Psychopathological Correlates and Psychosocial Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Syncope: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Syncope is defined as a spontaneous and transient loss of consciousness and postural tone due to brief and reversible cerebral hypoperfusion. This review aimed to summarize the research findings regarding the psychological correlates associated with pediatric syncope. Moreover, the study aimed to deepen the understanding of the relationship between psychological disorders and the onset of syncopal episodes in childhood, focusing on clinical features and different clinical classifications.

Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS): Immunological Features Underpinning Controversial Entities.

Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS), represent an overlapping group of disorders which is characterized by acute-onset obsessive compulsive disorders, eating restriction, tics, cognitive and behavioral deterioration which typically follows a relapsing-remitting course but some patients have a primary or secondary persistent progress. This condition is likely caused by heterogeneous inflammatory mechanisms (autoantibodies, complement activation, pro-inflammatory cytokine production) involving the basal ganglia as evidenced by imaging studies (patients vs. controls), sleep studies that found movements and/or atonia during REM sleep, and neurological soft signs that go along with basal ganglia dysfunction.

Quantitative Evaluation of White Matter Injury by Cranial Ultrasound to Detect the Effects of Parenteral Nutrition in Preterm Babies: An Observational Study.

Nutrition in early life has an impact on white matter (WM) development in preterm-born babies. Quantitative analysis of pixel brightness intensity (PBI) on cranial ultrasound (CUS) scans has shown a great potential in the evaluation of periventricular WM echogenicity in preterm newborns. We aimed to investigate the employment of this technique to objectively verify the effects of parenteral nutrition (PN) on periventricular WM damage in preterm infants.

CDKL5 deficiency-related neurodevelopmental disorders: a multi-center cohort study in Italy.

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a complex clinical condition resulting from non-functional or absent CDKL5 protein, a serine-threonine kinase pivotal for neural maturation and synaptogenesis. The disorder manifests primarily as developmental epileptic encephalopathy, with associated neurological phenotypes, such as hypotonia, movement disorders, visual impairment, and gastrointestinal issues. Its prevalence is estimated at 1 in 40,000-60,000 live births, and it is more prevalent in females due to the lethality of germline mutations in males during fetal development.

Drug resistant epilepsies: A multicentre case series of steroid therapy.

Purpose: Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of corticosteroids on seizure control in drug-resistant epilepsies (DREs). Our primary goal was to assess the response to steroids for various underlying etiologies, interictal electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns and electroclinical seizure descriptions. Our second goal was to compare steroid responsiveness to different treatment protocols.

Immunological characterization of an Italian PANDAS cohort.

This cross-sectional study aimed to contribute to the definition of Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) pathophysiology. An extensive immunological assessment has been conducted to investigate both immune defects, potentially leading to recurrent Group A β-hemolytic Streptococcus (GABHS) infections, and immune dysregulation responsible for a systemic inflammatory state. Twenty-six PANDAS patients with relapsing-remitting course of disease and 11 controls with recurrent pharyngotonsillitis were enrolled.

Reply to Özdemir, Ö. Allergic Disease with Selective IgA Deficiency. Comment on "Cinicola et al. The Allergic Phenotype of Children and Adolescents with Selective IgA Deficiency: A Longitudinal Monocentric Study. 2022, , 5705".

We carefully read the correspondence [...

Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS): Myth or Reality? The State of the Art on a Controversial Disease.

Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) syndrome is one of the most controversial diseases in pediatric rheumatology. Despite first being described more than 25 years ago as the sudden and rapid onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or tic disorder symptoms as complications of a Group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus (GAS) infection, precise epidemiological data are still lacking, and there are no strong recommendations for its treatment. Recent advances in the comprehension of PANDAS pathophysiology are largely attributable to animal model studies and the understanding of the roles of Ca++/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) II, disrupted dopamine release in the basal ganglia, and striatal cholinergic interneurons.

A Single Center Observational Study on Clinical Manifestations and Associated Factors of Pediatric Long COVID.

Children with SARS-CoV-2 are mostly mild symptomatic, but they may develop conditions, such as persisting symptoms, that may put them at greater risk of complications. Our aim was to evaluate the frequency and the presence of risk factors for persisting COVID-19 symptoms in children. We carried out a prospective observational study of the clinical manifestation of Long COVID at the Department of Maternal Infantile Science of a tertiary University hospital in Rome.

Immune dysregulation in Kabuki syndrome: a case report of Evans syndrome and hypogammaglobulinemia.

Kabuki syndrome (KS) is a rare multisystemic disease due to mutations in the or genes, which act as epigenetic modulators of different processes, including immune response. The syndrome is characterized by anomalies in multiple organ systems, and it is associated with autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, and an underlying immunological phenotype characterized by immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation. Up to 17% of KS patients present with immune thrombocytopenia characterized by a severe, chronic or relapsing course, and often associated to other hematological autoimmune diseases including autoimmune hemolytic anemia, eventually resulting in Evans syndrome (ES).

Peripheral nervous system involvement in SARS-CoV-2 infection: a review of the current pediatric literature.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the pathogen responsible for the pandemic health emergency declared by the World Health Organization in March 2020. During the first part of the pandemic, adults showed mild to severe respiratory symptoms. Children seemed initially exempt, both from acute and subsequent complications.

Use of Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine in Children with Epilepsy: A Global Scoping Review.

(1) Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders in childhood. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is highly prevalent in patients with epilepsy. Despite CAM's widespread and increasing popularity, its prevalence, forms, perceived benefits, and potential risks in pediatric epilepsy are rarely explored.

Essential headaches in developmental age: What is changed before, during and after the lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical study.

Introduction: Essential headache is one of the main causes of pain in children, and has an important impact on their quality of life. In children with essential headaches play an important role in both triggers like stress, excessive use of video terminals, or physical fatigue but also comorbidities like anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. CoViD-19 Pandemic was very stressful, especially for children, and amplified all headache triggers and comorbidities.

Low Grade Endotoxemia and Oxidative Stress in Offspring of Patients with Early Myocardial Infarction.

: Offspring of patients with early myocardial infarction are at higher cardiovascular risk, but the underlying physio-pathological mechanism is unclear. NADPH oxidase-type 2 (NOX-2) plays a pivotal role as mediator of oxidative stress and could be involved in activating platelets in these patients. Furthermore, altered intestinal permeability and serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could be a trigger to promote NOX-2 activation and platelet aggregation.

Case report: A case of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after SARS-CoV-2 infection in pediatric patients.

Introduction: Since the beginning, there has been enough evidence about the multi-systematic involvement of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Recent observations have revealed that, together with others, typical neurological manifestations are also associated with COVID-19 infection. In the first 2 years, children accounted for a few percent of cases, but with the emergence of the Omicron variant, the number of cases in the pediatric population has increased.

Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale to Evaluate the Functional Impairment of Patients With Subcortical Band Heterotopia: A Multicentric Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Subcortical band heterotopia (SBH) is a rare malformation of the cortical development characterized by a heterotopic band of gray matter between cortex and ventricles. The clinical presentation typically includes intellectual disability and epilepsy.

Purpose: To evaluate if the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale-pediatric version (EGOS-ped) is a feasible tool for evaluating the functional disability of patients with (SBH).

The BNT162b2 vaccine induces humoral and cellular immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain and the Omicron variant in children 5 to 11 years of age.

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines prevent severe COVID-19 by generating immune memory, comprising specific antibodies and memory B and T cells. Although children are at low risk of severe COVID-19, the spreading of highly transmissible variants has led to increasing in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations also in the youngest, but vaccine coverage remains low. Immunogenicity to mRNA vaccines has not been extensively studied in children 5 to 11 years old.

The Allergic Phenotype of Children and Adolescents with Selective IgA Deficiency: A Longitudinal Monocentric Study.

Background: Selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD) is the most common inborn error of immunity. The exact prevalence and pathogenesis of allergy in SIgAD have not yet been defined. We aimed to describe the prevalence and the characteristics of allergy in pediatric SIgAD subjects, evaluate the association between allergy and other comorbidities, and define the immune phenotype of allergic and non-allergic patients.