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Antonella Potalivo,1,* Jonathan Montomoli,1,* Francesca Facondini,1 Gianfranco Sanson,2 Luigi Arcangelo Lazzari Agli,3,4 Tiziana Perin,5 Francesco Cristini,6 Enrico Cavagna,7 Raffaella De Giovanni,8 Carlo Biagetti,6 Ilaria Panzini,9 Cinzia Ravaioli,10 Maria Maddalena Bitondo,1 Daniela Guerra,1 Giovanni Giuliani,1 Elena Mosconi,1 Sonia Guarino,1 Elisa Marchionni,6 Gianfilippo Gangitano,5 Ilaria Valentini,3,4 Luca Giampaolo,8 Francesco Muratore,7 Giuseppe Nardi1 1Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Infermi Hospital, AUSL della Romagna, Rimini, Italy; 2Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy; 3Department of Pneumology, Infermi Hospital, Rimini, Italy; 4Ceccarini Hospital, AUSL della Romagna, Riccione, Italy; 5Department of Emergency Medicine, Infermi Hospital, AUSL Della Romagna, Rimini, Italy; 6Department of Infectious Diseases, Infermi Hospital, AUSL della Romagna, Rimini,Italy; 7Department of Radiology, Infermi Hospital, AUSL della Romagna, Rimini, Italy; 8Department of Internal Medicine, Cervesi Hospital, AUSL della Romagna, Cattolica, Italy; 9Department of Clinical Research, AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy; 10Ausl della Romagna Health Care Service Direction, Ravenna, Italy*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Giuseppe NardiDepartment of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Infermi Hospital, AUSL della Romagna, Viale Settembrini 2, Rimini 47921, ItalyTel +39 0541-705254Fax +39 0541 705886Email 4doctornardi@gmail.comPurpose: Although the decision of which ventilation strategy to adopt in COVID-19 patients is crucial, yet the most appropriate means of carrying out this undertaking is not supported by strong evidence. We therefore described the organization of a province-level healthcare system during the occurrence of the COVID-19 epidemic and the 60-day outcomes of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients according to the respiratory strategy adopted given the limited available resources.Patients and Methods: All COVID-19 patients (26/02/2020– 18/04/2020) in the Rimini Province of Italy were included in this population-based cohort study. The hospitalized patients were classified according to the maximum level of respiratory support: oxygen supplementation (Oxygen group), non-invasive ventilation (NIV-only group), invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV-only group), and IMV after an NIV trial (IMV-after-NIV group). Sixty-day mortality risk was estimated with a Cox proportional hazard analysis adjusted by age, sex, and administration of steroids, canakinumab, and tocilizumab.Results: We identified a total of 1,424 symptomatic patients: 520 (36.5%) were hospitalized, while 904 (63.5%) were treated at home with no 60-day deaths. Based on the respiratory support, 408 (78.5%) were assigned to the Oxygen group, 46 (8.8%) to the NIV-only group, 25 (4.8%) to the IMV-after-NIV group, and 41 (7.9%) to the IMV-only group. There was no significant difference in the PaO2/FiO2 at IMV inception in the IMV-after-NIV and IMV-only groups (p=0.9). Overall 60-day mortality was 24.2% (Oxygen: 23.0%; NIV-only: 19.6%; IMV-after-NIV: 32.0%; IMV-only: 36.6%; p=0.165). Compared with the Oxygen group, the adjusted 60-day mortality risk significantly increased in the IMV-after-NIV (HR 2.776; p=0.024) and IMV-only groups (HR 2.966; p=0.001).Conclusion: This study provided a population-based estimate of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in a severely affected Italian province. A similar 60-day mortality risk was found for patients undergoing immediate IMV and those intubated after an NIV trial with favorable outcomes after prolonged IMV.Keywords: COVID-19, mechanical ventilation, mortality, noninvasive ventilation, multidisciplinary team approach, ARDS

Objective To evaluate the effects of endurance exercise training (EET) on the cognitive status of healthy community-dwelling older adults. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted involving community-dwelling older adults from the town of Pianoro (northern Italy). We randomized 120 healthy subjects aged 65-74 years, both genders, to treatment (N = 60) and control (N = 60) groups. The treatment consisted of 12 months of supervised EET in a community gym, 3 h a week. All participants were assessed both at baseline and after 12 months on an intention-to-treat analysis. Cognitive status was assessed by one single test (Mini Mental State Examination, MMSE). Anthropometric indexes, routine laboratory measurements and C-reactive protein (CRP) were also assessed. Results The control group showed a significant decrease in MMSE score (mean difference -1.21, 95% CI -1.83/-0.60, p = 0.0002), which differed significantly (p = 0.02) from the treatment group scores (-0.21, 95% CI -0.79/0.37, p = 0.47). The odds ratio for the treated older adults to have a stable cognitive status after 1 year, as compared to the control group, was 2.74 (95% CI 1.16/6.48) after adjustment for age, gender, educational level and several other possible confounders. Blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference and serum cholesterol did not differ significantly between the two groups, while CRP decreased only in the treatment group. Conclusions A 12-month EET intervention may reduce the progression of age-related cognitive decline in healthy older adults. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate improvements during leg training on an isotonic leg extension system, we analyzed the modality of exercise performance by building power-angle curves for each leg. Ten subjects underwent a two-month training protocol on a leg extension device. Maximal theoretical forces were evaluated to set the protocols for each subject. Each training session was monitored in real time by the acquisition of angles and building power-angle curves for each leg during sub-maximal exercise. Maximal theoretical strength, maximal speed values and slopes between the first and last training sessions differed significantly ( p<0.001). Constant monitoring of exercise performance allows physical training efficiency to be improved over time. Adequate training exercises can be devised by prompt analysis of movement by power-angle curves. The isotonic test for monitoring performance is a good solution directly correlated to isokinetic methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of new technologies in current digestive surgical practice is progressively reshaping the operating room, defining the fourth surgical revolution. The implementation of black boxes and control towers aims at streamlining workflow and reducing surgical error by early identification and analysis, while augmented reality and artificial intelligence augment surgeons' perceptual and technical skills by superimposing three-dimensional models to real-time surgical images. Moreover, the operating room architecture is transitioning toward an integrated digital environment to improve efficiency and, ultimately, patients' outcomes. This narrative review describes the most recent evidence regarding the role of these technologies in transforming the current digestive surgical practice, underlining their potential benefits and drawbacks in terms of efficiency and patients' outcomes, as an attempt to foresee the digestive surgical practice of tomorrow.

Background/Objectives : Pycnodysostosis is a rare genetic disorder causing skeletal dysplasia. It is determined by a gene mutation leading to cathepsin K deficiency and predisposes a patient to osteosclerosis, resulting in increased bone fragility. The altered bone quality typical of this disease is responsible for an increased risk of fractures. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the orthopedic manifestations and potential pitfalls in the surgical treatments of pathological fractures in a series of patients treated in our institution who were affected by pycnodysostosis. Methods : We retrospectively evaluated clinical and radiographic characteristics of five patients with pycnodysostosis treated for pathological fractures at our hospital in the past 5 years. Results : Two male and three female patients were included in this study. Four patients had a family history of pycnodysostosis. All the patients were of short stature, but only two underwent growth hormone treatment. All the patients experienced fractures, mostly in their lower limbs and occurring as a result of low-energy trauma. Most of the patients experienced either consolidation delay or nonunion. Conclusions : The orthopedic management of fractures in patients with pycnodysostosis poses an ongoing challenge for orthopedic surgeons. The fact that the bone is simultaneously sclerotic and brittle makes any orthopedic surgical treatment challenging and at a high risk of nonunion in any case.

Carcinomas with apocrine differentiation (CAD) of the breast are rare tumours typically presenting high immunohistochemical expression of androgen receptor (AR) which is a target molecule for personalised therapy. To date, no studies have evaluated the genetic changes that are associated with AR immunohistochemical expression in CADs. The present work aims to characterise AR status in CADs. Twenty CAD tumours were studied with immunohistochemistry, in situ fluorescence hybridization and DNA methylation analysis, to evaluate AR expression and its regulator status. All tumours demonstrated high AR immunohistochemical expression, with over 95% of the neoplastic cells showing AR positivity in 19/20 cases. CADs showed AR gene copy loss in a percentage of neoplastic cells ranging from 5 to 84% (mean 48.93%). AR regulator genes, including the MAGE family, UXT and FLNA, presented variable methylation levels, but were mainly hypomethylated and therefore all transcriptionally active. The results of this study indicate that CADs present AR monosomy, paralleled by higher transcriptional activity of the gene with potential to influence response to AR deprivation therapy., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

In order to find the optimal value of the hot water temperature to be reached so that there is no Legionella spp. at the dispensing points, 920 samples of water at temperature between 54 and 60 Celsius degree were analyzed at the Lugo and Faenza hospitals (Ravenna). Thought the analysis of the linear trendline results indicate that the temperature required is close to 60 degrees but as it's difficult to maintain in old plants, a careful patient's risk assessment needs to be carried out and therefore install antibacterial membrane filters at the dispensers.

Introduction: Salmonella is a ubiquitous pathogen that can infect host species, like wild birds, rodents, and/or arthropods, which may transmit infection to domestic animals and human population., Aim: In order to assess the related risk, a cross-sectional study was performed on 1114 carcasses of wild animals from a north-eastern area of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy., Materials and Methods: During post mortem examination, intestine samples were cultured. A statistical analysis demonstrated that there is no correlation between the presence of sub-clinically infected animals and greater human population density. In contrast, a significant correlation between the number of carcasses positive for Salmonella spp. and greater spatial density of pig, poultry, and cattle farms was observed (p < 0.01)., Results: The results of the present study show that wild animals with omnivorous feeding habits are particularly exposed to Salmonella colonization and, consequently, to spreading the organism. Regarding drug resistance, this study confirms the resistance to antimicrobials is increasing in commensal and environmental isolates.

This aim of the study was to identify effective levels of ClO2 for control of Legionella spp. contamination in the hot water (45-55 °C.) distribution system of a 579-bed hospital in Ravenna (Italy). Overall, 663 hot water samples were collected from the hospital's sinks and shower taps and were analyzed. Trend line analysis, which describes the trend in the number of positive samples collected according to disinfectant concentration, shows that the lowest number of positive samples was achieved with concentrations of ClO2 between 0.22 and 0, 32 mg /l.