Publications by authors named "Maria Pia Foschino"

The immune system's amplified response to SARS-CoV-2 may lead to the production of autoantibodies, but their specific impact on disease severity and outcome remains unclear. This study aims to assess if hospitalized COVID-19 patients face a worse prognosis based on ANA presence, even without autoimmune diseases. We performed a retrospective, single-center, observational cohort study, enrolling 638 COVID-19 patients hospitalized from April 2020 to March 2021 at Hospital "Policlinico Riuniti" of Foggia (Italy).

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Article Synopsis
  • - Severe asthma affects roughly 10% of asthma patients and is marked by poor lung function and high eosinophil counts; this study aims to define asthma remission more clearly using a structured method.
  • - A panel of experts developed and refined a questionnaire through a two-round Delphi method to evaluate consensus on criteria for asthma remission, including clinical and inflammatory aspects.
  • - The analysis confirmed specific criteria for both complete and partial clinical remission, creating a practical tool to assess treatment effectiveness in patients with severe asthma enrolled in the Severe Asthma Network Italy registry.
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Introduction: While selected clinical and laboratory findings are taken into account to find the best therapeutic strategies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is unknown whether the circadian rhythm of respiratory symptoms, a distinctive feature of COPD, affects the prescription pattern of pharmacological therapy. The main aim of this study was to verify whether the circadian rhythm of symptoms correlates with bronchodilating therapy prescribed to COPD patients as per clinical practice. A secondary objective was to assess the relationship between Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage and circadian rhythm of symptoms and health status.

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the first coronavirus that has caused a pandemic. Assessing the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare worker groups offers a unique opportunity to study the correlation between seroconversion and immunization because of their occupational exposure and a higher risk of contagion. The study enrolled 3242 asymptomatic employees of "Policlinico Riuniti", Foggia.

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Background: Adherence to medications is crucial in patients with severe asthma in light of the negative clinical impact and costs of non-adherence. Adherence to omalizumab has not been well studied in real-world settings. The aim of this study was to assess adherence to omalizumab and evaluate treatment effectiveness in relation to adherence.

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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease, representing one of the most severe pathologies in developed countries. Based on a report of the World Health Organization (WHO), it affects about 300 million people worldwide. Few studies have analyzed the effects of daily life physical activity (PA) levels in patients with asthma: moreover, little research has been carried out on PA levels in patients suffering from severe asthma (SA).

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Necrotizing granulomatous diseases of the lungs are usually dependent on a narrow range of differential diagnoses. Tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for the largest number of cases, while necrotizing sarcoidosis is generally considered a rare and easily distinguishable disease substantially based on histological features. However, this entity has become a viable diagnosis in the absence of mycobacteria isolation or when a remarkable clinical improvement cannot be achieved with the combination of anti-TB drugs at full dosage.

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In patients with systemic sclerosis, a ratio between forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO, FCV%/DLCO%) >1.5 might be a predictor of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The aim of this study is, therefore, to evaluate whether this index can be used in patients with PH, regardless of etiology.

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Ageing population is constantly increasing due to rising life expectancy; consequently, the percentage of the elderly patients with asthma is increasing, as well. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a biomarker of lung inflammation, and currently it is widely used in clinical practice for asthma diagnosis and monitoring. Yet, there are no data about normal values of FeNO in patients of more than 65 years of age with normal lung function.

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