The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) care bundle on the occurrence rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) in paediatric and neonatal cardiac surgery, addressing a critical gap in paediatric-specific infection prevention protocols. A retrospective cohort study included patients under 18 years old who underwent cardiac surgery at IRCCS Policlinico San Donato. Cohort A (n = 117) received the PHMB care bundle from April to December 2023, while Cohort B (n = 801) received conventional care from September 2020 to March 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) are widely used for waste management. However, the health effects of their emissions remain uncertain, needing further investigation and monitoring of the potential risks associated with such exposure. The aim of this study is to update and synthesize evidence on the health effects of residential exposure to MSWIs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that, when untreated, can lead to significant disability in young adults. Despite the increase in the number of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), many people living with MS in low-resource settings do not have access to treatment.
Objective: The primary aim was to develop recommendations on the minimum essential DMTs for MS that should be available in low-resource settings.
Background: Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), commonly known as 'Long COVID-19', are progressively emerging in the population. While it was clear from the pandemic outbreak that pre-existing cardiac conditions were exacerbated by the infection even after its resolution, little is known about the rare cases of heart failure onset, whose mechanisms are still not fully understood.
Case Summary: A 74-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with SARS-CoV-2 bilateral interstitial pneumonia at the computed tomography scan.
In urban areas, environmental exposures to air pollution, extreme temperatures and noise as well as socio-economic inequalities are amplified. Urban green spaces offer dual benefits: they help mitigate climate change and improve public health by fostering connection to nature, reducing noise and air pollution, mitigating the urban heat island effect, and promoting physical activity. Within the 2023 "Cobenefici di Salute ed equità a supporto dei piani di risposta ai cambiamenti climatici in Italia" project funded by the Ministry of Health, we identified health indicators to assess climate action co-benefits, including those on cardiovascular disease mortality and morbidity, birth outcomes and mental health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClimate change has negative effects on mental health as shown by the World health organization (Who). Heatwaves can exacerbate some mental conditions such as schizophrenia and psychosis, both in the elderly and children as well as in young adults, and increase mortality for neurological and psychiatric diseases. Subjects facing climate events such as heavy rains and flooding may suffer from a psychological problem in the short, medium and long-term.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFItaly is a destination country for a growing international migration, accounting for 8.4% of the total population. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the difficulties in accessing healthcare services among immigrants, and barriers due to linguistic and cultural differences had a significant impact during the pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLearning to read and write are essential academic skills that children develop during their early years of primary school. These skills are supported by various predictive indices that emerge in early childhood. This review has three main goals: to identify which factors are closely examined as predictors for reading and writing, specifically decoding and encoding skills, in different populations and languages (Objective 1); to assess the longitudinal relationship between these predictors and reading and writing skills (Objective 2), considering difficulties or disorders in these areas (Objective 3), during school-age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets
June 2024
J Hand Ther
September 2024
Background: Glide deficit of the distal flexors' tendons following primary repair in zone 1-3 are very common. Adhesions of tendons have multi factorial origins and are closely related to the healing of the affected tissues. The surgical practice used to resolve these complications is tenolysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlob Reg Health Technol Assess
January 2024
Background: Prolactinoma, the most common pituitary adenoma, is usually treated with dopamine agonist (DA) therapy like cabergoline. Surgery is second-line therapy, and radiotherapy is used if surgical treatment fails or in relapsing macroprolactinoma.
Objective: This study aimed to provide economic evidence for the management of prolactinoma in Italy, using a cost-of-illness and cost-utility analysis that considered various treatment options, including cabergoline, bromocriptine, temozolomide, radiation therapy, and surgical strategies.
Background: Cocaine is a psychostimulant used by approximately 0.4% of the general population worldwide. Cocaine dependence is a chronic mental disorder characterised by the inability to control cocaine use and a host of severe medical and psychosocial complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cardiovasc Echogr
November 2023
Aims: In the EXPLORER-HCM trial, mavacamten reduced left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) and improved functional capacity of symptomatic hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) patients. We sought to define the potential use of mavacamten by comparing real-world HOCM patients with those enrolled in EXPLORER-HCM and assessing their eligibility to treatment.
Methods And Results: We collected information on HOCM patients followed up at 25 Italian HCM outpatient clinics and with significant LVOTO (i.
J Cardiovasc Echogr
May 2023
Background: The Italian Society of Echocardiography and Cardiovascular Imaging (SIECVI) conducted a national survey to understand better how different echocardiographic modalities are used and accessed in Italy.
Methods: We analyzed echocardiography laboratory activities over a month (November 2022). Data were retrieved via an electronic survey based on a structured questionnaire, uploaded on the SIECVI website.
Background: Audit and Feedback (A&F) is one of the most common strategies used to improve quality in healthcare. However, there is still lack of awareness regarding the enabling factors and barriers that could influence its effectiveness. The aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire to measure the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of general practitioners (GPs) regarding A&F.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets
November 2023
Introduction: This guideline (GL) is aimed at providing a reference for the management of prolactin (PRL)-secreting pituitary adenoma in adults. However, pregnancy is not considered.
Methods: This GL has been developed following the methods described in the Manual of the Italian National Guideline System.
Front Public Health
May 2023
A significant number of people, following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, report persistent symptoms or new symptoms that are sustained over time, often affecting different body systems. This condition, commonly referred to as Long-COVID, requires a complex clinical management. In Italy new health facilities specifically dedicated to the diagnosis and care of Long-COVID were implemented.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: the epidemiological surveillance programme carried out in the Italian Contaminated Sites (SENTIERI Project) is based on an a priori evaluation of the epidemiological evidence of a causal association between environmental exposures and health outcomes.
Objectives: to produce an updated review of the epidemiological evidence (January 2009-May 2020) on the association between environmental exposures and health outcomes predefined and published by the SENTIERI working group.
Methods: a systematic review was conducted on MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science.
Introduction Adn Objectives: The Sixth Report presents the results of the "SENTIERI Project: implementation of the permanent epidemiological surveillance system of populations residing in Italian Sites of Remediation Interest", promoted and financed by the Italian Ministry of Health (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention - CCM Project 2018). The aim of this study is to update the mortality and hospitalization analyses concerning the 6,227,531 inhabitants (10.4% of the Italian population) residing in 46 contaminated sites (39 of national interest and 7 of regional interest).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets
November 2023
Aim: This guideline (GL) is aimed at providing a reference for the management of non-functioning, benign thyroid nodules causing local symptoms in adults outside of pregnancy.
Methods: This GL has been developed following the methods described in the Manual of the National Guideline System. For each question, the panel appointed by Associazione Medici Endocrinology (AME) identified potentially relevant outcomes, which were then rated for their impact on therapeutic choices.