Impact of pregnancy on progression of preclinical autoimmune disorders: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of pregnancies in the progression from the preclinical phase of autoimmune disorder to a definite rheumatic disease.

Methods: A cohort study of women with symptoms and laboratory findings suggestive for autoimmune disorder were enrolled during the first trimester of pregnancy and followed-up for 5 years with clinical and laboratory assessment. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compute the risk of progression to definite autoimmune disease correcting for confounders.

Late outcome of extracardiac Fontan patients: 32 years of follow-up.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the long-term survival and risk factors for morbidity and mortality in our cohort of patients after extracardiac (EC) Fontan.

Methods: We collected and analysed follow-up data until September 2020 for all patients who underwent EC Fontan operation at our institution from November 1988 to November 2015.

Results: Out of 406 patients treated with EC Fontan at a mean age of 5.

Health-related quality of life in Italian children and adolescents with congenital heart diseases.

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital anomaly at birth, affecting approximately 1% of live births. In recent decades great medical and surgical advances have significantly increased life expectancy, shifting healthcare professionals' and researchers' interests in patients' Quality of Life (QoL). The main aims of our study were to evaluate generic and condition-specific QoL in a group of Italian children and adolescents with CHD and their parents and examine the level of agreement and directional disagreement between child/adolescent and parents reports on generic and condition-specific QoL.

Validity and reliability of the Italian version of the cardiac quality of life questionnaire for pediatric patients with heart disease (PedsQLTM).

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) accounts for nearly a third of all major congenital anomalies. Advances in pediatric cardiology shifted attention from mortality to morbidity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with CHD and impact on their families. The purposes of this study were to assess the validity and reliability of the Italian version of the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) Cardiac Module and to create normative data for the Italian population.

Placental pathologic features in thyroid autoimmunity.

Introduction: Data on placental pathologic features associated with thyreoperoxidase antibodies (TPO Ab) and/or hypothyroidism are limited. The objective of the study was to analyze placental pathologic features of women with TPO Ab positivity.

Methods: Prospective case-control observational study of pregnancy outcome among women screened for TPO Ab positivity and/or isolated hypothyroidism (TSH>4mU/L) during the first trimester of pregnancy.