Measuring calf circumference in frail hospitalized older adults and prediction of in-hospital complications and post-discharge mortality.

Background: Sarcopenia, characterized by muscle mass, strength, and performance decline, significantly impacts outcomes in older adults. This study aims to assess the predictive value of calf circumference (CC), in conjunction with SARC-F and hand grip, concerning in-hospital complications and post-discharge mortality among hospitalized frail older adults.

Methods: A cohort of 158 hospitalized patients aged over 65 years underwent Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and sarcopenia screening, including CC measurement.

Declining number of general practitioners can impair influenza vaccination uptake among Italian older adults: Results from a panel analysis.

Background: Seasonal influenza vaccination coverage in Italian older adults is insufficient and well below the minimum target of 75%. In Italy, most influenza vaccine doses are administered by general practitioners (GPs), whose number has been declining. In parallel, the number of patients per GP and GP workload increased dramatically, which theoretically may impair vaccination counselling.

Improvement of self-administration experience with a new injection device: Real-life experience with risankizumab in patients with psoriasis.

Background: Trypanophobia or "needle phobia" represents a potential hindrance to the effective management of chronic diseases whenever an injectable therapy might be required, especially in case of frequent administrations. Psoriasis, a chronic dermatologic disease, can be effectively treated with biologic drugs administered subcutaneously. Thankfully, anti-IL-23 drugs require few administrations per year and are available in prefilled pens that hide the needle, thus representing a convenient option in patients with trypanophobia.

COVID-19 throughout pandemic waves and virus variants: a real-life experience in an Italian hospital.

New therapies and vaccines changed the management of COVID-19. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe characteristics, in-hospital mortality and its predictors in patients with moderate/severe COVID-19, considering the 4 different pandemic waves and viral variants' prevalence from February 2020 to January 2022. Among 1135 patients included, 873 (77%) had at least one comorbidity, 177 (16%) were immunocompromised.

Prognostic value of type of prior TKI in pretreated metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients receiving nivolumab.

To define the prognostic significance of first-line TKI in mRCC patients receiving nivolumab. A total of 571 mRCC patients who received ≥second line nivolumab were included in this subanalysis. The correlation between prior TKI (sunitinib vs.

Artificial intelligence and prescription of antibiotic therapy: present and future.

Introduction: In the past few years, the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare has grown exponentially. Prescription of antibiotics is not exempt from its rapid diffusion, and various machine learning (ML) techniques, from logistic regression to deep neural networks and large language models, have been explored in the literature to support decisions regarding antibiotic prescription.

Areas Covered: In this narrative review, we discuss promises and challenges of the application of ML-based clinical decision support systems (ML-CDSSs) for antibiotic prescription.

Post-SARS-CoV-2 infection and post-vaccine-related neurological complications share clinical features and the same positivity to anti-ACE2 antibodies.

Introduction: A potential overlap in symptoms between post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome has been noted. We report a paired description of patients presenting with similar manifestations involving the central (CNS) or peripheral nervous system (PNS) following SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination, suggesting that both may have triggered similar immune-mediated neurological disorders in the presence of anti-idiotype antibodies directed against the ACE2 protein.

Patients And Methods: Four patients exhibited overlapping neurological manifestations following SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination: radiculitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and MRI-negative myelitis, respectively, sharing positivity for anti-ACE2 antibodies.

Creating an automated tool for a consistent and repeatable evaluation of disability progression in clinical studies for multiple sclerosis.

Background: The lack of standardized disability progression evaluation in multiple sclerosis (MS) hinders reproducibility of clinical study results, due to heterogeneous and poorly reported criteria.

Objective: To demonstrate the impact of using different parameters when evaluating MS progression, and to introduce an automated tool for reproducible outcome computation.

Methods: Re-analyzing BRAVO clinical trial data (NCT00605215), we examined the fluctuations in computed treatment effect on confirmed disability progression (CDP) and progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) when varying different parameters.

Psychological resilience is protective against cognitive deterioration in motor neuron diseases.

Objectives: Recent studies suggest that psychological resilience (PR) is associated with more well-preserved cognition in healthy subjects (HS), but an investigation of such phenomenon in patients with motor neuron diseases (MNDs) is still lacking. The aim of our study was therefore to evaluate PR and its relationship with baseline cognitive/behavioral and mood symptoms, as well as longitudinal cognitive functioning, in MNDs.

Methods: 94 MND patients and 87 demographically matched HS were enrolled.

EMPATHY Life in Psoriasis: Embracing Patients' Well-Being in Their Journey of Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide, impacting their physical and emotional well-being. The management of psoriasis requires effective communication and a strong physician-patient relationship. We aim to develop a novel algorithm to enhance patient well-being and care in moderate-to-severe psoriasis, considering the time constraints that dermatologists have in public hospitals.

Influenza epidemiology and vaccine effectiveness during the 2023/2024 season in Italy: A test-negative case-control study.

Objectives: In order to support policymakers in allocating resources, we aimed to assess vaccine effectiveness (VE) of inactivated influenza vaccines (IIVs) available for Italian adults in the 2023/2024 season.

Methods: A hospital-based test-negative case-control study was conducted in Genoa between mid-October 2023 and mid-April 2024. Adult (≥18 years) inpatients with prescription of a polymerase chain reaction test for influenza were eligible.

Early and late complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

As autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is increasingly frequent in some patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the knowledge of its adverse effects is paramount. Early complications (within 30 from transplantation) are usually due to conditioning regimen and consequent neutropenia. They include infections and noninfectious complications, such as oral and intestinal mucositis, increases in liver enzymes, hemorrhagic cystitis, and worsening of neurologic symptoms.

New antibiotics in clinical pipeline for treating infections caused by metallo-β-lactamases producing Gram-negative bacteria.

Purpose Of Review: To discuss novel antibiotics under clinical development, focusing on agents showing in-vitro activity against metallo-β-lactamases (MBL)-producing carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (CR-GNB).

Recent Findings: Currently, only a few approved agents show activity, alone or in synergistic combinations, against MBL-producing CR-GNB. If approved by regulatory agencies in case of favorable results from ongoing (and, for some agents, already completed) phase-3 studies, some novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) combinations could become available in the next few years as additional important options for treating MBL-producing CR-GNB infections.

Ritual male circumcision: a case of fatal hemorrhagic shock in a 28-day-old infant.

Background: Male circumcision (MC) is a practice involving the surgical excision of the foreskin to expose the glans and it is often performed for religious reasons. Ritual circumcision is frequently carried out by unqualified practitioners in inadequate settings, which can also lead to the death of the individual.

Case Report: A 28-day-old infant was undergoing circumcision by a man that performed the circumcision using a razor blade.

Effects of Intermittent Hypoxia Protocols on Cognitive Performance and Brain Health in Older Adults Across Cognitive States: A Systematic Literature Review.

Background: The rise in the aging population highlights the need to address cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. Intermittent hypoxia (IH) protocols show promise in enhancing cognitive abilities and brain health.

Objective: This review evaluates IH protocols' benefits on cognition and brain health in older adults, regardless of cognitive status.

Developing normative values and predictive models for the 6-minute walk test across diverse adolescent developmental stages.

The six-minute walking test (6MWT) is commonly used to measure functional capacity in field settings, primarily through the distance covered. This study aims to establish reference curves for the six-minute walking distance (6MWD) and peak heart rate (PHR) and develop a predictive equation for cardiovascular capacity in Tunisian children and adolescents. A total of 1501 participants (706 boys and 795 girls), aged 10-18 years, were recruited from schools in Tunisia.

Prediction of candidemia with machine learning techniques: state of the art.

In this narrative review, we discuss studies assessing the use of machine learning (ML) models for the early diagnosis of candidemia, focusing on employed models and the related implications. There are currently few studies evaluating ML techniques for the early diagnosis of candidemia as a prediction task based on clinical and laboratory features. The use of ML tools holds promise to provide highly accurate and real-time support to clinicians for relevant therapeutic decisions at the bedside of patients with suspected candidemia.

Optimizing Antifungal Treatment Strategies to Prevent Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis Infection-Related Deaths in Intensive Care Unit Patients: The Need for Standardization of Research Definitions.

The clinical spectrum of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) has expanded in recent decades. A large group of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) is indeed susceptible to the development of IPA. Although timely diagnosis and antifungal therapy of IPA in this expanding population is crucial to prevent IPA-related deaths, the magnitude of the favorable prognostic impact of antifungal therapy is difficult to measure precisely.

Corrigendum: Enhancing performance: unveiling the physiological impact of submaximal and supramaximal tests on mixed martial arts athletes in the -61 kg and -66 kg weight divisions.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.

Interpreting the results of rapid molecular diagnostic tests for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales infection: current clinical perspective while waiting for further evidence.

Introduction: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) causing severe infections in humans have represented an important challenge for clinicians worldwide during the past two decades.

Areas Covered: Novel β-lactams and β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations have led to a shift in the first-line approach to the treatment of severe CRE infections from polymyxin-based regimens to treatment with less toxic agents. This new scenario offers the opportunity to apply rapid molecular diagnostic tests for CRE infection to identify different types of carbapenemases.

Examining the interplay between physical activity, problematic internet use and the negative emotional state of depression, anxiety and stress: insights from a moderated mediation path model in university students.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Problematic Internet Use (PIU), emotional states of stress, anxiety and depression, and the practice of physical activity among Tunisian students.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 976 university students aged 20.76 ± 1.

Role of CuCl PET/CT in Detecting and Staging Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Comparison with Contrast-Enhanced CT and F-FDG PET/CT.

Molecular imaging of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MBC) is restricted to its locoregional and distant metastases, since most radiopharmaceuticals have a urinary excretion that limits the visualization of the primary tumor. CuCl a positron-emitting radiotracer with nearly exclusive biliary elimination, could be well suited to exploring urinary tract neoplasms. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of CuCl-based staging of patients with MBC; furthermore, we compared the diagnostic capability of this method with those of the current gold standards, that is, contrast-enhanced CT (ceCT) and F-FDG PET/CT.

Exploring the impact of verbal encouragement on strength, endurance, and psychophysiological responses: enhancing teaching strategies in sports science education.

Introduction: This study investigates the effects of teacher verbal encouragement (VE) on strength, endurance, and psychophysiological responses, aiming to enhance teaching strategies in sports science education.

Methods: Forty-eight sports science students, aged 21.3 ± 0.