Impact of COVID-19 lock-down period on orthopedic and trauma surgical activity in a northern Italian hospital.

Objectives: This study aims to describe the impact of COVID-19 on Orthopedic and Trauma surgical activity in a single level-I trauma center in Northern Italy during the lockdown period. We proposed comparing surgical procedures performed during the outbreak and in the same period the previous year.

Methods: In this single-center retrospective epidemiological cohort study, the "lockdown cohort" of patients who were treated from March 1 to May 24, 2020, was compared to the "control cohort" who received treatment during the same period in 2019.

Esophageal pressure as estimation of pleural pressure: a study in a model of eviscerated chest.

Background: Transpulmonary pressure is the effective pressure across the lung parenchyma and has been proposed as a guide for mechanical ventilation. The pleural pressure is challenging to directly measure in clinical setting and esophageal manometry using esophageal balloon catheters was suggested for estimation. However, the accuracy of using esophageal pressure to estimate pleural pressure is debated due to variability in the mechanical properties of respiratory system, esophagus and esophageal catheter.

The effect of male factors on embryo morphokinetics: a retrospective analysis of 2726 blastocysts.

Purpose: Male infertility may influence fertilization rates, embryo morphology, and implantation rates in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Oocyte competence plays a major role in embryo development, but there is a limited understanding of the connection between sperm quality, embryo development, and morphokinetic parameters using donor oocytes. The study evaluated if sperm quality may influence the morphokinetic parameters in IVF cycles.