We analyzed 193 Fanconi anemia patients from the Italian Registry, focusing on hematological outcome, cancer risk, and mortality, both in transplanted (n = 130, 67.4% of the cohort) and non-transplanted (n = 63, 36.6% of the cohort) patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn neonates with pulmonary hypertension (PH) supported on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO), keeping the ductus arteriosus (DA) open ensures a high cardiac output of well-oxygenated blood through the right to left (R-L) ductal shunt. After PH resolution, timely closure of the patent DA (PDA) prevents pulmonary overcirculation, systemic hypoperfusion, and unsuccessful ECMO weaning. We retrospectively evaluated its impact on the echocardiographic and hemodynamic features of 18 newborns undergoing VV-ECMO because of acute hypoxic respiratory failure in PH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroorganisms
March 2025
Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections in children, and the antibiotic susceptibility in the youngest patients remains poorly understood. This study aimed to describe the distribution of uropathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility, focusing on oral formulations.
Methods: Data from the first microbiological isolation, between January 2007 and December 2023, at Istituto Gaslini, in young infants (aged <6 months), were analyzed.
Introduction: This retrospective analysis aims to follow the course of SARS-CoV-2 infections in pediatric population residing in Liguria, North-west Italy, from March 2020 to December 2022 and to relate it to the regional and national containment measures adopted, to assess the representativeness of the infection rate observed at the national level and to analyze the vaccination rates in different pediatric groups.
Methods: First episodes of SARS-CoV-2 infections registered in the national surveillance system were extracted and further anonymously analyzed for subjects aging ≤ 19 years. The absolute number of cases diagnosed daily during each year was compared to the number of residents in the region and graphical representations were used to visualize the trends in infection rates both annually and weekly in each year.
: Empirical antibacterial therapy for febrile neutropenia reduces mortality due to Gram-negative blood stream infections (BSIs). Pediatric guidelines recommend monotherapy with an antipseudomonal beta-lactam or a carbapenem and to add a second anti-Gram-negative agent in selected situations. We evaluated the changes in the proportions of resistance of beta-lactam monotherapies vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation represents a frequent condition after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) and can cause the development of a severe complication: post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD). This retrospective study aims at investigating the incidence of EBV reactivations and analyzing the potential impact of recipient/donor-related transplant-related factors in pediatric patients. The secondary objective was to study the consequences of the approach used at our center regarding the initiation of pre-emptive therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: CMV reactivation represents a frequent complication after HSCT. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence of CMV reactivation in a pediatric HSCT cohort and analyze the potential impact of recipient/donor-related or transplant-related factors on this complication. Furthermore, we analyzed the management of CMV reactivation in order to purpose criteria for pre-emptive therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS), of whom there are about 500,000 living in Europe, are at an increased risk of developing health problems [1-6] and require lifelong Survivorship Care. There are information and knowledge gaps among CCS and healthcare providers (HCPs) about requirements for Survivorship Care [7-9] that can be addressed by the Survivorship Passport (SurPass), a digital tool providing CCS and HCPs with a comprehensive summary of past treatment and tailored recommendations for Survivorship Care. The potential of the SurPass to improve person-centred Survivorship Care has been demonstrated previously [10,11].
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Childhood cancer survivors are at risk of subsequent gliomas and meningiomas, but the risks beyond age 40 years are uncertain. We quantified these risks in the largest ever cohort.
Methods: Using data from 69,460 5-year childhood cancer survivors (diagnosed 1940-2008), across Europe, standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and cumulative incidence were calculated.
Objective: To investigate whether cerebral autoregulation is impaired after neonatal cardiac surgery and whether changes in autoregulation metrics are associated with different congenital heart defects or the incidence of postoperative neurologic events.
Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of neonates undergoing monitoring during the first 72 hours after cardiac surgery. Archived data were processed to calculate the cerebral oximetry index (COx) and derived metrics.
Purpose: Childhood cancer survivors are at the risk of developing subsequent colorectal cancers (CRCs), but the absolute risks by treatment modality are uncertain. We quantified the absolute risks by radiotherapy treatment characteristics using clinically accessible data from a Pan-European wide case-control study nested within a large cohort of childhood cancer survivors: the PanCareSurFup Study.
Methods: Odds ratios (ORs) from a case-control study comprising 143 CRC cases and 143 controls nested within a cohort of 69,460 survivors were calculated.
Monitoring antibiotic use in the pediatric population is a challenge, especially when determining a relationship between specific pathogens, infections, and antibiotic use. We retrospectively analyzed the consumption of anti-methicillin-resistant (MRSA) drugs from 2017 to 2021 at Istituto Giannina Gaslini by means of defined daily dose (DDD) adopted for adults by World Health Organization. We observed a statistically significant increase in the use of daptomycin and ceftaroline, combined with a decrease in the use of vancomycin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAllogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) represents an effective treatment for a variety of inborn errors of immunity (IEI). We report the experience of children affected by IEI who received allo-HSCT over a period of 32 years at IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy. HSCTs were performed in 67 children with IEI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Survivors of childhood cancer are at risk of subsequent primary malignant neoplasms (SPNs), but the risk for rarer types of SPNs, such as oral cancer, is uncertain. Previous studies included few oral SPNs, hence large-scale cohorts are required to identify groups at risks.
Methods: The PanCareSurFup cohort includes 69,460 5-year survivors of childhood cancer across Europe.
Objectives: The area under a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) is a popular measure of pure diagnostic accuracy that is independent from the proportion of diseased subjects in the analysed sample. However, its actual usefulness in the clinical context has been questioned, because it does not seem to be directly related to the actual performance of a diagnostic marker in identifying diseased and non-diseased subjects in real clinical settings. This study evaluates the relationship between the AUC and the proportion of correct classifications (global diagnostic accuracy, GDA) in relation to the shape of the corresponding ROC curves.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article presents the international dataset of cases in which the association of Langerhans cell Histiocytosis (LCH) with other malignancies (AM) was documented occurring at any age before, concurrently or after LCH. These data are mostly derived from previously published manuscripts or from completed case report forms (CRFs) by Histiocyte Society (HS) members or colleagues. In particular, for each case of LCH-AM, the database reports all the available data about clinical and biologic characteristics of the two tumors, as well about treatment and status at follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Heart failure (HF) is a potentially life-threatening complication of treatment for childhood cancer. We evaluated the risk and risk factors for HF in a large European study of long-term survivors. Little is known of the effects of low doses of treatment, which is needed to improve current treatment protocols and surveillance guidelines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The frequency of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) and associated malignancies (AM) is greater than statistically expected. Here, we analyze LCH-AM co-occurrence in both children and adults.
Methods: Between 1991 and 2015, data were collected by regular questionnaires to members of the Histiocyte Society and searches in PubMed and Abstract Books.
Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem, especially in children with urinary tract infections. Rates of drug-specific resistant pathogens were reported, and an easy prediction model to guide the clinical decision-making process for antibiotic treatment was proposed. Data on microbiological isolation from urinoculture, between January 2007−December 2018 at Istituto Gaslini, Italy, in patients aged <19 years were extracted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHaploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) represents a valuable alternative for children with nonmalignant disease and ex vivo negative selection of TCR-αβ cells is an emerging graft manipulation option that carries several potential advantages in terms of reduced risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and improved immune reconstitution. We report all consecutive patients with a diagnosis of nonmalignant disease who received a TCR-αβ and CD19depleted haplo-HSCT at "IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini" from 2013 to 2019; the conditioning regimen was myeloablative or non-myeloablative, depending on underlying disease; all patients received antithymocyte globulin and rituximab. No post-transplantation GvHD prophylaxis was given in presence of a TCR-αβ cell dose in the graft lower than the threshold of 1 × 10/kg of the recipient's weight.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLate mortality of European 5-year survivors of childhood or adolescent cancer has dropped over the last 60 years, but excess mortality persists. There is little information concerning secular trends in cause-specific mortality among older European survivors. PanCareSurFup pooled data from 12 cancer registries and clinics in 11 European countries from 77 423 five-year survivors of cancer diagnosed before age 21 between 1940 and 2008 followed for an average age of 21 years and a total of 1.
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