Ricerc@Sapienza

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – Coronavirus – 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its related Coronavirus Disease – 19 (COVID-19) has become a health emergency worldwide. The medical community has been concerned since the beginning of the outbreak about the potential impact of COVID-19 in children, especially in those with underlying chronic diseases. Fortunately, COVID-19 has been reported to be less severe in children than in adults. However, epidemiologic and clinical data are scarce.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently rare in children and they seem to have a milder disease course and better prognosis than adults. However, SARS-Cov-2 pandemic has indirectly caused problems in pediatric medical assistance. In view of this we wanted to draw a picture of what happened during health emergency and analyze future prospects for restarting.

Background: Primary pediatric extraspinal sacrococcygeal ependymoma (ESE) is a very rare disease, poorly described in literature, whose diagnostic, therapeutic, and follow-up approach is still controversial. Methods: We describe six cases of pediatric ESE treated at Associazione Italiana Ematologia Oncologia Pediatrica (AIEOP) centers in Italy since 1983, with a review of the literature. Results: All six patients had primary sacrococcygeal disease (two presacral and four subcutaneous) with median age of 10 years.

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA), also known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP) is a very serious form of child abuse. The perpetrator, usually the mother, invents symptoms or causes real ones in order to make her child appear sick. Usually this is due to a maladaptive disorder or to an excessive of attention-seeking on her part. We report here two new cases of FDIA.

Objectives: To identify different profiles of pediatric insomnia, based on the most frequent clinical presentations (nocturnal awakenings, difficulty in falling asleep, nocturnal restlessness, early morning awakenings). Study design: A structured parent interview was conducted in 338 children (mean age 21.29 months, SD 10.56) referred by pediatricians because of insomnia resistant to behavioral approaches and common drug treatments. The aim was to assess the characteristics of insomnia in children, together with family sleep-related history.

The present research explored the relation between socio-cognitive skills, as Theory of Mind and affective empathy, social behaviour, attachment style and scholastic success in children, aged from 8 to 11 years (N = 159; 90 females, 69 males; Mage = 9,60; DS = .78). Several assessment tools were administered to children on mentalizing abilities (Stories), empathy (FASTE), language (PPVT-R), attachment style (SAT) and learning (M.T. and AC-MT 6-11), while the teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire about every child’s social behaviour (SDQ).

A group of children with "restless sleep" who do not fit the criteria for any other sleep disorder but with daytime impairment are studied to identify restless sleep disorder (RSD) clinically and polysomnographically and to differentiate it from other sleep disorders of childhood.

Study objectives: To assess spindle activity as possible markers for neurocognitive consequences in children with mild obstructive sleep apnea. Methods: Children aged 6–11 years diagnosed with mild OSA (i.e., an apnea hypopnea index

To evaluate leg movement activity during sleep (LMS) in normal school-age children and adolescents, to eventually establish age-specific periodic LMS (PLMS) index thresholds that support the diagnosis of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and to evaluate the utility of other LMS indices.

Children with "restless sleep disorder" (RSD) were previously identified clinically and polysomnographically. In this study we attempt to characterize their sleep-related movements and describe them in terms of type of movement, duration and timing.