Publications by authors named "Valeria Volpi"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how patients with neuromuscular diseases manage tracheostomy and invasive mechanical ventilation at home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, focusing on their experiences and the impact on their quality of life.
- Researchers conducted interviews with 22 patients and used various psychological assessment tools to analyze resilience, anxiety, and mindfulness levels.
- Findings reveal that many patients experienced significant fear of contagion and feelings of abandonment, highlighting the need for better support and management strategies for tracheostomy care in home settings.
Article Synopsis
- - Non-invasive ventilatory support (NVS) is commonly used for neuromuscular disease patients to prevent respiratory failure, but conventional methods with masks can be uncomfortable for extended use.
- - The study explored intermittent abdominal pressure ventilation (IAPV), which uses a portable device and a corset, in 28 patients across three Italian centers, focusing on its effectiveness in improving respiratory issues and quality of life.
- - Results showed significant improvements in hypoxemia and hypercapnia after using IAPV, and quality of life increased over time, suggesting IAPV could be a valuable alternative for patients who struggle with traditional NVS methods.
High-flow oxygen therapy (HFOT) improves gas exchange and dead space washout and reduces the level of work required for breathing. This study aimed to evaluate pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) combined with HFOT in COPD patients treated with nocturnal non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT). In particular, we sought to discover whether the addition of HFOT during exercise training could improve patients’ performance, mainly with regard to their Six-Minute Walking Test (6MWT) outcomes, and reduce the exacerbation rates, periods of rehospitalization or need to resort to unscheduled visits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman artificial chromosomes (HAC) are a valuable tool in the analysis of complex chromatin structures such as the human centromere because of their small size and relative simplicity compared with normal human chromosomes. This report includes a comprehensive study of the centromere and chromatin composition of HAC, expressing human genes, generated in human cells and transferred to murine cells. The analysis involved chromatin immuno-precipitation and immuno-FISH on metaphase chromosomes and chromatin fibres.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF