Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis
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Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading cause of emergency visits and hospitalization for acute lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in infants and young children worldwide. To collect specific epidemiological data on the incidence of RSV infection among infants referred to Emergency Departments (ED) for LRTI in a Mediterranean country, an Italian multicenter epidemiological surveillance program was established. ⋯ These data confirm that the patterns of RSV infection in Italy are similar to those reported for other countries in the northern hemisphere: RSV is associated with a higher risk of hospitalization and clinically evident LRTI involvement than respiratory infections of other etiologies, especially in infants.
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The high false-positive rate of electronic fetal heart rate monitoring is the major obstacle to the correct prediction and diagnosis of intrapartum fetal distress. Fetal pulse oximetry is a safe and accurate indicator of fetal oxygenation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical use of this technique for the diagnosis of fetal hypoxia and for prevention of fetal metabolic acidosis and asphyxia during labour, in the presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid with or without abnormal fetal heart rate patterns, using a threshold value of 30% oxygen saturation. ⋯ Continued monitoring of fetal oxygen saturation combined with fetal heart rate monitoring may improve accuracy in the evaluation of fetal well-being. As a result, labour could be more safely managed in pregnancies with non-reassuring fetal status as measured by conventional methods, especially in the presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid.
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Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) may be defined as a metabolic derangement characterized by hyperglycemia, acidosis and ketonuria. It is a crucial pediatric medical emergency. DKA may occur in children with diabetes at onset due to severe insulin deficiency, in established patients from failing to take insulin, acute stress, and poor sick-day management. ⋯ DKA can be prevented by shortening the period of carbohydrate intolerance that usually precedes the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. Its prevention decreases morbidity and mortality and allows to save on the hospital costs. The aim of this paper is to review the main aspects of the treatment and prevention of DKA.
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The first observations on neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were published by some obstetricians in England, France and Germany in the second half of the 18th century. The concept that RDS might involve the absence of something stems from the observations of a Swiss physiologist, Kurt von Neergaard, who published an article in 1929 about a fundamental principle of respiratory mechanics: the surface tension in the alveoli. ⋯ Understanding surfactant composition, function and therapeutic usefulness has increased exponentially over the last 50 years and this paper reorganizes the steps of the research in this field until nowadays. Most of the discussion concerns the fundamental role of lung surfactant in RDS of premature infants, and the success of exogenous surfactant replacement in the clinical therapy of this disease.