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Background: Hidradenitis Suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a strong negative impact on physical and psychological health. Obesity, especially visceral adiposity, but also smoking or unhealthy nutritional habits, have been reported to be significantly associated with hidradenitis suppurativa. Design and Method: Case-control study in 35 patients of both sexes affected with hidradenitis suppurativa, and 35 healthy subjects matched for sex, age, and geographic origin (Sardinia, Italy). Results: Several anthropometric measures (body mass index, waist circumference, body composition), lifestyle (Mediterranean diet adherence, and physical activity level), and the perceived physical and mental health status were evaluated in case and controls. Hidradenitis patients showed significantly higher values of body mass index, waist circumference, body composition, fat mass, and lower values of physical and mental health status compared to controls, while both groups showed a similar moderate physical activity level which can be assumed to counteract the negative effects of obesity or poor nutritional pattern in hidradenitis patients. However, none of the evaluated variables were correlated with the severity of the disease, assessed by means of the Hurley stage system or the Sartorius score. Instead, the Sartorius score showed a positive correlation with the duration of hidradenitis, mainly imputable to the diagnostic delay and the consequent long lasting inflammatory status. Conclusions: Although nutritional factors and lifestyle can be important and modifiable factors in the hidradenitis suppurativa course, the detrimental effect of chronic inflammation and delayed management are clearly prevalent and heavily influence the disease burden.

Background: Changes in social and behavioral rhythms (SBR) in elderly are related to health status. Nevertheless, there is no data on factor analysis of the Brief Social Rhythm Scale (BSRS) an internationally well-known tool in this field. The aim was to analyze, in elderly, the factorial structure of the Italian version of BSRS. Design and Methods: Principal Component Analysis of the BSRS carried out in elderly living at home. Results: Sample of 141 participants (83 Females, 58,9%), aged 72.3±4.8. All the items of the questionnaire were related and could compose a single factor, explaining 56% of variance. A solution adopting two factors, the first (including items 1,2,3,4,9,10), the second (including items 5,6,7,8), covered cumulatively 78.8% of the variance. Conclusion: The study confirms that the BSRS is consistent with the idea for which it was built and can be useful for the study of regularity of SBR in old adults.

The study aimed to verify whether exercise training in older adults can improve social behavioral rhythms (SBR) and if any modification is maintained over time. Older adults (n=120) from a previous randomized controlled trial, were randomly allocated to either a moderate-intensity exercise group or a control group. SBR was evaluated at t0, t26, and t48 weeks (during the COVID-19 lockdown), using the brief social rhythms scale (BSRS). Seventy-nine participants completed the follow-up (age 72.3±4.7, women 55.3%). An improvement in the BSRS score was found in the exercise group at 26 weeks (p=0.035) when the exercise program was concluded, and it was maintained at 48 weeks (p=0.013). No improvements were observed in the control group. To conclude, SBR, previously found as a resilience factor in older adults during COVID-19, appear to improve after a moderate 12 weeks exercise program, and the improvement persisted even after stopping exercise during the COVID-19 lockdown.

A great heterogeneity of skin manifestations has been increasingly associated with SARS-CoV2 infection, and especially exanthematous eruptions are considered among early presenting signs in symptomatic patients. In this report, a 58-year-old patient presented with fever, generalized rash and systemic symptoms as urgent consultation to the Dermatology Clinic of Cagliari amidst the Italian outbreak in late March 2020. After a negative nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2, secondary syphilis was confirmed by serological tests and skin biopsy, underlining that, even during a global pandemic, other common and important diseases should not be overlooked. The case also suggests thought on the ineffectiveness of distancing and social containment measures when dealing with sexually transmitted diseases.