Distancing Measures in COVID-19 Pandemic: Loneliness, More than Physical Isolation, Affects Health Status and Psycho-Cognitive Wellbeing in Elderly Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Since the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020, many governments have been imposing confinement and physical distancing measures. No data exist on the effects of lockdowns on the health status of patients affected by chronic pathologies, specifically those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Our study aims to establish variations across the psychological and cognitive profile of patients during the isolation period in Italy, in a cohort of patients affected by COPD, between February and May 2020. Forty patients with established COPD were comprehensively evaluated by geriatric multidimensional assessment before the spread of the epidemic in Italy, and submitted to a second evaluation during the subsequent lockdown. We assessed functional ability, basic and instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL and IADL), cognition and mood status. We compared the scores obtained at baseline against those obtained during the pandemic, and used mean differences for correlation with major clinical and functional indexes. The score differences from MMSE, ADL and IADL were statistically significant. Such differences were correlated to the presence of a caregiver and to the total number of family members living together. Remarkably, the loneliness dimension, more than the restrictions themselves, seemed to represent the major determinant of altered health status and depressed psycho-cognitive profile in our population. Also remarkably, we detected no correlation between the score variation and the respiratory function indexes of disease severity. The isolation measures adopted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have triggered the classic clinical string associated to geriatric isolation, which leads to a deterioration of cognitive functions, independence and frailty levels in a population affected by a chronic degenerative disease, such as COPD. If considered from a multidimensional geriatric point of view, the individual benefit of isolation measures could be small or non-existent

Central Pancreatectomy to Treat a Giant Solid Pseudopapillary Tumor of the Pancreas - An Uncommon Surgical Procedure for a Rare Tumor: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Context Solid pseudopapillary tumor is a rare tumor of the pancreas. Solid pseudopapillary tumor is nine times more frequent in the body and tail than in the head of the pancreas. It usually does not reach a large size. The majority of patients are young females and most of them are asymptomatic. Neoplasms of the midportion of the pancreas, not suitable for enucleation, can be treated with central pancreatectomy. The central pancreatectomy is commonly proposed for tumors that do not exceed 5 cm of dimension. Case report We report a case of seventeen-years-old woman who was admitted to our institution with abdominal pain and a palpable mass in the left hypochondrial area. US, CT and RMN scan revealed a giant (> 10 cm.) well-demarcated and encapsulated solid mass in the body of the pancreas, with a great amount of intralesional cystic-hemorrhagic component. The patient was treated by a variant of central pancreatectomy without splenectomy and pancreatic duct reconstruction. There was no metastatic disease in either the liver or peritoneum. The histological analysis identifies the tumor as a Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas. Fifteen years' follow-up period showed no recurrence. Conclusions Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas behaves like a potentially malignant tumor and has good prognosis. Surgical resection is dictated by tumor location and is the treatment of choice. The increasing interest in parenchyma-sparing pancreatic surgery has found large application in treatment of Solid pseudopapillary tumor, with the aim of preserving exocrine and endocrine pancreatic function, and achieving a better quality of life after surgery. Considering the low malignant potential, the central pancreatectomy can be considered an excellent therapeutic strategy for the treatment of this type of tumor also when they have giant dimensions and are localized in the central-pancreatic portion

Characterization of a Novel Polymorphism in PPARG Regulatory Region Associated with Type 2 Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy in Italy

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma polymorphisms have been widely associated with type 2 diabetes, although their role in the pathogenesis of vascular complications is not yet demonstrated. In this study, a cohort of 211 type 2 diabetes, 205 obese, and 254 control individuals was genotyped for Pro12Ala, C1431T, C-2821T polymorphisms, and for a newly identified polymorphism (A-2819G). The above-mentioned polymorphisms were analyzed by gene-specific PCR and direct sequencing of all samples. A significant difference was found for -2819G frequency when patients with type 2 diabetes—particularly diabetic women with the proliferative retinopathy—were compared with healthy control individuals. In conclusion, we identified a novel polymorphism, A-2819G, in PPARG gene, and we found it to be associated with type 2 diabetes and proliferative retinopathy in diabetic females. In the analyzed population, this variant represents a genetic risk factor for developing the diabetic retinopathy, whereas Pro12Ala and C1431T do not

Electromyographic signature of isometric squat in the highest refuge in Europe

Reports of electromyography during hypoxic exercise are contrasting, due to protocol and muscle diversity. This work aimed to investigate alterations in muscle activation and myoelectrical fatigue during exercise at high-altitude in those muscles primarily involved in trekking. Twelve young adults balanced by gender and age were tested at low (1,667 m) and high (4,554 m, "Capanna Margherita", Italy) altitude, during an isometric squat lasting 60 seconds. High-density surface electromyography was performed from the quadriceps of right limb. The root mean square (RMS), median frequency with its slope, and muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) were computed. Neither males nor females showed changes in median frequency (Med: 36.13 vs 35.63 Hz) and its slope (Med: -9 vs -12 degree) in response to high-altitude trekking, despite a great inter-individual heterogeneity, nor differences were found for MFCV. RMS was not significantly equivalent, with greater values at low altitude (0.385 ± 0.104 mV) than high altitude (0.346 ± 0.090 mV). Unexpected results can be due either to a postural compensation of the whole body compensating for a relatively greater effort or to the inability to support muscle activation after repeated physical efforts.  Interesting results may emerge by measuring simultaneously electromyography, muscle oxygenation and kinematics comparing trekking at normoxia vs hypoxia

A monoinstitutional experience and literature review

Background We evaluated the frequency of incidental papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (mPTC) in thyroidectomies performed for benign diseases, to better characterize this nosologic entity and to assess the best treatment

Sicilia—silicon carbide detectors for intense luminosity investigations and applications

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a compound semiconductor, which is considered as a possible alternative to silicon for particles and photons detection. Its characteristics make it very promising for the next generation of nuclear and particle physics experiments at high beam luminosity. Silicon Carbide detectors for Intense Luminosity Investigations and Applications (SiCILIA) is a project starting as a collaboration between the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) and IMM-CNR, aiming at the realization of innovative detection systems based on SiC. In this paper, we discuss the main features of silicon carbide as a material and its potential application in the field of particles and photons detectors, the project structure and the strategies used for the prototype realization, and the first results concerning prototype production and their performance