HIV-related outcomes among migrants living in Europe compared with the general population: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Compared with the general population, international migrants arriving in Europe face severe socioeconomic challenges that result in higher HIV prevalence and limited access to health care, potentially leading to negative outcomes. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to investigate the incidence of HIV-related outcomes among international migrants arriving in Europe compared with the incidence among the general population.

Methods: We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify studies investigating HIV-related outcomes in migrants and the general population living with HIV in Europe.

Rapid de-escalation of anti-MRSA therapy guided by nares screening for patients with pneumonia: protocol of a randomized controlled trial (SNAP study).

Introduction: The current Infectious Disease Society of America and American Thoracic Society (IDSA/ATS) guidelines recommend linezolid or vancomycin as an empiric treatment for methicillin-resistant (MRSA) pneumonia in hospitalized patients with specific risk factors,. A nasal PCR-assay for MRSA, with its high negative predictive value, can guide a rapid antibiotic de-escalation avoiding unnecessary anti-MRSA treatment. The indiscriminate use of these drugs has contributed to the emergence of resistant strains leading to adverse effects without any survival benefit, increasing hospital stays and associated costs.

Measuring preparedness to infectious diseases among people exposed to climate disasters in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Climate change is contributing to increase the frequency and severity of climate disasters in Mozambique, leading, since 2019, to extensive damage to infrastructure and displacement 1.3 million people. Aim of this study is to evaluate baseline preparedness to vector-borne and water-borne infections among households and internally displaced people exposed to climate disasters in Mozambique.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices toward Antimicrobial Resistance among Young Italian Nurses and Students: A Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study.

Nurses play a pivotal role in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, the success of local and national AMR containment efforts hinges on the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of nursing staff and undergraduate students. This study aims to explore the determinants of nurses' KAP regarding AMR, offering insights to control the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens.

Perspectives on climate action and the changing burden of infectious diseases among young Italian doctors and students: a national survey.

Background: The eco-climatic crisis has been defined by the World Health Organization as the "single biggest health threat facing humanity," influencing both the emergence of zoonoses and the spread of vector-borne and water-borne diseases. The aim of this survey was to explore knowledge, eco-anxiety and attitudes toward the ecological and climate crisis among young Italian doctors and medical students.

Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter survey was conducted from November 2022 to June 2023, by administering an anonymous questionnaire to Italian doctors and students of medicine.

Long-Term Impairment of Working Ability in Subjects under 60 Years of Age Hospitalised for COVID-19 at 2 Years of Follow-Up: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to persistent and debilitating symptoms referred to as Post-Acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) This broad symptomatology lasts for months after the acute infection and impacts physical and mental health and everyday functioning. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of long-term impairment of working ability in non-elderly people hospitalised for COVID-19. This cross-sectional study involved 322 subjects hospitalised for COVID-19 from 1 March 2020 to 31 December 2022 in the University Hospital of Bari, Apulia, Italy, enrolled at the time of their hospital discharge and followed-up at a median of 731 days since hospitalization (IQR 466-884).

Real life experience on the use of Remdesivir in patients admitted to COVID-19 in two referral Italian hospital: a propensity score matched analysis.

Remdesivir (RDV) was the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medication for COVID-19, with discordant data on efficacy in reducing mortality risk and disease progression. In the context of a dynamic and rapidly changing pandemic landscape, the utilization of real-world evidence is of utmost importance. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of RDV on patients who have been admitted to two university referral hospitals in Italy due to COVID-19.

Stigma and mental health among people living with HIV across the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Mental health (MH) is extremely relevant when referring to people living with a chronic disease, such as people living with HIV (PLWH). In fact - although life expectancy and quality have increased since the advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART) - PLWH carry a high incidence of mental disorders, and this burden has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this scenario, UNAIDS has set new objectives for 2025, such as the linkage of at least 90% of PLWH to people-centered, context-specific MH services.

Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections and Predictors for Loss to Follow Up among Marginalized Homeless and Migrant Communities: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: In Europe and Italy, marginalized communities have a higher risk for both contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI) and progressing towards adverse outcomes.

Objectives: This study focuses on the screening of HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis among homeless individuals and agricultural migrant workers living in Apulia, Italy. It aims to assess STI prevalence and investigate factors that might hinder return to collect test results.

Cardiac Tuberculosis: A Case Series from Ethiopia, Italy, and Uganda and a Literature Review.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is estimated to account for up to 20% of active cases of TB disease, but its prevalence is difficult to ascertain because of the difficulty of diagnosis. Involvement of the heart is uncommon, with constrictive pericarditis being the most common cardiac manifestation. Diagnostic research for cardiac disease is frequently lacking, resulting in a high mortality rate.

Active close contact investigation of tuberculosis through computer-aided detection and stool Xpert MTB/RIF among people living in Oromia Region, Ethiopia (CADOOL Study): protocol for a prospective, cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease with high incidence in low-income countries (LICs); it remains one of the infectious diseases with the highest mortality in the world, especially in LICs. It is crucial to recognise and diagnose TB as soon as possible, but microbiological tests on sputum are not always sensitive enough. New methods for an early diagnosis of TB are needed.

Incidence and burden of long COVID in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Long COVID, also known as "post-acute sequelae of COVID-19," affects at least 65 million individuals worldwide with a wide spectrum of symptoms that may last weeks, months, or permanently. Its epidemiology and burden in Africa are unclear. This meta-analysis examines long-term COVID-19 effects in the WHO African Region.

Varicella-Zoster Virus Reactivation and Increased Vascular Risk in People Living with HIV: Data from a Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The increased vascular risk associated with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactivation is extensively established in the general population. This retrospective cohort study investigates whether this observation holds for People Living with HIV (PLWH), a group already confronting heightened cardiovascular risk.

Methods: Among PLWH who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) at our center and have been under our care for >24 months since 1st January 2005, individuals with a history of herpes zoster (HZ) were identified, and their features were compared with those of PLWH with no history of HZ.

Efficacy and safety of therapies for COVID-19 in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Clinical evidence suggests that pregnant women are more vulnerable to COVID-19, since they are at increased risk for disease progression and for obstetric complications, such as premature labor, miscarriage, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, fetal growth restriction and perinatal death. Despite this evidence, pregnant women are often excluded from clinical trials, resulting in limited knowledge on COVID-19 management. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide better evidence on the efficacy and safety of available COVID-19 treatment in pregnant women.

COVID Perceptions among Pregnant Women Living in a Malaria Hyperendemic Rural Region in Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Both SARS-CoV2 and Plasmodium falciparum infection during pregnancy increases the risk for adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, including abortion, severe disease, and death. Indeed, although malaria and COVID-19 show an overlapping clinical presentation, they require a profoundly different approach. The aim of this study was to explore COVID-19 awareness among pregnant women living in a P.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on malaria in pregnancy indicators in Northern Uganda: a joinpoint regression analysis.

Background: Pregnancy is both a risk factor for infection and development of severe malaria. In low- and middle-income countries, the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted health systems, including utilization of maternal services. This study aimed to assess trends in delivering malaria in pregnancy-related health-care services before and during COVID-19 in Northern Uganda.

Epidemiology, time course, and risk factors for hospital-acquired bloodstream infections in a cohort of 14,884 patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: COVID-19 pandemic has changed in-hospital care and was linked to superimposed infections. Here, we described epidemiology and risk factors for hospital-acquired bloodstream infections (HA-BSIs), before and during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This retrospective, observational, single-center real-life study included 14,884 patients admitted to hospital wards and intensive care units (ICUs) with at least one blood culture, drawn 48 h after admission, either before (pre-COVID,  = 7382) or during pandemic ( = 7502, 1203 COVID-19+ and 6299 COVID-19-).

Stool Xpert MTB/RIF as a possible diagnostic alternative to sputum in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Worldwide, COVID-19 pandemic lead to a large fall in the number of newly reported TB cases. In sub-Saharan Africa, microbiological diagnosis of TB is generally based on smear microscopy and Xpert MTB/RIF on sputum samples, but good quality sputum samples are often difficult to obtain, leading clinicians to rely on more invasive procedures for diagnosis. Aim of this study was to investigate pooled sensitivity and specificity of Xpert MTB/RIF on stool samples compared to respiratory microbiological reference standards in African countries.

Anemia as a risk factor for disease progression in patients admitted for COVID-19: data from a large, multicenter cohort study.

In respiratory infections, anemia is both a consequence of acute inflammation and a predictor of poor clinical outcomes. There are few studies investigating the role of anemia in COVID-19, suggesting a potential role in predicting disease severity. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between the presence of anemia at admission and incidence of severe disease and death in patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

Empiric Antifungal Therapy for Intra-Abdominal Post-Surgical Abscesses in Non-ICU Patients.

The role of empiric antifungals for post-surgical abscesses (PSAs) is controversial, and international guidelines on invasive mycoses focus on bloodstream infections. We analyzed a retrospective cohort of 319 patients with PSA at a tertiary-level hospital in Italy during the years 2013-2018. Factors associated with empiric antifungal administration were analyzed and compared with factors associated with fungal isolation from the abdomen.

Evidence gaps on weight gain in people living with HIV: a scoping review to define a research agenda.

Background: Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) dramatically improved survival in people living with HIV (PLWH) but is associated with weight gain (WG), raising concern for a possible obesity epidemic in PLWH. This scoping review aims to identify the gaps in the existing evidence on WG in PLWH and generate a future research agenda.

Methods: This review was conducted according to the methodology for scoping studies and reported according to the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Review checklist.