Efficacy of parent-child interaction therapy for children born premature.

BACKGROUND: Premature children are known to be at a high risk of developing behavioral problems. This study examined the effectiveness of parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) in reducing behavioral problems in young children born premature. METHODS: The study included 18 child-parent pairs with children born at less than 35 weeks of gestation (range: 23-34 weeks, median: 31.0 weeks) and aged 27-52 months (median: 38.0 months). They were assigned to either the PCIT group (n = 7) or the non-PCIT group (n = 11) based on maternal desire for treatment. The study was designed to examine the effects of PCIT. Specifically, the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) intensity score, ECBI problem score, and Parenting Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF) scores were compared before treatment and after 6 months. RESULTS: In the PCIT group, the mean ECBI intensity score was 135.7 (SD = 13.5; T-score = 64) at baseline and 90.1 (SD = 15.5; T-score = 46) at post-assessment, the mean ECBI problem score was 9.8 (SD = 1.9; T-score = 54) at baseline and 4.4 (SD = 3.1; T-score = 44) at post-assessment, the mean PSI-SF total score was 60.1 (SD = 4.8; 95%tile) at baseline and 49.6 (SD = 5.6; 85%tile) at post-assessment, showing a significant improvement (ECBI intensity scores: p < 0.001, d = 2.03; ECBI problem scores: p < 0.001, d = 1.94; PSI-SF total scores: p = 0.004, d = 0.86). On the other hand, none of the scores showed significant change in the non-PCIT group. CONCLUSIONS: The PCIT can be considered as a potential treatment option for behavioral problems in young children born premature.

First evaluation of Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory for foster children in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Behavioral problems of foster children are an important issue for the maintenance of the foster care system, but they have not been adequately studied in Japan. We used the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) to investigate behavioral problems among foster children and to examine associated factors. METHODS: Twenty-nine foster children and their foster parents and 479 non-foster children and parents were recruited for the foster and control groups, respectively. Both groups underwent statistical comparative analyses using data from their ECBI assessments. The ECBI has two scales: the Intensity Scale quantifies the severity of child behavioral problems, and the Problem Scale captures the caregiver's perceived difficulties handling each behavior. We conducted a retrospective investigation of the background of the foster parent-child pairs to explore potential causal relationships with behavioral problems. RESULTS: The mean intensity score for the foster group was significantly higher than that for the control group (p = 0.001). The mean problem scores for the foster group and the control group were not significantly different (p = 0.79). In the foster group, the retrospective investigation revealed two children with neurological or neurodevelopmental disorders, 17 with histories of abuse, and 10 with other issues. CONCLUSION: Intensity scores showed severe behavioral problems among foster children, perhaps caused by neurological disorders, abuse, parental mental health, or economic hardship. Problem scores showed no significant differences between groups. It can therefore be posited that foster parents might exhibit a more lenient parenting style when dealing with children who have a history of abuse by their biological parents.

The first case of hemorrhagic shock and encephalopathy syndrome with fulminant hypercytokinemia associated with pediatric COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can lead not only to respiratory symptoms but also to neurologic symptoms with various levels of severity. After the worldwide prevalence of Omicron variant, severe neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) such as febrile seizure, demyelinating disease, and cerebrovascular disease, have been reported. However, reports of acute encephalopathy in patients with COVID-19 are quite limited. Especially in terms of cytokine storm-inducing hemorrhagic shock and encephalopathy syndrome (HSES), there is no case reported related to COVID-19. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of an 8-year-old girl who presented with fatal HSES associated with pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infection. Status epilepticus occurs after the onset of fever and diarrhea and lasted for at least an hour. Unconsciousness was followed by circulatory failure and ultimately leading to death within 2 days after the fever onset. Analysis of forty-eight cytokines and chemokines measured in three consecutive serum samples revealed that interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a, IL-8, Interferon gamma inducible protein (IP)-10, and Monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, were increased within an hour after the onset of impaired consciousness. CONCLUSION: Here, we describe a case of fatal fulminant encephalopathy with rapid progression because of HSES associated with COVID-19. High levels of cytokines and chemokines observed in this case may be because of the SARS-CoV-2-associated cytokine storm. This study is the first COVID-19-associated case of HSES.

MOG-Ab titer-guided approach for steroid tapering to prevent relapse in children with mog antibody-associated adem diseases: A case report.

Intravenous corticosteroids have been regarded as the first-line therapy of anti-myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody (MOG-Ab)-positive acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). While steroids are the first-choice therapy, MOG-Ab-positive ADEM has a high relapse rate. In some cases, MOG-Ab-positive ADEM relapses even in a low-MOG-Abs state. There is no evidence-based rule supporting steroid tapering. We herein report a case of MOG-Ab-positive ADEM in which recurrence was preventing by tapering steroids under MOG-Ab seronegativity confirmation. In some cases, the MOG-Ab titer may be an important index for tapering steroids to prevent relapse.

MELAS syndrome with m.4450 G > A mutation in mitochondrial tRNAMet gene.

Mutations in the mitochondrial tRNAMet gene have been reported in only five patients to date, all of whom presented with muscle weakness and exercise intolerance as signs of myopathy. We herein report the case of a 12-year-old girl with focal epilepsy since the age of eight years. At age 11, the patient developed sudden visual disturbances and headaches accompanied by recurrent, stroke-like episodes with lactic acidosis (pH 7.279, lactic acid 11.6 mmol/L). The patient frequently developed a delirious state, exhibited regression of intellectual ability. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed high-intensity signals on T2-weighted images of the left occipital lobe. Mitochondrial gene analysis revealed a heteroplasmic m.4450G > A mutation in the mitochondrial tRNAMet. The heteroplasmic rate of the m.4450G > A mutation in blood, skin, urinary sediment, hair, saliva, and nail samples were 20, 38, 59, 41, 27, and 35%, respectively. The patient's fibroblast showed an approximately 53% reduction in the oxygen consumption rate, compared to a control, and decreased complex I and IV activities. Stroke-like episodes, lactic acidosis, encephalopathy with brain magnetic resonance imaging findings, and declined mitochondrial function were consistent with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome. To our knowledge, the findings associated with this first patient with MELAS syndrome harboring the m.4450G > A mutation in mitochondrial tRNAMet expand the phenotypic spectrum of tRNAMet gene.