[Paediatric research in Spain: Challenges and priorities. INVEST-AEP Platform]. / La investigación en Pediatría en España: retos y prioridades. Plataforma INVEST-AEP.

Research is the cornerstone of medical progress. Paediatric research has its own nuances and represents an additional challenge due to the intrinsic characteristics of the paediatric population compared with adults. Despite the tremendous importance of childhood health and its impact during adulthood, society is still not convinced about the importance of conducting research in paediatrics. This also applies to paediatricians themselves, who think about research as a discipline that does not directly involve them. The Spanish Academy of Paediatrics has developed a specific research platform- INVEST-AEP- to try to help and answer the challenges associated with paediatric research in the society This article reflects the current status of paediatric research in Spain, and the goals achieved over the last few years due to the effort of paediatric researchers. In addition, a deeper analysis is provided as regards: a) the barriers that represent a hurdle for the development of broad and competitive paediatric research in our day to day work; b) the limited incentives and specific pre- and post-doctoral training; c) the high clinical burden for paediatricians or; d) the lack of specific infrastructure and dedicated funding for paediatrics. The mission, vision and values of INVEST-AEP are to develop an accessible roadmap for the development and implementation of paediatric research in Spain for the next few years.

Pediatric Asthma and Viral Infection. / Asma y virus en el niño.

Respiratory viral infections, particularly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus, are the most importance risk factors for the onset of wheezing in infants and small children. Bronchiolitis is the most common acute respiratory infection in children under 1year of age, and the most common cause of hospitalization in this age group. RSV accounts for approximately 70% of all these cases, followed by rhinovirus, adenovirus, metapneumovirus and bocavirus. The association between bronchiolitis caused by RSV and the development of recurrent wheezing and/or asthma was first described more than 40years ago, but it is still unclear whether bronchiolitis causes chronic respiratory symptoms, or if it is a marker for children with a genetic predisposition for developing asthma in the medium or long term. In any case, sufficient evidence is available to corroborate the existence of this association, which is particularly strong when the causative agent of bronchiolitis is rhinovirus. The pathogenic role of respiratory viruses as triggers for exacerbations in asthmatic patients has not been fully characterized. However, it is clear that respiratory viruses, and in particular rhinovirus, are the most common causes of exacerbation in children, and some type of respiratory virus has been identified in over 90% of children hospitalized for an episode of wheezing. Changes in the immune response to viral infections in genetically predisposed individuals are very likely to be the main factors involved in the association between viral infection and asthma.

Desarrollo psicomotor en prematuros tardíos a los dos años de edad: comparación con recién nacidos a término mediante dos herramientas diferentes / Psychomotor development in late preterms at two years of age: a comparison with full-term newborn infants using two different instruments

Introducción. Los prematuros tardíos constituyen actualmente el 70% de los nacimientos prematuros. Presentan mayor comorbilidad, incluyendo las alteraciones del neurodesarrollo, que pueden no manifestarse hasta la escolarización. Objetivo. Identificar dificultades en el desarrollo neurológico a los dos años de edad. Sujetos y métodos. Se valoró el desarrollo psicomotor a los dos años de los prematuros tardíos y del grupo control a término nacidos en nuestro centro entre enero y septiembre del año 2014 mediante la escala de Brunet-Lézine revisada y el cuestionario de edades y etapas para la detección de trastornos del neurodesarrollo Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3). Resultados. Se incluyó a 88 niños. Los prematuros tardíos presentaron puntuaciones inferiores en el lenguaje y el desarrollo postural. Las niñas obtuvieron resultados superiores en la edad de desarrollo global, la coordinación oculomotriz, el lenguaje y la sociabilidad. El cuestionario ASQ-3 detectó las diferencias en comunicación y socioindividuales. Se identificaron como factores de riesgo para presentar alteración del desarrollo la prematuridad, para alteración del lenguaje, y el sexo masculino, para menor edad de desarrollo y alteración del lenguaje. La correlación entre la valoración del lenguaje con la escala de Brunet-Lézine revisada y el cuestionario ASQ-3 fue buena, con un coeficiente de correlación de Pearson de 0,7 (p < 0,001), lo que nuestra la utilidad del cuestionario. Conclusiones. Los prematuros tardíos presentan menor desarrollo del lenguaje a los dos años. La prematuridad y el sexo masculino son factores de riesgo para presentar alteración. La valoración del lenguaje con el cuestionario ASQ-3 puede ser útil para detectar alteraciones

Introduction. Late preterm infants currently constitute 70% of preterm infant births. They present greater comorbidity, including neurodevelopment disorders, which may not manifest until the school age. Aim. To identify the existence of difficulties in the neurodevelopment at the age of two years. Subjects and methods. The psychomotor development was performed at two years of age in late preterm infants and term control group born at our center between January and September 2014, with Brunet-Lezine Revised test and Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3) questionnaire. Results. 88 children were included. Late preterm infants had lower scores in the language area and postural developmental. Girls achieved better results than males at global developmental age, oculo-motor coordination, language area and sociability. The ASQ-3 questionnaire detected differences in communication and socio-individual. Prematurity and male sex were identified as an independent risk factor to present a developmental disorder, prematurity for language impairment and male sex for younger developmental age and language impairment. The correlation between language assessment with the Brunet-Lezine Revised test and the ASQ-3 questionnaire was good, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.7 (p < 0.001), showing the usefulness of the questionnaire. Conclusions. Late preterm infants have a lower developmental age in the language area at two years. Prematurity and male sex are risk factors for developmental disorder. Language assessment with the ASQ-3 questionnaire may be a useful tool to detect disorders and intervene early

La investigación en Pediatría en España: retos y prioridades. Plataforma INVEST-AEP / Paediatric research in Spain: Challenges and priorities. INVEST-AEP Platform

La investigación clínica es la piedra angular para el desarrollo de la Medicina, y, en el ámbito de la Pediatría, supone un reto adicional debido a las peculiaridades que diferencian a los niños de los adultos. A pesar del enorme impacto de la salud infantil en el resto de la vida, nuestra sociedad aún no está suficientemente concienciada sobre la importancia de la investigación pediátrica, que, en general, se encuentra también muy alejada del día a día de quienes nos dedicamos a esta profesión. Desde la Asociación Española de Pediatría (AEP) se ha creado una plataforma específica de investigación -INVEST-AEP- para dar respuesta específica a los retos de la investigación en el seno de nuestra sociedad. En este artículo se retrata el escenario actual de la investigación pediátrica en España y se objetivan las metas alcanzadas en los últimos años, gracias al esfuerzo de los pediatras investigadores. Además, se realiza un análisis en profundidad sobre las barreras cotidianas que dificultan el desarrollo amplio y competitivo de la investigación pediátrica, como la falta de incentivación y ausencia de formación específica de pre y posgrado, la elevada carga asistencial o la falta de infraestructuras y financiación específicas. Definimos la misión, visión y valores de INVEST-AEP para tratar de diseñar una "hoja de ruta" para la investigación pediátrica española de los próximos años

Research is the cornerstone of medical progress. Paediatric research has its own nuances and represents an additional challenge due to the intrinsic characteristics of the paediatric population compared with adults. Despite the tremendous importance of childhood health and its impact during adulthood, society is still not convinced about the importance of conducting research in paediatrics. This also applies to paediatricians themselves, who think about research as a discipline that does not directly involve them. The Spanish Academy of Paediatrics has developed a specific research platform- INVEST-AEP- to try to help and answer the challenges associated with paediatric research in the society This article reflects the current status of paediatric research in Spain, and the goals achieved over the last few years due to the effort of paediatric researchers. In addition, a deeper analysis is provided as regards: a) the barriers that represent a hurdle for the development of broad and competitive paediatric research in our day to day work; b) the limited incentives and specific pre- and post-doctoral training; c) the high clinical burden for paediatricians or; d) the lack of specific infrastructure and dedicated funding for paediatrics. The mission, vision and values of INVEST-AEP are to develop an accessible roadmap for the development and implementation of paediatric research in Spain for the next few years

Asma y virus en el niño / Pediatric Asthma and Viral Infection

Las infecciones por virus respiratorios, especialmente virus respiratorio sincitial (VRS) y rinovirus, suponen el mayor factor de riesgo para la aparición de episodios de sibilancias en lactantes y niños pequeños. La bronquiolitis es la infección respiratoria aguda de vías respiratorias inferiores más común en menores de un año y constituye la causa más frecuente de hospitalización en este grupo de edad. El VRS causa aproximadamente el 70% de todas ellas, seguido por rinovirus, adenovirus, metapneumovirus o bocavirus. La asociación entre bronquiolitis por VRS y desarrollo de sibilancias recurrentes y/o asma ha sido descrita hace más de 4 décadas, aunque en la actualidad se desconoce con exactitud si la bronquiolitis es la causa de los síntomas respiratorios crónicos o si, más bien, es un marcador que señala a los niños con predisposición genética a desarrollar asma a medio o largo plazo. En cualquier caso, existe evidencia suficiente como para afirmar que esta asociación existe y que es especialmente intensa si el agente asociado a la bronquiolitis es el rinovirus. El papel patogénico de los virus respiratorios como desencadenantes de exacerbaciones en el paciente asmático no está totalmente aclarado, pero sin duda los virus respiratorios, y en especial el rinovirus, son el desencadenante más frecuente de exacerbaciones asmáticas en los niños, llegando a identificarse algún virus respiratorio hasta en el 90% de los niños hospitalizados por un episodio de sibilancias. Muy probablemente, las alteraciones en la respuesta inmune frente a las infecciones virales en sujetos genéticamente predispuestos sean los principales implicados en la asociación virus-asma

Respiratory viral infections, particularly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus, are the most importance risk factors for the onset of wheezing in infants and small children. Bronchiolitis is the most common acute respiratory infection in children under 1year of age, and the most common cause of hospitalization in this age group. RSV accounts for approximately 70% of all these cases, followed by rhinovirus, adenovirus, metapneumovirus and bocavirus. The association between bronchiolitis caused by RSV and the development of recurrent wheezing and/or asthma was first described more than 40years ago, but it is still unclear whether bronchiolitis causes chronic respiratory symptoms, or if it is a marker for children with a genetic predisposition for developing asthma in the medium or long term. In any case, sufficient evidence is available to corroborate the existence of this association, which is particularly strong when the causative agent of bronchiolitis is rhinovirus. The pathogenic role of respiratory viruses as triggers for exacerbations in asthmatic patients has not been fully characterized. However, it is clear that respiratory viruses, and in particular rhinovirus, are the most common causes of exacerbation in children, and some type of respiratory virus has been identified in over 90% of children hospitalized for an episode of wheezing. Changes in the immune response to viral infections in genetically predisposed individuals are very likely to be the main factors involved in the association between viral infection and asthma

Montelukast, compared with fluticasone, for control of asthma among 6- to 14-year-old patients with mild asthma: the MOSAIC study.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend daily controller therapy for mild persistent asthma. Montelukast has demonstrated consistent benefit in controlling symptoms of asthma and may be an alternative, orally administered, nonsteroidal agent for treating mild asthma. METHODS: The Montelukast Study of Asthma in Children (MOSAIC study) was a 12-month, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, noninferiority trial to determine the effect of once-daily, orally administered montelukast (5 mg) (n = 495), compared with twice-daily, inhaled fluticasone (100 microg) (n = 499), on the percentage of asthma rescue-free days (RFDs) (any day without asthma rescue medication and with no asthma-related resource use). Patients 6 to 14 years of age had mild persistent asthma (average percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second: 87.2%; RFDs at baseline: 64%). Montelukast would be considered not inferior to fluticasone if the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval for the difference in mean percentages of RFDs (fluticasone minus montelukast) was above -7% (a difference of approximately 2 days/month). RESULTS: The mean percentage of RFDs was 84.0% in the montelukast group and 86.7% in the fluticasone group. The least-squares mean difference was -2.8% (95% confidence interval: -4.7% to -0.9%), within the noninferiority limit of -7%. The proportion of patients requiring systemic corticosteroids and the number of patients with an asthma attack were greater in the montelukast group. Both montelukast and fluticasone were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Montelukast was demonstrated to be not inferior to fluticasone in increasing the percentage of RFDs among 6- to 14-year-old patients with mild asthma. Secondary end points, including percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second value, days with beta-receptor agonist use, and quality of life, improved in both groups but were significantly better in the fluticasone treatment group.