Left Atrial Strain in Omicron-Type COVID-19 Patients.

Background: Information about left atrial (LA) 2-dimensional (2D) strain parameters in patients with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate LA strain (LAS) in COVID-19 patients with the Omicron variant and compare it to that of propensity-matched patients with the wild-type (WT) variant.

Methods: A total of 148 consecutive patients who were hospitalized with Omicron COVID-19 underwent an echocardiographic evaluation within the first day after hospital admission and were compared to propensity-matched patients (1:1) with the WT variant.

Third-Wave CBT Online Intervention for Older Adults Inspired by ACT Principles: An Evaluation of Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness in Adults Age 75 and Older.

Objectives: This study assessed the feasibility and efficacy of "Online Resilience," a three-lesson online intervention based on third-wave cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles, inspired by acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), designed for emotionally healthy adults aged 75 and older.

Methods: A randomized controlled study with 62 participants (mean age = 81) divided into Experimental and Control groups. Outcomes included resilience, well-being, mood, and sleep quality, measured pre-, post-, and at one-month follow-up.

High-throughput specificity profiling of antibody libraries using ribosome display and microfluidics.

In this work, we developed PolyMap (polyclonal mapping), a high-throughput method for mapping protein-protein interactions. We demonstrated the mapping of thousands of antigen-antibody interactions between diverse antibody libraries isolated from convalescent and vaccinated COVID-19 donors and a set of clinically relevant SARS-CoV-2 spike variants. We identified over 150 antibodies with a variety of distinctive binding patterns toward the antigen variants and found a broader binding profile, including targeting of the Omicron variant, in the antibody repertoires of more recent donors.

Glucocorticoid treatment and new-onset hyperglycaemia and diabetes in people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: In people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we aimed to estimate: (1) the prevalence of glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycaemia (GIH); (2) whether the prevalence of GIH varies by age, baseline diabetes status, treatment duration, ascertainment of glycaemia, definition of hyperglycaemia, study design and year of publication; and (3) the relative risk (RR) of new-onset hyperglycaemia in exposed vs non-exposed to systemic glucocorticoids.

Methods: We searched electronic databases until 9 November 2023 for randomised controlled trials and observational studies including adults diagnosed with COPD, with or without diabetes at baseline, using systemic glucocorticoids equivalent to prednisolone ≥5 mg/day for ≥3 days if exposed. Hyperglycaemia was defined as a blood glucose above a study-specific cut-off.