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Background: Hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) is an uncommon, indolent, B-cell, lymphoproliferative disorder typically involving peripheral blood, spleen and bone marrow. It is commonly presenting with pancytopenia, monocytopenia and massive splenomegaly, while accounting for 2% of lymphoid leukaemias. Cases of extranodal lesions caused by HCL are rare, although these have been reported. Here, we report a case of HCL presenting as a paravertebral mass without systemic involvement. Case description: A 58-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to progressive difficulty walking for a month, without any other symptoms. Blood examination noted mild anaemia with Hb=12.6 g/dl and mild thrombocytopenia of 140,000/ul. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) imaging demonstrated a T6 posterior paravertebral mass lesion, extending into the spinal canal with metastatic bone lesions along the thoracic and lumbar spine. Further imaging study with CT indicated mild splenomegaly (13.4 cm) and an enlarged abdominal lymph node (3.5 cm) near celiac trifurcation. Conclusion: A core-needle biopsy from the paravertebral mass was performed. Results showed small-sized cells with round or oval nuclei, and pale cytoplasm with immunophenotype: B-cell origination with CD20+, Cyclin D1+, DBA.44+, Annexin+ and BRAF+, indicative of HCL.

Background: A link between inflammation and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in COVID-19 disease has been suggested pathophysiologically and clinically. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between inflammation and disease outcomes in adult hospitalized COVID-19 patients with VTE. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study, including quantitative and qualitative data collected from COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the Infectious Diseases Unit (IDU) of the University Hospital of Ioannina, from 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2022. Venous thromboembolism was defined as a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) and/or vascular tree-in-bud in the lungs. The burden of disease, assessed by computed tomography of the lungs (CTBoD), was quantified as the percentage (%) of the affected lung parenchyma. The study outcomes were defined as death, intubation, and length of hospital stay (LoS). A chi-squared test and univariate logistic regression analyses were performed in IBM SPSS 28.0. Results: After propensity score matching, the final study cohort included 532 patients. VTE was found in 11.2% of the total population. In patients with VTE, we found that lymphocytopenia and a high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio were associated with an increased risk of intubation and death, respectively. Similarly, CTBoD > 50% was associated with a higher risk of intubation and death in this group of patients. The triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index was also linked to worse outcomes. Conclusions: Inflammatory indices were associated with VTE. Lymphocytopenia and an increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio negatively impacted the disease’s prognosis and outcomes. Whether these indices unfavorably affect outcomes in COVID-19-associated VTE must be further evaluated.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, diabetes mellitus (DM) and obesity were associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between markers of inflammation, disease severity, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and outcomes in COVID-19 patients with and without diabetes and obesity. Materials and Methods: Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data were collected from the University Hospital of Ioannina COVID-19 Registry and included hospitalized patients from March 2020 to December 2022. The study cohort was divided into three subgroups based on the presence of DM, obesity, or the absence of both. Results: In diabetic patients, elevated CRP, IL-6, TRG/HDL-C ratio, and TyG index, severe pneumonia, and hyperglycemia were associated with extended hospitalization. Increased IL-6, NLR, and decreased PFR were associated with a higher risk of death. In the obese subgroup, lower levels of PFR were associated with longer hospitalization and a higher risk of death, while severe lung disease and hyperglycemia were associated with extended hospitalization. In patients without DM or obesity severe pneumonia, NLR, CRP, IL-6, insulin resistance indices, and hyperglycemia during hospitalization were associated with longer hospitalization. Conclusion: Inflammatory markers and disease severity indices were strongly associated with disease outcomes and hyperglycemia across all subgroups.

Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a common condition both in athletes and the general population. The purpose of this study is to highlight the most effective form of exercise in managing pain-related symptoms and functional capacity as well as in a return to life activities, ensuring the quality of life of patients with AT, and creating a protocol to be used in rehabilitation. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature in Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct, and PEDro for Randomised Controlled Trials concerning interventions that were based exclusively on exercise and delivered in patients 18–65 years old, athletes and non-athletes. An amount of 5235 research articles generated from our search. Five met our inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Research evidence supports the effectiveness of a progressive loading eccentric exercise program based on Alfredson’s protocol, which could be modified in intensity and pace to fit the needs of each patient with AT. Future research may focus on the optimal dosage and load of exercise in eccentric training and confirm the effectiveness of other type of exercise, such as a combination of eccentric–concentric training or heavy slow resistance exercise. Pilates could be applied as an alternative, useful, and friendly tool in the rehabilitation of AT.