Efficacy of Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in reducing the risk of severe outcome in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a real-life full-matched case-control study (SAVALO Study).

Background: Ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir (N/r) is an antiviral which targets the main viral protease, administered to prevent the progression of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients at high risk for severe COVID-19. We present a real-life case-control study evaluating the efficacy of N/r therapy in SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants positive outpatients in Campania region, Italy, with the aim of assessing the occurrence of three outcomes (hospital admission, admission in ICU and death) in cases and controls.

Methods: We enrolled SARS-CoV-2 positive subjects that came to our attention in Early antiviral treatment ambulatory of Infectious Diseases ward of University Federico II of Naples, Italy from January 1st, 2022, to December 31st, 2022, during the first five days from symptoms occurrence.

Treatment of Carbapenem-Resistant in Real Life (T-ACI): A Prospective Single-Center Observational Study.

Carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) poses significant challenges in healthcare due to its multidrug resistance and high mortality rates among critically ill patients. We enrolled 45 patients. Cefiderocol was administered to 40% of patients, often (38.

Personalized care approaches to hepatitis C therapy: recent advances and future directions.

Introduction: The introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has significantly transformed the therapeutic landscape for chronic C hepatitis virus (HCV) infection. However, there is still room for further improvement in optimizing therapy efficacy and minimizing adverse effects.

Areas Covered: This review is devoted to the rationale for adopting a personalized approach to HCV therapy.

Diabetes and SARS-CoV-2 Infection: The Potential Role of Antidiabetic Therapy in the Evolution of COVID-19.

Diabetes mellitus represents one of the most frequent comorbidities among patients with COVID-19, constituting a risk factor for a more severe prognosis than that of non-diabetic patients. However, the pathophysiological mechanism underlying this unfavorable outcome is still not completely clear. The goal of our study was to evaluate the potential role of antidiabetic therapy in the evolution of COVID-19.

The Role of CRP POC Testing in the Fight against Antibiotic Overuse in European Primary Care: Recommendations from a European Expert Panel.

Tackling antibiotic resistance represents one of the major challenges in modern medicine, and limiting antibiotics' overuse represents the first step in this fight. Most antibiotics are prescribed in primary care settings, and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are one of the most common indications for their prescription. An expert panel conducted an extensive report on C-reactive protein point-of-care (CRP POC) testing in the evaluation of LRTIs and its usefulness to limit antibiotic prescriptions.

Update on the Management of Surgical Site Infections.

Surgical site infections are an increasingly important issue in nosocomial infections. The progressive increase in antibiotic resistance, the ever-increasing number of interventions and the ever-increasing complexity of patients due to their comorbidities amplify this problem. In this perspective, it is necessary to consider all the risk factors and all the current preventive and prophylactic measures which are available.

Monoclonal Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Results from a Real-Life Study before the Omicron Surge.

Despite the lightning-fast advances in the management of SARS-CoV after 2 years of pandemic, COVID-19 continues to pose a challenge for fragile patients, who could benefit from early administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to reduce the risk of severe disease progression. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the effectiveness of mAbs against SARS-CoV-2 among patients at risk for severe disease progression, namely elderly and those with comorbidities, before the omicron variant surge. Patients were treated with either casirivimab/imdevimab, sotrovimab, or bamlanivimab/etesevimab.

Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir and Molnupiravir in the Treatment of Mild/Moderate COVID-19: Results of a Real-Life Study.

Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir were the first available oral antivirals (OAs) active against SARS-CoV-2. Trials evaluating the efficacy of OAs involved patients unvaccinated and infected with variants different from those currently circulating. We conducted a retrospective study on patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection treated with OAs during the omicron surge in Italy in order to provide real-life data on the efficacy and safety of OAs during the omicron surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Serological Response and Clinical Protection of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination and the Role of Immunosuppressive Drugs in a Cohort of Kidney Transplant Patients.

Vaccination against SARS-CoV2 represents a key weapon to prevent COVID-19, but lower response rates to vaccination have frequently been reported in solid organ transplant recipients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the rate of seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in a cohort of kidney transplant recipients and the potential role of the different immunosuppressive regimens. We conducted an observational retrospective cohort study in kidney transplant patients vaccinated for COVID-19.

COVID-19 Post-Exposure Evaluation (COPE) Study: Assessing the Role of Socio-Economic Factors in Household SARS-CoV-2 Transmission within Campania Region (Southern Italy).

Campania is the sixth poorest region of Italy, and it is the region with the highest income inequality. The secondary attack rates of SARS-CoV-2 among households are found to be substantially heterogeneous among published studies and are influenced by socio-economic factors. We conducted a retrospective study to describe the role of socio-economic factors in the household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among patients living in Campania Region and referring to "Federico II" Hospital.

Pharmacological approaches to prevent vertical transmission of HIV and HBV.

Introduction: Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is mainly responsible for the global pediatric HIV and HBV epidemic. Vertical transmission can be prevented and reduced through a series of interventions at the primary healthcare level, including extensive screening of pregnant women, administration of antivirals or immune-based treatments, counselling on type of delivery and breastfeeding.

Areas Covered: In this narrative review, approved therapeutic options for the treatment of pregnant women living with HIV or HBV are discussed with special focus on efficacy and safety profiles of each agent or drug class examined.

Impact of an anti-infective screening and monitoring protocol together with infectious disease consultation in preventing infective adverse events in patients treated with anti-CD20/CD52 agents for multiple sclerosis.

Background: Monoclonal antibodies have been a milestone in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Infective complications have been observed in patients on agents targeting lymphoid cells' surface antigens, namely anti-CD52 (alemtuzumab) and anti-CD20 agents (ocrelizumab and rituximab). Despite increasing emerging data, there is no standardized consensus regarding pre-treatment testing, vaccinations, and patient education before and during MS therapy or optimal infection-control strategies.

COVID-19 prophylaxis in immunosuppressed patients: Beyond vaccination.

Ivan Gentile and Nicola Schiano Moriello discuss the potential of monoclonal antibody prophylaxis against COVID-19 infection in immunocompromised patients.

Pneumonia in Non-HIV Patients Recovering from COVID-19: A Single-Center Experience.

Objective: to describe a single-center experience of pneumonia (PJP) in non-HIV patients recovering from COVID-19.

Methods: We report the cases of five non-HIV patients with COVID-19 who also developed PJP at a University Hospital.

Results: With the exception of one subject, who experienced an atypical and prolonged course of COVID-19, all the patients developed PJP after the clinical resolution of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Monoclonal Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2: Potential Game-Changer Still Underused.

Even several months after the start of a massive vaccination campaign against COVID-19, mortality and hospital admission are still high in many countries. Monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are the ideal complement to vaccination in infected subjects who are at high risk for progression to severe disease. Based on data of the Italian Ministry of Health, in the period April-August 2021, monoclonal antibodies were prescribed to 6322 patients.

Serum KL-6 Could Represent a Reliable Indicator of Unfavourable Outcome in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia.

KL-6 is a sialoglycoprotein antigen which proved elevated in the serum of patients with different interstitial lung diseases, especially in those with a poorer outcome. Given that interstitial pneumonia is the most common presentation of SARS-CoV2 infection, we evaluated the prognostic role of KL-6 in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia were prospectively enrolled.

pneumonia in an immunocompetent patient recovered from COVID-19.

Background: Several cases of invasive fungal diseases in patients with COVID-19 have been reported, mostly due to spp., with anecdotic reports of pneumonia (PJP) as co-infections in immunocompromised patients. We describe the first case of PJP in an immunocompetent patient who recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia.

Novel strategies for the management of bacterial and fungal infections in patients with liver cirrhosis: focus on new antimicrobials.

: Liver cirrhosis is a frequent condition caused by different etiologies. Bacterial and fungal infections are common complications, representing an independent prognostic stage in patients with cirrhosis, dramatically worsening their clinical outcomes.: The present review article addresses manifold points and to this purpose an inductive literature search of MEDLINE database through PubMed was performed.

Measles in pregnant women: A systematic review of clinical outcomes and a meta-analysis of antibodies seroprevalence.

Objectives: Pregnant women represent a category at high risk of severe measles infection, that negatively affects the fetus as well. A systematic review of clinical outcomes of measles infection in gravid subjects and a meta-analysis of antibodies prevalence among pregnant women was conducted.

Methods: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched up to 18 June 2018.

Risk of professional accidental exposure to biological agents in health care workers: a retrospective analysis carried out in a southern Italian tertiary hospital.

Worldwide the needlestick injuries of health care workers (HCWs) still represent a major health problem. The authors aimed to evaluate the risk of HCW needlestick injuries in a tertiary university hospital in southern Italy in relation to some HCW characteristics (age, sex, professional profile, work department) and the source of infection. All HCWs of the University Hospital "Federico II" in Naples, Italy, attending the Infectious Diseases Unit after potential accidental contact to blood-borne viruses through needlestick injuries were enrolled during a 22-year period.