Objective To assess effects of treatment against a hypothesized neuroinflammation in children with symptoms corresponding to the research condition Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) which is not included in current diagnostic systems. Methods Systematic literature searches were performed (1998 to June 2020) in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and HTA databases. Inclusion criteria: patients (P) were children (<18 years) with PANS; intervention (I)/comparison (C) was use of, versus no use of, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial or immunomodulating treatments; outcomes (O) were health-related quality of life (HRQL), level of functioning, symptom change, and complications. Results Four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and three non-RCTs, including 23 to 98 patients, fulfilled the PICO. HRQL was not investigated in any study. Regarding level of functioning, two RCTs investigated antibiotics (penicillin V, azithromycin) and one RCT investigated immunomodulating treatments (intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG), plasma exchange). Regarding symptoms, two non-RCTs investigated anti-inflammatory treatment (cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors, corticosteroids), two RCTs and one non-RCT investigated antibiotics (penicillin V, azithromycin), and two RCTs investigated immunomodulating treatments (IVIG, plasma exchange). Complications, reported in five studies, were consistent with those listed in the summary of products characteristics (SPC). All studies were assessed to have some or major problems regarding directness, the absence of an established diagnosis contributing to clinical diversity in the studied populations. All studies were assessed to have major risk of bias, including selection and detection biases. Due to clinical and methodological diversity, meta-analyses were not performed. Conclusion This systematic review reveals very low certainty of evidence of beneficial effects, and moderate certainty of evidence of adverse effects, of anti-inflammatory, antibacterial or immunomodulating treatments in patients with symptoms corresponding to the research condition PANS. Available evidence neither supports nor excludes potential beneficial effects, but supports that such treatment can result in adverse effects. Registration PROSPERO (CRD42020155714).

Objective Hostility is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). One candidate mechanism may be autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation. In this study, we report the effect of cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) on ANS regulation. Methods Participants were 158 healthy young adults, high in hostility measured by the Cook- Medley (CM) Hostility and Spielberger Trait Anger (TA) scales. Participants were also interviewed using the Interpersonal Hostility Assessment Technique (IHAT). They were randomized to a 12-week CBT program for reducing hostility or a wait-list control group. The outcome measures were pre-ejection period (PEP), low-frequency blood pressure variability (LF-BPV), and high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) measured at rest and in response to and recovery from cognitive and orthostatic challenge. Linear mixed models were used to examine group × session and group × session × period interactions while controlling for sex and age. Contrasts of differential group and session effects were used to examine reactivity and recovery from challenge. Results After Bonferroni correction, 2-way and 3-way interactions failed to achieve significance for PEP, LF-BPV or HF-HRV (p>0.002) indicating that hostility reduction treatment failed to influence ANS indices. Conclusion Reduction in anger and hostility failed to alter ANS activity at rest or in response to or recovery from challenge. These findings raise questions about whether autonomic dysregulation represents a pathophysiological link between hostility and heart disease.

Background Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in children with Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) has for many years been used on clinical indications, but the research evidence for its efficacy is insufficient. Methods Open-label prospective in-depth trial including ten children (median age 10.3 years) with PANS, who received IVIG treatment 2 g/kg monthly for three months. Primary outcomes were changes in symptom severity and impairment from baseline to first and second follow-up visits one month after first and one month after third treatment, using three investigator-rated scales: Paediatric Acute Neuropsychiatric Symptom (PANS) scale, Clinical Global Impression – Severity and Improvement (CGI-S and CGI-I) scales. Secondary outcomes reported here were changes in Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) scores, and side effects. Results All ten children received three treatments at one-month intervals according to study plan. From baseline to second follow-up marked reductions were seen in mean total PANS scale scores (p = .005), and CGI-S scores (p = .004). CGI-I ratings showed much to very much global improvement (mean CGI-I 1.8). Nine children had clinical response defined as > 30% reduction in PANS Scale scores. Improvements were also noted for CY-BOCS scores (p = .005), and in school attendance. Three children suffered moderate to severe temporary side effects after the first treatment, and the remaining seven had mild to moderate side effects. Side effects were much less severe after second and third treatments. Conclusions Considerable and pervasive improvements in symptoms and clinical impairments were seen in these ten children after three monthly IVIG treatments. Moderate to severe transient side effects occurred in three cases. Trial registration EudraCT no. 2019–004758-27, Clinicaltrials.gov no. NCT04609761, 05/10/2020.