Identifying the main drivers of transmission in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal.

In this study, we employed a modeling approach to describe how changes in age-specific epidemiological characteristics, such as behaviour, i.e. contact patterns, susceptibility and infectivity, influence the basic reproduction number , while accounting for heterogeneity in transmission.

UPLC-ESI-TOF MS Profiling Discriminates Biomarkers in Authentic and Adulterated Italian Samples of Saffron ( L.).

Italian saffron ( L.) is gaining visibility due to its high quality and difference in growing area. In this study, the metabolite composition and quality of Italian saffron samples purchased from local producers and supermarkets were investigated using an untargeted metabolomics approach using UPLC-ESI-TOF MS with simultaneous acquisition of low- and high-collision energy mass spectrometry (MS).

OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS OF THE HIP IN LEGG-CALVÉ-PERTHES DISEASE: CASE REPORT AND REVIEW.

Introduction: Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) is the idiopathic osteonecrosis of the capital femoral epiphysis in children. It is a self-healing condition, and the morphology of the hip may vary according to the severity of the disease, among several other factors. The treatment focuses on attempts to prevent femoral head collapse, obtain functional hip motion recovery, and reduce pain.

Who acquires infection from whom? A sensitivity analysis of transmission dynamics during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium.

Age-related heterogeneity in a host population, whether due to how individuals mix and contact each other, the nature of host-pathogen interactions defining epidemiological parameters, or demographics, is crucial in studying infectious disease dynamics. Compartmental models represent a popular approach to address the problem, dividing the population of interest into a discrete and finite number of states depending on, for example, individuals' age and stage of infection. We study the corresponding linearised system whose operator, in the context of a discrete-time model, equates to a square matrix known as the next generation matrix.

Association of umbilical vein flow with abnormal fetal growth and adverse perinatal outcome in low-risk population: multicenter prospective study.

Objective: To investigate the relationship of umbilical vein flow (UVF) measured close to term with abnormal fetal growth and adverse perinatal outcome in a cohort of pregnancies at low risk of placental insufficiency.

Methods: This was a prospective multicenter observational study conducted across two tertiary maternity units. Patients with a singleton appropriate-for-gestational-age fetus between 35 and 38 weeks' gestation were included.

A kinetic-based stopped-flow DPPH method.

The reaction kinetics of antioxidants with free radicals is crucial to screen their functionality. However, studying antioxidant-radical interactions is very challenging for fast electron-donor substances, such as ascorbic acid, because the reaction ends in a few seconds. Accordingly, this work proposes a rapid and sensitive method for the determination of the absolute rate constant of the reaction between fast antioxidants and DPPH.

Mode of delivery and peripartum outcome in women with heart disease according to the ESC guidelines: an Italian multicenter study.

Introduction: The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines (GL) provide indications on the mode of delivery in women with heart disease. However available data suggests that the rate of Cesarean Delivery (CD) is high and widely variable among such patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the degree of adherence to the ESC recommendations among women delivering in four tertiary maternity services in Italy and how this affects the maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Corrigendum: Assessing the needs and perspectives of patients with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome following continuous positive airway pressure therapy to inform health care practice: A focus group study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.

Corrigendum: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial of motivational interviewing-based intervention to improve adherence to continuous positive airway pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: The MotivAir study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.

Assessing the needs and perspectives of patients with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome following continuous positive airway pressure therapy to inform health care practice: A focus group study.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the lived experience in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and comorbid obesity following after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy made with the disease the device, and to identify barriers and facilitators to the use of CPAP to improve rehabilitation provision and aid in disease self-management.

Methods: Qualitative research was conducted using three focus groups with a representative sample of 32 inpatients (37% female) undergoing a 1-month pulmonary rehabilitation program at the IRCSS Istituto Auxologico Italiano San Giuseppe Hospital, Verbania, Italy. The focus groups were recorded on tape, and contemporaneous notes were made.

Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial of motivational interviewing-based intervention to improve adherence to continuous positive airway pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: The MotivAir study.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the MotivAir program-a phone-based intervention based on Motivational Interviewing (MI) principles and techniques-in enhancing adherence to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy among patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS).

Methods: A multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) design with random allocation at the level of the individual will be conducted to compare the impact of the experimental program (usual care MI) with a control group receiving usual care only in improving selected clinical and psychological parameters in the patients. A minimum sample of 80 participants (40 patients per group) will be recruited in each center according to the inclusion criteria.

SARS-CoV-2 Specific Immune Response and Inflammatory Profile in Advanced HIV-Infected Persons during a COVID-19 Outbreak.

The main aim of this study was to describe the clinical and immunological outcomes, as well as the inflammatory profile, of patients with advanced HIV in an assisted-living facility in which an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 occurred. SARS-CoV-2 humoral and specific T-cell response were analyzed in patients with HIV infection and COVID-19; as a secondary objective of the analysis, levels of the inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα) were tested in the HIV/COVID-19 group, in HIV-positive patients without COVID-19, and in HIV-negative patients with mild/moderate COVID-19. Antibody kinetics and ability to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated by ELISA assay, as well as the inflammatory cytokines; SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cell response was quantified by ELISpot assay.

EXPERIMENTAL MODEL STUDY OF ISCHEMIC NECROSIS INDUCTION OF THE GROWING FEMORAL HEAD.

Unlabelled: Many experimental models exist to better understand the necrosis of the femoral head etiology, both in terms of the species variety in which necrosis is induced and in the operative techniques used for treatment.

Objective: This study has two main objectives, the first is to review the literature concerning experimental models of avascular necrosis of the growing femoral head, the second, to demonstrate the experimental pig model's reproducibility using a pilot study.

Methods: This was a bibliographic review to describe the attempts over time to find the best species and technique for induction that would reproduce ischemic necrosis of the growing femoral head in humans.

Inferring age-specific differences in susceptibility to and infectiousness upon SARS-CoV-2 infection based on Belgian social contact data.

Several important aspects related to SARS-CoV-2 transmission are not well known due to a lack of appropriate data. However, mathematical and computational tools can be used to extract part of this information from the available data, like some hidden age-related characteristics. In this paper, we present a method to investigate age-specific differences in transmission parameters related to susceptibility to and infectiousness upon contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The D.A.M.A. Project at Terni Hospital, Italy.

Experience shows how difficult it is for a person with disabilities to cope with the reality of a hospital, especially if he or she has an intellectual disability. The difficulty in carrying out even simple diagnostic and therapeutic manoeuvres, the complexity of the pathologies, the difficulty in relating to the patient all make it a real risk that many medical problems of patients with disabilities are overlooked or denied altogether. The person with a disability has the right to all care, not only that related to his or her particular pathology, but also that required for other specialist or general pathologies.

Feasibility of Magnetic Resonance Angiography in Patients With Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease.

Background: The etiology of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) remains unknown; however, interruption of medial circumflex femoral artery (MCFA) supply to the femoral head is the key pathogenic factor. The main purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to evaluate the course of the MCFA in the normal and affected hips of patients with unilateral LCPD.

Methods: We analyzed 24 patients with unilateral LCPD using a time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics magnetic resonance angiography (TRICKS-MRA).

A Novel Stoichio-Kinetic Model for the DPPH• Assay: The Importance of the Side Reaction and Application to Complex Mixtures.

The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) assay is widely used to determine the antioxidant activity of food products and extracts. However, the common DPPH• protocol uses a two-point measurement and does not give information about the kinetics of the reaction. A novel stoichio-kinetic model applied in this study monitors the consumption of DPPH• by common antioxidants following the second order reaction.

A case of postpartum headache post dural puncture. Post Dural Puncture Headache or Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome - Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome?

Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome (RCVS) and Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) are two rare neurological conditions, clinically characterized by headache. In our case a diagnosis of PDPH was made though imaging showed signs of RCVS-PRES. We present a case of RCVS-PRES in a postpartum woman who presented headache as first symptom and only later experienced seizures.

Myelomeningocele: a new functional classification.

Purpose: In myelomeningocele, several classifications have been used. The present manuscript proposes a new functional classification to better assess the prognosis and management of these patients.

Methods: The manual muscle test is what defines the actual group in which the patient should be included.

Hemodynamic findings in normotensive women with small-for-gestational-age and growth-restricted fetuses.

Introduction: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) in most instances is a consequence of primary placental dysfunction due to inadequate trophoblastic invasion. Maternal cardiac maladaptation to pregnancy has been proposed as a possible determinant of placental insufficiency and impaired fetal growth. This study aimed to compare the maternal hemodynamic parameters between normotensive women with small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and FGR fetuses and to evaluate their correlation with neonatal outcome.

Automatic measurement of head-perineum distance during intrapartum ultrasound: description of the technique and preliminary results.

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of a new ultrasound technique for the automatic assessment of the head-perineum distance (HPD) during childbirth.

Methods: HPD was measured on a total of 40 acquisition sessions in 30 laboring women both automatically by an innovative algorithm and manually by trained sonographers, assumed as gold standard.

Results: A significant correlation was found between manual and automatic measurements (Intra-CC = 0.

Evaluation of the uterine scar stiffness in women with previous Cesarean section by ultrasound elastography: A cohort study.

Purpose: To evaluate by means of elastography if the quantitative assessment of the cesarean scar elasticity is feasible using as reference the surrounding intact myometrium and to investigate if the cesarean scar stiffness is influenced by the clinical characteristics of the previous cesarean delivery.

Methods: Prospective study including women with a previous Cesarean Section (CS) ≥ 37 weeks' gestation performed 12-15 months before. By transvaginal ultrasound two regions of interest (ROI) were selected: uterine scar (Region 1) and surrounding myometrium (Region 2).

Determinants of neonatal hypoglycemia after antenatal administration of corticosteroids (ACS) for lung maturation: Data from two referral centers and review of the literature.

Background: A correlation between ACS and neonatal hypoglycemia has been recently demonstrated.

Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate the determinants of neonatal hypoglycemia in women exposed to ACS for respiratory distress syndrome prevention.

Material And Methods: Retrospective, multicenter, cohort study conducted in two Tertiary University Units.

New technique for automatic sonographic measurement of change in head-perineum distance and angle of progression during active phase of second stage of labor.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of a new ultrasound technique for the automatic assessment of the change in head-perineum distance (delta-HPD) and angle of progression (delta-AoP) during the active phase of the second stage of labor.

Methods: This was a prospective observational cohort study including singleton term pregnancies with fetuses in cephalic presentation during the active phase of the second stage of labor. In each patient, two videoclips of 10 s each were acquired transperineally, one in the axial and one in the sagittal plane, between rest and the acme of an expulsive effort, in order to measure HPD and AoP, respectively.

Prediction of spontaneous vaginal delivery in nulliparous women with a prolonged second stage of labor: the value of intrapartum ultrasound.

Background: A limited number of studies have addressed the role of intrapartum ultrasound in the prediction of the mode of delivery in women with prolonged second stage of labor.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the role of transabdominal and transperineal sonographic findings in the prediction of spontaneous vaginal delivery among nulliparous women with prolonged second stage of labor.

Study Design: This was a 2-center prospective study conducted at 2 tertiary maternity units.