[The use of ondansetron in acute gastroenteritis. Its impact in a pediatric emergency department]. / L'impiego dell'ondansentron nella gastroenterite acuta e la sua efficacia in un pronto soccorso pediatrico.

BACKGROUND: Ondansentron is in consideration in literature for its use in vomiting secondary to acute gastroenteritis in children. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate its usefulness in children with acute gastroenteritis referred to a paediatric emergency department. METHODS: A retrospective study considered 967 children treated with ondansetron (0,06 mg/kg IM) plus oral rehydration, with a control group of 286 children who received only oral rehydration. RESULTS: The time spent into the short-stay observation unit and the total emergency department stay were significantly reduced in children receiving ondansentron. No adverse reactions to the drug were recorded.

[The use of ondansetron in acute gastroenteritis. Its impact in a pediatric emergency department]. / L'impiego dell'ondansentron nella gastroenterite acuta e la sua efficacia in un pronto soccorso pediatrico.

BACKGROUND: Ondansentron is in consideration in literature for its use in vomiting secondary to acute gastroenteritis in children. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate its usefulness in children with acute gastroenteritis referred to a paediatric emergency department. METHODS: A retrospective study considered 967 children treated with ondansetron (0,06 mg/kg IM) plus oral rehydration, with a control group of 286 children who received only oral rehydration. RESULTS: The time spent into the short-stay observation unit and the total emergency department stay were significantly reduced in children receiving ondansentron. No adverse reactions to the drug were recorded.

[Children feeding practices in Pakistani families immigrant to Italy]. / Indagine sulle abitudini alimentari dei bambini di famiglie pakistane emigrate in Italia.

BACKGROUND: Immigration to Italy from Asian countries is sharply increasing, but little we know about the integration of children born in Italy from migrant families. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate which changes in feeding practices has occurred in respect of their original culture. METHODS: A cross-sectional study investigated the eating habits of 53 children (aged 2-14 years), born in Italy from parents who recently moved from Pakistan. Data were collected through a questionnaire and interviews. RESULTS: Religious beliefs and poor economical conditions interact with the feeding habits of the families. Prolonged, but not exclusive breastfeeding is common. According the Pakistani uses, many beverages are introduced early in addition to maternal milk. Whereas protein intake is usually low in the first two years of life, it tends to becomes excessive during school-age. Besides the traditional diet, children widely use savoury and sweet convenience food.

Evolution of the scientific literature on drug delivery: A 1974-2015 bibliometric study.

This study charts the growth of the drug delivery literature published during 1974-2015 from journals indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded database. The growth of publications on drug delivery paralleled the total scientific publications for three decades (1974-2003); however, from 2004 to 2015 it exploded fourfold, while the total increased only 1.75 fold. Industrialized countries (USA, UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, France and Canada) were the most prolific during the first decades, but in 2014-2015 China, India and South Korea ranked 1st, 3rd and 4th respectively among the productive countries. The number of participating countries increased fivefold (from 19 to 96). During the last 15years, the journals targeted by drug delivery research increased nearly 2.4 fold (416 to 1001) and three journals (Journal of Controlled Release, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, and International Journal of Pharmaceutics) published nearly one-fifth of the drug delivery research in 2014-2015.

[The short-stay observation unit: an experience of the Pediatric Department in Modena]. / Osservazione breve intensiva (OBI) in pediatria: l'esperienza del Policlinico di Modena.

The use of a short-stay observation unit (OBI) in a pediatric department has reduced the number of admissions. Significant cost savings and a better care for children and their families have been also achieved. During the year 2003 in our department 1759 children received OBI. 226 (12.8%) were then admitted. 1553 (87.2%) were discharged after a nine-hour mean stay. Descriptive statistics are used to outline the sample of patients and used treatments.

Cricoarytenoid arthritis as an early sign of juvenile chronic arthritis.

A 14-month-old girl developed chronic stridor and dyspnoea. Four months later she presented arthritis, anterior uveitis and positive ANA. Juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) was diagnosed. Laryngoscopy demonstrated the presence of cricoarytenoid arthritis (CA). The left vocal cord was adducted and immobile, while the right vocal cord had decreased mobility. Erythema and swelling of the arytenoid cartilage on both sides was seen. Steroid treatment resulted in the resolution of these symptoms and made airway control unnecessary. This case demonstrates that CA may be the first sign of JCA, preceding peripheral arthritis. CA should be considered in every child with chronic stridor and laryngeal obstruction.

Primary hypergammaglobulinemic purpura associated with IgG2 deficiency. A case report.

Hypergammaglobulinemic purpura is a rare disease in children. We report a case of a 12 year-old girl with a history of frequent infections. We found the presence of IgG2 deficiency despite polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. An IgG subclass determination should be obtained in every child with polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia and features of immunodeficiency.

Azithromycin compared with clarithromycin for the treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis in children.

The treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis with azithromycin (10 mg/kg orally once daily for 3 days) or clarithromycin (7.5 mg/kg orally twice daily for 10 days) was compared in a randomized observer-blind study carried out in 174 children with documented Streptococcus pyogenes infection. The observed cure rate 10 days after the beginning of treatment was 61/63 (96.8%) in the clarithromycin group and 71/74 (95.9%) in the azithromycin group. At days 17-20 the bacteriological eradication rate was 95.2% for clarithromycin and 94.6% for azithromycin. When children who did not complete treatment were included in the analysis the eradication rate was higher for azithromycin (93.6% compared with 82.9%; P < 0.05); the difference was due to better compliance with the azithromycin regimen.

Essential fatty acids: the effects of dietary supplementation among children with recurrent respiratory infections.

The impact of dietary supplementation with essential fatty acids (EFA) on recurrent respiratory infections (RRI) in children was evaluated by means of a randomized cross-over double-blind study. Linoleic acid (596 mg/day) and alpha-linolenic acid [855 mg/day] as a commercial preparation or placebo (olive oil) were administered for two consecutive winter seasons (November to February, T0-T120) to 20 children affected by RRI, aged between 36 and 49 months. Plasma levels of n-3 and n-6 metabolites increased after the administration of EFA. The number of infective episodes, days' fever and days' absence from school were reduced significantly during the observation period (extended from T120 to T180) in children receiving EFA supplementation. Our results suggest that n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids may play a favourable role in the defence mechanism of these subjects.

[Viral arthritis in childhood]. / Le artriti virali in età pediatrica.

Many viruses can cause arthritis in children. Viral arthritis can mimic other rheumatic conditions as rheumatic fever, septic arthritis or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Usually viral arthritis is a self-limited disease; occasionally it may show a chronic course lasting several months. Rubella arthritis follows natural infection or vaccination; it looks the expression of a direct invasion of the synovial tissue by the virus. Hepatitis B arthritis is an immune-complex synovitis occurring during the prodromic stage of HBV infection.

[Sympathetic reflex dystrophy. Description of a pediatric case]. / La distrofia simpatica riflessa. Descrizione di un caso pediatrico.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy is a well known syndrome in adults, but often misdiagnosed in children. We describe a case occurred in a 12 years old girl. Psychological factors played a major role in the mechanism of the disease. Early recognition and prompt management allow complete recovery without sequelae.

[Rheumatic fever: a retrospective study of a case series of the last 20 years]. / La malattia reumatica: studio retrospettivo di una casistica degli ultimi 20 anni.

The incidence of rheumatic fever in the last twenty years in our ward is reviewed. A substantial decrease is noted; anyway a peak in the years '80-'86 is reported, accordingly literature. Carditis is a frequent manifestation, but its clinical impact is less severe than in the past. Arthritis may have an unusual feature. A good compliance to prophylaxis has been obtained by a strict follow-up.

[Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and food allergy: a study on possible correlations]. / Porpora trombocitopenica idiopatica ed allergia alimentare: uno studio sulle possibili correlazioni.

UNLABELLED: Eight children affected by idiopathic chronic thrombocytopenia were studied for history of food allergy, anti-platelet antibodies, total IgE, prick test for food antigens, AGA and EMA. They were free of treatment for thrombocytopenia since at least six months before. Three children had in the first year of life intolerance to cow's milk proteins with atopic dermatitis and/or poor growth. None had AGA or EMA positivity. 6/8 had positivity for anti-platelet antibodies. A 15-days oligoantigenic diet was instituted in all of them. Platelet count was unaffected in all but one, in which a sharp increase was noted (from 19x 10(9)/l. to 150x 10(9)/l.). He was a 12-year-old boy with a previous history of cow's milk intolerance and actual skin prick test positivity for casein and lactoglobulin. A one-year follow up for this case was instituted and he was put on two further 15-days periods of oligoantigenic diet, but no change in platelet count was noted any more. CONCLUSION: we were not able to correlate chronic thrombocytopenia to food allergy.

[Hemicrania and food in the child]. / Emicrania ed alimenti nel bambino.

68 children with migraine were divided into 3 groups according the result of a skin-Prick test to food antigens. In group A (positivity to one or two antigens) (mean IgE level = 315 U/ml) 94.4% of the patients recovered from migraine in a two-months period of exclusion diet. In group B (positivity to 3 or more antigens) (mean IgE level = 226 U/ml) the same regimen lead to improvement 90% of migraineurs. In group C (skin-Prick test negative) (mean IgE level = 97 U/ml) a strictly oligoantigenic diet was proposed for 20 days. This was beneficial in only 17.2% of patients. Food allergy seems to play an important role in childhood migraine. Prick test appeared a useful and simple method to screen the patients.

[Iridocyclitis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis]. / Iridociclite ed artrite reumatoide giovanile.

Iridocyclitis is a common complication of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It affects particularly female patients with mono-oligoarthritis. A positivity of ANA-test is usually observed, representing a marker for the disease. The course is chronic, leading potentially to scarring and blindness. The insidious onset, often not parallel to arthritis, requires careful ophthalmologic examination of all patients at risk, in order to achieve early diagnosis and treatment.

[Agenesis of the gallbladder. Description of 2 cases in 2 siblings]. / L'agenesia della colecisti. Descrizione di due casi in due fratelli.

Gallbladder and cystic duct agenesis is a rare malformation with frequent familial occurrence. We report a case in a girl, diagnosed by nonoperative means, and a second case in her brother, discovered with a screening in the same family, operated with ultrasonography.

[Bourneville's tuberous sclerosis: neurological manifestations and skin anomalies]. / La sclerosi tuberosa di Bourneville: manifestazioni neurologiche ed anomalie cutanee.

A follow up of 14 cases of tuberous sclerosis is presented. Cutaneous signs, epileptic seizures and developmental disabilities were recorded over a period ranging between 2 and 25 years from the onset of symptoms. A correlation can be established between the time of appearance of epilepsy and the degree of mental retardation. Antiepileptic treatment does not seem to prevent developmental disability.

[Value of computerized tomography in childhood epilepsy]. / Importanza della tomografia computerizzata nelle epilessie infantili.

272 cases of childhood epilepsy were studied with brain TC scan to correlate the type of seizure to the possible neurological damage. Children with generalized convulsions had a low incidence of abnormal TC findings if in absence of neurological signs (3/80) (Group A), but a more relevant incidence (13/34) in presence of neurological signs (Group B). 65 children had epileptic encephalopathy (Group C): 15/17 West syndromes and 33/48 Lennox syndromes presented TC abnormalities. The remnant 93 children had partial seizures. In Group D partial epilepsy was free of neurological signs; the incidence of abnormal TC findings was 17/76. An higher incidence (9/17) was found in Group E, where partial epilepsy was accompanied by neurological disturbances.