RESUMO
SARS-CoV-2 typically causes mild symptoms in children, but evidence suggests that persistent immunopathological changes may lead to long COVID (LC). To explore the interplay between LC and innate immunity, we assessed the type I interferon (IFN-I) response in children and adolescents with LC symptoms (LC; n = 28). This was compared with age-matched SARS-CoV-2 recovered participants without LC symptoms (MC; n = 28) and healthy controls (HC; n = 18). We measured the mRNA expression of IFN-I (IFN-α/ß/ε/ω), IFN-I receptor (IFNAR1/2), and ISGs (ISG15, ISG56, MxA, IFI27, BST2, LY6E, OAS1, OAS2, OAS3, and MDA5) in PBMCs collected 3-6 months after COVID-19. LC adolescents (12-17 years) had higher transcript levels of IFN-ß, IFN-ε, and IFN-ω than HC, whereas LC children (6-11 years) had lower levels than HC. In adolescents, increased levels of IFN-α, IFN-ß, and IFN-ω mRNAs were found in the LC group compared with MC, while lower levels were observed in LC children than MC. Adolescents with neurological symptoms had higher IFN-α/ß mRNA levels than MC. LC and MC participants showed decreased expression of ISGs and IFNAR1, but increased expression of IFNAR2, than HC. Our results show age-related changes in the expression of transcripts involved in the IFN-I signaling pathway in children and adolescents with LC.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Interferon Tipo I , SARS-CoV-2 , Transdução de Sinais , Humanos , Criança , Adolescente , Interferon Tipo I/metabolismo , Interferon Tipo I/imunologia , Interferon Tipo I/genética , Masculino , COVID-19/imunologia , Feminino , Transdução de Sinais/imunologia , SARS-CoV-2/imunologia , Imunidade Inata , Fatores Etários , Síndrome de COVID-19 Pós-Aguda , RNA Mensageiro/genéticaRESUMO
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 Bordetella pertussis 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.
Assuntos
Bordetella pertussis , Surtos de Doenças , Vacina contra Coqueluche , Vacinação , Coqueluche , Humanos , Coqueluche/prevenção & controle , Coqueluche/epidemiologia , Itália/epidemiologia , Surtos de Doenças/prevenção & controle , Recém-Nascido , Lactente , Feminino , Vacinação/estatística & dados numéricos , Vacina contra Coqueluche/administração & dosagem , Bordetella pertussis/imunologia , Masculino , Gravidez , Hospitalização/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
The recently discovered truncated, non-functional, ACE2 transcript (dACE2), but not the full-length ACE2 (f-lACE2), is induced by IFNs in differentiated airway cells. We measured expression of both ACE2 isoforms in SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative subjects, in relation to Interferon-stimulated genes. A significant activation of dACE2 transcript was found, in SARS-CoV-2 positive adults either hospitalized or not, showing a positive correlation with ISG15; f-lACE2 expression was weakly activated and not ISG-related. We confirmed a specific activation of dACE2 transcript in nasopharyngeal cells, related to the mucosal IFN response.
Assuntos
Enzima de Conversão de Angiotensina 2 , COVID-19 , Adulto , Enzima de Conversão de Angiotensina 2/genética , Enzima de Conversão de Angiotensina 2/metabolismo , Antivirais , Humanos , Interferons/metabolismo , Peptidil Dipeptidase A/metabolismo , Isoformas de Proteínas/genética , SARS-CoV-2RESUMO
AIM: Emergency room admissions have decreased globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for respiratory diseases. We evaluated hospital admissions for respiratory diseases in the first year of the Italian pandemic and compared them with the corresponding period in 2016-2017. METHODS: The study was carried out at the Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, and covered 9 March to 28 February 2020-2021 and 2016-2017. We tested 85 hospitalised children who were negative for the virus that causes COVID-19 in 2020-2021 and compared them with 476 hospitalised children from 2016-2017, as we had also tested nasal washing samples for 14 respiratory viruses during that period. RESULTS: Hospitalisations for acute respiratory tract infections were 82.2% lower in 2020-2021 than 2016-2017. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and several other viruses were detected less frequently during the pandemic. An extraordinary finding was that rhinoviruses remained seasonal. In 2020-2021, we detected a virus in 54.1% of the hospitalised children: rhinoviruses in 41, RSV in 4 and other viruses in 1. This was significantly lower than the 71.6% in 2016-2017: RSV in 130, rhinoviruses in 128 and other viruses in 83. CONCLUSION: Pandemic measures dramatically reduced childhood respiratory infections, particularly RSV, but were less effective at reducing rhinoviruses.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial , Vírus Sincicial Respiratório Humano , Infecções Respiratórias , Vírus , COVID-19/epidemiologia , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Criança , Criança Hospitalizada , Controle de Doenças Transmissíveis , Humanos , Lactente , Pandemias , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/epidemiologia , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/prevenção & controle , Infecções Respiratórias/epidemiologia , Infecções Respiratórias/prevenção & controle , RhinovirusRESUMO
In vitro interferon (IFN)α treatment of primary human upper airway basal cells has been shown to drive ACE2 expression, the receptor of SARS-CoV-2. The protease furin is also involved in mediating SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections, although its association with early IFN response has not been evaluated yet. In order to assess the in vivo relationship between ACE2 and furin expression and the IFN response in nasopharyngeal cells, we first examined ACE2 and furin levels and their correlation with the well-known marker of IFNs' activation, ISG15, in children (n = 59) and adults (n = 48), during respiratory diseases not caused by SARS-CoV-2. A strong positive correlation was found between ACE2 expression, but not of furin, and ISG15 in all patients analyzed. In addition, type I and III IFN stimulation experiments were performed to examine the IFN-mediated activation of ACE2 isoforms (full-length and truncated) and furin in epithelial cell lines. Following all the IFNs treatments, only the truncated ACE2 levels, were upregulated significantly in the A549 and Calu3 cells, in particular by type I IFNs. If confirmed in vivo following IFNs' activation, the induction of the truncated ACE2 isoform only would not enhance the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the respiratory tract.
Assuntos
Enzima de Conversão de Angiotensina 2/genética , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Células Epiteliais/efeitos dos fármacos , Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Interferons/farmacologia , SARS-CoV-2/efeitos dos fármacos , Células A549 , Adulto , Antivirais/metabolismo , Antivirais/farmacologia , COVID-19/virologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Criança , Citocinas/genética , Células Epiteliais/metabolismo , Humanos , Interferons/metabolismo , Pulmão/citologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , SARS-CoV-2/fisiologia , Ubiquitinas/genéticaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) represents one of the most common infectious diseases among children. Diagnosis of CAP is mainly clinical. Chest X-ray (CXR) remains the gold standard for the diagnosis in severe or controversial conditions. Recently, some authors have focused on the application of ultrasound in lung diseases but the role of lung ultrasound (LUS) in the diagnosis of CAP is still debated. We aimed to study the concordance between LUS and CXR in evaluating specific signs of CAP. As a secondary aim, we sought to determine the sensitivity and specificity of LUS in CAP diagnosis compared with CXR. Finally, we evaluated the role of LUS during the follow up. METHODS: We enrolled 68 children (<16 years old) hospitalized from October 2018 to September 2019 with a clinical and radiological diagnosis of CAP (cases: N = 41), or with no respiratory diseases (controls: N = 27), in whom a CXR was performed for clinical indications. All the children underwent LUS during hospitalization. The average time needed to perform LUS was 5-10 min for each child, and 19/41 cases were re-evaluated by LUS and CXR 30 days after discharge. RESULTS: Lung ultrasound confirmed CAP diagnosis in 40/41 patients. Concordance between the two techniques was K = 0.88 for the right lung and K = 0.70 for the left lung. Lung ultrasound showed a sensitivity of 97% and a specificity of 96% compared with CXR. At the follow up, sensitivity increased to 100% while specificity was 94%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed a potential benefit of LUS compared with CXR in the diagnosis and the follow up of CAP.
Assuntos
Infecções Comunitárias Adquiridas , Pneumonia , Criança , Humanos , Pulmão/diagnóstico por imagem , Pneumonia/diagnóstico por imagem , Ultrassonografia , Raios XRESUMO
BACKGROUND: A study of respiratory syncytial virus-A (RSV A) genotype ON1 genetic variability and clinical severity in infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis over 6 epidemic seasons (2012-2013 to 2017-2018) was carried out. METHODS: From prospectively enrolled term infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis, samples positive for RSV A ON1 (Nâ =â 139) were sequenced in the second half of the G gene. Patients' clinical data were obtained from medical files and each infant was assigned a clinical severity score. ANOVA comparison and adjusted multinomial logistic regression were used to evaluate clinical severity score and clinical parameters. RESULTS: The phylogenetic analysis of 54 strains showed 3 distinct clades; sequences in the last 2 seasons differed from previous seasons. The most divergent and numerous cluster of 2017-2018 strains was characterized by a novel pattern of amino acid changes, some in antigenic sites. Several amino acid changes altered predicted glycosylation sites, with acquisition of around 10 new O-glycosylation sites. Clinical severity of bronchiolitis increased in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 and changed according to the epidemic seasons only. CONCLUSIONS: Amino acid changes in the hypervariable part of G protein may have altered functions and/or changed its immunogenicity, leading to an impact on disease severity.
Assuntos
Bronquiolite/fisiopatologia , Bronquiolite/virologia , Variação Genética , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/genética , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/fisiopatologia , Vírus Sincicial Respiratório Humano/genética , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Bronquiolite/epidemiologia , Feminino , Genótipo , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Filogenia , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/epidemiologia , Cidade de Roma/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Background: We aimed to study respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genotype distribution, clinical presentation, and disease severity in infants with bronchiolitis from RSV subtypes and new RSV genotypes. Methods: We prospectively enrolled previously healthy term infants less than 1 year old hospitalized for bronchiolitis in an Italian university hospital over 12 epidemic seasons. In 312 nasopharyngeal washings positive for RSV, we sequenced the viral genotype and analyzed this according to patient data. Strain-specific RSV loads were quantified for 273 specimens. Results: From 2005-2006 to 2011-2012, the RSV-A genotype NA1 predominated, and was replaced in 2012 by the novel ON1. All infants infected with RSV subtype B were genotype BA. Stratifying data according to genotypes NA1, ON1, and BA showed that NA1-infected infants were the youngest and had the most severe clinical course. Conversely, BA-infected infants had less severe symptoms and more frequently had eosinophilia and a family history of asthma. Infants with the ON1 genotype had a milder clinical course than those with NA1 and more risk factors for asthma, despite having the highest viral loads. Conclusion: The disease course in infants hospitalized for acute RSV bronchiolitis may depend on the RSV genotype.
Assuntos
Bronquiolite/patologia , Bronquiolite/virologia , Genótipo , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/patologia , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/virologia , Vírus Sincicial Respiratório Humano/classificação , Feminino , Hospitalização , Hospitais Universitários , Humanos , Lactente , Itália , Masculino , Estudos Prospectivos , Vírus Sincicial Respiratório Humano/genética , Vírus Sincicial Respiratório Humano/isolamento & purificação , Fatores de Risco , Análise de Sequência de DNA , Carga ViralRESUMO
In the last twenty years, despite high vaccination coverage, epidemics of pertussis are occurring in both developing and developed countries. Many reasons could explain the pertussis resurgence: the increasing awareness of the disease, the availability of new diagnostic tests with higher sensitivity, the emergence of new Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) strains different from those contained in the current vaccines, the asymptomatic transmission of B. pertussis in adolescents and adults and the shorter duration of protection given by the acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine. New preventive strategies have already been implemented, such as booster doses of aP vaccine in adolescents and adults, maternal immunisation during pregnancy and the "cocooning" strategy, but more are still needed. Knowing what is new about this old disease is necessary to reduce its incidence and to protect infants too young to be vaccinated, which have the highest risk of complications and death.
Assuntos
Imunização Secundária/métodos , Vacina contra Coqueluche/uso terapêutico , Vacinação/métodos , Vacinas Acelulares/uso terapêutico , Coqueluche/prevenção & controle , Adolescente , Adulto , Antibacterianos/uso terapêutico , Epidemias , Família , Feminino , Humanos , Imunidade Materno-Adquirida , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Gravidez , Cobertura Vacinal , Coqueluche/tratamento farmacológico , Coqueluche/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Bronchiolitis is the first lower respiratory tract viral infection manifesting in infants younger than 12 months of age. Our aim was to evaluate clinical and serological differences in infants with bronchiolitis from a single or from multiple viruses. Our secondary aim was to investigate differences in recurrent wheezing episodes after 12-24-36 months of follow-up. We reviewed the clinical records for 486 full-term infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis with at least one virus detected in the nasopharyngeal aspirate. In 431 (88.7%) patients one virus was detected and in 55 (11.3%) infants more than one virus was found. No differences were observed in the length of hospitalization, clinical severity score, O2 supplementation or admission to the intensive care unit. Single virus was associated with higher serum C-reactive protein (C-RP) than infants with multiple viruses and higher blood neutrophil counts. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the most frequently detected virus. RSV alone was associated with higher C-RP (P = 0.007), compared to RSV coinfection. Infants with human rhinovirus (hRV) alone had higher white blood cell counts, higher blood neutrophils, and higher serum C-RP levels than hRV co-infection (P = 0.029, P = 0.008, P = 0.008). RSV + hRV, the most frequent co-infection, was associated with lower neutrophil count and lower C-RP levels (P = 0.008, P = 0.016) and less fever (P = 0.012), when comparing RSV versus hRV versus RSV + hRV. No differences were found in the frequency of recurrent wheezing between single versus multiple viruses after bronchiolitis. Our findings suggest that in infants with bronchiolitis multiple viral co-infections can occur, without influence in the clinical severity of the disease. Infants with co-infection seems to mount a lower inflammatory response.
Assuntos
Bronquiolite/epidemiologia , Bronquiolite/patologia , Coinfecção/epidemiologia , Coinfecção/patologia , Viroses/epidemiologia , Viroses/patologia , Vírus/isolamento & purificação , Bronquiolite/virologia , Coinfecção/virologia , Cuidados Críticos , Feminino , Hospitalização , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Tempo de Internação , Masculino , Nasofaringe/virologia , Oxigênio/uso terapêutico , Recidiva , Sons Respiratórios/etiologia , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Inquéritos e Questionários , Viroses/virologia , Vírus/classificaçãoRESUMO
Bronchiolitis is the most common acute lower respiratory tract infection in infants and the first cause of hospitalization in this age group. Despite it has been studied for over 70 years, its management remains controversial and nowadays the treatment is only supportive. Pediatricians should be well acquainted with the clinical course of the disease. In particular, they should know that the severity of respiratory symptoms peaks between days 3-7 of the disease and dehydration is a key sign to consider for the management. In this review, we will discuss the most controversial points in the management of bronchiolitis according to six evidence-based guidelines, six clinical practice guidelines and five consensus-based reviews.
Assuntos
Bronquiolite/epidemiologia , Hospitalização/estatística & dados numéricos , Guias de Prática Clínica como Assunto , Bronquiolite/fisiopatologia , Bronquiolite/terapia , Humanos , Lactente , Índice de Gravidade de DoençaRESUMO
Coeliac disease (CD) is a chronic, gluten-dependent enteropathy with a prevalence of approximately 1% in Western countries. Up to now, CD has been described only in sporadic cases of obesity. Our study aimed to evaluate retrospectively CD prevalence in a large series of overweight/obese children and adolescents. Among the 1527 overweight/obese children and adolescents consecutively evaluated, 17 (7 boys, 1.11%) were positive for serology and showed villous atrophy. In all of the patients with CD a well-balanced gluten-free diet was started, and a loss of weight rapidly obtained. Our study demonstrates that CD prevalence in overweight/obese children is similar to the general paediatric population in Italy.
Assuntos
Doença Celíaca/diagnóstico , Sobrepeso/complicações , Obesidade Infantil/complicações , Adolescente , Desenvolvimento do Adolescente , Adulto , Índice de Massa Corporal , Doença Celíaca/complicações , Doença Celíaca/dietoterapia , Doença Celíaca/epidemiologia , Criança , Desenvolvimento Infantil , Fenômenos Fisiológicos da Nutrição Infantil , Pré-Escolar , Estudos de Coortes , Dieta Livre de Glúten , Feminino , Seguimentos , Humanos , Masculino , Programas de Rastreamento , Obesidade/complicações , Prevalência , Estudos Retrospectivos , Cidade de Roma/epidemiologia , Redução de Peso , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Coeliac disease (CD) is characterized by several markers, including anti-transglutaminase auto-antibodies (tTGAb) directed against multiple epitopes of the gliadin protein. We aimed to investigate the correlation among CD duodenal lesions, tTGAb titres and the immunoreactivity against tTG constructs. A total of 345 CD patients (209 females, 136 males, overall median age: 7.3 years) were tested for full-length (fl) tTGAb with a fluid-phase radioimmunoassay. Out of the total, 231 patients were also tested for immunoreactivity against tTG fragments (F1: a.a. 227-687 and F2: a.a. 473-687). Patients were classified according to diffuse (D), patchy (P) or bulb (B) histological lesions. All sera were found fltTGAb positive. Patients with D, P and B lesions had a mean Ab index of 0.84±0.39, 0.57±0.39 and 0.45±0.24, respectively. Mean tTGAb titre varied between D and localized (P+B) patients (0.84±0.39 versus 0.52±0.34, P < 0.0001). Overall, 86.1% of patients were F1 auto-antibody (F1Ab) positive (D: 89%, P: 75%, B: 40%; D versus P+B: P = 0.004) and 49% of patients were F2 auto-antibody (F2Ab) positive (D: 53%, P: 19%, B: 10%; D versus P+B: P = 0.0006). Of the D patients 50.7% showed combined F1Ab-F2Ab (D versus P+B: P = 0.001), whereas 60% of B patients were negative for both F1Ab and F2Ab (B versus D: P < 0.0001). Coeliac-specific tTGAb immunoreactivity correlates with the grading and extension of histological duodenal lesions in CD patients at diagnosis. The immunoreactivity against single and combined tTG fragments is significantly higher in patients with D lesions. This is the first evidence of a distinct coeliac-specific immunoreactivity in patients with different duodenal involvement.
Assuntos
Doença Celíaca/imunologia , Doença Celíaca/patologia , Duodeno/imunologia , Duodeno/patologia , Transglutaminases/imunologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Doença Celíaca/enzimologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Duodeno/enzimologia , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Retrospectivos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Coeliac disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the small intestine caused by the ingestion of gluten, in which musculoskeletal manifestations may occur. Aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of joint involvement in paediatric patients with CD using musculoskeletal ultrasound (US). METHODS: Consecutive paediatric CD patients were enrolled and underwent US evaluations at level of knees, hips and ankles. The presence of joint effusion (JE), synovial hypertrophy, power Doppler signal and structural damage lesions (bone irregularities and erosions) was registered. Inflammatory abnormalities were scored on a semi-quantitative scale (0-3), and structural damage lesions on a dichotomous scale (0-1). RESULTS: Seventy-four CD children (mean age: 7.6 years; range: 1-14.2; M/F 24/50) were enrolled. Thirty-eight were on a gluten-containing diet (GCD) and 36 on a gluten-free diet (GFD). US showed the presence of abnormalities in 23 patients overall (31.1%); JE was the most frequently observed change (23/23). US abnormalities were observed in 19 patients (50.0%) of GCD group and in 4 of GFD group (11.1%, p=0.007). Interestingly, 12/23 (52.2%) patients with US-detected changes were asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first US study demonstrating joint involvement in children with CD. JE, the most frequent manifestation, was present also in asymptomatic patients and was reduced in those on GFD. These findings may indicate that, also at joint level, an inflammatory response represented by the appearance of JE may be induced by exposure to gluten.
Assuntos
Doença Celíaca/dietoterapia , Dieta Livre de Glúten , Articulações/diagnóstico por imagem , Sinovite/diagnóstico por imagem , Ultrassonografia Doppler , Adolescente , Doenças Assintomáticas , Doença Celíaca/complicações , Doença Celíaca/diagnóstico por imagem , Distribuição de Qui-Quadrado , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Fatores de Risco , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Sinovite/etiologia , Resultado do TratamentoAssuntos
Doença Celíaca , Infertilidade Feminina , Canadá , Feminino , Humanos , Programas de RastreamentoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Acute bronchiolitis is a viral infection of the lower respiratory tract affecting infants aged under 12 months, variably presenting with respiratory distress, diffuse crackles and inflammatory wheezing. The main causative agent is Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). The diagnosis is clinical and treatment mainly supportive. Despite the availability of more than 30 international guidelines, consistent management recommendations are lacking and considerable variability in patients' care persists among different providers. OBJECTIVE: To review and describe current knowledge about epidemiology, physiopathology, clinic, diagnosis and management of acute bronchiolitis, with particular emphasis on updated evidence and future perspectives in terms of treatment and prevention. METHODS AND RESULTS: We searched Cochrane for systematic reviews and PubMed for scientific articles published in the last 10 years, using a combination of the following search terms: "bronchiolitis", "respiratory syncytial virus", "epidemiology", "risk factors", "severity", "diagnosis", "clinic", "diagnostic imaging", "management", "asthma", "wheezing", "bronchodilator", "steroids", "hypertonic saline", "oxygen", "blood gas analysis", "HHHFNC", "rehydration", "enteral feeding", "parenteral hydration", "prevention", "vaccine" and "COVID-19 or SARS-CoV2". We accordingly performed a deep and extensive selection of the most updated and considerable literature on the matter, summarizing the most significant evidence concerning all aspects of acute bronchiolitis (epidemiology, clinic, diagnosis, management and prevention). Furthermore, we examined references and available guidelines from UK, USA, Canada, Italy and Spain. Results are extensively discussed below. CONCLUSION: Although acute bronchiolitis has been a widely known disease for decades, its therapeutic approach remained unchanged and essentially limited to respiratory and metabolic support. Despite the abundance of studies, there is no significant evidence concerning therapeutic alternatives (e.g. steroids, inhaled hypertonic solution), which are therefore not recommended. According to most recent data, "acute bronchiolitis" definition encompasses a plethora of different clinical entities related to each subject's genetic and immune predisposition. Therefore, future research should focus on the precise characterization of such subcategories in order to individualize therapeutic management and ensure the most appropriate evidence-based care.
Assuntos
Bronquiolite , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial , Lactente , Humanos , RNA Viral/uso terapêutico , Revisões Sistemáticas como Assunto , Bronquiolite/diagnóstico , Bronquiolite/epidemiologia , Bronquiolite/terapia , Broncodilatadores/uso terapêutico , Fatores de Risco , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/diagnóstico , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/epidemiologia , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/terapiaRESUMO
Introduction: Although neonatal breathing patterns vary after perinatal asphyxia, whether they change during therapeutic hypothermia (TH) remains unclear. We characterized breathing patterns in infants during TH for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and normothermia after rewarming. Methods: In seventeen spontaneously breathing infants receiving TH for HIE and in three who did not receive TH, we analyzed respiratory flow and esophageal pressure tracings for respiratory timing variables, pulmonary mechanics and respiratory effort. Breaths were classified as braked (inspiratory:expiratory ratio ≥1.5) and unbraked (<1.5). Results: According to the expiratory flow shape braked breaths were chategorized into early peak expiratory flow, late peak expiratory flow, slow flow, and post-inspiratory hold flow (PiHF). The most braked breaths had lower rates, larger tidal volume but lower minute ventilation, inspiratory airway resistance and respiratory effort, except for the PiHF, which had higher resistance and respiratory effort. The braked pattern predominated during TH, but not during normothermia or in the uncooled infants. Conclusions: We speculate that during TH for HIE low respiratory rates favor neonatal braked breathing to preserve lung volume. Given the generally low respiratory effort, it seems reasonable to leave spontaneous breathing unassisted. However, if the PiHF pattern predominates, ventilatory support may be required.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The term "sharenting" describes the increasingly popular habit of parents to share photos, videos, or other information regarding their children on their social profiles, through online platforms. It is highly likely that many parents are posting content about their underage children online with little knowledge of the risks associated with this practice. This study aims to investigate whether variables such as parents' age, gender, marital status, occupation and educational level influence the practice of sharing child-related content and the degree of awareness. METHODS: We performed a pilot cross-sectional study, based on an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to parents of underage children attending the pediatric outpatient clinic of the Umberto I Hospital, Sapienza University, in Rome, Italy, by researchers, through the google forms platform; qualitative variables were generated on excel sheets and a statistical analysis was performed on SPSS Ibm-statistics using the chi-square test. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-eight parents of children under 18 years of age completed the questionnaire (82% mothers, 18% fathers); 98% of the respondents used social media and 75% of them published their children's related content online. Thirty-one percent of the compilers started their practice of sharenting in the first 6 months of life of their child. Our analysis showed that compared to parents who do not post online, parents who usually post online their children are significantly more likely to be partial employees or unemployed (p = 0,002), with lower educational level (p = 0,05), younger (less than 35 years of age (p = 0,01)) and have a higher number of followers (p < 0,001). Finally, 93% of the compilers were not aware of the current legislation and of the risks related to the practice of sharenting. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians, healthcare assistants and preventive healthcare professionals should play a central role in alerting parents and families to the risks of sharenting; the results of our study could draw their attention to the increasing practice of sharenting and make healthcare professionals active part in the protection of children.
Assuntos
Pais , Humanos , Feminino , Masculino , Estudos Transversais , Inquéritos e Questionários , Pais/psicologia , Criança , Adulto , Projetos Piloto , Itália , Adolescente , Pré-Escolar , Mídias Sociais , Lactente , Internet , Relações Pais-Filho , ConscientizaçãoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Our aim was to hypothesize that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the characteristics of viral bronchiolitis by comparing the last 3 epidemics with 3 pre-COVID-19 epidemics in infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 637 consecutive infants (median age 3.0 ± 2.1 months, 58.5% males), hospitalized for bronchiolitis during 6 consecutive annual epidemic seasons from 2017 to 2023. All parents of the children were given a structured anamnestic questionnaire. A nasopharyngeal aspirate was tested for 15 respiratory viruses. As measures of severity, we evaluated the O 2 supplementation and the admission at the pediatric intensive care unit. RESULTS: A total of 166 were hospitalized with bronchiolitis in 2017-2018, 97 in 2018-2019, 69 in 2019-2020, 0 in 2020-2021, 129 in 2021-2022 and 176 in 2022-2023. Taking together the 332 bronchiolitis cases hospitalized during the 3 prepandemic seasons, they peaked between December and January; after the flat curve in 2020-2021, the cases of bronchiolitis peaked in November 2021 and in December 2022. While the 2021-2022 season registered a less severe clinical presentation, O 2 supplementation and pediatric intensive care unit admissions increased in 2022-2023 with respect to the prepandemic seasons ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study represents an important scientific demonstration of the impact of primary prevention measures on the epidemiology of viral infections; their fluctuations were related to the intensity of restrictive measures and to the changing trend of respiratory viruses. It is essential to predict the real temporal trend of bronchiolitis not to leave high-risk children uncovered and to guide hospitals to maintain a high level of readiness.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Hospitalização , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , COVID-19/epidemiologia , COVID-19/imunologia , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/epidemiologia , Feminino , Estudos Prospectivos , Hospitalização/estatística & dados numéricos , SARS-CoV-2/imunologia , Bronquiolite Viral/epidemiologia , Bronquiolite/epidemiologia , Bronquiolite/virologia , Vírus Sincicial Respiratório Humano/imunologia , Unidades de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
The anti-COVID-19 intramuscular vaccination induces a strong systemic but a weak mucosal immune response in adults. Little is known about the mucosal immune response in children infected or vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. We found that 28% of children had detectable salivary IgA against SARS-CoV-2 even before vaccination, suggesting that, in children, SARS-CoV-2 infection may be undiagnosed. After vaccination, only receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific IgA1 significantly increased in the saliva. Conversely, infected children had significantly higher salivary RBD-IgA2 compared to IgA1, indicating that infection more than vaccination induces a specific mucosal immune response in children. Future efforts should focus on development of vaccine technologies that also activate mucosal immunity.