0000000001242984
AUTHOR
Gianni Bona
Italian multicentre study found infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases in children adopted from Africa and recommends prompt medical screening
AIM This study evaluated the prevalence of infectious diseases and immunisation status of children adopted from Africa. METHODS We studied 762 African children referred to 11 Italian paediatric centres in 2009-2015. Clinical and laboratory data were retrospectively collected and analysed. RESULTS The median age of the children (60.3% males) was 3 years and 6 months, 52.6% came from Ethiopia and 50.1% had at least one infectious disease. Parasitic infections accounted for the majority of the infectious diseases (409 of 715), and the most common were Giardia lamblia (n = 239), Toxocara canis (n = 65) and skin infections (n = 205), notably Tinea capitis/corporis (n = 134) and Molluscum contagi…
Association of maternal hypertension and chorioamnionitis with preterm outcomes
OBJECTIVES: We compared the relative effect of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and chorioamnionitis on adverse neonatal outcomes in very preterm neonates, and studied whether gestational age (GA) modulates these effects. METHODS: A cohort of neonates 23 to 30 weeks' GA, born in 2008 to 2011 in 82 hospitals adhering to the Italian Neonatal Network, was analyzed. Infants born from mothers who had hypertensive disorders (N = 2096) were compared with those born after chorioamnionitis (N = 1510). Statistical analysis employed logistic models, adjusting for GA, hospital, and potential confounders. RESULTS: Overall mortality was higher after hypertension than after chorioamnionitis (odds rati…
Persistence of Bactericidal Antibodies After Infant Serogroup B Meningococcal Immunization and Booster Dose Response at 12, 18 or 24 Months of Age
Background: A serogroup B meningococcal vaccine (4CMenB) is licensed for infant use in countries including Canada, Australia and those of the European Union. Data on serum bactericidal antibody (hSBA) waning and the ideal timing of a "toddler" booster dose are essential to optimize vaccine utilization. Methods: An open-labeled, multicenter phase-2b follow-on European study conducted from 2009 to 2012. Participants previously receiving 4CMenB with routine vaccines at 2, 4 and 6 or 2, 3 and 4 months (246Con and 234Con) or at 2, 4 and 6 months intercalated with routine vaccines (246Int) received a booster dose at 12, 18 or 24 months. 4CMenB-naive "Control" participants aged 12, 18 or 24 months…
Vitamin D in pediatric age: consensus of the Italian Pediatric Society and the Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics, jointly with the Italian Federation of Pediatricians.
Abstract Vitamin D plays a pivotal role in the regulation of calcium-phosphorus metabolism, particularly during pediatric age when nutritional rickets and impaired bone mass acquisition may occur. Besides its historical skeletal functions, in the last years it has been demonstrated that vitamin D directly or indirectly regulates up to 1250 genes, playing so-called extraskeletal actions. Indeed, recent data suggest a possible role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of several pathological conditions, including infectious, allergic and autoimmune diseases. Thus, vitamin D deficiency may affect not only musculoskeletal health but also a potentially wide range of acute and chronic conditions. At …