EAN consensus statement for management of patients with neurological diseases during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Background and purpose The recent SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic has posed multiple challenges to the practice of clinical neurology including recognition of emerging neurological complications and management of coexistent neurological diseases. In a fast‐evolving pandemic, evidence‐based studies are lacking in many areas. This paper presents European Academy of Neurology (EAN) expert consensus statements to guide neurologists caring for patients with COVID‐19. Methods A refined Delphi methodology was applied. In round 1, statements were provided by EAN scientific panels (SPs). In round 2, these statements were circulated to SP members not involved in writing them, asking for agreement/disagreement. Items with agreement >70% were retained for round 3, in which SP co‐chairs rated importance on a five‐point Likert scale. Results were graded by importance and reported as consensus statements. Results In round one, 70 statements were provided by 23 SPs. In round two, 259/1061 SP member responses were received. Fifty‐nine statements obtained >70% agreement and were retained. In round three, responses were received from 55 co‐chairs of 29 SPs. Whilst general recommendations related to prevention of COVID‐19 transmission had high levels of agreement and importance, opinion was more varied concerning statements related to therapy. Conclusion This is the first structured consensus statement on good clinical practice in patients with neurological disease during the COVID‐19 pandemic that provides immediate guidance for neurologists. In this fast‐evolving pandemic, a rapid response using refined Delphi methodology is possible, but guidance may be subject to change as further evidence emerges

A plea for equitable global access to COVID‐19 diagnostics, vaccination and therapy: The NeuroCOVID‐19 Task Force of the European Academy of Neurology

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), a multi‐organ disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), continues to challenge health and care systems around the globe. The pandemic has disrupted acute neurology services and routine patient care and has impacted the clinical course in patients with chronic neurological disease. COVID‐19 appears to have exposed inequalities of societies and healthcare systems and had a disproportionate impact on already vulnerable communities. The next challenge will be to set up initiatives to stop disparities in all aspects related to COVID‐19. From the medical perspective, there is a need to consider inequalities in prevention, treatment and long‐term consequences. Some of the issues of direct relevance to neurologists are summarised. With this appraisal, the European Academy of Neurology NeuroCOVID‐19 Task Force intends to raise awareness of the potential impact of COVID‐19 on inequalities in healthcare and calls for action to prevent disparity at individual, national and supranational levels

Orme di Italiani sul Karakorum : Immagini e documenti dalla spedizione di Aimone di Savoia-Aosta, duca di Spoleto, in Karakorum (1927-1936)

Mostra collegata al Convegno internazionale di studi "Dall'Artico agli 8000. Ricerca scientifica, alpinismo, geografia e imperialismo in una prospettiva internazionale (1880-1964)". Milano, Universit\ue0 degli studi di Milano - Atrio dell'Aula Magn

Inversion of the spatiotemporal distribution of early postseismic slip within the rate-and-state framework using high-rate GNSS position time series

International audienceWhereas the spatial and temporal evolution of early postseismic slip (i.e., the first few hours) has been shown to be complex, we do not know well the mechanisms that control its behaviour. One pending question is to know whether or not the rate-and-state friction law is required to explain it, or if the rate-dependent friction law, traditionally used to explain afterslip observations on a day-to-month time scale, is sufficient. Based on 30-sec high-rate position time series that show the early postseismic surface displacements at 13 stations from 2.5 minutes to 3 days after the 2015 M8.3 Illapel, Chile, earthquake, we attempt to infer the frictional properties that control early postseismic slip on the fault. We invert simultaneously for the location and the amplitude of the slip patches, and for the frictional parameters that control their temporal behaviour. We use the elliptic slip patch inversion method (Vallée et Bouchon, 2004; Twardzik et al., 2012) that allows to reduce the number of unknown parameters and we solve, in particular, for the rate-and-state friction law parameters. The obtained frictional parameters are consistent with a velocity-strengthening behaviour. Our first results indicate that 1) the framework can explain the full time series, 2) the postseismic slip patches are located on the edge of the coseismic slip distribution, 3) the obtained stress drop parameter is consistent with that found for the coseismic rupture, and 4) the stiffness of the rate-and-state friction law is consistent with the size of the slip patches. We will also discuss the ability of compatible models to apply at longer postseismic timescales which would suggest a unique underlying physical process