epidemiological studies have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection is no exception to the rule by interfering on many different levels in the normal functioning of our immune system. Even though a growing number of case series and case reports has been cited in the literature linking the infection to the new onset of autoimmune diseases, to date very little has been reported concerning a possible correlation between the virus and the clinical resolution of any kind of autoimmune pathology.