Accessibility to SARS-CoV-2 swab test during the Covid-19 pandemic: Did age make the difference?

Although COVID-19 affects older people more severely, health policies during the first wave of the pandemic often prioritized younger individuals. We investigated whether age had influenced the access to a diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2 infection and whether clinical complexity and healthcare resources availability could have impacted such differences. This work included 126,741 Italian participants in the EPICOVID19 web-based survey, who reported having had contacts with known/suspected COVID-19 cases (epidemiological criterion) and/or COVID-19-like signs/symptoms (clinical criterion) from February to June 2020.

Clinical Epidemiology of Systolic and Diastolic Orthostatic Hypotension in Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis.

Blood pressure changes upon standing reflect a hemodynamic response, which depends on the baroreflex system and euvolemia. Dysautonomia and fluctuations in blood volume are hallmarks in kidney failure requiring replacement therapy. Orthostatic hypotension has been associated with mortality in hemodialysis patients, but neither this relationship nor the impact of changes in blood pressure has been tested in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

Well-Being Perception during COVID-19 Pandemic in Healthy Adolescents: From the Avatar Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided an extraordinary and naturalistic context to observe young people's psychosocial profiles and to study how a condition of environmental deprivation and lack of direct social contact, affects the well-being and health status of adolescents. The study explored whether the COVID-19 outbreak changes, in the short term, the acute well-being perception in adolescents, as measured by a Personalized Well-Being Index (PWBI) and the four components affecting health (i.e.

Comment on Menzel et al. Common and Novel Markers for Measuring Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Ex Vivo in Research and Clinical Practice-Which to Use Regarding Disease Outcomes? 2021, , 414.

Recently, Menzel A et al. published a review titled "Origin and Physiological Aspects of Oxidative Stress (OS), inflammation and markers of OS, relation to disease and practical aspects" [..

Age-Related Changes in Clinical Presentation of Covid-19: the EPICOVID19 Web-Based Survey.

Background: The influence of aging and multimorbidity on Covid-19 clinical presentation is still unclear.

Objectives: We investigated whether the association between symptoms (or cluster of symptoms) and positive SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) was different according to patients' age and presence of multimorbidity.

Methods: The study included 6680 participants in the EPICOVID19 web-based survey, who reported information about symptoms from February to June 2020 and who underwent at least one NPS.

Ultra-high-frequency ultrasound monitoring of plaque psoriasis during ixekizumab treatment.

Background: High-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) is a non-invasive method that detects superficial skin features. Ultra-high frequencies (50-100 MHz) can reveal epidermis and dermis structures.

Objectives: In this study, we describe the psoriatic plaque using a new device equipped with a 70 MHz probe (VEVO MD, Fujifilm, VisualSonics) and we assess the lesion before and after ixekizumab.

The Association between Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccinations and SARS-Cov-2 Infection: Data from the EPICOVID19 Web-Based Survey.

The present study aims to evaluate whether influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations are associated with positive nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) testing to detect SARS-CoV-2. Data from the Italian cross-sectional web-based survey (EPICOVID19), based on a self-selection sample of individuals aged ≥18, were considered. The probability of a positive SARS-CoV-2 NPS test result as a function of influenza or anti-pneumococcal vaccination was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression, stratifying analysis by age (<65 years, ≥65 years).

Differential Impact of Weight Loss and Glycemic Control on Inflammasome Signaling.

Objective: Interleukin (IL)-1β is involved in obesity-associated inflammation and in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) mellitus. Our aim was to correlate serum IL-1β and caspase-1 levels with weight loss, glucose metabolism, and insulin resistance (IR) after bariatric surgery.

Methods: A total of 32 patients with morbid obesity and T2D (Ob-T2D) and 29 patients with morbid obesity and normal glucose tolerance (Ob-NGT), treated by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, were studied before and 1 year after surgery.

Effect of Cocoa Products and Its Polyphenolic Constituents on Exercise Performance and Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage and Inflammation: A Review of Clinical Trials.

In recent years, the consumption of chocolate and, in particular, dark chocolate has been "rehabilitated" due to its high content of cocoa antioxidant polyphenols. Although it is recognized that regular exercise improves energy metabolism and muscle performance, excessive or unaccustomed exercise may induce cell damage and impair muscle function by triggering oxidative stress and tissue inflammation. The aim of this review was to revise the available data from literature on the effects of cocoa polyphenols on exercise-associated tissue damage and impairment of exercise performance.

Hydroxytyrosol Ameliorates Endothelial Function under Inflammatory Conditions by Preventing Mitochondrial Dysfunction.

Mitochondria are fundamental organelles producing energy and reactive oxygen species (ROS); their impaired functions play a key role in endothelial dysfunction. Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a well-known olive oil antioxidant, exerts health benefits against vascular diseases by improving endothelial function. However, the HT role in mitochondrial oxidative stress in endothelial dysfunction is not clear yet.

Sleeping oxygen saturation, rapid eye movement sleep, and the adaptation of postprandial metabolic function in insulin sensitive and resistant individuals without diabetes.

Aims: Sleeping oxygen saturation (SaO) and sleep stage duration have been linked with prediabetic alterations but the pathogenic pathways are not well understood. This study of insulin sensitive and resistant adults examined the effect on postprandial metabolic regulation of repeated mixed-meal challenges of different carbohydrate loading. The aim was to examine whether the relationship between lower sleeping oxygen saturation (SaO) and poorer fasting and postprandial metabolic function may be linked with reduced slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) duration, independent of age, sex and total adiposity.

Urinary Arsenic in Human Samples from Areas Characterized by Natural or Anthropogenic Pollution in Italy.

Arsenic is ubiquitous and has a potentially adverse impact on human health. We compared the distribution of concentrations of urinary inorganic arsenic plus methylated forms (uc(iAs+MMA+DMA)) in four Italian areas with other international studies, and we assessed the relationship between uc(iAs+MMA+DMA) and various exposure factors. We conducted a human biomonitoring study on 271 subjects (132 men) aged 20-44, randomly sampled and stratified by area, gender, and age.

Competitive interaction between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and CHADS-VASc score in predicting incident atrial fibrillation.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and an emerging risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). CHADS and CHADS-VASc scores are significantly associated with incident AF independently of other risk factors. The aim of this study was to demonstrate a possible interaction between COPD and CHADS-VASc in predicting incident AF.

Fatty acid uptake and blood flow in adipose tissue compartments of morbidly obese subjects with or without type 2 diabetes: effects of bariatric surgery.

Body fat accumulation, distribution, and metabolic activity are factors in the pathophysiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). We investigated adipose blood flow, fatty acid uptake (FAU), and subcutaneous and visceral fat cellularity in obese patients with or without T2D. A total of 23 morbidly obese (mean body mass index = 42 kg/m) patients were studied before and 6 mo after bariatric surgery; 15 nonobese subjects served as controls.

Chronic Intranasal Insulin Does Not Affect Hepatic Lipids but Lowers Circulating BCAAs in Healthy Male Subjects.

Context: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and elevated circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are common characteristics of obesity and type 2 diabetes. In rodents, brain insulin signaling controls both hepatic triglyceride secretion and BCAA catabolism. Whether brain insulin signaling controls similar metabolic pathways in humans is unknown.

Obesity and Kidney Disease: Hidden Consequences of the Epidemic.

Obesity is a growing worldwide epidemic. Obesity is one of the strongest risk factors for new-onset chronic kidney disease, and also for nephrolithiasis and for kidney cancer. This year the World Kidney Day promotes education on the harmful consequences of obesity and its association with kidney disease, advocating healthy lifestyle and health policy measures that make preventive behaviors an affordable option.

Obesity and kidney disease: hidden consequences of the epidemic.

Obesity is a growing worldwide epidemic. Obesity is one of the strongest risk factors for new-onset chronic kidney disease, and also for nephrolithiasis and for kidney cancer. This year the World Kidney Day promotes education on the harmful consequences of obesity and its association with kidney disease, advocating healthy lifestyle and health policy measures that make preventive behaviors an affordable option.