Search results for "SCHOOL"
showing 10 items of 4345 documents
Case-control study on intestinal intussusception: implications for anti-rotavirus vaccination.
2018
Background: Intussusception represents the most common cause of abdominal emergency among young children but nearly 75% of cases are still considered idiopathic. Research design and methods: A case–control study was conducted among Sicilian children aged 0–59 months with a hospital admission for intussusception between 2009 and 2015 to identify factors associated with intussusception onset. Results: Overall, 125 cases and 190 controls were recruited for the study. Birth order (OR 1.49, 95%CI: 1.10, 2.02, P = 0.02) and having had gastroenteritis or having taken antibiotics during the 30 days prior to hospitalization (OR 11.55, 95%CI: 3.23, 41.23, P < 0.001; 3.09, 95%CI: 1.17, 8.12, P = 0.009…
Case-based surveillance of measles in Sicily during 2012-2017: The changing molecular epidemiology and implications for vaccine strategies.
2018
Following the indication of the World Health Organization, a national plan for the elimination of measles was approved in Italy and this included the improvement of the molecular surveil- lance of measles viruses and the interruption of indigenous transmission of the disease. Nevertheless, large outbreaks continue to occur in almost all regions of the country, includ- ing Sicily. Here we describe the epidemiology and molecular dynamics of measles viruses as a result of the measles surveillance activity carried out by the “Reference Laboratory for Measles and Rubella” in Sicily over a 5-year period. Biological samples of 259 suspected measles cases were tested for viral RNA detection and a t…
Field evaluation of a rapid antigen test (Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test Device) for COVID-19 diagnosis in primary healthcare centres.
2021
Abstract Objectives To our knowledge no previous study has assessed the performance of a rapid antigen diagnostic immunoassay (RAD) conducted at the point of care (POC). We evaluated the Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test Device for diagnosis of coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) in symptomatic patients (n = 412) attending primary healthcare centres. Methods RAD was performed immediately after sampling following the manufacturer's instructions (reading at 15 min). RT-PCRs were carried out within 24 h of specimen collection. Samples displaying discordant results were processed for culture in Vero E6 cells. Presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in cell cultures…
Microenvironment in neuroblastoma: isolation and characterization of tumor-derived mesenchymal stromal cells
2018
Background It has been proposed that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) promote tumor progression by interacting with tumor cells and other stroma cells in the complex network of the tumor microenvironment. We characterized MSCs isolated and expanded from tumor tissues of pediatric patients diagnosed with neuroblastomas (NB-MSCs) to define interactions with the tumor microenvironment. Methods Specimens were obtained from 7 pediatric patients diagnosed with neuroblastoma (NB). Morphology, immunophenotype, differentiation capacity, proliferative growth, expression of stemness and neural differentiation markers were evaluated. Moreover, the ability of cells to modulate the immune response, i.e. …
Clinical severity and molecular characteristics of circulating and emerging rotaviruses in young children attending hospital emergency departments in…
2016
International audience; Group A rotavirus (RVA) is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. A prospective surveillance network has been set up to investigate the virological and clinical features of RVA infections and to detect the emergence of potentially epidemic strains in France. From 2009 to 2014, RVA-positive stool samples were collected from 4800 children <5 years old attending the paediatric emergency units of 16 large hospitals. Rotaviruses were then genotyped by RT-PCR with regard to their outer capsid proteins VP4 and VP7. Genotyping of 4708 RVA showed that G1P[8] strains (62.2%) were predominant. The incidence of G9P[8] (11.5%), G3P[8] (10.4%) and …
Cryptosporidiosis Outbreak in Immunocompetent Children from a Remote Area of French Guiana: CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS OUTBREAK IN AMAZONIAN CHILDREN
2018
International audience; In September 2014, an increase in the number of Cryptosporidium spp. gastrointestinal tract infections was reported over a 6-month period among children living in a remote area along the Maroni River in French Guiana. Children presented gastroenteritis symptoms with Cryptosporidium-positive stools. Questionnaires were administered and stool examinations were controlled 3 months after the onset of symptoms. Data collection included demographics, food consumption, river behavior, symptoms, and outcome. Stool specimens were tested using microscopy and polymerase chain reaction. Samples from the water systems were examined for turbidity and culture for bacteria. Data fro…
Associations between food consumption patterns and saliva composition: Specificities of eating difficulties children
2017
Identifying objective markers of dietwould be beneficial to research fields such as nutritional epidemiology. As a preliminary study on the validity of using saliva for this purpose, and in order to explore the relationship between saliva and diet, we focused on clearly contrasted groups of children: children with eating difficulties (ED) receiving at least 50% of their energy intake through artificial nutrition vs healthy controls (C). Saliva of ED and C children was analyzed by various methods (targeted biochemical analyses, 2-D electrophoresis coupled to MS, 1H NMR) and their diet was characterized using food frequency questionnaires, considering 148 food items grouped into 13 categories…
Histo-blood group antigens in children with symptomatic rotavirus infection
2019
Group A rotaviruses are a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in children. The diversity and unequal geographical prevalence of rotavirus genotypes have been linked to histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) in different human populations. In order to evaluate the role of HBGAs in rotavirus infections in our population, secretor status (FUT2+), ABO blood group, and Lewis antigens were determined in children attended for rotavirus gastroenteritis in Valencia, Spain. During three consecutive years (2013&ndash
Circulation and diagnostics of Puumala virus in Norway: nephropatia epidemica incidence and rodent population dynamics.
2017
Hantaviruses pose a public health concern worldwide causing haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Puumala virus (PUUV) is the most prevalent hantavirus in Central and Northern Europe, and causes a mild form of HFRS, also known as nephropathia epidemica (NE). In nature, the main host of PUUV is the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), and transmission to humans occurs through inhalation of aerosols from rodent excreta. Nephropathia epidemica is particularly prevalent in Nordic countries, however, few studies of PUUV have been performed in Norway. The aim of this study was to analyse the dynamics of PUUV in Norway and compare with bank vole population…
Epidemiology of rare cancers and inequalities in oncologic outcomes
2019
Rare cancers epidemiology is better known compared to the other rare diseases. Thanks to the long history of the European population-based cancer registries and to the EUROCARE huge database, the burden of rare cancers has been estimated the European (EU28) population. A considerable fraction of all cancers is represented by rare cancers (24%). They are a heterogeneous group of diseases, but they share similar problems: uncertainty of diagnosis, lack of therapies, poor research opportunities, difficulties in clinical trials, lack of expertise and of centres of reference. This paper analyses the major epidemiological indicators of frequency (incidence and prevalence) and outcome (5-year surv…