Search

Background: The effects of Sars-Cov-2 pandemic may increase vulnerability of migrants. Aims: To investigate the effects of the governmental lockdown on the mental health of vulnerable migrants in treatment at an outpatient department. Method: In a telephone survey post-migration living difficulties and psychopathological symptoms were investigated, particularly post-traumatic thoughts and nightmares, anxiety, depression, feelings of tension and irritability, other sleep problems, as well as COVID-19 related fears. Psychopathological changes during the lockdown were detected and rated by clinicians. Rates of treatment discontinuation and reasons why were also recorded. Results: Of 103 eligible patients, 81 answered the phone call and were included in the study. Mental symptoms were frequent but not as severe as expected. About 32% of patients in psychopharmacological treatment and almost 52% of patients in psychotherapy had discontinued treatment. Patients who were globally considered to have worsened if compared to their pre-coronavirus mental health conditions had in fact higher scores on several mental symptoms but mild specific fears about coronavirus issues, similar to those of patients improved or stable. Worsening was significantly associated with unemployment, lack of VISA, and treatment discontinuation. Shifting the way of providing psychotherapy into a web-based modality was significantly more frequent in stable/improved patients. Conclusion: Findings suggest that concrete life problems and treatment discontinuation more than the coronavirus fear, have predominantly affected the mental health conditions of our patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Screw loosening can damage the interfaces o f implant components, resulting in susceptibility to contamination of the internal parts by microorganisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of abutment screw retightening on the leakage of two different types of bacteria, Streptococcus sanguinis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, and of the yeast Candida albicans. Two types of implantabutment systems with tube-in-tube interfaces were tested. Groups A and B each used a different type of system that consisted of 20 different pieces that were assembled according to the manufacturer's torque recommendations; four samples in each group were closed just one time, four samples three times, four samples five times, four samples seven times, and four samples nine times. The implants of groups A and B were contaminated with 0.1 pL of microbial solution just before being assembled for the last time to minimize the possibility of contamination. Results showed a direct correlation between the number of colony-forming units grown in the plates and the closing/opening cycles o f the implant-abutment systems. Within the limitations of this study, the results indicate the possibility that repeated closing/opening cycles of the implant-abutment unit may influence bacterial/yeast leakage, most likely as a consequence of decreased precision of the coupling between the abutment and the internal part of the dental implant These findings suggest that a one-time abutment technique may avoid microbiologic leakage in cases of implant-abutment systems with tube-in-tube interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Unilateral papillitis caused by Treponema pallidum was found in an immunocompetent homosexual patient with severe vision loss who had received previous antibiotics treatment. Syphilis-related ocular manifestation is more common in the early stages of the disease and it can be associated with a central nervous system localization. In this patient, neurosyphilis was diagnosed on the basis of clinical and laboratory findings. Optical examination revealed unilateral papillitis in the left eye and no relative afferent pupillary defects. The patient underwent visual field examinations with conventional perimetry using the 30-2 program of the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer, which indicated a blind spot enlargement in the left eye. Optical coherence tomography, visual evoked potentials (VEP), and fluorescein angiograms revealed inflammation of the optic nerve head with edematous and blurred margins. A reactive T. pallidum hemagglutination assay with low rapid plasma reagin (RPR) serum titer was performed; an HIV antibody test and MRI of the orbits and head with contrast gave negative results. Resolution of the ocular inflammation after intravenous penicillin treatment was obtained. The reported case illustrates the importance of early recognition of this treatable disease. The rise of syphilis, especially in urban areas, necessitates a high level of suspicion when dealing with patients with intraocular inflammation of unknown origin. Lues serology should be incorporated into routine laboratory diagnostics to aid in the detection of such cases. Considering the re-emergence of syphilis, screening of migrants from countries with high syphilis seroprevalences should be recommended.

Background: Little is known about mental health and resettlement difficulties of Chinese asylum seekers fleeing China due to religious persecutions. Aim: This study explores main post-migration living difficulties (PMLD) in this population, with a focus on their role in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods: A total of 67 patients (95.52% women, mean age 34.75 ± 7.63) were included in the study. The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) was used to assess PTSD, the List of Migration Experiences (LiMEs) was used for pre-migration and post-migration experiences (potentially traumatic events as well as living difficulties). The t -test was used to examine the differences in pre-migration and post-migration mean scores. Logistic regression was used to test the effect of pre-migration traumatic experiences (PMTE) and most frequent PMLD on having a PTSD. Results: A total of 49 patients scored above the HTQ cut-off score for PTSD. As expected, traumatic experiences were concentrated in the pre-migration phase, while living difficulties were present in both phases but more frequently in the post-migration period. PMTE were significantly related to PTSD (OR 1.29, p =.01). However, three PMLD ('Feeling that you do not know where you will lend up tomorrow', 'Loneliness and boredom' and 'Not being able to find work') showed a significant interaction with PMTE, suggesting that their presence in the post-migration phase has a modulation effect by increasing the likelihood of PTSD. Conclusion: This study extends to Chinese asylum seekers the previous evidence that PMLD have a significant role in the likelihood to have a PTSD after landing in the host country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]