Children-Basel最新文献

Background/objectives: Parents of premature infants experience depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and increased stress, which can negatively impact parent-infant relationships and infant development. To reduce negative consequences and optimally support families, we developed the Transition to Home model (TtH). In this randomized controlled pilot trial (RCT), the feasibility of performing an experimental study to analyse the effects of TtH on parental mental health over time was evaluated.

Methods: The following domains were assessed: recruitment, follow-up and study burden, outcome measures used and parental mental health outcomes. We included n = 22 parent couples with their preterm infants in the control group and n = 23 in the intervention group. Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders, parenting stress, and parental self-efficacy were assessed at five timepoints. The study burden was evaluated once at the end of the study.

Results: The control and intervention groups had similar socio-demographic characteristics. The groups showed no differences in the mental health outcomes except for depression in mothers at T2 (p = 0.042) and T5 (p = 0.027) and state anxiety in fathers at T2 (p = 0.016).

Conclusions: This pilot RCT established a framework for the evaluation of the TtH model of care and demonstrated the viability of the evaluation scheme. The results confirm the suitability of the RCT's structure and the feasibility of the methods and instruments used. Minor adjustments are recommended to include a more diverse sample in future studies.

Introduction: Adaptive behavior, defined as a critical set of skills learned and performed throughout daily life to cope with society's age-appropriate expectations, is a central concept for people with disabilities in both clinical and research contexts. As AB is an essential component of daily functioning, assessment is necessary both for the diagnostic process and for intervention, as it enables scores to be compared with the developmental norm, identifies strengths and weaknesses of the persons and monitors the progress of interventions. AB assessment is common in children with developmental delays but less common in children with visual impairment (VI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the AB of young children with VI through a pilot study and descriptive data.

Methods: The participants were recruited through an early childhood special needs education service specialized in VI in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Overall, 10 families gave their consent for their child to be assessed using the Vineland Adaptative Behavior Scale-II (VABS-II) completed by their early childhood educator.

Results: Globally, the results showed that participants were rated between the Adapted to Moderately High levels. The highest domains were in the areas of communication, daily living skills and socialization.

Discussion: The results showed a trend that is superior to previous studies assessing the AB of a similar population. As a result, one obvious perspective would be to adapt the scale to ensure that the items assessed are more consistent with the specificities of their development and the intervention priorities, enabling them to achieve adaptive behavior and independence in carrying out activities of daily living.

Background/objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of H. pylori eradication on the serum level of the orally administered valproic acid (VPA) in children with idiopathic generalized epilepsy; Methods: This prospective cohort observational study included 100 children with idiopathic generalized epilepsy, recruited from a neurology clinic from May 2021 to December 2021. The patients were divided into two groups, each containing 50 children. The first group had a positive H. pylori stool antigen and H. pylori-related symptoms, while the second group had a negative antigen. H. pylori Eradication therapy was given to the positive H. pylori group. The serum level of VPA was obtained at baseline and 4 weeks after eradication therapy.

Results: Despite there being no significant difference between the H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative groups regarding the baseline VPA serum level (79.9 ± 13.9 and 77.9 ± 13.1 mcg/mL), respectively, the serum VPA level had significantly increased after H. pylori eradication therapy (99.4 ± 11 mcg/mL) (p value = 0.000), as opposed to the H. pylori-negative group (85.3 ± 10.9 mcg/mL) (p value = 0.142). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant association with a negative correlation between the VPA serum level after eradication and the number of epileptic attacks per month (p value = 0.033, R value = -0.301) and the dose of VPA (p value = 0.046, R value = -0.284).

Conclusions: The eradication of H. pylori resulted in a highly significant improvement in the serum level of the orally given VPA in children with idiopathic generalized epilepsy, as well as an indirect decrease in the frequency of epileptic events per month, allowing for dose reduction. Eradication therapy may have anticonvulsant properties and might indirectly aid in the management of epileptic activity. H. pylori screening for children with idiopathic generalized epilepsy can optimize serum VPA levels, potentially leading to better seizure control. To our knowledge, this is the first study in the literature to describe the effect of H. pylori eradication on the serum level of the orally administered VPA in children with idiopathic generalized epilepsy.

Background: Families with children with medical complexity endure high levels of chronic and toxic stress, impacting the overall health and wellbeing of all family members and the system as a whole. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of parents/caregivers with children with medical complexity.

Methods: The lived experiences of 15 parents of children with complex medical needs were explored using focus group discussions. Focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using van Manen's 6-step process for hermeneutic phenomenology. Aligned with the research questions, the analysis draws on van Manen's four lived existential analytical categories.

Results: Themes include: (1) lived body, the psychological and physiological effect; (2) lived time and space, the immediate impact on the there, now, and then; (3) lived relationships, social life and family relational effect; (4) risk factors; and (5) protective factors.

Conclusion: Caregivers of children with medical complexity have a unique experience of trauma and resilience. This study will inform interdisciplinary medical providers about the mental health and resiliency experiences of this population to support more effective healthcare practices.

Background/objectives: Although the health benefits related to physical exercise for adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) have been recognized, studies indicate that individuals with CP at school age are less involved in physical activities than their typical peers and are twice as likely to engage in sedentary behaviors. Therefore, our study aims to investigate the effects of a physical exercise program on physical fitness, stress, anxiety, and quality-of-life variables.

Methods: A total of 15 teenagers with ambulatory CP (n = 8 boys, n = 7 girls, between 12 and 18 years old; M = 14.35; SD = 1.76) completed a 12-week program based on a mixed-method approach with face-to-face and live online activities. The outcome measures were physical fitness, stress, anxiety, and quality of life.

Results: The 12-week exercise program resulted in gains in muscular strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance tests, characterized by an increase in average walking speed and average VO₂ max. There was also a significant change in the perception of emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress reported by the participants.

Conclusions: The program proved to be effective in physical fitness tests and perception of emotional states. Given the positive effects produced by the program, its design appears to meet the demands of adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Background: Several studies have documented the detrimental impacts of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure to a range of pediatric respiratory conditions, including asthma, bronchitis, and reduced lung function. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of SHS exposure on lung function, physical fitness, and body mass index (BMI) in children aged 10 to 14 years.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included children aged 10 to 14 years at the Elementary School "Trilj" in Trilj, Croatia. Data on SHS exposure were collected using a questionnaire. Antropometric and spirometry measurements were performed. Physical fitness was assessed using the shuttle run (BEEP) test.

Results: This study included 157 children, 89 (56.69%) boys and 68 (43.31%) girls. Children exposed to every day SHS in households had significantly lower values of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, peak expiratory flow (PEF) (p < 0.001) and higher z-score BMI levels (p = 0.018) in comparison to unexposed children. Logistic regression showed that children unexposed to SHS had higher odds for better results in the BEEP test (OR 62.45, 95% CI 21.26-179.24, p < 0.001). Children with poorer physical fitness, expressed by lower BEEP score levels, had significantly lower FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and PEF (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Every day SHS exposure in children was associated with poorer lung function, higher BMI, and poorer physical fitness.

Background: Patients' compliance to inhalation therapy is usually sub-optimal in young asthmatics. Adolescents poorly compliant to regular anti-asthma treatments and those with tattoos (and the associated attitude) can share some personality traits and maladaptive behaviors. This relationship has not been investigated.

Objective: To assess if "extended" tattoos can predict long-term compliance to regular therapy of adolescents with mild-to-moderate asthma.

Methods: A 12-month retrospective observational investigation was conducted on non-smoker asthmatic adolescents of both genders. Patients assuming <70% of prescribed vilanterol/fluticasone furoate o.d. were defined as "non-compliant". Tattoo surfaces were defined as "mild" or "extended" if they were < or ≥400 cm², respectively. The relationship between tattoos and compliance on the evolution of resources consumption at 6 and 12 months was assessed by generalized estimating equation (GEE) models at the first and second semester of the treatment period.

Results: It was found that 13.2% of compliant adolescents had mild tattoos, while 47.2% of non-compliant adolescents had mild-to-extended tattoos (odds ratio (OR) 6.91, 95% CI 2.49 to 19.17, p < 0.001). The mean annual adherence to treatment was 57.8% ± 10.1 SD expected doses in non-compliant subjects with "mild tattoos" (54.8 cm² ± 36.9 SD), but 38.6% ± 11.4 SD expected doses in those with "extended tattoos" (568.4 cm² ± 111.6 SD, p < 0.001). Total cost proved to be a linear trend from the lowest values of compliant patients with no/mild tattoos (EUR 65.22 at 6 months and EUR 33.63 at 12 months) to the highest values of non-compliant adolescents with extended tattoos (EUR 330.75 at 6 months and EUR 297.34 at 12 months).

Conclusions: Tattoo extension might be used as a reliable predictor of poor compliance and higher health care costs in adolescents with mild-to-moderate asthma. Patients characterized by poor compliance to a long-term therapeutic strategy and tattooing attitude likely share some aspects of their personality profile.

Purpose of review: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) remains a significant challenge, particularly in severe cases with persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) and hypoplastic lungs and heart. For patients unresponsive to conventional therapies, ECMO is required. While the surgical repair is relatively simple, determining the optimal timing for surgery in patients requiring ECMO is particularly challenging. This review explores the dilemma of surgical timing and proposes a two-staged approach: a reduction in herniated organs and the creation of a silo to relieve abdominal pressure before initiating ECMO, with defect closure following ECMO decannulation.

Recent findings: Studies support pre-, on-, and post-ECMO repair, each with its own risks and benefits. Pre-ECMO repair may enhance ECMO efficacy by relieving organ compression but poses risks due to instability. Post-ECMO repair is safer but may result in losing the chance to repair. On-ECMO repair has significant hemorrhage risks, but early repair with careful anticoagulation management is currently recommended. Recently, the author reported a successful case using a two-staged approach-reducing herniated organs and creating a silo before ECMO, followed by defect closure after ECMO decannulation-which suggests a potential alternative strategy for managing severe CDH.

Summary: A two-staged approach may offer a solution for severe CDH patients requiring ECMO.

Background: Primary hyperhidrosis (PH) is a somatic and idiopathic pediatric skin disease. The eccrine glands are tiny and very numerous, with approximately 3 million distributed throughout the skin. There is no commonly accepted amount of sweating to define hyperhidrosis, but people with this disease suffer real limitations integrating into society, which can be quantified through quality of life measurement scales. We want to draw attention to this disease and its impact on children's quality of life because it is significant and there are no studies conducted on groups consisting solely of children.

Methods: There are various quality of life evaluation questionnaires for hyperhidrosis. We studied 103 children with hyperhidrosis by monitoring their sweat severity and its impact on quality of life, using the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale. We compared the scale results before and after 10 days of iontophoresis. This study includes only children under 18 years old, treated with iontophoresis.

Results: The average age of the group is 11.84 ± 2.89 years. Treatment success is recorded in 68 (66.02%) children, but a change in the score is recorded in 74 (71.84%) children. The average HDSS score at T0 is 2.95 ± 0.70, compared to the HDSS score at T1 of 1.92 ± 0.86.

Conclusions: Hyperhidrosis has a negative impact on daily life, especially self-esteem, occupational productivity, emotional well-being, and interpersonal relationships. Iontophoresis is a safe and effective treatment method that reduces the severity of hyperhidrosis and increases the quality of life.

Background: The aim of the present study was to compare the vertical dimension changes, before and after treatment, in two groups of growing patients, one group treated with clear aligner therapy versus a group treated with Quad-helix and bite-block therapy.

Methods: The studied sample was composed of n. 40 patients (20 females and 20 males with a mean age of 8.6 ± 1.8 years), enrolled from the Department of Orthodontics at Policlinico of Rome Tor Vergata. The original sample was randomly divided into two groups: Group IF (Invisalign First) and Group BB (Quad-helix and bite block). Pre- (T0) and post-treatment (T1 after 12 months) lateral cephalograms were collected from all the selected patients. Nine cephalometric parameters, both angular and linear, were measured and recorded for each cephalogram.

Results: No statistically significant changes were found between both the IF and BB groups at T0, while statistically significant changes were observed in both groups (BB and IF) between T0 and T1 (after 12 months of active therapy), p < 0.005.

Conclusions: Both therapies were able to control the patient's vertical condition. To date, the use of conventional appliances seems to have slightly better efficacy in controlling the vertical dimension than aligner therapy.