Ricerc@Sapienza

BACKGROUND: A national consensus document on inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) use in childhood, produced by the main Italian pediatric scientific societies, has been recently released.

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TcRαβ/CD19-cell depleted HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) represents a promising new platform for children affected by acute leukemia in need of an allograft and lacking a matched donor, disease recurrence being the main cause of treatment failure. The use of zoledronic acid to enhance TcRγδ+ lymphocyte function after TcRαβ/CD19-cell depleted haplo-HSCT was tested in an open-label, feasibility, proof-of-principle study. Forty-six children affected by high-risk acute leukemia underwent haplo-HSCT after removal of TcRαβ+ and CD19+ B lymphocytes.

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Outcome of 333 children with acute myeloid leukaemia relapsing after a first allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation was analyzed. Four-year probability of overall survival (4y-pOS) was 14%. 4y-pOS for 122 children receiving a second haematopoietic stem cell transplantation was 31% and 3% for those that did not (P = <0·0001). Achievement of a subsequent remission impacted survival (P = <0·0001). For patients receiving a second transplant survival with or without achieving a subsequent remission was comparable. Graft source (bone marrow vs.

Abstract
Background: Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a rare chronic conjunctivitis characterized
by a predominantly eosinophil-mediated inflammatory disorder that could
develop critical complications such as blindness. Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role
in the pathogenesis of several allergic diseases. The role of oxidative stress has been
hypothesized in VKC, but no study explored this issue. Furthermore, cyclosporine A
(CsA) exerts an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action on the conjunctiva.

Locus of control—the expectation that one is in control of one’s outcomes in life—is linked to well-being. The authors explored one of the possible antecedents of locus of control such as secure children’s attachment. The hypothesis was that locus of control acts as a mediator of the association between children’s attachment and their mental health, in terms of depression, anxiety (internalizing problems), and aggression (externalizing problems). Participants were 206 children with ages ranging from 8 to 14 years. The authors obtained data from teachers as well as by self-report.

Pain is one of the most common symptoms in children suffering from leukemia, who are often misdiagnosed with other childhood painful diseases such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Corticosteroid-induced osteonecrosis (ON) and vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN) are the most common painful manifestations. Additionally, ongoing pain may continue to impact quality of life in survivorship. This narrative review focuses on the pathophysiological mechanisms of pain in childhood leukemia and current available indications for analgesic treatments.

Establishing language dominance is an important step in the presurgical evaluation of patients with refractory epilepsy. In the absence of a universally accepted gold-standard non-invasive method to determine language dominance in the preoperative assessment, a range of tools and methodologies have recently received attention. When applied to pediatric age, many of the proposed methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), may present some challenges due to the time-varying effects of epileptogenic lesions and of on-going seizures on maturational phenomena.

Rationale: Tuberculous meningitis is a highly morbid, often fatal disease.
Patient concern: We describe a case of an Italian child.
Diagnoses: we diagnosed early a Tuberculous meningitis complicated by the occurrence of hydrocephalus, stroke, and
paradoxical reaction with brain pseudo-abscesses.
Interventions: The child started readily a specific therapy associated with steroids and thalidomide was introduced few month later.
Outcomes: the patient had a favorable outcome without neurologic sequelae.