Publications by authors named "Francesco di Gennaro"

Article Synopsis
  • Climate change is causing more frequent and intense tropical cyclones in Mozambique, leading to health crises like cholera outbreaks, particularly after Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in 2019.
  • A study in Cabo Delgado Province investigated factors contributing to acute watery diarrhea (AWD) and cholera, surveying 1,615 households to analyze the impact of climate disasters and armed conflict on health.
  • Key risk factors identified included overcrowding, poor access to safe water, and inadequate handwashing facilities, highlighting the need for targeted climate adaptation policies to improve community health.
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  • Long COVID is a significant public health issue affecting many individuals, with this study aiming to identify predictors of its development and specific symptoms over time.
  • The study involved over 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Italy, using structured phone questionnaires to assess long COVID incidence and symptoms after a median follow-up of 19 months.
  • Results indicated that 91.7% experienced long COVID, particularly affecting respiratory and neurological systems, with vaccination reducing symptom odds and Delta variant infection greatly increasing the risk for neuropsychiatric symptoms.
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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.

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Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a Global Health challenge, with diagnostic delays contributing significantly to its spread. This study investigates the differences in diagnostic delays between native and migrant TB patients in Italy, examining patient-related diagnostic delay (PDD), health system-related diagnostic delay (HDD), and total diagnostic delay (TDD).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study of TB cases in 10 Italian hospitals from 2018 to 2023.

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Background: Limited evidence is available about sleep quality changes associated with the use of Cabotegravir (CAB), a new, long-acting (LA) antiretroviral (ARV) drug belonging to the class of Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (INSTIs).

Methods: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was calculated in 53 people living with HIV (PLWH) under the care of the outpatient services of two Italian Infectious Diseases Centers in Apuliabefore (M0) and seven months after (M7) the switch to LA CAB. Global scores and relative subitems were compared using paired sample tests.

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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.

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Article Synopsis
  • - People with diabetes face increased risks of complications from vaccine-preventable diseases, with glycosylated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c) playing a crucial role in this risk assessment.
  • - A systematic review of three studies involving over 700,000 participants indicated that both high (>10.3%) and low (<5.0%) HbA1c levels were linked to a greater risk of herpes zoster (HZ).
  • - Additionally, men with diabetes and an HbA1c level above 7.5% experienced a higher risk of death from COVID-19, highlighting the serious implications of poorly controlled diabetes.
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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.

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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.

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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.

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Background: The role of intravenous fosfomycin (iv-FOS) as a part of combination therapy for Gram-negative bacteria bloodstream infections (GNB-BSI) needs to be evaluated in clinical practice, as in vitro data show potential efficacy.

Methods: All consecutive patients with a GNB-BSI from 01 January 2021 to 01 April 2023 were included. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The survey revealed a median knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) score of 14 out of 29 among 1,702 participants, with higher scores linked to attending classical High Schools, being sexually active, and having received the HPV vaccine.
  • * Notably, students who sought information from TikTok had better KAP scores, while being heterosexual was associated with lower scores, indicating a need for urgent school-based interventions to enhance sexual health education among this demographic.
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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.

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Human genital papilloma virus infection is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the world. It is estimated that more than 75% of sexually active women contract this infection in their lifetime. In 80% of young women, there is the clearance of the virus within 18-24 months.

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) represent the cornerstone of the current treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the occurrence of concomitant infections might hamper success. All consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC who started ICIs as a first- or second-line therapy from January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020 were retrospectively evaluated.

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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.

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Objectives: To assess the impact of piperacillin/tazobactam MICs on in-hospital 30 day mortality in patients with third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli bloodstream infection treated with piperacillin/tazobactam, compared with those treated with carbapenems.

Methods: A multicentre retrospective cohort study was conducted in three large academic hospitals in Italy between 2018 and 2022. The study population comprised patients with monomicrobial third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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