SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Pediatric Oncology Population: The Definitive Comprehensive Report of the Infectious Diseases Working Group of AIEOP.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the clinical impact and outcome of the SARS-CoV-2 infection on children with cancer or those who received a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS: AIEOP (Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology) performed a nationwide multicenter observational cohort study, including consecutive patients between April 2020 and November 2022. RESULTS: Twenty-five Italian centers participated and 455 patients were enrolled. We reported a significant increasing trend of symptomatic cases over the years, while the number of nonmild infections remained stable. Early infection after oncologic diagnosis (<60 days) and severe neutropenia were identified as independent risk factors for developing moderate, severe, or critical infections. The percentage of patients who were asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic and who stopped chemotherapy reduced over the years of the pandemic. Nine patients died, but no death was attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 infection presented a self-limiting benign course in the Italian pediatric oncohematology population during the pandemic, and its main consequence has been the discontinuation of cancer-directed therapies. The rate of patients who were asymptomatic and stopped chemotherapy reduced over the years, suggesting that the continuation of chemotherapy is a feasible option.

Acute Infectious Diarrhea.

Acute infectious diarrhea (AID) is one of the most common diseases in pediatric age with relevant burden both in high and in low-income countries. Thanks to their direct action on enterocyte functions and indirect actions on the mucosal and systemic immune system and on intestinal microbiome, probiotics are an ideal intervention to treat AID in childhood. However, their efficacy is strictly related to strains and indications, and practitioners should take this information into account in clinical practice. This chapter summarizes the main mechanisms of action of probiotics in AID, with a focus on proof of efficacy supporting their use in prevention and treatment of childhood AID. The use of selected strains in appropriate doses is strongly recommended by guidelines of AID, based on compelling proofs of efficacy and safety. At present, therapy with probiotics of AID is probably the strongest indication for probiotic use in medicine. Their role in prevention of AID is however questionable in healthy population, whereas it should be considered in at-risk population. Evidence for prevention of diarrhea in day-care centers and communities is lacking, but consistent evidence supports efficacy in prevention of hospital acquired diarrhea. Finally, this chapter presents novelties on this topic, in particular the role of rotavirus immunization on probiotics effectiveness and the effect of probiotics and postbiotics on Covid-associated diarrhea.Overall: AID is the most convincing area for probiotic use in children with gastrointestinal disorders, and effective strains should be used early on after onset of symptoms.

Sharp-Pointed Foreign Body Ingestion in Pediatric Age.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical complications reported after the ingestion of sharp/pointed foreign bodies (FBs) in pediatric age, their incidence among all FB ingestions, and the features and clinical presentation of children. STUDY DESIGN: We have recruited all consecutive patients aged 0-14 years, admitted for sharp/pointed FB ingestion. Clinical data until hospital discharge were accurately recorded, including both children with esophagogastric FB retention who underwent endoscopic removal and children who were radiologically followed-up till spontaneous FB expulsion. Clinical outcomes were recorded for each patient, with special reference to possible prolonged retention and wall perforation during the intestinal passage. RESULTS: We have enrolled 580 children (males/females: 292/288; age range: 11-180 months; mean age ± standard deviation: 50.5 ± 42 months). Sharp/pointed FBs mainly included fragments of metal 270 of 580 (46.55%) and glass 180 of 580 (31%). FBs were endoscopically removed in 79 of 580 (13.6%) children whereas the remaining FBs passed through the gastrointestinal tract over an overall mean time of 29 hours. No cases of intestinal perforation nor prolonged retention were observed. In 3 of 65 (4.6%) procedures the endoscopist faced an uncomfortable endoscopic removal due to the shape and size of the FB which hampered the retrograde passage through the esophageal sphincters. CONCLUSIONS: Our original and extensive data emphasize that accidental ingestion of sharp/pointed FB ingestion is a current issue in pediatric age, especially in toddlers. Metal and glass objects are the most involved FBs and their endoscopic retrieval may not be easy in about 5% of cases. Fortunately, in our pediatric sample no surgical intervention was needed.

Dalbavancin for Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections in Pediatrics: Insights from Continuation Therapy Experience.

Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections (ABSSSI) are marked by substantial morbidity, frequent need for hospitalization, and long courses of intravenous antibiotic therapy. Herein, we report four cases of pediatric patients admitted for ABSSSI and managed with a combination antibiotic regimen incorporating dalbavancin: a second-generation lipoglycopeptide active against Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In our experience, particularly in a setting with a high methicillin-resistance rate, dalbavancin demonstrated safety and efficacy, simplifying ABSSSI management in childhood. Its prolonged half-life enables a single-dose administration regimen, offering potential solutions to numerous challenges encountered in pediatric care, such as extended hospital stays, difficulties in securing and maintaining vascular access, lack of pediatric-specific drug indications, and limited availability of suitable oral formulations.

Rectal Bleeding in Infants: Diagnostic Work-up and Management.

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding is an alarming symptom in pediatrics, especially in infancy. However, it is commonly secondary to benign and self-limiting conditions, such as anal fissures, infections, and allergies; more rarely it is caused by more serious disorders, such as necrotizing enterocolitis, very early onset inflammatory bowel diseases, and vascular malformations. The present review aims at summarizing the different clinical conditions presenting with rectal bleeding in infancy and provides an evidence-based diagnostic work-up for the clinical management of patients with this occurrence.

Co-administration with Men-B vaccine increases Rotavirus vaccination coverage: A 5-year regionwide retrospective cohort study (STORM study).

INTRODUCTION: In Italy Rotavirus vaccination (RVV) is provided free of charge from 2018, however, the coverage is scattered and suboptimal. The narrow time frame to complete the schedule is a barrier to uptake, and co-administration with other vaccines may potentially increase the coverage. Although the co-administration of RV vaccine and Meningococcal Group B vaccine (MenB) is not included in the product labels, we aimed at studying its impact on RVV coverage. METHODS: This Surveillance study on Timing and cOverage of Rotavirus and MenB vaccine co-administration (STORM study) used the Regional Vaccination Registry to collect data about children born in Campania Region between January 2016 and December 2020, and receiving vaccines scheduled in the first year of life. RESULTS: Among the 224,110 children enrolled, 60,614 (27.0%) completed the RVV schedule, with a vaccination rate that increased over time from 1.15% in 2016 to 56.92% in 2020. The first and last dose of RVV schedule were administered beyond the recommended time in 6% of the study population, respectively. Co-administration of RV vaccine with MenB vaccine increased from 0.7 % in 2016 to 46.85 % in 2020. Children receiving RV/MenB vaccines concomitantly had a significantly higher chance of completing the RV schedule compared to those receiving RVV alone during a specific appointment (94.78 % vs 72.26 %, Prevalence Ratio -PR- 1.275, 95 %CI 1.245-1.295p < 0.00001). The positive driving effect of RV/MenB co-administration was more evident for children receiving pentavalent (PR 1.288) than monovalent RVV (PR 1.115) which was confirmed when adjusted for confounding variables (i.e., year of vaccination, local district, gender). CONCLUSIONS: Although still far from the target, RVV coverage has increased in recent years in Campania Region. Co-administration with MenB vaccine may aid in increasing RVV coverage, especially for pentavalent RVV. Further safety data are needed to support co-administration as a key tool to increase coverage.

Vitamin D Levels in the Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Periods and Related Confinement at Pediatric Age.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions have been correlated with vitamin D deficiency in children, but some uncertainties remain. We retrospectively studied vitamin 25-(OH) D blood levels in 2182 Italian children/adolescents hospitalized for various chronic diseases in the year before (n = 1052) and after (n = 1130) the nationwide lockdown. The type of underlying disease, gender, and mean age (91 ± 55 and 91 ± 61 months, respectively) of patients included in the two periods were comparable. Although mean levels were the same (p = 0.24), deficiency status affected a significantly higher number of subjects during the lockdown period than in the pre-COVID period (p = 0.03), particularly in summer (p = 0.02), and there was also a smoothing of seasonal variations in vitamin D levels. Particularly at risk were males (OR = 1.22; p = 0.03), the 1-5 year age group (OR = 1.57; p < 0.01) and the 6-12 year age group (OR = 1.30; p = 0.04). Infants appeared not to be affected (p = 1.00). In the post-COVID period, the risk of vitamin D deficiency was unchanged in disease-specific groups. However, the proportion of deficiency or severe deficiency differed significantly in the subgroup with endocrinopathy (higher; Chi-square p = 0.04), and with respiratory problems and obesity (lower; Chi-square p = 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively). Conflicting/opposite literature results advocate for further studies to clearly indicate the need for supplementation during possible future periods of confinement.

Diarrhea Is a Hallmark of Inflammation in Pediatric COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a pathogen with enteric tropism. We compared the clinical, biochemical and radiological features of children hospitalized for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, classified in two groups based on the presence of diarrhea. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the variables associated with diarrhea. Overall, 407 children were included in the study (226 males, 55.5%, mean age 3.9 ± 5.0 years), of whom 77 (18.9%) presented with diarrhea, which was mild in most cases. Diarrhea prevalence was higher during the Alpha (23.6%) and Delta waves (21.9%), and in children aged 5-11 y (23.8%). Other gastrointestinal symptoms were most commonly reported in children with diarrhea (p < 0.05). Children with diarrhea showed an increased systemic inflammatory state (higher C-reactive protein, procalcitonin and ferritin levels, p < 0.005), higher local inflammation as judged by mesenteric fat hyperechogenicity (adjusted Odds Ratio 3.31, 95%CI 1.13-9.70) and a lower chance of previous immunosuppressive state (adjusted Odds Ratio 0.19, 95%CI 0.05-0.70). Diarrhea is a frequent feature of pediatric COVID-19 and is associated with increased systemic inflammation, which is related to the local mesenteric fat inflammatory response, confirming the implication of the gut not only in multisystem inflammatory syndrome but also in the acute phase of the infection.

Is Quarantine for COVID-19 Pandemic Associated with Psychological Burden in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia?

BACKGROUND: Information on psychological impact of COVID-19 quarantine in primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a chronic disorder with recurrent pulmonary exacerbations, is lacking. Psychological well-being was prospectively assessed during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy in a PCD population. METHODS: we recruited 27 PCD patients and 27 healthy controls. To assess psychological well-being, psychological general well-being index and parenting stress index-short questionnaires were administered to participants ≥15 years-old and to mothers of participants <15 years-old, respectively. The PCD exacerbations since outbreak onset and frequency of quarantine weekly chest physiotherapy were compared to the same period of 2019. OUTCOMES: 70% of PCD mothers and 90% of PCD patients did not show parental stress levels or distress levels, respectively, and these groups showed no significant difference in stress compared to controls. The PCD pulmonary exacerbations occurred less frequently and weekly chest physiotherapy sessions significantly increased compared to the same period during 2019 (p < 0.05). INTERPRETATION: During COVID-19 quarantine, a PCD population showed psychological well-being. Low exacerbation rate, explained by lower infectious exposure or improved compliance to chest physiotherapy, likely contributed to psychological well-being. Evaluating psychological burden and parental stress is a valuable tool for measuring the emotional impact of PCD and improving PCD medical care.