Inter-society consensus for the use of inhaled corticosteroids in infants, children and adolescents with airway diseases

Background: In 2019, a multidisciplinary panel of experts from eight Italian scientific paediatric societies developed a consensus document for the use of inhaled corticosteroids in the management and prevention of the most common paediatric airways disorders. The aim is to provide healthcare providers with a multidisciplinary document including indications useful in the clinical practice. The consensus document was intended to be addressed to paediatricians who work in the Paediatric Divisions, the Primary Care Services and the Emergency Departments, as well as to Residents or PhD students, paediatric nurses and specialists or consultants in paediatric pulmonology, allergy, infectious diseases, and ear, nose, and throat medicine. Methods: Clinical questions identifying Population, Intervention(s), Comparison and Outcome(s) were addressed by methodologists and a general agreement on the topics and the strength of the recommendations (according to the GRADE system) was obtained following the Delphi method. The literature selection included secondary sources such as evidence-based guidelines and systematic reviews and was integrated with primary studies subsequently published. Results: The expert panel provided a number of recommendations on the use of inhaled corticosteroids in preschool wheezing, bronchial asthma, allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, acute and chronic rhinosinusitis, adenoid hypertrophy, laryngitis and laryngospasm. Conclusions: We provided a multidisciplinary update on the current recommendations for the management and prevention of the most common paediatric airways disorders requiring inhaled corticosteroids, in order to share useful indications, identify gaps in knowledge and drive future research

Analysis of the Thermomechanical Behaviour of SMP in Equi-Biaxial Condition by Means of Hydraulic Bulge Test

In the last few decades, the shape memory polymers have gained growing interest and relevance in many application fields, which include textiles, aerospace, biomedical devices, etc. SMP are materials with stimuli-sensitive switches that are able to change their geometry from a primary shape to a secondary shape-and vice versa-in response to external stimuli. This phenomenon is called shape memory effect and, generally, is triggered by heat.The heat stimulation, in fact, alters the internal structure of the polymer: by exceeding the glass transition temperature Tg, it is possible to program the shape of the component. Then, by cooling the material below Tg and imposing a fixed deformation, the polymer can reach its temporary shape. The original shape can be recovered by heating again the material above Tg without any constraints.Recent research works are mostly focused on thermomechanical uniaxial characterization of these materials, aimed to obtain the material main memory effect parameters (namely the Young modulus above/ under glass transition temperature and shape fixed/recovery ratio). In this work the authors propose a non-conventional characterization approach for the investigation of SMP behaviour under equi-biaxial stress state. In particular, the main idea is to carry out the hydraulic bulge test with a thermomechanical cycle on thin sheets of thermoplastic polyurethane shape memory polymer (TPU-SMP).Full-field measurements on the specimen surface are used for retrieving the material shape, this latter by employing the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. The proposed configuration makes the test suitable for determining the biaxial-stress strain curve and the thermomechanical cycle, also providing data for inverse calibration methods such as the Virtual Fields Method (VFM) and the Finite Element Model Updating (FEMU)

Model based data-driven optimisation of automated fibre placement set up

The composites manufacturing industry relies heavily on manual hand layup, unsuitable for increasing demands. Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) offers a solution, but setup complexity and extensive trials inflate costs. Digital tools promise to expedite development, but CPU-intensive simulations limit large-scale parameter optimisation. This paper introduces Gaussian Process (GP) models for understanding AFP parameters’ relationship with nip-point temperature. The GP emulator streamlines optimisation, offering accurate power curves with minimal simulations. An efficient method to enhance emulator performance through sequential design is also proposed, providing a cost-effective decision tool for AFP optimisation

Development of an algorithm for the management of cervical lymphadenopathy in children : consensus of the Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics, jointly with the Italian Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and the Italian Society of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology

Cervical lymphadenopathy is a common disorder in children due to a wide spectrum of disorders. On the basis of a complete history and physical examination, paediatricians have to select, among the vast majority of children with a benign self-limiting condition, those at risk for other, more complex, diseases requiring laboratory tests, imaging and, finally, tissue sampling. At the same time, they should avoid expensive and invasive examinations when unnecessary. The Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics, jointly with the Italian Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, the Italian Society of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, and other Scientific Societies, issued a National Consensus document, based on the most recent literature findings, including an algorithm for the management of cervical lymphadenopathy in children. Methods: The Consensus Conference method was used, following the Italian National Plan Guidelines. Relevant publications in English were identified through a systematic review of MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from their inception through March 21, 2014. Results: Basing on literature results, an algorithm was developed, including several possible clinical scenarios. Situations requiring a watchful waiting strategy, those requiring an empiric antibiotic therapy, and those necessitating a prompt diagnostic workup, considering the risk for a severe underling disease, have been identified. Conclusion: The present algorithm is a practice tool for the management of pediatric cervical lymphadenopathy in the hospital and the ambulatory settings. A multidisciplinary approach is paramount. Further studies are required for its validation in the clinical field

CONSENSUS INTERSOCIETARIA - L’uso dei corticosteroidi inalatori in età evolutiva

Questo documento è frutto di una collaborazione tra operatori di tutte le aree e affronta il tema dell’impiego appropriato degli steroidi inalatori. Un progetto ambizioso che ha incontrato non poche difficoltà e che non è in grado di dare risposte definitive a tutto, ovviamente, ma ha moltissimi pregi. Innanzitutto la chiarezza della definizione dei contesti clinici in cui si possono utilizzare i corticosteroidi inalatori; ad esempio, wheezing (bronchite asmatiforme) ed asma prescolare nel documento sono dichiaratamente sinonimi per semplificarne l’approccio e questo è certamente arbitrario. Ovviamente wheezing ed asma non sono affatto sinonimi, ma la definizione di asma a questa età è particolarmente difficile, implica una storia e un assetto clinico-immunologico particolare, mentre il documento è e deve essere uno strumento agile che consente di affrontare il sintomo indipendentemente dalla diagnosi precisa che scaturirà dalla osservazione prospettica del bambino. In questa ottica, le differenze tra asma e wheezing sfumano. Il secondo punto di forza è rappresentato dalla ampia e approfondita disanima della letteratura con un approccio estremamente rigoroso che ha consentito di trarre messaggi chiari ove le evidenze convergevano e messaggi invece di minor forza laddove le diverse linee guida (o i dati della letteratura) non davano indicazioni univoche o addirittura davano indicazioni discordantiUn ultimo punto, non certo di minor rilievo, è rappresentato dalla sintesi dei dosaggi degli steroidi che sono riportati nei foglietti illustrativi e i dosaggi indicati dalle maggiori linee guida. Nessun documento ad oggi ha affrontato specificamente un argomento tanto delicato e davvero un grande impegno è stato profuso nella sua realizzazione. Infine va sottolineato lo sforzo per focalizzare solo l’impiego dei corticostreroidi inalatori, resistendo alla tentazione di aggiungere indicazioni per farmaci diversi dagli steroidi. Non è un documento sulla terapia dell’asma e dello wheezing, della rinite, della rinosinusite, adenoidite e laringite, ma solo un documento che sottolinea e supporta le indicazioni, non indicazioni, dosi e molecola di steroide più indicata in quella situazione clinica sulla base dei dati EBM e indipendentemente dall’impiego di altri farmaci

Prevention of recurrent respiratory infections : Inter-society Consensus

Recurrent respiratory infections (RRIs) are a common clinical condition in children, in fact about 25% of children under 1 year and 6% of children during the first 6 years of life have RRIs. In most cases, infections occur with mild clinical manifestations and the frequency of episodes tends to decrease over time with a complete resolution by 12 years of age. However, RRIs significantly reduce child and family quality of life and lead to significant medical and social costs. Despite the importance of this condition, there is currently no agreed definition of the term RRIs in the literature, especially concerning the frequency and type of infectious episodes to be considered. The aim of this consensus document is to propose an updated definition and provide recommendations with the intent of guiding the physician in the complex process of diagnosis, management and prevention of RRIs

Children of a lesser god or miracles? An emotional and behavioural profile of children born to mothers on dialysis in Italy: A multicentre nationwide study 2000-12

Pregnancy on dialysis is increasingly being reported. This study evaluates the behavioural profile of the children of mothers on dialysis and the parental stress their mothers undergo when compared with a group of mothers affected by a different chronic disease (microcythaemia) and a group of healthy control mothers. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2012, 23 on-dialysis mothers gave birth to 24 live-born children in Italy (23 pregnancies, 1 twin pregnancy, one of the twins deceased soon after delivery); of these, 16 mothers and 1 father (whose wife died before the inquiry) were included in the study (1 mother had died and the father was unavailable; 2 were not asked to participate because their children had died and 3 were unavailable; children: median age: 8.5, min-max: 2-13 years). Twenty-three mothers affected by transfusion-dependent microcythaemia or drepanocitosis (31 pregnancies, 32 children) and 35 healthy mothers (35 pregnancies, 35 children; median age of the children: 7, min-max: 1-13 years) were recruited as controls. All filled in the validated questionnaires: 'Child Behaviour Checklist' (CBCL) and the 'Parental Stress Index-Short Form' (PSI-SF). RESULTS: The results of the CBCL questionnaire were similar for mothers on dialysis and healthy controls except for pervasive developmental problems, which were significantly higher in the dialysis group, while microcythaemia mothers reported higher emotional and behavioural problems in their children in 8 CBCL sub-scales. Two/16 children in the dialysis and 3/32 in the microcythaemia group had pathological profiles, as assessed by T-scores (p: ns). PSI-SF indicated a normal degree of parental stress in microcythaemia subjects and healthy controls, while mothers on dialysis declared significantly lower stress, suggesting a defensive response in order to minimize problems, stress or negativity in their relationship with their child. CONCLUSIONS: According to the present analysis, the emotional and behavioural outcome is normal in most of the children from on-dialysis mothers. A 'positive defence' in the dialysis mothers should be kept in mind when tailoring psychological support for this medical miracle

Correction: Inter-society consensus for the use of inhaled corticosteroids in infants, children and adolescents with airway diseases

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