Transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound in the diagnosis of the lung masses: a multicenter experience with fine-needle aspiration and fine-needle biopsy needles.

Background And Aim: Intraparenchymal lung masses inaccessible through bronchoscopy or endobronchial ultrasound guidance pose a diagnostic challenge. Furthermore, some fragile or hypoxic patients may be poor candidates for transbronchial approaches. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration/biopsy (EUS-FNA/FNB) offers a potential diagnostic approach to lung cancers adjacent to the esophagus.

Monitoring COVID-19 vaccine use in Italian long term care centers: The GeroCovid VAX study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed routine care practice for older persons, especially in those with frailty living in long term care (LTC) facilities. Due to the high mortality rates of Nursing home (NH) residents during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, priority for COVID-19 vaccinations was given to this vulnerable population. However, the safety and efficacy of such vaccines in older frail elders remains questionable due to the fact that initial randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for such vaccines did not include this population.

Computed tomography findings and prognosis in older COVID-19 patients.

Background: In older and multimorbid patients, chronic conditions may affect the prognostic validity of computed tomography (CT) findings in COVID-19. This study aims at assessing to which extent CT findings have prognostic implications in COVID-19 older patients.

Methods: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients aged 60 years or more enrolled in the multicenter, observational and longitudinal GeroCovid study who underwent chest CT were included.

The additional value of lung cancer screening program in identifying unrecognized diseases.

Background: A systematic examination of low-dose CT (LDCT) scan, beside lung nodules, may disclose the presence of undiagnosed diseases, improving the efficacy and the cost/efficacy of these programs. The study was aimed at evaluating the association between LDCT scan findings and non-oncologic and oncologic diseases.

Methods: The LDCT scan of participants to the "Un Respiro per la vita" lung cancer screening program were checked and abnormal findings, beside lung nodules, recorded.

Atrial fibrillation and COVID-19 in older patients: how disability contributes to shape the risk profile. An analysis of the GeroCovid registry.

Background And Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is often complicated by disabling conditions in the elderly. COVID-19 has high mortality in older people. This study aimed at evaluating the relationship of pre-infection AF with characteristics and survival of older COVID-19 patients.

Psychological Well-Being of Older Adults With Cognitive Deterioration During Quarantine: Preliminary Results From the GeroCovid Initiative.

The spread of COVID-19 has undeniably unsettled the social, psychological and emotional life of the entire world population. Particular attention should be paid to older adults with dementia, given their vulnerability to emotional stressors. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the impact of the first wave quarantine related to Covid-19 on psychological and affective well-being of older adults with mild/major neurocognitive disorders and of their caregivers.

Management of Older Outpatients during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The GeroCovid Ambulatory Study.

Objectives: The GeroCovid Study is a multi-setting, multinational, and multi-scope registry that includes the GeroCovid home and outpatients' care cohort. The present study aims to evaluate whether outpatient and home care services with remote monitoring and consultation could mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental and affective status, perceived well-being, and personal capabilities of outpatients and home care patients with cognitive disorders.

Methods: Prospectively recorded patients in an electronic web registry provided by BlueCompanion Ltd.

Distancing Measures in COVID-19 Pandemic: Loneliness, More than Physical Isolation, Affects Health Status and Psycho-Cognitive Wellbeing in Elderly Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Since the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020, many governments have been imposing confinement and physical distancing measures. No data exist on the effects of lockdowns on the health status of patients affected by chronic pathologies, specifically those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Our study aims to establish variations across the psychological and cognitive profile of patients during the isolation period in Italy, in a cohort of patients affected by COPD, between February and May 2020.

COVID-19 sniffer dog experimental training: Which protocol and which implications for reliable sidentification?

The introduction of trained sniffer dogs for COVID-19 detection could be an opportunity, as previously described for other diseases. Dogs could be trained to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the whiff of COVID-19. Dogs involved in the study were three, one male and two females from different breeds, Black German Shepherd, German Shepherd, and Dutch Shepherd.

Association between frailty index, lung function, and major clinical determinants in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Airflow limitation alone is unable to capture the complexity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), better explained by comprehensive disease-specific indexes. Frailty is a clinical condition characterized by high vulnerability to internal and external stressors and represents a strong predictor of adverse outcomes.

Aims: Primary objective was to test the association between indexes of lung function and COPD severity with frailty index (FI), and secondary to evaluate the association between FI and comorbidities, cognitive and physical function, BODE index, and mortality.

COVID-19 and Atrial Fibrillation in Older Patients: Does Oral Anticoagulant Therapy Provide a Survival Benefit?-An Insight from the GeroCovid Registry.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most frequent arrhythmia of older patients, associates with serious thromboembolic complications and high mortality. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severely affects aged subjects, determining an important prothrombotic status. The aim of this study was to evaluate mortality-related factors in older AF patients with COVID-19.

Continuous infusion versus intermittent administration of meropenem in critically ill patients (MERCY): A multicenter randomized double-blind trial. Rationale and design.

Objective: Meropenem is a β-lactam, carbapenem antibacterial agent with antimicrobial activity against gram-negative, gram-positive and anaerobic micro-organisms and is important in the empirical treatment of serious infections in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. Multi-drug resistant gram-negative organisms, coupled with scarcity of new antibiotic classes, forced healthcare community to optimize the therapeutic potential of available antibiotics. Our aim is to investigate the effect of continuous infusion of meropenem against bolus administration, as indicated by a composite outcome of reducing death and emergence of extensive or pan drug-resistant pathogens in a population of ICU patients.

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the health of geriatric patients: The European GeroCovid Observational Study.

Background: Despite the growing evidence on COVID-19, there are still many gaps in the understanding of this disease, especially in individuals in advanced age. We describe the study protocol of GeroCovid Observational, a multi-purpose, multi-setting and multicenter initiative that aims at investigating: risk factors, clinical presentation and outcomes of individuals affected by COVID-19 in acute and residential care settings; best strategies to prevent infection in long-term care facilities; and, impact of the pandemic on neuropsychologic, functional and physical health, and on medical management in outpatients and home care patients at risk of COVID-19, with a special focus on individuals with dementia.

Methods: GeroCovid involves individuals aged ≥60 years, at risk of or affected by COVID-19, prospectively or retrospectively observed since March 1, 2020.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment and the Spanish flu: a historical literature review.

Context: The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was approached with a variety of management techniques available at that time, including osteopathic care in addition to standard medical care.

Objective: To analyze the osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) techniques used for the management of patients affected by the Spanish flu according to four themes: the principles and procedures used, frequency and length of OMT, reported side effects, and advice for patients.

Methods: A structured review of the literature was performed by hand-searching texts at the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine International Center for Osteopathic History in Kirksville, Missouri, and online via PubMed (National Library of Medicine), ScienceDirect (Elsevier), and Google Scholar (Google, Inc).

Inhaled high molecular weight hyaluronan ameliorates respiratory failure in acute COPD exacerbation: a pilot study.

Background: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) carry significant morbidity and mortality. AECOPD treatment remains limited. High molecular weight hyaluronan (HMW-HA) is a glycosaminoglycan sugar, which is a physiological constituent of the lung extracellular matrix and has notable anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties.

The Role of Electronic Noses in Phenotyping Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common progressive disorder of the respiratory system which is currently the third leading cause of death worldwide. Exhaled breath analysis is a non-invasive method to study lung diseases, and electronic noses have been extensively used in breath research. Studies with electronic noses have proved that the pattern of exhaled volatile organic compounds is different in COPD.

Symptom-based clusters in patients with advanced chronic organ failure identify different trajectories of symptom variations.

Background: Healthcare needs are complex and heterogeneous in advanced chronic organ failure. However, based on symptom clusters, groups of patients with similar quality of life, care dependency and life-sustaining treatment preferences can be identified.

Aims: To evaluate the stability of symptom-based clusters over time, and whether and to what extent the clusters are able to predict patients' 2-year survival and hospitalization rates.

Estimation of Pleural Effusion Volume through Chest Ultrasound: Validation of Two Multiplanar Models.

Computed tomography (CT) scanning is the gold standard when estimating pleural effusion volume; however, the procedure exposes patients to ionizing radiation. Our study was aimed at developing ultrasound-based calculation models that can quantify the volume of pleural effusion in seated patients and validating each model using volumetric chest CT analyses as reference. Our study enrolled 36 hospitalized patients who underwent a chest CT scan and ultrasound, in the seated position, with the aid of a convex probe.

COVID-19 diagnosis and management: a comprehensive review.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, a novel coronavirus from the same family as SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, has spread worldwide leading the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic. The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), presents flu-like symptoms which can become serious in high-risk individuals. Here, we provide an overview of the known clinical features and treatment options for COVID-19.

Electrophoretic α1-globulin for screening of α1-antitrypsin deficient variants.

Background Available screening procedures for the detection of α1-antitrypsin-deficient (AATD) mutations have suboptimal cost-effectiveness ratios. The aim in this study was to evaluate and compare the viability of a composite approach, primarily based on the α1-globulin fraction, in identifying AAT genetic analysis eligible patients against standard screening procedures, based on clinically compatible profiling and circulating AAT < 1 g/L. Methods A total of 21,094 subjects were screened for AATD and deemed eligible when meeting one of these criteria: α1-globulin ≤2.