Choosing biologic therapy in children with severe asthma.

Omalizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting IgE, was the first biologic therapy approved in 2003 for treating severe, allergen-driven, therapy-resistant asthma. Since then, many new biologics have been approved for use in children, targeting specific pathways, including anti-interleukin (IL)-5 (mepolizumab), IL-5 receptor (benralizumab), IL-4/IL-13 receptor (dupilumab), and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) (tezepelumab). As the portfolio of biologics with diverse targets continues to expand, it has brought additional challenges to clinical practice.

Sleep disordered breathing in children with primary ciliary dyskinesia.

https://bit.ly/3CBXTyj.

Infant Lung Function in Cystic Fibrosis: A Real-World Study.

Background: Previous research showed that lung function abnormalities are common in infants with cystic fibrosis (IwCF) but real-world data are missing.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study analyzed infant lung function results from IwCF born in 2012-2018. The tests were conducted at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, as part of routine care at 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years of age.

International expert consensus statement: surgical failure in obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose: Upper airway (UA) surgery is commonly employed in the treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The intricate pathophysiology of OSA, variability in sites and patterns of UA collapse, and the interaction between anatomical and non-anatomical factors in individual patients may contribute to possible surgical failures. This clinical consensus statement aims to identify areas of agreement among a development group comprising international experts in OSA surgery, regarding the appropriate definition, predictive factors in patients, and management of surgical failure in OSA treatment.

Respiratory management of acute chest syndrome in children with sickle cell disease.

Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a leading cause of respiratory distress and hospitalisation in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). The aetiology is multifactorial and includes fat embolism, venous thromboembolism, alveolar hypoventilation and respiratory infections, with the latter being particularly common in children. These triggers contribute to a vicious cycle of erythrocyte sickling, adhesion to the endothelium, haemolysis, vaso-occlusion and ventilation-perfusion mismatch in the lungs, resulting in the clinical manifestations of ACS.

Looking beyond LCI: Multiple breath washout phase III slope derived indices and their application in chronic respiratory disease in children.

The multiple breath washout (MBW) test is widely reported in the context of Lung Clearance Index (LCI). LCI reflects global ventilation inhomogeneity but does not provide information regarding the localization of disease along the respiratory tree. The MBW-derived normalized phase III slope (S) indices (S and S), instead, can distinguish between convective-dependent and diffusion-convection-dependent ventilation inhomogeneity considered to occur within the conductive and acinar airways, respectively.

Mind reading dysfunctions in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: A neuropsychological approach.

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a prevalent sleep-related breathing disorder that has been extensively studied for its effects on cognitive functions. However, little attention has been given to investigating Mind Reading (MR) skills in patients with OSAS. In this study, we employed a neuropsychological approach to thoroughly assess various facets of MR skills in patients with OSAS.

The impact of urbanization and wealth on house dust mite sensitization in children from north-central Nigeria.

The impact of socio-economic status on the risk of allergy in African children is not clear.This was a cross sectional study including children aged 6-14 years from urban and rural settings in north-central Nigeria. Participants underwent skin prick tests to house dust mite (HDM) and an interview investigating socio-economic status through the Family Affluence Scale (FAS) based on a score of 0-6.

A New Berlin Questionnaire Simplified by Machine Learning Techniques in a Population of Italian Healthcare Workers to Highlight the Suspicion of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is a condition characterized by the presence of repeated complete or partial collapse of the upper airways during sleep associated with episodes of intermittent hypoxia, leading to fragmentation of sleep, sympathetic nervous system activation, and oxidative stress. To date, one of the major aims of research is to find out a simplified non-invasive screening system for this still underdiagnosed disease. The Berlin questionnaire (BQ) is the most widely used questionnaire for OSA and is a beneficial screening tool devised to select subjects with a high likelihood of having OSA.

Lung Clearance Index May Detect Early Peripheral Lung Disease in Sickle Cell Anemia.

Chronic lung injury is common in sickle cell anemia (SCA) and worsens outcomes. Sensitive lung function tests might predict reversible disease that might benefit from therapeutic interventions. To evaluate whether lung clearance index (LCI) (measuring global ventilation inhomogeneity), intraacinar ventilation inhomogeneity (S), and conductive ventilation inhomogeneity (S) are more frequently abnormal than lung volumes in young people with SCA.

The burden of sleep disordered breathing in children with sickle cell disease.

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) have an increased risk of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) compared with the general pediatric population. There has been a growing research interest on this field in recent years, yet many questions regarding risk factors and clinical implications of SDB remain unclear. The aim of this review is to provide a concise narrative and systematic synthesis of the available evidence on the epidemiology, clinical presentation, complications, and management, of SDB in children with SCD.

Association Between Severity of COVID-19 Respiratory Disease and Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Objectives: The purpose of this observational retrospective study was to evaluate, in patients with a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, the association between the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) respiratory illness and the risk of infected patients to develop obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: Ninety-six patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection were enrolled in the study. The STOP-BANG questionnaire to investigate the risk of the OSA syndrome was filled in by the patients at admission.

Neuropsychological and socio-cognitive deficits in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) suffer from several neurocognitive deficits. We investigated the cognitive and socio-cognitive profiles of patients with severe OSA, controlling for potentially relevant mediating variables (i.e.

The Use of Middle Latency Auditory Evoked Potentials (MLAEP) as Methodology for Evaluating Sedation Level in Propofol-Drug Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) Procedure.

To analyze the middle latency auditory evoked potential index (MLAEPi), compared to the standard bispectral index (BIS), as a method for evaluating the sedation level in drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). In this controlled clinical study on a sample of 99 obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or snoring patients, we compared the MLAEPi with the BIS after propofol infusion during the standard DISE technique in order to define the MLAEPi values within the observational window of the procedure. The DISE procedure was divided into eight steps, and we collected both MLAEPi and BIS data values from the same patient in every step.

Lung function between 8 and 15 years of age in very preterm infants with fetal growth restriction.

Background: The impact of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) on lung function in very preterm children is largely unknown as current evidence is mainly based on studies in children born small for gestational age but not necessarily with IUGR.

Methods: Spirometry, transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide (TLco), and lung clearance index (LCI) were cross-sectionally evaluated at 8.0-15.

Beneficial effects of adenotonsillectomy in children with sickle cell disease.

Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) is frequently performed in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Our aim was to evaluate the impact of this surgery on overnight oxygenation and rates of complications in these patients. Children with SCD who underwent T&A between 2008 and 2014 in two tertiary hospitals were retrospectively evaluated.

Long-term oxygen therapy in children with sickle cell disease and hypoxaemia.

Objective: To evaluate the acceptability and safety profile of nocturnal long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and chronic hypoxaemia.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Patients, Setting And Intervention: Children with SCD who started LTOT from 2014 to early 2019 in two tertiary hospitals in London, UK were retrospectively enrolled.

Management of chronic respiratory complications in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a life-threatening hereditary blood disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This condition has a multi-organ involvement and highly vascularised organs, such as the lungs, are particularly affected. Chronic respiratory complications of SCD involve pulmonary vascular, parenchymal and airways alterations.

Comparison of pulse oximetry and earlobe blood gas with CO-oximetry in children with sickle cell disease: a retrospective review.

Objectives: To investigate the agreement between pulse oximetry (SpO) and oxygen saturation (SaO) measured by CO-oximetry on arterialised earlobe blood gas (EBG) in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Design And Setting: We retrospectively reviewed 39 simultaneous and paired SaO EBG and SpO measurements from 33 ambulatory patients with SCD (32 subjects with Haemoglobin SS and one with Haemoglobin Sß, 52% male, mean±SD age 11.0±3.

A New Technological Advancement of the Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) Procedure: The "All in One Glance" Strategy.

To illustrate a new technological advance in the standard drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) model, a new machine was used, the Experimental 5 Video Stream System (5VsEs), which is capable of simultaneously visualizing all the decisional parameters on a single monitor, and recording and storing them in a single uneditable video. The DISE procedure was performed on 48 obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or snoring patients. The parameters simultaneously recorded on a single monitor are (1) the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of propofol (through the target controlled infusion (TCI) pump monitor), (2) the endoscopic upper airway view, (3) the polygraphic pattern, and (4) the level of sedation (through the bispectral index (BIS) value).

The Neuropsychological Profile of Attention Deficits of Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An Update on the Daytime Attentional Impairment.

Introduction: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) suffer from several neurocognitive disturbances. One of the neuropsychological processes most investigated in OSA patients is attention, but the results have been controversial. Here, we update the attention profile of OSA patients with the final aim to improve attention assessment, with a possible impact on clinical and medical-legal practices, in terms of which attention subdomains and parameters need consideration and which one is a high-risk OSA phenotype for attention dysfunctions.