Background: Migraine is one of the most frequent primary headaches in childhood. The role of thrombotic predisposition in its pathogenesis is debated. Our aim was to analyse the cardiovascular risk factors and family history of major thrombotic events in children with migraine. Methods: A retrospective, single-centre study was performed over 12 years. Our headache centre record database was screened for migraine with aura (MA) and migraine without aura (MO) on the basis of the ICHD-II (until 2013) and III criteria. A control group of otherwise healthy children was recruited. Descriptive and multivariate analyses are provided; significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Migraine was diagnosed in 930 children (24.7% MA); 73.3% were 9–14 years old. Children with MA were older (p < 0.001). A family history of cerebral ischemic events at ≤50 years old was more commonly reported by children with MA than those with MO (p < 0.001) and those in the control group (p = 0.001). Children with MA showed a higher risk of a family history of cerebral ischemic events at ≤50 years old than children with MO (OR: 2.6) and those in the control group (OR: 3.1). When comparing the family history of DVT, we observed a significantly increased risk for MA vs. MO (OR: 2.9). Conclusion: A family history of cerebral ischemic events at ≤50 years old leads to an increased risk of MA. Further studies are needed to explore such an association.

Studies concerning Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in paediatrics are limited to children mainly selected from hospitals, where patients with complications and co-morbidities are managed. We aimed to describe the course of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a population of children enrolled by place of residence, from diagnosis to recovery, with a long-term clinical and serological follow-up. We identified patients aged <14 years old living in the Turin Health District 3 who had SARS-CoV-2 detected in at least one nasopharyngeal swab from 1st March to 1st June 2020. Epidemiological and clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 infection were collected by way of a telephone inquiry. Enrolled patients were tested for SARS-CoV-2 serology in order to provide evidence of seroconversion and persistence of specific antibodies some time after the infection. A total of 46 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection/COVID-19 were identified. The main pattern of viral transmission was intra-family. Eleven children were totally asymptomatic. If symptoms appeared, the disease had a mild course. A single case of COVID-19-related respiratory insufficiency was registered. Among children who underwent serological evaluation, 84% had seroconversion. No significant differences in antibody development were found according to the age and the burden of the disease. Children tested farther from the primary infection had lower antibody index titre values than the others. In conclusion, COVID-19 has a good prognosis in paediatric age. Children are able to develop a valid immune response, although their index titres seem to decrease a long time after the disease.

Purpose: This study investigates correlations between mother and infant Body Mass Index (BMI), their serum leptin values and breast milk leptin concentration in early infancy. Subjects and Methods: We determined serum leptin values in 58 healthy infants and leptin values in their mothers’ breast milk, using radioimmunoassay (RIA). Infant and maternal anthropometrics were measured. Results: Median leptin concentration was 3.9 ng/mL (interquartile range (IQR): 2.75) in infant serum, 4.27 ng/mL (IQR: 5.62) in maternal serum and 0.89 ng/mL (IQR: 1.32) in breast milk. Median maternal BMI and weight were 24 kg/m2 (IQR: 4.41) and 64 kg (IQR: 15). Median infant BMI was 15.80 kg/cm2 (IQR: 4.02), while average weight was 5.130 kg (IQR: 1.627). Infants serum leptin values positively correlated with infants’ BMI (p = 0.001; r = 0.213) and breast milk leptin (p = 0.03; r = 0.285). Maternal serum leptin values positively correlated with maternal BMI (p = 0.000, r = 0.449) and breast milk leptin ones (p = 0.026; r = 0.322). Conclusion: Breast milk leptin and maternal BMI could influence infant serum leptin values. Further studies are needed to better elucidate the role of genetics and environment on infant leptin production and risk of obesity later in life.

Infant colic is a very common condition of the first 3 months of life in healthy infants. The incidence of infantile colic ranges between 20-30% of all consultations at Pediatrician ambulatory. The most common symptoms are fussying and inconsolable crying associated to abdominal meteorism and leg contractures occurring in the late afternoon and evening due to abdominal pain in an otherwise healthy infant younger than 3 months of age. Only an infant’s clinical evaluation performed by a pediatrician is able to differentiate this condition from other conditions occurring in the first 3 months of life presenting inconsolable crying. In this review we aim to highlight the symptoms of infant colic and its characteristics useful to make a diagnosis. There is no consensus about therapy: many former procedures are demonstrated to be only placebo; recent evidences show that Lactobacillus reuteri administration may have a role in reducing symptoms related to infantile colic; however the exact mechanisms by which this probiotic might act have yet to be investigated. Keywords: infantile colic; diagnosis; inconsolable crying. Received: March 12, 2013; Accepted: April 24, 2013; Published: August 14, 2013 Corresponding Author: Francesco Savino, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, “Regina Margherita” Children Hospital, P.zza Polonia, 94 10126 Turin, Italy. E-mail: francesco.savino@unito.it .

Aim. To provide bone status assessment in infancy using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) applied to second metacarpus.Methods. 103 healthy term infants and 3 patients with rickets, aged ≤ 12 months, underwent metacarpal QUS evaluation using QUS DBM Sonic Aurora IGEA (MO, Italy), which measures speed of sound (mcSOS) and bone transmission time (mcBTT).Results. In the total sample, median (interquartile range) of mcSOS was 1640.00 (26.0) m/s and mcBTT 0.82 (0.21) µs. Moreover, reference values for age were obtained based on estimation of the lower and upper percentiles. We observed a statistical significant difference between groups of age for mcSOS (p = 0.016). In a multiple linear regression model, we found a relation between age at enrolment and mcSOS (β = −0.608; p = 0.000) and mcBTT (β = −0.819; p = 0.001). A positive correlation between mcSOS and mcBTT has been observed (r = 0.631; p = 0.000). All the patients with rickets showed values of mcSOS and mcBTT lower than the 10th percentile.Conclusion. Our findings show that this new simple technique appears to be a promising tool for monitoring bone mineral status in pediatric clinical practice and in early life. Furthermore, it could be considered a useful method to investigate and to monitor the role of different factors on programming of bone health and it should be tested as a new method for monitoring subjects with rickets during therapy.

BACKGROUND:The role of adipokines in early life is considered an emerging topic issue in nutritional researches. AIMS:To evaluate serum resistin and leptin concentrations and their relations in infants and in breast milk. STUDY DESIGN:We enrolled 41 term, AGA, healthy infants, of which 23 exclusively breast-fed (BF) and 18 formula-fed (FF), aged less than 6 months. Breast milk (BM) samples were collected from 23 breastfeeding mothers of the infants enrolled. Resistin concentration in serum and BM was determined by ELISA test (Human-Resistin-ELISA, Mediagnost, Reutlingen, Germany). Leptin concentration was determined by Radioimmunoassay method (LEP-R40, Mediagnost, Reutlingen, Germany). Infants weight, length and body mass index were measured. We used Mann-Whitney test. Spearman correlation was applied. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Data are reported as median and interquartile range (IR). RESULTS:Infants serum resistin concentration was 9.30 (5.02) ng/ml. Breast milk resistin concentration (n=23) was 0.18 (0.44) ng/ml. Leptin concentration was 3.04 (3.68) ng/ml in infants serum and in BM was 2.34 (5.73) ng/ml. Serum resistin concentrations in BF infants correlated positively with BM resistin (r=0.636, p=0.035). We have shown a positive correlation between resistin and leptin in total group of infants (r=0.44, p=0.05), confirmed in breastfed subjects (r=0.65, p=0.02). No correlations were found between serum hormones and anthropometric parameters of infants. CONCLUSION:Our findings show interestingly a positive correlation between resistin concentrations in BF infants serum and in BM and between resistin and leptin in infants.