Defining criteria for disease activity states in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis based on the systemic Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate cutoff values in the systemic Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score 10 (sJADAS10) that distinguish the states of inactive disease (ID), minimal disease activity (MiDA), moderate disease activity (MoDA), and high disease activity (HDA) in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA), based on subjective disease state assessment by the treating pediatric rheumatologist. METHODS: The cutoffs definition cohort was composed of 400 patients enrolled at 30 pediatric rheumatology centers in 11 countries. Using the subjective physician rating as an external criterion, 6 methods were applied to identify the cutoffs: mapping, calculation of percentiles of cumulative score distribution, Youden index, 90% specificity, maximum agreement, and ROC curve analysis. Sixty percent of the patients were assigned to the definition cohort and 40% to the validation cohort. Cutoff validation was conducted by assessing discriminative ability. RESULTS: The sJADAS10 cutoffs that separated ID from MiDA, MiDA from MoDA, and MoDA from HDA were ≤ 2.9, ≤ 10, and > 20.6. The cutoffs discriminated strongly among different levels of pain, between patients with or without morning stiffness, and between patients whose parents judged their disease status as remission or persistent activity/flare or were satisfied or not satisfied with current illness outcome. CONCLUSION: The sJADAS cutoffs revealed good metrologic properties in both definition and validation cohorts, and are therefore suitable for use in clinical trials and routine practice.

Vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation: does size affect outcome?

PURPOSE: To validate a semiautomated method for segmenting vein of Galen aneurysmal malformations (VGAM) and to assess the relationship between VGAM volume and other angioarchitectural features, cardiological findings, and outcomes. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we selected all subjects with VGAM admitted to the Gaslini Children's Hospital between 2009 and 2022. Clinical data were retrieved from electronic charts. We compared 3D-Slicer segmented VGAM volumes obtained by two independent observers using phase-contrast MR venography to those obtained with manual measurements performed on T2-weighted images. The relationship between VGAM volumes and clinical and neuroimaging features was then explored. RESULTS: Forty-three subjects with VGAM (22 males, mean age 6.56 days) were included in the study. Manual and semiautomated VGAM volumes were well correlated for both readers (r = 0.86 and 0.82, respectively). Regarding reproducibility, the inter-rater interclass correlation coefficients were 0.885 for the manual method and 0.992 for the semiautomated method (p < 0.001). The standard error for repeated measures was lower for the semiautomated method (0.04 versus 0.40 of manual method). Higher VGAM volume was associated with superior sagittal sinus narrowing, jugular bulb stenosis, and aqueductal stenosis (p < 0.05). A weak correlation was found between VGAM volume and straight sinus dilatation (r = 0.331) and superior sagittal sinus index (r = - 0.325). No significant associations were found with cardiac findings, post-embolization complications, and outcome (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Semiautomated VGAM volumetry is feasible and reliable with improved reproducibility compared to the manual method. VGAM volume is not a prognostic factor for clinical outcome, but it is related to other venous findings with potential hemodynamic effects.

Surgical Management of Wilms Tumors with Intravenous Extension: A Multicenter Analysis of Clinical Management with Technical Insights.

BACKGROUND: About 5% of Wilms tumors present with vascular extension, which sometimes extends to the right atrium. Vascular extension does not affect the prognosis, but impacts the surgical strategy, which is complex and not fully standardized. Our goal is to identify elements of successful surgical management of Wilms tumors with vascular extensions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of pediatric Wilms tumors treated at three sites (January 1999-June 2019) was conducted. The inclusion criterion was the presence of a renal vein and vena cava thrombus at diagnosis. Tumor stage, pre and postoperative treatment, preoperative imaging, operative report, pathology, operative complications, and follow-up data were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 696 pediatric patients with Wilms tumors, 69 (9.9%) met the inclusion criterion. In total, 24 patients (37.5%) had a right atrial extension and two presented with Budd-Chiari syndrome at diagnosis. Two died at diagnosis owing to pulmonary embolism. All patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and thrombus regressed in 35.6% of cases. Overall, 14 patients had persistent intra-atrial thrombus extension (58%) and underwent cardiopulmonary bypass. Most thrombi (72%) were removed intact with nephrectomy. Massive intraoperative bleeding occurred during three procedures. Postoperative renal insufficiency was identified as a risk factor for patient survival (p = 0.01). With a median follow-up of 9 years (range: 0.5-20 years), overall survival was 89% and event-free survival was 78%. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with proper surgical strategy resulted in a survival rate comparable to that of children with Wilms tumors without intravascular extension. Clinicians should be aware that postoperative renal insufficiency is associated with worse survival outcomes.

Defining criteria for disease activity states in juvenile dermatomyositis based on the Juvenile Dermatomyositis Activity Index.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate the cut-offs in the Juvenile DermatoMyositis Activity Index (JDMAI) to distinguish the states of inactive disease (ID), low disease activity (LDA), moderate disease activity (MDA) and high disease activity (HDA) in children with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). METHODS: For cut-off definition, data from 139 patients included in a randomised clinical trial were used. Among the six versions of the JDMAI, JDMA1 (score range 0-40) and JDMAI2 (score range 0-39) were selected. Optimal cut-offs were determined against external criteria by calculating different percentiles of score distribution and through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. External criteria included the modified Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization (PRINTO) criteria for clinically ID in JDM (for ID) and PRINTO levels of improvement in the clinical trial (for LDA and HDA). MDA cut-offs were set at the score interval between LDA and HDA cut-offs. Cut-off validation was conducted by assessing construct and discriminative ability in two cohorts including a total of 488 JDM patients. RESULTS: The calculated JDMAI1 cut-offs were ≤2.4 for ID, ≤6.6 for LDA, 6.7-11 for MDA and >11 for HDA. The calculated JDMAI2 cut-offs were ≤5.2 for ID, ≤8.5 for LDA, 8.6-11.3 for MDA and >11.3 for HDA. The cut-offs discriminated strongly among disease activity states defined subjectively by caring physicians and parents, parents' satisfaction or non-satisfaction with illness outcome, levels of pain, fatigue, physical functional impairment and physical well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Both JDMAI1 and JDMAI2 cut-offs revealed good metrologic properties in validation analyses and are, therefore, suited for application in clinical practice and research.

Antibiotic defined daily dose in pediatrics. A single center study to proof the principle that a specific pediatric definition could be not needed / Dosis diaria definida de antibiótico en Pediatría. Un estudio de centro único para probar de que una definición pediátrica especifica podría no ser necesaria

Objectives: To evaluate if a specific pediatric defined daily dose (PeDDD) can be replaced with the defined daily dose (DDD) indicated by World Health Organization (WHO). Methods: The 50th percentile of body weight for age of children admitted from 2016 to 2020 at Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy, was used to calculate PeDDD for vancomycin at 40mg/kg and meropenem at 60mg/kg. Data obtained were then used to calculate the PeDDD number based on the amount of drugs delivered quarterly from 2012 to 2016. Subsequently the DDD number was calculated for vancomycin at 2g and meropenem at 3g. With these results two curves were generated which were then compared for parallelism and area under the curve (AUC). Results: PeDDD was found to be 2.6 times DDD for both drugs, but both curves obtained were parallel and the AUCs were identical.Conclusions: DDD according to WHO definition could be adopted in pediatrics to measure antibiotic consumption and therefore no specific PeDDD could be needed.(AU)

Objetivos: Evaluar si una dosis diaria definida pediátrica específica (PeDDD) puede ser reemplazada por la dosis diaria definida (DDD) indicada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). Métodos: El 50 percentil del peso por la edad media de los niños admitidos desde 2016 hasta 2020 al Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Génova, Italia, fue utilizado para calcular el PeDDD con vancomina a 40mg/kg y meropenem a 60mg/kg. Luego los datos obtenidos fueron utilizados para calcular el número de PeDDD basado en la cantidad de medicamentos entregados trimestralmente desde 2012 hasta 2016. Posteriormente, el número de DDD fue calculado con vancomicina a 2g y meropenem a 3g. Con los resultados, se generaron 2 curvas que fueron comparadas con paralelismo y área bajo la curva (AUC). Resultados: PeDDD resultó ser 2,6 veces DDD por ambos medicamentos, pero ambas curvas obtenidas eran paralelas y las AUC eran idénticas. Conclusiones: DDD, según la definición de la OMS, podría adoptarse en Pediatría para medir el consumo de antibióticos y, por lo tanto, no podría ser necesario un PeDDD específico.(AU)

Skin manifestations help identifying different phenotypes of paediatric SAPHO syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: to evaluate whether the heterogeneous skin manifestations might influence the disease presentation and outcome of a cohort of SAPHO children. METHODS: the clinical, serological, imaging and therapeutic data of 14 SAPHO patients, followed between 2001 and 2022 at the Unit for Autoinflammatory diseases at the Gaslini Hospital, were reviewed. According to their cutaneous manifestations, patients were divided into 2 groups: the acne-hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and the Palmo-Plantar Pustulosis (PPP) group. Data were retrieved from the Eurofever database. RESULTS: all patients presented bone involvement characterized by Chronic Recurrent multifocal Osteomyelitis (CRMO): 8 patients presented acne-HS while 6 patients had PPP. In the PPP group, all patients were female, characterized by a prepuberal disease onset with osteoarticular manifestations, followed by the appearance of PPP in the following 6 months. This group responded well to the treatments. In the acne-HS group, 7/8 patients were male: the disease onset was characterized by skin manifestations in pubertal age, followed by osteoarticular manifestations in the following year. This group presented a severe refractory skin disease that required in most cases the addition of biological therapies. A literature review confirmed our data highlighting the association males-acne-puberal age and female-PPP-prepuberal age. CONCLUSION: paediatric SAPHO patients should be mainly stratified according to their skin involvement. In fact, our data suggest that two different skin phenotypes may be identified in SAPHO: the first is constituted by prepuberal females with PPP and a prevalent osteoarticular involvement, while the second by puberal males with a difficult-to-treat acne-HS.

Blood Lymphocyte Subsets and Proinflammatory Cytokine Profile in ROHHAD(NET) and non-ROHHAD(NET) Obese Individuals.

Context: Rapid-onset obesity with central hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation with neural crest tumors (ROHHAD-NET) syndrome pathophysiology remains elusive. Acquired neuroimmunological dysfunction has been proposed as a possible pathogenetic pathway. Objective: The aim of our study was to characterize lymphocyte subpopulations subsets in peripheral blood (PB) and to evaluate a panel of proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines in ROHHAD(NET) patients vs controls. Methods: We included 11 ROHHAD(NET) patients, 7 ROHHAD and 4 ROHHAD-NET, selected by clinical criteria. Controls were 11 simple obese children, matched for age and sex. Flow cytometric analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed on PB and serum samples of the 2 groups. Results: Analysis revealed that T lymphocytes are significantly increased in ROHHAD(NET) patients (P = .04) with a prevalence of CD4-T cells (P = .03) and a lower number of activated CD8-T cells (P = .02). With regard to regulatory subset, patients displayed increased regulatory B cells (P = .05) and type-1 regulatory T cells (P = .03). With regard to CD8-T cells, a lower number of T effector memory was observed (P = .02). In contrast, among CD4-T cells, we found a higher number of T naive (P = .04) and T effector (P = .0008). Interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 were increased in patients vs controls (P = .008 and P = .01, respectively). Furthermore, IL-8 levels were higher in the subgroup with neural tumor (P = .0058) (ROHHAD-NET) than in patients without neural tumor (ROHHAD). Soluble HLA-G was significantly lower in patients vs controls (P = .03). Conclusion: Our findings contribute to support the hypothesis of immune dysregulation, which may underlie this complex, often fatal disease. Because ROHHAD(NET) syndrome is an ultra-rare disease, multicentric studies are needed to improve the effect of our data in the management of this condition.

Genotype-phenotype correlation in contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP-2) developmental disorder.

Contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2) gene encodes for CASPR2, a presynaptic type 1 transmembrane protein, involved in cell-cell adhesion and synaptic interactions. Biallelic CNTNAP2 loss has been associated with "Pitt-Hopkins-like syndrome-1" (MIM#610042), while the pathogenic role of heterozygous variants remains controversial. We report 22 novel patients harboring mono- (n = 2) and bi-allelic (n = 20) CNTNAP2 variants and carried out a literature review to characterize the genotype-phenotype correlation. Patients (M:F 14:8) were aged between 3 and 19 years and affected by global developmental delay (GDD) (n = 21), moderate to profound intellectual disability (n = 17) and epilepsy (n = 21). Seizures mainly started in the first two years of life (median 22.5 months). Antiseizure medications were successful in controlling the seizures in about two-thirds of the patients. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or other neuropsychiatric comorbidities were present in nine patients (40.9%). Nonspecific midline brain anomalies were noted in most patients while focal signal abnormalities in the temporal lobes were noted in three subjects. Genotype-phenotype correlation was performed by also including 50 previously published patients (15 mono- and 35 bi-allelic variants). Overall, GDD (p < 0.0001), epilepsy (p < 0.0001), hyporeflexia (p = 0.012), ASD (p = 0.009), language impairment (p = 0.020) and severe cognitive impairment (p = 0.031) were significantly associated with the presence of biallelic versus monoallelic variants. We have defined the main features associated with biallelic CNTNAP2 variants, as severe cognitive impairment, epilepsy and behavioral abnormalities. We propose CASPR2-deficiency neurodevelopmental disorder as an exclusively recessive disease while the contribution of heterozygous variants is less likely to follow an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern.

Performance of the 2016 ACR-EULAR myositis response criteria in juvenile dermatomyositis therapeutic trials and consensus profiles.

OBJECTIVES: The 2016 ACR-EULAR Response Criteria for JDM was developed as a composite measure with differential weights of six core set measures (CSMs) to calculate a Total Improvement Score (TIS). We assessed the contribution of each CSM, representation of muscle-related and patient-reported CSMs towards improvement, and frequency of CSM worsening across myositis response criteria (MRC) categories in validation of MRC. METHODS: Data from JDM patients in the Rituximab in Myositis trial (n = 48), PRINTO JDM trial (n = 139), and consensus patient profiles (n = 273) were included. Observed vs expected CSM contributions were compared using Sign test. Characteristics of MRC categories were compared by Wilcoxon tests with Bonferroni adjustment. Spearman correlation of changes in TIS and individual CSMs were examined. Agreement between physician-assessed change and MRC categories was evaluated by weighted Cohen's kappa. RESULTS: Of 457 JDM patients with IMACS CSMs and 380 with PRINTO CSMs, 9-13% had minimal, 19-23% had moderate and 41-50% had major improvement. The number of improved and absolute percentage change of CSMs increased by MRC improvement level. Patients with minimal improvement by MRC had a median of 0-1 CSM worsened, and those with moderate/major improvement had a median of zero worsening CSMs. Of patients improved by MRC, 94-95% had improvement in muscle strength and 93-95% had improvement in ≥1 patient-reported CSM. IMACS and PRINTO CSMs performed similarly. Physician-rated change and MRC improvement categories had moderate-to-substantial agreement (Kappa 0.5-0.7). CONCLUSION: The ACR-EULAR MRC perform consistently across multiple studies, supporting its further use as an efficacy end point in JDM trials.

Sleep and Sleep Complaints in Juvenile Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate sleep quality in juvenile fibromyalgia syndrome (JFS) and its effect on the global burden of the disease. METHODS: Consecutive patients with JFS who performed full-night polysomnography (PSG) were included in this cross-sectional study. JFS-related symptoms, neuropsychiatric features, and sleep quality were assessed using self-report measures. PSG sleep parameters, including N3 distribution index, were obtained from patients and age-matched healthy controls. RESULTS: We included 25 patients (20 females, median age 15.7 yrs). Nonrestorative sleep was reported by 22 of 25 (88%) patients. Patients with JFS showed significantly longer sleep period time (P = 0.004) and increased wake after sleep onset (P = 0.03) compared to healthy peers. The N3 distribution index was significantly lower in patients than in the control group (P = 0.02). Subjective poor sleep quality was related to Widespread Pain Index (WPI; r s -0.65), Symptom Severity Scale (r s -0.64), depressive symptoms (r s -0.58), fatigue (r s -0.44), and symptom severity upon awakening (r s -0.65). The N3 distribution index was correlated to depressive symptoms (r s 0.41) and irritability (rs 0.40). On multiple regression analysis, WPI was predicted by subjective sleep quality (ß -0.32, P = 0.04), whereas depressive symptoms were predicted by subjective sleep measures (ß -0.32, P = 0.04) and PSG parameters (N3 min: ß -0.07, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Sleep complaints are a key hallmark of JFS and have significant effect on relevant clinical domains of the disease, such as pain and depression.

Antibiotic defined daily dose in pediatrics. A single center study to proof the principle that a specific pediatric definition could be not needed.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate if a specific pediatric defined daily dose (PeDDD) can be replaced with the defined daily dose (DDD) indicated by World Health Organization (WHO). METHODS: The 50th percentile of body weight for age of children admitted from 2016 to 2020 at Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy, was used to calculate PeDDD for vancomycin at 40mg/kg and meropenem at 60mg/kg. Data obtained were then used to calculate the PeDDD number based on the amount of drugs delivered quarterly from 2012 to 2016. Subsequently the DDD number was calculated for vancomycin at 2g and meropenem at 3g. With these results two curves were generated which were then compared for parallelism and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: PeDDD was found to be 2.6 times DDD for both drugs, but both curves obtained were parallel and the AUCs were identical CONCLUSIONS: DDD according to WHO definition could be adopted in pediatrics to measure antibiotic consumption and therefore no specific PeDDD could be needed.

Enterostomy-related complications in Hirschsprung's disease in a single cohort.

BACKGROUND: Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) is a frequent cause of intestinal obstruction in children and may require an enterostomy. The study aimed to describe the most common enterostomy-related complications in a series of patients treated in a single center. METHODS: A series of consecutive HSCR patients treated or followed-up at our institution between January 1993 and December 2016 were included. Data about HSCR type, enterostomy site, duration and complications of the stoma were recorded. RESULTS: Three hundred one patients with HSCR were followed-up. Sixty-one had ultralong forms (TCSA/TIA), 21 had long forms (L-HSCR) and 219 had classic short forms (S-HSCR). One hundred thirty-seven patients required a stoma (100% of patients with TCSA/TIA, 66.7% with L-HSCR and 28.3% with S-HSCR). We observed 64 stoma-related complications: 36 major complications and 28 minor complications. Major complications occurred more often in long forms (P=0.037). The presence of an ileostomy was statistically associated with an increased rate of complications compared to colostomy. The longer the stoma was in site, the higher the complication rate was. CONCLUSIONS: Long and ultra-long forms are associated with a longer duration of the stoma and to a major risk of stoma-related complications.

Predictive Value of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in Clinical Remission.

OBJECTIVE: To define the prevalence of subclinical synovitis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a large cohort of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in clinical remission and to evaluate its predictive value in terms of disease flare and joint deterioration. METHODS: Ninety patients with clinically inactive JIA who underwent a contrast-enhanced (CE)-MRI of a previously affected joint were retrospectively included. Each joint was evaluated for synovitis, tenosynovitis, and bone marrow edema. Baseline and follow-up radiographs were assessed to evaluate structural damage progression. RESULTS: CE-MRI was acquired in 45 wrists, 30 hips, 13 ankles, and 2 knees. Subclinical synovitis was detected in 59 (65.5%) of 90 patients and bone marrow edema in 42 (46.7%) of 90 patients. Fifty-seven of 90 (63.3%) patients experienced a disease flare during follow-up. Forty-four of 59 (74.6%) patients with subclinical synovitis experienced a disease flare versus 13 (41.9%) of 31 patients with no residual synovitis on MRI (P = 0.002). The presence of subclinical synovitis was the best predictor of disease flare on multivariable regression analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 2.45, P = 0.003). Baseline and follow-up radiographs were available for 54 patients, and 17 (31.5%) of 54 patients experienced radiographic damage progression. The presence of bone marrow edema (HR 4.40, P = 0.045) and being >17 years old (HR 3.51, P = 0.04) were strong predictors of joint damage progression in the multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: MRI-detected subclinical inflammation was present in a large proportion of patients with JIA despite clinical remission. Subclinical synovitis and bone marrow edema have been shown to play a role in predicting the risk of disease relapse and joint deterioration, with potential implications for patients' management of the disease.

Looking for the best strategy to treat children with new onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis: presentation of the "comparison of STep-up and step-down therapeutic strategies in childhood ARthritiS" (STARS) trial.

BACKGROUND: Although a satisfactory disease control is nowadays achievable in most patients with JIA, a substantial proportion of them still do not respond adequately or reach long-term drug-free remission. According to current recommendations, treatment should be escalated in subsequent steps. A different approach is based on the assumption that the initial start of an aggressive therapy may take advantage of the "window of opportunity" and could alter the biology of the disease, leading to an improvement of long-term outcomes, including the prevention of cumulative joint damage. OBJECTIVES: This randomised clinical trial aims to compare the effectiveness of a conventional therapeutic regimen, based on treatment escalation and driven by the treat-to-target approach, with that of an early aggressive intervention based on the initial start of a combination of conventional and biological DMARDs. METHODS: JIA patients with oligoarthritis or RF negative polyarthritis aged more than 2 years and with less than 4 months of disease course will be included in the study. Children will be randomised into two arms: patients in Step-up arm with less severe oligoarthritis will undergo an intra-articular corticosteroid injection (IACI) in all affected joints; patients with polyarthritis or severe oligoarthritis will receive IACI and methotrexate. Subsequent treatment will follow a standardised protocol based on the patients' level of disease activity measured with the JADAS, according to a treat-to-target strategy. Patients in Step-down arm will receive a 6-month early combined treatment (methotrexate plus IACI for less severe oligoarthritis, methotrexate plus etanercept for severe oligoarthritis and polyarthritis). The primary endpoint is the frequency of achievement of the status of clinical remission (i.e. persistence of inactive disease for at least 6 months) at the 12-month visit. Safety events, physician-centred measures and parent/patient-reported outcomes will be collected through the Paediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organisation on line database. EXPECTED RESULTS: The STARS trial aims to provide important evidence supporting the first-line treatment choices in the care of children with oligoarticular and polyarticular JIA. If the superiority of an early aggressive therapy will be demonstrated, this will demand further studies on the biological definition of the window of opportunity for JIA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Trial is registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov registry (NCT03728478) on the 31st October 2018 and EU Clinical Trials Register on the 14th May 2018 (EudraCT Number: 2018-001931-27).

The pandemic seen through the eyes of the youngest people: evaluating psychological impact of the early COVID-19 related confinement on children and adolescents through the analysis of drawings and of an e-survey on their parents.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is having a significant impact on long term children' and adolescents' psychological health. We aimed to evaluate the direct early psychological and behavioural signs related to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and related confinement on children and adolescents. METHODS: Children and adolescents' drawings were collected for a limited time window (16th March-10th April 2020) and analyzed. Their parents were asked in the following month to answer a qualitative e-survey on somatic complaints and behavioral changes of the participating children/adolescents. RESULTS: Ninety-eight drawings by children/adolescents (mean age 7.01±2.83 years) were analysed. Analyses of the 98 drawings reported signs of trauma in all (of them, 60.2% with moderate-to high levels). Children aged 3-5 years were more impacted, followed by preadolescents/adolescents aged 11-17 years. Parents reported somatic complaints in the 71.1% of their children/adolescents: the most frequent were increased appetite (35.6%), abdominal pain (20.0%) and headache (20.0%). Behavioral changes were observed in 77.8% of subjects: increased appetite (35.6%), abdominal pain (20.0%) and headache (20.0%) were more represented. CONCLUSIONS: Early psychological distress related to COVID-19 pandemic was observed both in children and in adolescents by the analysis of drawings and confirmed by their parents. Implementation of mental health-care services for preventing future psychopathological problems is mandatory.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Urography in Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction: Proposal for a Pediatric Quantitative Score.

Background: Ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) is one of the most frequent causes of congenital hydronephrosis. It is essential to distinguish UPJO which needs surgical treatment. fMRU combines high quality morphological details of the kidney and excretory pathways with functional data. Objective: This study aims to introduce a new radiological score based on fMRU findings to be able to differentiate surgical from non-surgical kidneys. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively selected patients with hydronephrosis due to UPJO who underwent fMRU (January 2009-June 2018). A multidisciplinary team identified a list of fMRU morpho-functional predictive variables to be included in the analysis. To evaluate the role of different independent variables in predicting the outcome, a multivariable logistic regression model has been performed; the outcome variable was the surgical intervention. For each predictive variable, Odds Ratio and 95% Confidence Intervals were calculated. The likelihood ratio test was used to assess the significance of the variables. Using the regression model, we assigned a numerical value to each predictive variable, rounding up the beta-coefficients. The cut-off value of the total score was obtained from the ROC curve analysis. Results: A total of 192 patients were enrolled, corresponding to 200 pathological kidneys. All of them underwent fMRU; 135 were surgically treated, while 65 underwent ultrasound or MRU follow-up. Predictive variables significantly associated with surgery resulted to be the urographic phase, the presence of abnormal vessels, and a baseline anterior-posterior pelvic diameter >23 mm. Beta coefficients of the logistic regression model were then converted in scores. The ROC curve of the score showed high sensitivity (84.3%) and specificity (81.3%) with a cut-off > 2.5. Conclusions: We propose a new fMRU score able to identify surgical vs. non-surgical kidneys with UPJO.

Anakinra in Patients With Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Long-term Safety From the Pharmachild Registry.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term safety profile of anakinra in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA). METHODS: Data from patients with sJIA enrolled in the Pharmachild registry (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03932344) prior to September 30, 2018, and treated with anakinra were analyzed. The study endpoints were the occurrence of non-serious adverse events (SAEs) of at least moderate severity and SAEs, including macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), and the duration of anakinra treatment with reasons for discontinuation. All endpoints were analyzed overall by 6-month time windows, and in different treatment sets represented by those patients treated continuously with anakinra for at least 12, 18, and 24 months (set-12, -18, and -24, respectively). RESULTS: Three hundred six patients were enrolled. Of these patients, 46%, 34%, and 28% had been treated for at least 12, 18, and 24 months, respectively. Two hundred and one AEs, mostly represented by infections, were reported for 509.3 patient-years (PY) with an overall incidence rate (IR) of 39.5 per 100 PY. Among 56 SAEs (IR 11.0/100 PY), 23.2% were infections and 19.6% MAS episodes. The IR of AEs was higher during the first 6 months of anakinra treatment, followed by decreasing IRs in the long-term treatment sets. Treatment discontinuation occurred in 76% of patients, most frequently in the first 6 months, because of inefficacy (43%), remission (31%), or AEs/intolerance (15%). No deaths or malignancies occurred during anakinra treatment. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study confirm the long-term safety profile of anakinra in patients with sJIA and demonstrate an overall decreasing incidence of AEs over time. [ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01399281 and NCT03932344].

Clinico-radiological features, molecular spectrum, and identification of prognostic factors in developmental and epileptic encephalopathy due to inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPase) deficiency.

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 35 (DEE 35) is a severe neurological condition caused by biallelic variants in ITPA, encoding inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase, an essential enzyme in purine metabolism. We delineate the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of DEE 35, analyzing possible predictors for adverse clinical outcomes. We investigated a cohort of 28 new patients and reviewed previously described cases, providing a comprehensive characterization of 40 subjects. Exome sequencing was performed to identify underlying ITPA pathogenic variants. Brain MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans were systematically analyzed to delineate the neuroradiological spectrum. Survival curves according to the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to investigate outcome predictors in different subgroups of patients. We identified 18 distinct ITPA pathogenic variants, including 14 novel variants, and two deletions. All subjects showed profound developmental delay, microcephaly, and refractory epilepsy followed by neurodevelopmental regression. Brain MRI revision revealed a recurrent pattern of delayed myelination and restricted diffusion of early myelinating structures. Congenital microcephaly and cardiac involvement were statistically significant novel clinical predictors of adverse outcomes. We refined the molecular, clinical, and neuroradiological characterization of ITPase deficiency, and identified new clinical predictors which may have a potentially important impact on diagnosis, counseling, and follow-up of affected individuals.

The comparison between children and adolescents with asthma provided by the real-world "ControL'Asma" study.

OBJECTIVE: Because asthma is a disease that changes over time, the Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology launched a nationwide study on asthma control (the ControL'Asma study). The intent was to test the hypothesis that children with asthma could present a different pattern compared to adolescents. In the study, we compared children with adolescents in a real-world setting by analyzing the asthma control grade and other asthma-related parameters. METHODS: This cross-sectional real-world study included 471 asthmatic children (