Handgrip strength is associated with adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19-associated pneumonia.

Handgrip strength (HGS), a simple tool for the evaluation of muscular strength, is independently associated with negative prognosis in many diseases. It is unknown whether HGS is prognostically relevant in COVID-19. We evaluated the ability of HGS to predict clinical outcomes in people with COVID-19-related pneumonia.

Importance of central BP assessment in ISH of the young. Which devices are best suited for practical use?

Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), defined as brachial systolic blood pressure (bSBP) ≥140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) <90 mmHg, is highly prevalent among young subjects and in the elderly. The prognostic significance of ISH in young individuals remains the object of large debate which might be solved, at least in part, if considering the prognostic role of central BP. For any given value of pBP, the cardiovascular (CV) risk is better defined by central BP (cBP).

Efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in immunocompromised patients with COVID-19: A case report.

Background: Management of immunocompromised COVID-19 patients is the object of current debate. Accumulating evidence suggest that treatment with high-titer COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) may be effective in this characteristic clinical scenario.

Case Report: A 52-years old immunocompromised female patient, previously treated with rituximab for low grade B-cell lymphoma, showed prolonged SARS-CoV-2 shedding and a long-term course of signs of severe COVID-19.

Screening for atrial fibrillation during automated blood pressure measurement among patients admitted to internal medicine ward.

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the commonest sustained cardiac arrhythmia affecting the adult population, is often casually discovered among hospitalized people. AF onset is indeed triggered by several clinical conditions such as acute inflammatory states, infections, and electrolyte disturbance, frequently occurring during the hospitalization. We aimed to evaluate whether systematic AF screening, performed through an automated oscillometric blood pressure (BP) device (Microlife WatchBP Office AFIB, Microlife AG, Switzerland), is effective for detecting AF episodes in subjects admitted to an Internal Medicine ward.