Commentary: PDA – public display of affection or pathological demand avoidance? – reflections on O'Nions et al. (2014)

A group of children presents with a rather peculiar type of oppositional behaviours, sometimes now subsumed under the label of ‘pathological demand avoidance’ syndrome, also increasingly referred to as PDA. Boys and girls with ‘this kind of PDA’ will do anything to avoid meeting demands of adults and children alike. The behaviours ‘used’ in maintaining avoidance range from openly oppositional or manipulative to ‘extreme shyness’, passivity and muteness. These behaviours in terms of expression of affection are rather the opposite of those associated with the commonly used meaning of PDA. However, the avoidant behaviour is quite often ‘publicly displayed’ and with no feeling for the inappropriateness of the, sometimes even, exhibitionist style of extreme demand avoidance (EDA). The ‘disorder’ was first heard of in 1980, when Elisabeth Newson presented the first 12 cases of what she believed to be a ‘new’ and separate syndrome and that she referred to as PDA. Even though PDA has attracted quite a bit of clinical attention in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe (including Scandinavia), virtually no research has been published in the field so far (Newson, Le Maréchal, & David, 2003 ). Experienced clinicians throughout child psychiatry, child neurology and paediatrics testify to its existence and the very major problems encountered when it comes to intervention and treatment. It is therefore a major step forward that O′Nions and co‐workers (this issue) have developed a new ‘trait measure’ for PDA (‘the EDA‐Q’), a measure that appears to hold considerable promise for research, and eventually for clinical practice.     

‘Everybody's dead’: The observation of an infant with autistic features

The author presents records of observations which illustrate the development of autistic features in a baby. His mother's difficulties in responding to his emotional needs despite her love for him are linked to her isolation in a foreign culture, to her husband's absence, and to significant deaths on both sides of the family. He was seen to improve somewhat when the birth of his baby sister had enlivened his mother and enabled her to bring more hope to her interaction with him. The observer's counter‐transference experience, which was at times overwhelming, is discussed in relation to the processes observed.     

Nursing organisation: an overview of the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital and nursing research

The first core of the Hospital started with few beds in a small street (via delle Zoccolette) and the religious Institute “Figlie della Carità di San Vincenzo de Paoli” was entrusted with the management of this new hospital, hosting children aged from four to twelve. In 1887 the Hospital moved to the building of the S. Onofrio ancient Convent, on the Gianicolo hill. This was bound to become the final premises of the Bambino Gesù Hospital.The hospital nursing service has been evolving in accordance with the hospital's objectives and can guarantee quality, safety, and resource management in nursing care provided by health care professionals according to their role and function. It is structured in Departments. Our nursing service belongs to Healthcare Department and our main responsibilities are technical coordination and programming, management and organizational consulting.The nursing service is structured into three levels: a strategic planning central level, an intermediate level providing nursing planning, coordination and management and a peripheral level. Our hospital is a Research Institute with the main objective of pursuing research projects in the biomedical field together with health services management and organization.     

Editorial: ‘The giant’s shoulders’: understanding Michael Rutter’s impact on science and society

The recent death of our colleague and friend Professor Sir Michael Rutter has quite rightly been greeted by an outpouring of gratitude and respect from distinguished commentators across the globe working in diverse fields of the basic, social and clinical sciences as well as from clinicians and policy makers. These have without exception highlighted his seminal role as a pioneer, perhaps The Pioneer, of the application of the scientific method to the study of child and adolescent mental health and disorder – the father of evidence-based Child Psychiatry and the most influential voice in the new field of Developmental Psychopathology (Stevenson, 2022). In this editorial, we will attempt to build on these commentaries. We will parse Mike’s scientific contributions to our field, in order to identify the personal characteristics and intellectual modus operandi that made him such a uniquely important figure, whose influence will resonate through the many fields he influenced for decades to come. We will also attempt something of a reframing of that contribution. Our thesis being that, although he never agitated for it politically or even stated it as a goal explicitly, Mike’s work was motivated by a desire for social reform and created the scientific catalyst for such reform to occur.     

A hepaticojejunostomy: technical errors with ‘twists and turns’

Excision of a choledochal cyst followed by biliary reconstruction with a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy is the treatment of choice for type I and IV choledochal cysts. We present a rare complication which was identified 8 years after the original reconstructive surgery. Conventional imaging modalities failed to identify the pathology. Only a contrast enhanced CT scan supported by image rendering software allowed for the visualization of the underlying chronic obstruction of part of the mesentery.     

Wilms’ tumour: Determinants of prognosis in an African setting

Background:

The few studies available in the literature on Wilms’ tumour (WT) from sub-Saharan Africa have reported a dismal outcome for children with the tumour. This study evaluated the risk factors that have been correlated with outcome in the literature and compare these with outcome among our patients.

Materials and Methods:

Cases of histologically confirmed WT between 2009 and 2013 in a tertiary hospital in Northwestern Nigeria were evaluated for gender, age, laterality, symptoms, duration before presentation, stage at presentation, histologic subtype and p53 mutation. These were then correlated with outcome.

Results:

Totally, 30 cases of WT were diagnosed with mean age of 4.8 ± 1.9 years; and male:female ratio of 2:1. No statistically significant relationship with outcome was found for gender (P = 0.138) or histologic subtype (P = 0.671). The most significant variables which positively influenced the outcome were presentation at earlier stages (P = 0.007) and completion of therapy (P = 0.0007). p53 mutation was seen in 3 (16.7%) of 18 cases and was not associated with a poor outcome (P = 0.089). However, 2 of the 3 cases presented in Stage IV and none of them survived the 1^st year.

Conclusion:

This study shows that even though p53 mutation was associated with a more aggressive phenotype, the most significant determinants of a good outcome among patients in a developing country like ours is non-blastemal dominant histologic subtype, early stage at presentation and completion of therapy.Key words: Blastema, outcome, p53, Wilms’ tumour