Surfactant protein D (SP-D) as a biomarker of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Surfactant protein-D (SP-D) is a lung-resident protein that has emerged as a potential biomarker for COVID-19. Previous investigations on acute respiratory distress syndrome patients demonstrated a significant increment of SP-D serum levels in pathological conditions. Since SP-D is not physiologically permeable to alveoli-capillary membrane and poorly expressed by other tissues, this enhancement is likely due to an impairment of the pulmonary barrier caused by prolonged inflammation.

Antibody response after two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 Comirnaty vaccine in a Covid-19 positive and Covid-19 negative Italian healthcare workers cohort.

Background: Extensive vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is now universally regarded as one of the most effective strategies for counteracting the current pandemic. The durability of the immune response of available vaccines is not known, therefore the quantitative dynamics of serum anti-S antibodies after Comirnaty vaccine in health care workers (HCW) of Desio Hospital was conducted.

Methods: 51 previously infected and 198 not infected HCW, from Desio, Italy were enrolled in the study.

In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of the Siderophore Cephalosporin Cefiderocol against Strains Recovered from Clinical Samples.

Background: Cefiderocol is a siderophore cephalosporin that exhibits antimicrobial activity against most multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria, including Enterobacterales, , , and .

Methods: A total of 20 multidrug-resistant strains were isolated from 2020 to 2021, molecularly characterized and tested to assess the in vitro antibacterial activity of cefiderocol. Thirteen strains were carbapenem-hydrolysing oxacillinase OXA-23-like producers, while seven were non-OXA-23-like producers.

Antimicrobial Resistance Trends of Isolates from Outpatient and Inpatient Urinary Infections over a 20-Year Period.

Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide problem, and resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, particularly and , is a critical threat to human health. Inappropriate and unnecessary use of antibiotics in human health care is the most common cause for the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. In this work, we retrospectively analyzed the antimicrobial data of strains isolated from midstream urinary samples over a 20-year period (2000-2019).

Old and New Beta-Lactamase Inhibitors: Molecular Structure, Mechanism of Action, and Clinical Use.

The β-lactams have a central place in the antibacterial armamentarium, but the increasing resistance to these drugs, especially among Gram-negative bacteria, is becoming one of the major threats to public health worldwide. Treatment options are limited, and only a small number of novel antibiotics are in development. However, one of the responses to this threat is the combination of β-lactam antibiotics with β-lactamase inhibitors, which are successfully used in the clinic for overcoming resistance by inhibiting β-lactamases.

The importance of being external. methodological insights for the external validation of machine learning models in medicine.

Unlabelled: Background and Objective Medical machine learning (ML) models tend to perform better on data from the same cohort than on new data, often due to overfitting, or co-variate shifts. For these reasons, external validation (EV) is a necessary practice in the evaluation of medical ML. However, there is still a gap in the literature on how to interpret EV results and hence assess the robustness of ML models.

Baseline characteristics of COVID-19 Italian patients admitted to Desio Hospital, Lombardy: a retrospective study.

The correlation of clinical, radiological and laboratory findings of patients at admission in the Emergency Department (ED) with clinical severity and risk of mortality was investigated. Adult coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients hospitalized in March 2020 in Desio Hospital, Lombardy, were retrospectively included in the study, and categorized in terms of disease severity and adverse outcome. Out of the 175 patients enrolled, 79% presented one or more comorbidities, with cardiovascular disease being the most frequent (62%).

Spheroplasts, poorly known but clinically relevant particles of urinary sediment.

Background: In two patients under treatment with various antibiotics, spheroplasts were detected with an automated urine sediment analyzer.

Methods: Urinalysis was performed by an AutionMAX AX 4030-sediMAX platform.

Results: Spheroplasts can be easily misclassified as yeasts or erythrocytes, but when automated urine sediment analyzers are used by well-trained, and experienced operators they can be correctly identified and classified.

Does public reporting influence quality, patient and provider's perspective, market share and disparities? A review.

Background: Public reporting (PR) of healthcare (HC) provider's quality was proposed as a public health instrument for providing transparency and accountability in HC. Our aim was to assess the impact of PR on five main domains: quality improvement; patient choice, service utilization and market share; provider's perspective; patient experience; and unintended consequences.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, ISI WOS, and EconLit databases were searched to identify studies investigating relationships between PR and five main domains, published up to April 1, 2016.

The impact of Public Reporting on clinical outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: To assess both qualitatively and quantitatively the impact of Public Reporting (PR) on clinical outcomes, we carried out a systematic review of published studies on this topic.

Methods: Pubmed, Web of Science and SCOPUS databases were searched to identify studies published from 1991 to 2014 that investigated the relationship between PR and clinical outcomes. Studies were considered eligible if they investigated the relationship between PR and clinical outcomes and comprehensively described the PR mechanism and the study design adopted.