Increase in benign acute childhood myositis in the post-COVID era: a retrospective study from a tertiary pediatric center.

Unlabelled: Benign Acute Childhood Myositis (BACM) is a transient, self-limiting muscular condition that typically follows viral infections, especially influenza. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the circulation of respiratory viruses, altering the epidemiology of related post-infectious complications. This study investigates trends in BACM incidence, clinical features, and viral etiology before and after the pandemic.

Refractory "status dyskineticus" in a child with post-herpes simplex virus 1 N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis: a case report.

Background: Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis may result in relapsing neurological symptoms secondary to immune-mediated processes, including anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis. Refractory status dyskineticus (RSD), a severe subset of status dystonicus, is characterized by a hyperkinetic movement disorder phenotype alongside dystonic features. This critical condition presents substantial challenges in neurocritical care.

Evaluating treatment and care outcomes for neuromuscular diseases in a pediatric intermediate care setting.

Background: Neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) represent a complex group requiring specialized care, often straddling the needs between general pediatric wards and Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Our research focuses on the role of a newly established pediatric Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) in this context.

Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective observational study, encompassing patients with NMDs admitted to the newly established pediatric IMCU at IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy, from January 2021 to June 2023.

A Real-Life Study of Prolonged Meropenem Infusion in Neonates and Children Admitted to Intensive Care Units: Are Three Hours Long Enough?

: Meropenem is a broad-spectrum antibiotic essential for treating resistant Gram-negative infections in pediatric patients. Current dosing recommendations may not consistently achieve optimal pharmacokinetic (PK) targets, especially in critically ill children. : We conducted a retrospective cohort study at IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, analyzing 97 plasma levels from 86 pediatric patients (<18 years) hospitalized between January 2020 and December 2023 in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit.

Association between early radiographic chest findings and clinical outcomes in pediatric drowning: a retrospective study in a tertiary Italian hospital.

Unlabelled: Pediatric drowning incidents, both fatal and non-fatal, represent a significant challenge in emergency medicine, particularly for children under 14 years of age. Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths, with children aged one to four years being especially vulnerable. Accurate and timely assessment, particularly through chest imaging, such as chest radiography (CXR) and lung point-of-care ultrasound (LUS), is crucial for evaluating pulmonary complications and guiding treatment decisions.

Clinical and Radiological Features of Pneumonia in Children: A Case Series.

Background: pneumonia (PJP) has high mortality rates in immunocompromised children, even though routine prophylaxis has decreased in incidence. The aim of this case series is to present the radiological and clinical pathway of PJP in a pediatric population.

Description Of Cases: All PJP cases in non-HIV/AIDS patients diagnosed at Istituto Giannina Gaslini Pediatric Hospital in Genoa (Italy) from January 2012 until October 2022 were retrospectively evaluated.

Experience of an Italian Pediatric Third Level Emergency Department during the 2022-2023 Bronchiolitis Epidemic: A Focus on Discharged Patients and Revisits.

The aim of this study was to describe the 2022-2023 bronchiolitis epidemic season (the second after COVID-19 pandemic and the first without social restriction), focusing on patients discharged home from a pediatric emergency department (PED) and on those revisited within 72 h. We performed a retrospective observational study in an Italian tertiary care children's hospital, reviewing PED accesses from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. The number of hospitalizations for bronchiolitis was extracted from hospital discharge forms.

Whipple Disease Presenting as Isolated Transverse Myelitis with Permanent Neurological Damage in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report of a Difficult Diagnosis with a Literature Review.

We describe an atypical case of Whipple disease exclusively involving the spinal cord in an adolescent receiving immunosuppressive therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus. The diagnosis was particularly difficult since lupus and Whipple disease can present similar clinical features and the patient's prolonged contact with sewage was initially not mentioned. A literature review of the clinical, imaging, diagnostic, and therapeutic challenges of Whipple disease is also performed.

Clinical course and peculiarities of Parechovirus and Enterovirus central nervous system infections in newborns: a single-center experience.

Parechovirus (HpEV) and Enterovirus (EV) infections in children mostly have a mild course but are particularly fearsome in newborns in whom they may cause aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, and myocarditis. Our study aimed to describe the clinical presentations and peculiarities of CNS infection by HpEV and EV in neonates. This is a single-center retrospective study at Istituto Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.

Clinical Course, Laboratory Findings, and Prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Infants up to 90 Days of Age: A Single-Center Experience and a Proposal for a Management Pathway.

Aim: To provide a comprehensive description of the clinical features, biochemical characteristics, and outcomes of infants up to 90 days old with COVID-19. Moreover, to assess the severity of the disease and propose an effective management pathway.

Methods: Retrospective single-center study spanning three years.

The increase of bronchiolitis severity in the 2022-2023 season in an Italian tertiary children's hospital: An isolated phenomenon or a warning sign?

Aim: Recent literature has shown epidemiological changes in bronchiolitis with an increased incidence in the post-SARS-CoV-2 pandemic period but reports regarding disease severity are conflicting. We aimed to describe the epidemiology, disease severity, and microbiology of bronchiolitis during the 2022-2023 cold season compared to the previous 5 years.

Methods: This single-center retrospective observational study at IRCCS Gaslini, Italy, included all children aged 0-2 years hospitalized for bronchiolitis from 1 September 2017 to 31 August 2023.

Individual, environmental and demographic factors may play a role in the prognosis of fatal and non-fatal paediatric drowning.

Aim: Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional death. Ongoing efforts are dedicated to preventing these tragic incidents. Our aim was to evaluate whether demographic, environmental and epidemiological characteristics of drowned children influence their prognosis.

Acute pediatric encephalitis: etiology, course, and outcome of a 12-year single-center immunocompetent cohort.

Background: Encephalitis is an uncommon but severe disorder due to an inflammation of the brain parenchyma, usually diagnosed on clinical, laboratory, electroencephalographic, and neuroradiological features. New causes of encephalitis have been reported in recent years, so diagnostic criteria have changed over time. We report on a single-center experience of a pediatric Hospital, the hub of its region, over 12 years (2008-2021), with the evaluation of all children managed for acute encephalitis.

Ketamine as advanced second-line treatment in benzodiazepine-refractory convulsive status epilepticus in children.

Status epilepticus (SE) is one of the most common neurological emergencies in children. To date, there is no definitive evidence to guide treatment of SE refractory to benzodiazepines. The main objectives of treatment protocols are to expedite therapeutic decisions and to use fast- and short-acting medications without significant adverse effects.

Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic: IMCU as a more efficient model of pediatric critical care organization.

Background: A significant proportion of children with SARs-CoV-2-related illnesses have been admitted to the Pediatric intensive care unit (ICU), although often for closer monitoring or concerns related to comorbidities or young age. This may have resulted in inappropriate ICU admissions, waste of resources, ICU overcrowding, and stress for young patients and caregivers. The Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) may represent an appropriate setting for the care of children whose monitoring and treatment needs are beyond the resources of a general pediatric ward, but who do not qualify for critical care.