Respiratory Syncytial Virus: A WAidid Consensus Document on New Preventive Options.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of respiratory infections, particularly affecting young infants, older adults, and individuals with comorbidities. : This document, developed as a consensus by an international group of experts affiliated with the World Association of Infectious Diseases and Immunological Disorders (WAidid), focuses on recent advancements in RSV prevention, highlighting the introduction of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and vaccines. : Historically, RSV treatment options were limited to supportive care and the monoclonal antibody palivizumab, which required multiple doses.

Thyroid Autoimmunity During Universal Salt Iodisation-Possible Short-Term Modulation with Longer-Term Stability.

Universal salt iodisation (USI) plays an essential role in the provision of iodine (I) to populations worldwide. Countries adopting USI programmes, adhering to strict criteria laid down by expert organisations such as the Iodine Global Network, are estimated to have reduced the prevalence of I deficiency by 75% (protecting 720 million individuals worldwide). Despite this success, doubts have been raised as to the desirability of continuing such programmes because of (a) the need to reduce salt intake for cardiovascular prevention and (b) the induction of thyroid autoimmunity.

Clinical and Radiological Features of an Adenovirus Type 7 Outbreak in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, 2022-2023.

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are known to be highly contagious pathogens. They are commonly associated with mild respiratory infections in young children but can also cause severe life-threatening infections. Human adenovirus types 4 and 7 have frequently been reported to cause pneumonia in immunocompetent youths and adults.

Infectious Risk in Pediatric Emergency Departments in Italy: A Survey by the Italian Society for Pediatric Emergency and Urgent Medicine (SIMEUP) on Available Preventive and Diagnostic Tools.

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of preparedness in preventing the spread of infectious diseases, especially in Emergency Departments (EDs), where initial patient assessments and triage occur. This study aims to evaluate the current practices and available tools for infection control in Pediatric EDs across Italy, focusing on the differences between various hospital types and regional settings. A cross-sectional national survey was conducted in February 2022, targeting healthcare workers in Pediatric EDs across Italy.

Three-Dimensional Ultrasound for Physical and Virtual Fetal Heart Models: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common congenital defect, occurring in approximately 1 in 100 live births and being a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Of note, approximately 25% of these defects are classified as critical, requiring immediate postnatal care by pediatric cardiology and neonatal cardiac surgery teams. Consequently, early and accurate diagnosis of CHD is key to proper prenatal and postnatal monitoring in a tertiary care setting.

Mixed T-Cell Chimerism Following Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Non-Malignant Disorders Is Common, Facilitates Anti-Viral Immunity, and Is Not Associated with Graft Failure in Pediatric Patients.

Myeloid chimerism better reflects donor stem cell engraftment than whole-blood chimerism in assessing graft function following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT). We describe our experience with 130 patients aged younger than 18 years, treated with allogeneic HCT using bone marrow or PBSC from HLA-matched donors for non-malignant diseases, whose pre-transplant conditioning therapy included alemtuzumab and who were monitored with lineage-specific chimerism after transplant. At 6 years post-transplant, overall survival (OS) was 91.

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Accompanied by Cholelithiasis and Nephrolithiasis: A Case Report.

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a distinctive facial appearance, growth/cognitive retardation, developmental delay, skeletal malformation, hypertrichosis, and other abnormalities. Patients with mild CdLS have less severe phenotypes, while retaining representative facial features. Mutations in the genes , , , , and have been associated with CdLS, with mutations in accounting for approximately 60% of cases.

Integrating Chronic Disease Management and Harm Reduction for Youth with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Amid Canada's Overdose Crisis.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic autoimmune condition in children that often requires long-term pain management, which can include opioid use. In the context of Canada's ongoing overdose crisis, youth with JIA face risks due to potential opioid dependency and exposure to toxic drug supplies. This commentary proposes an integrated approach combining chronic disease management with harm reduction strategies specifically tailored for JIA patients.

The Influence of Extra-Ribosomal Functions of Eukaryotic Ribosomal Proteins on Viral Infection.

The eukaryotic ribosome is a large ribonucleoprotein complex consisting of four types of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and approximately 80 ribosomal proteins (RPs), forming the 40S and 60S subunits. In all living cells, its primary function is to produce proteins by converting messenger RNA (mRNA) into polypeptides. In addition to their canonical role in protein synthesis, RPs are crucial in controlling vital cellular processes such as cell cycle progression, cellular proliferation, differentiation, DNA damage repair, genome structure maintenance, and the cellular stress response.

Diagnosis and Management of Mitochondrial Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-like Episodes Syndrome.

Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is a complex mitochondrial disorder characterized by a wide range of systemic manifestations. Key clinical features include recurrent stroke-like episodes, seizures, lactic acidosis, muscle weakness, exercise intolerance, sensorineural hearing loss, diabetes, and progressive neurological decline. MELAS is most commonly associated with mutations in mitochondrial DNA, particularly the m.

Prognostic significance of serum complement activation, neutrophil extracellular traps and extracellular DNA in newly diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer.

Purpose: We observed that the tumor microenvironment (TME) in metastatic epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and in other solid tumors can reprogram normal neutrophils to acquire a complement-dependent suppressor phenotype characterized by inhibition of stimulated T cell activation. This study aims to evaluate whether serum markers of neutrophil activation and complement at diagnosis of EOC would be associated with clinical outcomes.

Experimental Design: We conducted a two-center prospective study of patients with newly diagnosed EOC (N = 188).

Comparison of Ultrasound Characteristics of Peripapillary Hyperreflective Ovoid Mass-Like Structures (PHOMS) and Optic Disc Drusen in Children.

Background: In children, pseudopapilledema is frequently caused by peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structures (PHOMS) or optic disc drusen (ODD). While enhanced depth imaging (EDI) OCT can identify both, lack of cooperation, especially from younger children due to the duration of testing, often necessitates the use of B-scan ultrasound (BSUS). This study investigated whether PHOMS are hyperreflective on BSUS and if BSUS can differentiate PHOMS from ODD.

Neurodevelopmental outcomes in children exposed in utero to dolutegravir- or efavirenz-based ART.

Objective: To examine the impact of in utero exposure to dolutegravir (DTG)- or efavirenz (EFV)-based antiretroviral treatment (ART) on child neurodevelopmental (ND) outcomes.

Design: Prospective cohort design, enrolling 3 cohorts of 2-year-olds: children HIV-negative born to mothers with HIV (CHEU) receiving either DTG-based or EFV-based 3-drug ART during pregnancy, and children born to mothers without HIV (CHUU).

Methods: Primary child ND outcomes were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III) and compared between cohorts using generalized estimating equation models adjusted for confounders.

High Intensity Physician-Based Service Use for Mental Health Concerns in a General-Population Sample of Children and Youth: Utilisation des services de haute intensité dispensés par des médecins pour les problèmes de santé mentale dans un échantillon d'enfants et de jeunes de la population générale.

Objective: To examine factors associated with high intensity physician-based mental health care services in a population-based sample of children and youth in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Data from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS) were linked at the person-level to longitudinal health administrative databases containing physician contacts in outpatient settings, emergency departments and hospitals. Our analytical sample (15.

Co-occurring Psychopathology in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Differences by Sex in the ECHO Cohorts.

Purpose: Our goals were to: 1) examine the occurrence of behavioral and emotional symptoms in children on the autism spectrum in a large national sample, stratifying by sex, and 2) evaluate whether children with increased autism-related social communication deficits also experience more behavioral and emotional problems.

Methods:  Participants (n = 7,998) were from 37 cohorts from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Cross-sectional information on demographic factors, parent-report of an ASD diagnosis by clinician, Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores, and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores were obtained for children aged 2.

Integrated proteogenomic characterization of ampullary adenocarcinoma.

Ampullary adenocarcinoma (AMPAC) is a rare and heterogeneous malignancy. Here we performed a comprehensive proteogenomic analysis of 198 samples from Chinese AMPAC patients and duodenum patients. Genomic data illustrate that 4q loss causes fatty acid accumulation and cell proliferation.

The Art of Clinical Negotiation.

The art of clinical negotiation is an important, yet underappreciated aspect of medicine. Key components of negotiation include the need to consider principles over personalities, to explore all options before deciding on the best course, to realize if consensus cannot be achieved then compromise may still be possible, to work from evidence to incorporate contextual factors, and to stay evidence based. These principles can be helpful in many settings, including contract negotiation, drug pricing, and research.

Diffusion tensor imaging with free-water correction reveals distinctions between severe and attenuated subtypes in Mucopolysaccharidosis type I.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is an inherited lysosomal storage disorder leading to deleterious brain effects. While animal models suggested that MPS I severely affects white matter (WM), whole-brain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis was not performed due to MPS-related morphological abnormalities. 3T DTI data from 28 severe (MPS IH, treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-HSCT), 16 attenuated MPS I patients (MPS IA) enrolled under the study protocol NCT01870375, and 27 healthy controls (HC) were analyzed using the free-water correction (FWC) method to resolve macrostructural partial volume effects and unravel differences in DTI metrics accounting for microstructural abnormalities.

Prognostic factors for refractory outcome in localizing TIO: experience in a tertiary center.

Context: TIO, a paraneoplastic disorder characterised by renal phosphate wasting, is cured by surgical removal of the culprit tumour. Despite correct localization, some remain refractory to intervention, resulting in substantial long-term medical complications.

Aim: We aim to identify risk factors associated with a refractory outcome.

Propensity Score Analysis of Possible Medication Effects on Outcomes in Patients With Systemic Right Ventricles.

Background: Patients with systemic right ventricle (SRV), either d-transposition of the great arteries following an atrial switch procedure or congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries, develop severe right ventricular dysfunction, prompting appropriate medical therapy. However, the efficacy of beta-blockers and angiotensin receptor blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) in SRV patients is unproven.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of ACEI/ARB and beta-blockers on outcomes in SRV patients after accounting for likely cofounders affecting their use.

H and B Blood Antigens Are Essential for In Vitro Replication of GII.2 Human Norovirus.

Background: Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a major cause of enteric infectious gastroenteritis and is classified into several genotypes based on its capsid protein amino acid sequence and nucleotide sequence of the polymerase gene. Among these, GII.4 is the major genotype worldwide.

Twenty-one Years of Undergraduate Medical Student Research Training at the University of the Free State (UFS), South Africa.

Introduction: Since 2001, undergraduate medical students at the University of the Free State (UFS), South Africa, plan, perform, and report on their research projects during semesters 2-5 of their ten-semester training. We describe the research modules and review the projects of the first 21 years.

Methods: This cohort study included all undergraduate medical student projects that formed part of the first 21 presentations of the research modules.

Advances in molecular prognostication and treatments in ependymoma.

Ependymoma is the third most common brain tumour of childhood and historically has posed a major challenge to both pediatric and adult neuro-oncologists. Ependymoma can occur anywhere in the central nervous system throughout the entire age spectrum. Treatment options have been limited to surgery and radiation, and outcomes have been widely disparate across studies.