The Italian registry of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteria - IRENE:The study protocol

Background: A substantial increase in pulmonary and extra-pulmonary diseases due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has been documented worldwide, especially among subjects suffering from chronic respiratory diseases and immunocompromised patients. Many questions remain regarding the epidemiology of pulmonary disease due to NTM (NTM-PD) mainly because reporting of NTM-PD to health authorities is not mandated in several countries, including Italy. This manuscript describes the protocol of the first Italian registry of adult patients with respiratory infections caused by NTM (IRENE). Methods: IRENE is an observational, multicenter, prospective, cohort study enrolling consecutive adult patients with either a NTM respiratory isolate or those with NTM-PD. A total of 41 centers, including mainly pulmonary and infectious disease departments, joined the registry so far. Adult patients with all of the following are included in the registry: 1) at least one positive culture for any NTM species from any respiratory sample; 2) at least one positive culture for NTM isolated in the year prior the enrolment and/or prescribed NTM treatment in the year prior the enrolment; 3) given consent to inclusion in the study. No exclusion criteria are applied to the study. Patients are managed according to standard operating procedures implemented in each IRENE clinical center. An online case report form has been developed to collect patients' demographics, comorbidities, microbiological, laboratory, functional, radiological, clinical, treatment and outcome data at baseline and on an annual basis. An IRENE biobank has also been developed within the network and linked to the clinical data of the registry. Conclusions: IRENE has been developed to inform the clinical and scientific community on the current management of adult patients with NTM respiratory infections in Italy and acts as a national network to increase the disease's awareness

Trueness of intraoral scanners in implant-supported rehabilitations: An in vitro analysis on the effect of operators’ experience and implant number

Background: Intraoral scanners (IOS) are widely used in prosthodontics. However, a good trueness is mandatory to achieve optimal clinical results. The aim of the present in vitro study was to compare two IOS considering the operator’s experience and different implant clinical scenarios. (2) Methods: Two IOS (IT—Itero, Align Technology; and OS—Opera MC, Opera System, Monaco) were compared simulating three different clinical scenarios: Single implant, two implants, and full-arch rehabilitation. Ten scans were taken for each configuration by two different operators (one expert, one inexperienced); influence of operator experience and the type of scanner used was investigated. (3) Results: Trueness of the scans differed between the experienced and nonexperienced operator and this difference was statistically significant in all the three scenarios (p = 0.000–0.001, 0.037). A significant difference was present between the scanners (p = 0.000), in the two-implant and full-arch scenarios (p = 0.00). (4) Conclusions: Experience of the operator significantly affect trueness of IT and OP scanners. A statistically significant difference was present among IOS in the two-implant and full-arch scenarios

Promoting Emotional and Psychological Well-being of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Feasibility Study Combining Virtual Reality and Savoring

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a globally widespread pathology that causes an irreversible obstruction of airflow and it is associated with low levels of emotional and psychological well-being. In this context, Virtual Reality (VR) enhanced with savoring, that is the ability to generate and intensify positive emotions, can be employed to promote well-being and relaxation in patients with COPD. This ongoing study aims to investigate the feasibility of a two-week VR-based relaxation intervention enhanced with savoring in COPD patients in increasing emotional and psychological well-being, positive emotions, relaxation, oxygen saturation levels (SpO2) and decreasing negative emotions. Seventeen hospitalized patients of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit of IRCCS INRCA Casatenovo have been enrolled so far in this randomized controlled trial study. Together with the traditional pulmonary rehabilitation, the experimental group took part in the four-session VR-based intervention, while the active control group listened to relaxing music. In each session, the experimental group experienced a relaxing virtual scenario, and then participants completed a savoring exercise. Both groups complete the questionnaires before and after the intervention, and before and after each session. Independent samples t-tests based on delta scores revealed significant differences between the two groups in positive emotions and psychological well-being, suggesting that VR enhanced with savoring can be a promising path for promoting well-being in COPD patients. Indeed, savoring can amplify the positive effects of VR and create a connection with the positive experiences in patients' lives. Consequently, participants can build positive resources to counteract the harmful psychological effects caused by COPD

OVeRcomING COPD: Virtual Reality and Savoring to Promote the Well-Being of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The Department of Psychology of the Catholic University of Milan has developed a relaxation VR-based intervention enhanced with savoring strategies in COPD patients in collaboration with Become-Hub and the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit of IRCCS INRCA (Italian National Research Centre on Aging) Casatenovo (LC). In particular, immersive experiences have been proposed to enhance attention shifting and distract patients from negative feelings (e.g., fatigue, dyspnea, and monotony) and to motivate them when exercising. The use of virtual natural scenarios to promote relaxation alongside pulmonary rehabilitation represents a promising alternative especially for hospitalized patients with chronic illnesses who can't move in natural outdoor environments. To verify the efficacy of the developed protocol, a randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Together with the traditional pulmonary rehabilitation, the experimental group will take part in the relaxation intervention integrated with VR scenarios of the augmented well-being protocol provided by the Italian VR company Become-Hub (https://en.discoverbecome.com), while the control group will listen to relaxing music. The intervention will last 2 weeks and will include four sessions, each lasting 20 minutes. In each session, participants of the experimental group will watch a relaxing virtual scenario integrated with a narrative voice and lasting about 10 minutes. For instance, in “the secret garden,” participants will be accompanied on a walk inside a Japanese garden on a sunny day. In “the beach at sunset,” the narrative voice will guide the participants on a walk along the beach until sunset arrives, while in “the waterfall in the prairie,” participants will encounter flowers, lakes, and waterfalls during a walk in the prairie