Brain perfusion changes in beta-thalassemia.

Background: Brain injury in hereditary hemoglobinopathies is commonly attributed to anemia-related relative hypoperfusion in terms of impaired oxygen blood supply. Supratentorial and infratentorial vascular watershed regions seem to be especially vulnerable, but data are very scarce.

Aims: We investigated a large beta-thalassemia sample with arterial spin labeling in order to characterize regional perfusion changes and their correlation with phenotype and anemia severity.

Melatonin mitigates oxidative damage induced by anthracycline: a systematic-review and meta-analysis of murine models.

Background: Oxidative stress induced by the excessive production of reactive oxygen species is one of the primary mechanisms implicated in anthracycline (ANT)-induced cardiotoxicity. There is a strong clinical need for a molecule capable of effectively preventing and reducing the oxidative damage caused by ANT. In vitro and studies conducted in mice have shown that melatonin stimulates the expression of antioxidative agents and reduces lipid peroxidation induced by ANT.

Gastrointestinal Diseases in Children Living with HIV.

Thanks to the advances in antiretroviral therapies (ART) and early diagnosis, pediatric HIV has turned into a chronic infection that requires the collaboration of all pediatric subspecialists for holistic patient management. Gastrointestinal complaints are a frequent reason for seeking access to medical care in all pediatric patients worldwide. Intestinal involvement is present in virtually all children with HIV infections.

Dehydrated patient without clinically evident cause: A case report.

Background: Patients affected by cystic fibrosis can present with metabolic alkalosis such as Bartter's syndrome. In this case report we want to underline this differential diagnosis and we aimed focusing on the suspect of cystic fibrosis, also in case of a negative newborn screening.

Case Summary: In a hot August -with a mean environmental temperature of 36 °C- an 8-mo-old female patient presented with severe dehydration complicated by hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, in absence of fever, diarrhea and vomiting.

Acute Infectious Diarrhea.

Acute infectious diarrhea (AID) is one of the most common diseases in pediatric age with relevant burden both in high- and in low-income countries.Thanks to their direct action on enterocyte functions and indirect actions on mucosal and systemic immune system and intestinal microenvironment, probiotics are an ideal intervention to manage AID in childhood. However, their efficacy is strictly related to strains and indications, and practitioners should take this information into account in clinical practice.

Determinants of low measles vaccination coverage in children living in an endemic area.

Measles outbreaks were recently reported in Europe due to low immunization rates. In this scenario, identifying the reasons of no vaccination is crucial to set up strategies to improve immunization rate. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the determinants of missed vaccination in children living in Southern Italy, during the 2016 outbreak.

New inter-correlated genes targeted by diatom-derived polyunsaturated aldehydes in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus.

The marine environment is continually subjected to the action of stressors (including natural toxins), which represent a constant danger for benthic communities. In the present work using network analysis we identified ten genes on the basis of associated functions (FOXA, FoxG, GFI-1, nodal, JNK, OneCut/Hnf6, TAK1, tcf4, TCF7, VEGF) in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, having key roles in different processes, such as embryonic development and asymmetry, cell fate specification, cell differentiation and morphogenesis, and skeletogenesis. These genes are correlated with three HUB genes, Foxo, Jun and HIF1A.

Factors Affecting Outcome of Tuberculosis in Children in Italy: An Ecological Study.

Introduction: Tuberculosis is a major problem in children depending on their families for management and a re-emerging disease in low incidence countries, where foreign-born cases account for a large proportion of cases.

Methods: We investigated socioeconomic features of families and their impact on management and outcome of children with tuberculosis disease seen at a tertiary care centre for paediatric infectious diseases in Italy.

Results: Forty-nine Italian and 30 foreign-origin children were included.

Preparation of thyroid FNA material for routine cytology and BRAF testing: a validation study.

V600E BRAF mutation is emerging as an independent marker of papillary thyroid carcinoma aggressive behavior. Papillary thyroid carcinomas harboring this mutation should be extensively resected. However, this requires an unquestionable cytological diagnosis of malignancy.