Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) vs. Exercise in Thumb Osteoarthritis (SWEX-TO): Prospective Clinical Trial at 6 Months.

Rhizarthrosis is the most frequent form of osteoarthritis and is responsible for pain, disability and reduced functionality. The aim of the study is to investigate the clinical effects of shock wave treatment in patients suffering from arthritis of the first finger. A prospective clinical study was designed, in which 72 patients affected by rhizarthrosis were randomized to treatment with shock waves or exercises; in both groups an immobilization brace was used on the first finger.

The Efficacy of Temperature-Controlled High-Energy Polymodal Laser Therapy in Tendinopathy of the Shoulder.

Background: Rotator cuff tendinopathy is a common diagnosis among patients with shoulder pain and dysfunction. Laser therapy is recommended for the treatment of this tendon disease due to the possibility of increasing tissue biostimulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of HELT (high-energy laser therapy) in relation to the wavelengths of 650 nm, 810 nm, 980 nm, and 1064 nm administered.

Analysis of Vaccine Reactions After COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Doses Among Pregnant and Lactating Individuals.

Importance: COVID-19 vaccine boosters or third doses are recommended for adolescents and adults who completed their initial COVID-19 vaccine course more than 5 months prior. Minimal data are available on COVID-19 vaccine booster or third dose reactogenicity among pregnant and lactating individuals.

Objective: To describe the reactions to the booster or third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine experiences among pregnant and lactating individuals.

Short-term Reactions Among Pregnant and Lactating Individuals in the First Wave of the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout.

This cohort study investigates short-term reactions associated with COVID-19 vaccines among pregnant and lactating individuals vs individuals neither pregnant nor lactating but planning pregnancy.

Influence of gender and sexual identity on adolescent skin health.

Background/objective: Studies have identified dermatologic conditions and relevant skin-related behaviors that distinctly or disproportionately impact sexual and gender minority (SGM) adults compared with their cisgender/heterosexual counterparts, but whether these observations apply to SGM adolescents remains unknown. We aimed to describe the nature and frequency of skin conditions in SGM youth relative to their cisgender/heterosexual peers and explore adolescents' attitudes toward their skin health and accessing dermatologic care.

Methods: SGM and cisgender/heterosexual youth aged 13-21 years seen at Seattle Children's Hospital Adolescent Medicine and Gender clinics from June to December 2019 were invited to participate in this cross-sectional survey study, with subsequent statistical analysis.

Epidemiology of injuries in water board sports: trauma versus overuse injury.

Background: Surfing is an increasingly popular sport in the world, but it is not sufficiently investigated in terms of epidemiology of injuries and possible prevention strategies. Moreover, there are different surfing disciplines, with specific characteristics and therefore different potential risks of injury. The aim of this study was to look at the injuries of recreational surfers in an Italian cohort, distinguishing between trauma and overuse lesions and putting in evidence any difference between specific water board sports.

Clinical Features, Prognostic Factors, and Treatment Interventions for Ulceration in Patients With Infantile Hemangioma.

Importance: Ulceration is a common complication of infantile hemangioma (IH), which leads to substantial morbidity. Ulceration in IH has not been systematically studied since the advent of β-blocker therapy for IH.

Objectives: To examine treatment interventions used for ulceration in IH and identify clinical prognostic indicators of healing time.

How the Italian Nursing students deal the pandemic Covid-19 condition.

Background And Aim Of The Work: Since December 2019, a new infectious disease known as Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has rapidly spread globally until it has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. At the same time, if we consider the University context, there is little attention paid during basic nursing education to emergency response, and faculty members report feeling poorly prepared to teach students about this topic. The present study aims to investigate how the Covid-19 pandemic condition influenced the psychological well-being of the Italian nursing students.

Long-Term Therapy with Corticosteroids in Nasal Polyposis: A Bone Metabolism Assessment.

Chronic rhinosinusitis associated with nasal polyposis (RSCwNP) affects 4% of the general population. As chronic condition, it requires chronic pharmacological treatment, whereas the surgical approach becomes necessary in obstructive and/or complicated cases. Intranasal and systemic corticosteroids (CS) represent the "Gold Standard" treatment for RSCwNP.

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy versus exercise program in patients with low back pain: short-term results of a randomised controlled trial.

The physiotherapy treatment of low back pain (LBP) with physical stimulation offers different possibilities of application. Until now, the physical therapies used in LBP are laser therapy, ultrasonotherapy and currents. We conducted a clinical trial in order to verify whether shockwave therapy, which is very effective in treating tendinopathies and fracture consolidation delays, leads to clinical and electromyographic improvement in patients affected by LBP.

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy on muscle tissue: the effects on healthy athletes.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on muscle rheological and functional properties in a population of young athletes. Thirty-two football and basketball players were recruited and randomized into two groups. The athletes underwent three sessions of therapy administered every five days to the thigh muscles.

Short-term effect of shockwave therapy, temperature controlled high energy adjustable multi-mode emission laser or stretching in Dupuytren’s disease: a prospective randomized clinical trial.

Dupuytren’s disease is a debilitating disease of the hand characterized by nodules on the surface of the palm with progressive loss of finger extension. The chosen forms of treatment are infiltrative and surgical. Conservative treatment could be useful but few studies have been carried out and these regarded mainly stretching exercises and thermo-therapy.

Isothermal strand displacement amplification (iSDA): a rapid and sensitive method of nucleic acid amplification for point-of-care diagnosis.

We present a method of rapid isothermal amplification of DNA without initial heat denaturation of the template, and methods and probes for (a) real-time fluorescence detection and (b) lateral flow detection of amplicons. Isothermal strand displacement amplification (iSDA) can achieve >10(9)-fold amplification of the target sequence in <20 minutes at 49 °C, which makes it one of the fastest existing isothermal DNA amplification methods. iSDA initiates at sites where DNA base pairs spontaneously open or transiently convert into Hoogsteen pairs, i.