Celiac Disease and Liver Damage: The Gut-Liver Axis Strikes Back (Again)? A Retrospective Analysis in the Light of a Literature Review.

: An increasing number of studies have reported liver involvement in both children and adults with celiac disease (CD). This often manifests as isolated hypertransaminasemia or hepatic steatosis (HS). The aim of this study was to define the prevalence of hypertransaminasemia and HS in a pediatric population with CD before starting a gluten-free diet (GFD) and to analyze how the introduction of a GFD could modify this condition.

Non-Invasive Ventilation Failure in Pediatric ICU: A Machine Learning Driven Prediction.

: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has emerged as a possible first-step treatment to avoid invasive intubation in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) due to its advantages in reducing intubation-associated risks. However, the timely identification of NIV failure is crucial to prevent adverse outcomes. This study aims to identify predictors of first-attempt NIV failure in PICU patients by testing various machine learning techniques and comparing their predictive abilities.

Severe Panton-Valentine-Leukocidin-Positive Infections in Pediatric Age: A Case Report and a Literature Review.

Infections caused by S. aureus strains encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL-SA) have become increasingly relevant in community settings and can cause severe conditions in pediatric populations. We present the pediatric case of an invasive disease caused by PVL-SA and provide a literature review of severe manifestations caused by these strains in children.

Investigating Osteomyelitis as a Rare Adverse Effect of Vaccination in the Pediatric Population.

Immunization is a preventive measure of crucial importance. As with any other medication, side effects are a possibility and include the rare occurrence of severe infections, such as osteomyelitis. We report an unusual case of pediatric osteomyelitis following vaccination and provide a review of similar reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Report System (VAERS), aiming to explore the association between the vaccination procedure and the occurrence of osteomyelitis in childhood.

The SpO/FiO Ratio Combined with Prognostic Scores for Pneumonia and COVID-19 Increases Their Accuracy in Predicting Mortality of COVID-19 Patients.

Identifying high-risk COVID-19 patients is critical for emergency department decision-making. Our study's primary objective was to identify new independent predictors of mortality and their predictive utility in combination with traditional pneumonia risk assessment scores and new risk scores for COVID-19 developed during the pandemic. : A retrospective study was performed in two Italian University Hospitals.

Pertussis outbreak in neonates and young infants across Italy, January to May 2024: implications for vaccination strategies.

Since January 2024, Italy experiences a pertussis outbreak, primarily affecting neonates and unvaccinated infants at high risk of severe complications and mortality; 11 major paediatric centres noted 108 hospitalisations and three deaths by 10 May. The outbreak reflects increased circulation of and non-adherence to immunisation recommendations during pregnancy. Public health interventions, including maternal immunisation, vaccination of infants as early as possible and post-exposure prophylaxis, are critical for reducing the burden of pertussis and preventing further mortality.

Dalbavancin for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) in pediatric patients: a case series.

Acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections (ABSSSI) are a significant cause of morbidity in pediatric patients, requiring timely and effective treatment. Dalbavancin, a long-acting lipoglycopeptide antibiotic recently approved for pediatric use, offers advantages such as excellent bactericidal activity against Gram-positive bacteria (including multidrug-resistant pathogens) and high tissue penetration. We present a case series of pediatric patients with ABSSSI treated with dalbavancin.

Mental health, COVID-19 burden and quality of life of kidney transplant recipients two years after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Few studies have evaluated the psychological distress of COVID-19 in kidney transplantation and the psychological impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on kidney transplant recipients is not yet well understood. The present study aimed to investigate the change in symptom burden and health-related quality of life in the two years after initial assessment, by outlining the change over time of symptoms at 12 and 24 months of follow-up.

Methods: This is a follow-up study.

infection: history, epidemiology, risk factors, prevention, clinical manifestations, treatment, and future options.

SUMMARY infection (CDI) is one of the major issues in nosocomial infections. This bacterium is constantly evolving and poses complex challenges for clinicians, often encountered in real-life scenarios. In the face of CDI, we are increasingly equipped with new therapeutic strategies, such as monoclonal antibodies and live biotherapeutic products, which need to be thoroughly understood to fully harness their benefits.

Tuberculous Pericarditis in Childhood: A Case Report and a Systematic Literature Review.

Tuberculous pericarditis (TBP) is an important cause of pericarditis worldwide while being infrequent in childhood, especially in low-TB-incidence countries. We report a case of TBP and provide a systematic review of the literature, conducted by searching PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane to find cases of TBP in pediatric age published in the English language between the year 1990 and the time of the search. Of the 587 search results obtained, after screening and a backward citation search, 45 studies were selected to be included in this review, accounting for a total of 125 patients.

Real-World Use of Dalbavancin for Treatment of Soft Tissue and Bone Infection in Children: Safe, Effective and Hospital-Time Sparing.

Acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) and osteoarticular infections compound the burden of morbidity, mortality and prolonged hospitalizations among gram-positive infections. Dalbavancin, a second-generation, intravenous lipoglycopeptide, due to its prolonged half-life, can be a valuable alternative in their treatment when administered as inpatient treatment at the price of an extended hospital stay. Between October 2019 and September 2023, 31 children and adolescents were treated with dalbavancin because of bone and joint infections (n = 12 patients, 39%), ABSSSI (n = 13 patients, 42%), mainly for the limbs, facial cellulitis or complicated ABSSSI (n = 6 patients, 19%), at five Italian pediatric centers.

Intravenous Fosfomycin for Systemic Multidrug-Resistant Infections.

Human infections have high morbidity and mortality rates. bacteria can cause sepsis or septic shock; they produce biofilm and commonly exhibit a multidrug-resistant phenotype. The choice of antimicrobial therapy in many cases is challenging, and deep knowledge of clinical, microbiological, and pharmacological issues is required.

Imported malaria in pregnancy in Europe: A systematic review of the literature of the last 25 years.

Background: Malaria during pregnancy is associated with a greater risk of complications for the mother and fetus. The aim of the study is to analyze the features of imported cases of malaria in pregnant women in Europe and evaluate which factors are associated with a non-favourable outcome.

Methods: A computerized search of the literature was performed combining the terms plasmod*, malaria, pregnan*, maternal, gravid, parturient, expectant, and congenital, from January 1997 to July 2023.

Mucosal Relapse of Visceral Leishmaniasis in a Child with SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania and is transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. In the Mediterranean region, visceral leishmaniasis is caused by and it is usually responsible for symptoms such as fever, pancytopenia and enlargement of the liver and spleen. Relapse is rare in immunocompetent patients as much as the mucous involvement.

as a New Emerging Pathogen in Pediatric Age: Case Report and Systematic Review.

, a normal inhabitant of the oral cavity, is a member of Viridans Group Streptococci (VGS). Generally recognized as a causative agent of invasive diseases in immunocompromised patients, is considered to have low pathogenic potential in immunocompetent individuals. We present a rare case of sinusitis complicated by meningitis and cerebral sino-venous thrombosis (CSVT) caused by in a previously healthy 12-year-old boy with poor oral health status.

Impact of the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Emergency Department Attendance in a Tertiary Center in South Italy: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis.

The evidence shows a reduction in pediatric emergency department (PED) flows during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using interrupted time-series analysis, we evaluated the impact of different stages of the pandemic response on overall and cause-specific PED attendance at a tertiary hospital in south Italy. Our methods included evaluations of total visits, hospitalizations, accesses for critical illnesses and four etiological categories (transmissible and non-transmissible infectious diseases, trauma and mental-health) during March-December 2020, which were compared with analogous intervals from 2016 to 2019; the pandemic period was divided into three segments: the "first lockdown" (FL, 9 March-3 May), the "post-lockdown" (PL, 4 May-6 November) and the "second lockdown" (SL, 7 November-31 December).

Variation in Post-Transplant Cancer Incidence among Italian Kidney Transplant Recipients over a 25-Year Period.

This cohort study examined 25-year variations in cancer incidence among 11,418 Italian recipients of kidney transplantation (KT) from 17 Italian centers. Cancer incidence was examined over three periods (1997-2004; 2005-2012; and 2013-2021) by internal (Incidence rate ratio-IRR) and external (standardized incidence ratios-SIR) comparisons. Poisson regression was used to assess trends.

Granulicatella spp., a Causative Agent of Infective Endocarditis in Children.

Granulicatella spp. are non-motile, non-sporulating, facultatively anaerobic Gram-positive cocci. Throughout the literature, these organisms have been referred to by several names, such as “nutritionally deficient streptococci”, “vitamin-B dependent streptococci” and “pyridoxal-dependent streptococci”, because of their fastidious nutritional requirements, which can often make culture isolation challenging.