Acute Hemiplegia and Facial Palsy 4-Months after Acute Kawasaki Disease in a 31-Month Old Girl

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic vasculitis of unknown pathogenesis that affects small and medium-size blood vessels. Coronary arterial lesions are the best known KD complications but many others are well known and involve various anatomical districts in the acute and sub-acute period of KD. Cerebral infarction revealed by acute neurological manifestations is extremely rare, and till now true stroke events were reported only in the acute or sub-acute stage of patients with KD. We describe a 31-month-old girl referred to our Paediatric Emergency Unit for the appearance of left hemiplegia and facial palsy 4-months after an acute episode of an uncomplicated KD. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) showed hyperintensity lesions due to cerebral infarction in the absence of thrombosis or aneurysms of medium and large-vessels. Recently, the use of MRI and/or SPECT in KD patients has outlined a great variability in cerebro-vascular involvement showing various degrees of cerebral hypoperfusion, with or without neurological symptoms. Considering the normality of MRA studies in our patient we can assume that the appearance of stroke is due to a progressive degeneration of her small vessels leading to an arteritic complication that was not completely resolved after the previous acute KD illness. In conclusion and in order to prevent long-term arteritic vascular damage, probably anti-platelet therapy should be continued for more than 6 to 8 weeks also in patients without coronary aneurismatic degeneration in the early KD stage

Metabolomic Profile at Birth, Bronchiolitis and Recurrent Wheezing: A 3-Year Prospective Study

There is growing interest for studying how early-life influences the development of respiratory diseases. Our aim was to apply metabolomic analysis to urine collected at birth, to evaluate whether there is any early metabolic signatures capable to distinguish children who will develop acute bronchiolitis and/or recurrent wheezing. Urine was collected at birth in healthy term newborns. Children were followed up to the age of 3 years and evaluated for the development of acute bronchiolitis and recurrent wheezing (≥3 episodes). Urine were analyzed through a liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry based untargeted approach. Metabolomic data were investigated applying univariate and multivariate techniques. 205 children were included: 35 had bronchiolitis, 11 of whom had recurrent wheezing. Moreover, 13 children had recurrent wheezing not preceded by bronchiolitis. Multivariate data analysis didn’t lead to reliable classification models capable to distinguish children with and without bronchiolitis or with recurrent wheezing preceded by bronchiolitis neither by PLS for classification (PLS2C) nor by Random Forest (RF). However, a reliable signature was discovered to distinguish children who later develop recurrent wheezing not preceded by bronchiolitis, from those who do not (MCCoob = 0.45 for PLS2C and MCCoob = 0.48 for RF). In this unselected birth cohort, a well-established untargeted metabolomic approach found no biochemical-metabolic dysregulation at birth associated with the subsequent development of acute bronchiolitis or recurrent wheezing post-bronchiolitis, not supporting the hypothesis of an underlying predisposing background. On the other hand, a metabolic signature was discovered that characterizes children who develop wheezing not preceded by bronchiolitis

Airway metabolic anomalies in Adolescents with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: new insights from the metabolomic approach

Objectives To assess a group of adolescents with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) from a biochemicalmetabolic standpoint, applying the metabolomic approach to studying their exhaled breath condensate (EBC). Study design Twenty adolescents with BPD (mean age 14.8 years) and 15 healthy controls (mean age 15.2 years) were recruited for EBC collection, exhaled nitric oxide measurement, and spirometry. The EBC samples were analyzed using a metabolomic approach based on mass spectrometry. The obtained spectra were analyzed using multivariate statistical analysis tools. Results A reliable Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures-Discriminant Analysis model showed a clear discrimination between cases of BPD and healthy controls (R2 = 0.95 and Q2 = 0.92). The search for putative biomarkers identified an altered complex lipid profile in the adolescents with BPD. Conclusions The metabolomic analysis of EBC distinguishes cases of BPD from healthy individuals, suggesting that the lung of survivors of BPD is characterized by long-term metabolic abnormalities. The search for putative biomarkers indicated a possible role of an altered surfactant composition, which may persist far beyond infancy.JRC.F.4-Fraud Detection and Preventio

Enhanced anti-hyperproliferative activity of human thymidylate synthase inhibitor peptide by solid lipid nanoparticle delivery

Recently, octapeptide LSCQLYQR (LRp), reducing growth of cis-platinum (cDDP) resistant ovarian carcinoma cells by inhibiting the monomer–monomer interface of the human enzyme thymidylate synthase, has been identified. As the peptide is not able to cross the cell membrane it requires an appropriate delivery system. In this work the application of SLNs, biocompatible and efficient tools for the intracellular drug transport, applied especially for lipophilic drugs, was exploited for the delivery of the hydrophilic peptide LRp. SLNs formulated in the absence/presence of small amount of squalene showed dimensions below 150 nm, negative zeta potential and good stability to the freeze-drying process. Even though the particles formulated with squalene exhibited a less ordered crystal lattice and a lower surface hydrophobicity, a rapid drug release from these nanocarriers occurred as a result of the relevant expulsion of the drug from the lipid core during lipid crystallization. On the contrary, SLNs formulated in the absence of squalene were able to incorporate more stably the peptide showing considerable cytotoxic effect on cDDP resistant C13* ovarian carcinoma cell line at concentration 50 times lower than that used previously with a marketed delivery system. From the cell cycle analysis by the propidium iodide test in SLNs-peptide treated cancer cells an increase of apoptosis percentage was observed, indicating that SLNs were able to carry efficiently the peptide until its enzymatic target

Il tempo e la scienza. Mostra al Museo della Tecnica elettrica, Università di Pavia. 14 maggio - 10 giugno 2016

Il concetto di tempo, che da sempre occupa un posto centrale nelle riflessioni di filosofi, scienziati, letterati e artisti e che lentamente viene acquisito durante l’età evolutiva, è stato affrontato attraverso storie legate a oggetti e concetti di fisica, tecnologia, medicina e storia naturale. Accanto agli oggetti e agli esperimenti storici sono stati esposti in mostra i prodotti realizzati dalle scuole, exhibit interattivi o storie raccontate direttamente oppure tramite immagini grafico-pittoriche o video. Tutti i materiali sono stati prodotti all’interno di un progetto, condiviso dal Sistema museale e dal Dipartimento di Fisica, che ha previsto la partecipazione attiva di insegnanti e alunni delle scuole di ogni ordine e grado e che ha preso il via all'inizio del 2016. Obiettivi del progetto: superare la classica visita scolastica al museo e la tradizionale distinzione tra ambiti di apprendimento formali e informali, coinvolgere attivamente tutti i partecipanti, avvicinare alla scienza bambini e ragazzi, mettere in contatto, seppur con attività diversificate, bimbi e ragazzi provenienti da scuole di orientamento e città diversi, ‘esportare’ la mostra per coloro che non sono in grado di fruirne direttamente. Le diverse sezioni della mostra sono state curate da: Lidia Falomo Bernarduzzi (Il tempo della fisica); Valentina Cani e Maria Carla Garbarino (Il tempo della nascita); Giorgio Giacomo Mellerio, Paolo Guaschi, Stefano Maretti, Edoardo Razzetti (Il tempo nell'evoluzione della specie umana); Michela Magliacani e Francesco Pietra (Il tempo della comunicazione); Gabriele Albanesi (Il tempo nell'arte figurativa). Il progetto con le scuole è stato curato da Gabriele Albanesi e Lidia Falomo Bernarduzzi

Vaccine effectiveness against severe laboratory-confirmed influenza in children: results of two consecutive seasons in Italy

•Vaccine effectiveness in children visiting an Emergency Department for influenza.•Test negative case-control study in 11 paediatric centres in two influenza seasons.•Vaccine effectiveness in preventing ED visits: 38% (95% CI -52% to 75%).•Add information for recommendation for vaccination in children. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine in preventing Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospitalisations for influenza like illness (ILI) in children. Methods: We conducted a test negative case-control study during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 influenza seasons. Eleven paediatric hospital/wards in seven Italian regions participated in the study. Consecutive children visiting the ED with an ILI, as diagnosed by the doctor according to the European Centre for Disease Control case definition, were eligible for the study. Data were collected from trained pharmacists/physicians by interviewing parents during the ED visit (or hospital admission) of their children. An influenza microbiological test (RT-PCR) was carried out in all children. Results: Seven-hundred and four children, from 6 months to 16 years of age, were enrolled: 262 children tested positive for one of the influenza viruses (cases) and 442 tested negative (controls). Cases were older than controls (median age 46 vs. 29 months), though with a similar prevalence of chronic conditions. Only 25 children (4%) were vaccinated in the study period. The overall age-adjusted vaccine effectiveness (VE) was 38% (95% confidence interval -52% to 75%). A higher VE was estimated for hospitalised children (53%; 95% confidence interval -45% to 85%). Discussion: This study supports the effectiveness of the seasonal influenza vaccine in preventing visits to the EDs and hospitalisations for ILI in children, although the estimates were not statistically significant and with wide confidence intervals. Future systematic reviews of available data will provide more robust evidence for recommending influenza vaccination in children. © 2014 The Authors