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Gastrointestinal bleedings are relevant side effects in patients during anticoagulant therapy for atrial fibrillation. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are less correlated with major bleeding events than vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), but concerns are present about the relative risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Here we report the case of a patient with atrial fibrillation and dementia on DOAC treatment who developed a SSRI-associated thrombocytopenia with subsequent life-threatening bleeding. Physicians should be aware of the possible correlation between SSRI-induced thrombocytopenia and concomitant use of anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet drugs, thus preventing life-threatening bleedings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute bowel diseases are responsible for more than one third of subjects who were referred to the emergency department for acute abdominal pain and gastrointestinal evaluation. Gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) is often employed as the first imaging method, with a good diagnostic accuracy in the setting of acute abdomen, and it can be an optimal diagnostic strategy in young females due to the radiation exposure related to X-ray and computed tomography methods. The physician can examine the gastrointestinal system in the area with the greatest tenderness by ultrasound, thus obtaining more information and data on the pathology than the standard physical examination. In this comprehensive review, we have reported the most relevant indications and advantages to using ultrasound in the investigation of abdominal acute pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 patients may manifest thrombocytopenia and some of these patients succumb to infection due to coagulopathy. The aim of our study was to examine platelet count values in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, comparing them to a control group consisting of non-COVID-19 patients. Moreover, we evaluated the correlation between the platelet value and the respiratory alteration parameters and the outcome (hospitalization and mortality) in COVID-19 patients. The mean platelet values (×109/L) differed between patients with positive or negative SARS-CoV-2 swabs (242.1 ± 92.1 in SARS-CoV-2 negative vs. 215.2 ± 82.8 in COVID-19 patients, p < 0.001). In COVID-19 patients, the platelet count correlated with the A-aO2 gradient (p = 0.001, rho = −0.149), with its increase over the expected (p = 0.013; rho = −0.115), with the PaO2 values (p = 0.036; rho = 0.093), with the PCO2 values (p = 0.003; rho = 0.134) and with the pH values (p = 0.016; rho = −0.108). In COVID-19 negative patients, the platelet values correlated only with the A-aO2 gradient: (p = 0.028; rho = −0.101). Patients discharged from emergency department had a mean platelet value of 234.3 ± 68.7, those hospitalized in ordinary wards had a mean value of 204.3 ± 82.5 and in patients admitted to sub-intensive/intensive care, the mean value was 201.7 ± 75.1. In COVID-19 patients, the survivors had an average platelet value at entry to the emergency department of 220.1 ± 81.4, while that of those who died was 206.4 ± 87.7. Our data confirm that SARS-CoV-2 infection may induce thrombocytopenia, and that the reduction in platelet counts could be correlated with the main blood gas parameters and with clinical outcome; as a consequence, platelet count could be an important prognostic factor to evaluate and stratify COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most widespread liver disease, characterized by fatty acids liver accumulation and subsequent fibrosis. NAFLD prevalence ranges from 80% to 90% in obese subjects and is estimated to be around 50% in patients with metabolic syndrome. In this clinical scenario, diet and lifestyle modifications can play an important role. There are several imaging techniques that can accurately diagnose fatty liver. Recently, ultrasound has acquired a leading role in the diagnosis and follow-up of fatty liver disease. Furthermore, elastosonography represents a valid alternative to liver biopsy. Shear wave elastosonography evaluates the elastic and mechanical properties of liver tissue. The aim is to evaluate the effects of lifestyle and nutritional interventions and a loss of body weight during hepatic steatosis through ultrasonographic and elastosonographic techniques. Thirty-two female subjects with metabolic syndrome were subjected to clinical, anthropometric, and laboratory assessments, as well as abdominal ultrasonographic/elastosonographic measurements taken from enrollment time (T0) and after 3 months (T1) of lifestyle modifications. After 3 months of lifestyle changes, significant weight loss was observed, with a marked improvement in all adiposity indices. The laboratory parameters at T1 showed significant decreases in total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, basal blood glucose, 120 min glycaemia, basal insulin and HOMA Index (p < 0.001). A similar improvement was observed at T1 for steatosis degree (p < 0.01) and elastosonographic measurements (Kpa p < 0.001). The linear regression analysis of the baseline conditions documented that the size of the liver positively correlated with body weight, BMI, neck and waist circumferences, waist to height ratio (WhtR), insulin and HOMA Index, fat mass and visceral fat, and steatosis grade. After 3 months, the liver size showed improvement with positive correlations to all previous variables. Hepatic stiffness (Kpa) positively correlated with neck circumference, visceral fat, and ALT, with basal insulin, gamma-GT, and AST, and with waist circumference, WhtR, and fat mass. The degree of steatosis was positively correlated with more variables and with greater statistical significance at T1 with respect to T0. Particularly, the positive correlations between the degree of steatosis and neck circumference (p < 0.001), HOMA Index, and triglycerides (p < 0.001) appeared to be very significant. NAFLD management in women with metabolic syndrome should be focused on lifestyle modifications. Moreover, liver involvement and improvement at follow-up could be evaluated in a non-invasive manner through ultrasonographic and elastosonographic techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 patients present with delirium during their hospitalization. Aims: To assess the incidence of delirium in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and analyze the possible association with demographic, clinical, laboratory, and pharmacological factors. Methods: COVID-19 patients were assessed for clinical signs of delirium and administered the assessment test for delirium and cognitive impairment (4AT) and the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) scales. Results: Out of the 56 patients of our cohort, 14 (25.0%) experienced delirium. The use of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) (enoxaparin 1 mg/kg/daily) was less frequent in patients with delirium (p = 0.004) and was accompanied by lower C reactive protein (CRP) levels (p = 0.006). Discussion: The use of LMWH was associated with absence of delirium, independently of comorbidities and age. Conclusions: The use of LMWH may help preventing the occurrence of delirium in COVID-19 patients, with possible reduction of length of stay in the hospital and sequelae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The application of transthoracic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to the study of peripheral lung lesions is still a topic of debate. The main objective of this review was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CEUS in the diagnosis of malignant subpleural pulmonary consolidations and, therefore, differentiate them from benign ones. Methods: Papers published before December 2023 were detected through a search of PubMed, Cochrane library, and Embase. The pooled specificity and sensitivity, summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were used. Results: CEUS is characterized by a pooled sensitivity of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93–0.97) and a pooled specificity of 0.93 (95% CI: 0.90–0.95) in differentiating benign and malignant subpleural lung diseases; the AUC of SROC was 0.97. Homogeneous CE was characterized by a pooled sensitivity of 0.43 (95% CI: 0.40–0.45) and the pooled specificity of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.46–0.52). Non-homogeneous CE displayed a pooled sensitivity of 0.57 (95% CI: 0.55–0.60) and a pooled specificity of 0.51 (95% CI: 0.48–0.54). The lack of CE displayed a pooled sensitivity of 0.01 (95% CI: 0.00–0.06) and a pooled specificity of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.64–0.85). Marked CE displayed a pooled sensitivity of 0.41 (95% CI: 0.37–0.44) and a pooled specificity of 0.54 (95% CI: 0.50–0.58). Non-marked CE displayed a pooled sensitivity of 0.59 (95% CI: 0.56–0.63) and a pooled specificity of 0.46 (95% CI: 0.42–0.50). The early AT displayed a pooled sensitivity of 0.04 (95% CI: 0.02–0.08) and a pooled specificity of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.77–0.87). The early wash out displayed a pooled sensitivity of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.48–0.72) and a pooled specificity of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.92–1.00). The delayed wash out displayed a pooled sensitivity of 0.15 (95% CI: 0.10–0.20) and a pooled specificity of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.62–0.75). Conclusions: CEUS is characterized by excellent diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of the malignancy of subpleural lung lesions. By separately analyzing the CEUS findings, the diagnostic accuracy values are considerably lower and not significant in some cases. The simultaneous evaluation of multiple CEUS features allows us to reach an excellent diagnostic accuracy. Non-homogeneous CE with early wash out are the most indicative features of malignancy of a lung lesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article is intended to describe the strong relationship between oxidative stress and vascular disease. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the pathogenesis of vascular disease: oxidative stress is intimately linked to atherosclerosis, through oxidation of LDL and endothelial dysfunction, to diabetes, mainly through advanced glycation end-products (AGEs)/receptor for AGE (RAGE) axis impairment, protein kinase C (PKC), aldose reductase (AR) and NADPH oxidase (NOX) dysfunction, and to hypertension, through renin–angiotensin system (RAS) dysfunction. Several oxidative stress biomarkers have been proposed to detect oxidative stress levels and to improve our current understanding of the mechanisms underlying vascular disease. These biomarkers include ROS-generating and quenching molecules, and ROS-modified compounds, such as F 2 -isoprostanes. An efficient therapeutic approach to vascular diseases cannot exclude evaluation and treatment of oxidative stress. In fact, oxidative stress represents an important target of several drugs and nutraceuticals, including antidiabetic agents, statins, renin-angiotensin system blockers, polyphenols and other antioxidants. A better understanding of the relations between atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension and ROS and the discovery of new oxidative stress targets will translate into consistent benefits for effective vascular disease treatment and prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of thoracic ultrasound examination has not long been developed because ultrasound's interaction with the lung does not generate an anatomical image but an artifactual one. Subsequently, the evaluation of pulmonary artifacts and their correlation to specific diseases allowed the development of ultrasound semantics. Currently, pneumonia still represents one of the main causes of hospitalization and mortality. Several studies in the literature have demonstrated the ultrasound features of pneumonia. Although ultrasound cannot be considered the diagnostic gold standard for the study of all lung diseases, it has experienced an extraordinary development and growth of interest due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This review aims to provide essential information on the application of lung ultrasound to the study of infectious pneumonia and to discuss the differential diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It seems that during SARS-CoV-2 infection, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C values decrease and lipids could play a fundamental role in viral replication. Moreover, it has been shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection could influence thyroid function. We performed a retrospective analysis of 118 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, comparing pre-infection lipid profile (53 patients) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) values (45 patients) to those measured on admission. Our aim was to evaluate whether SARS-CoV-2 infection could be involved in thyroid and lipid profile alterations and study possible correlations with disease severity and clinical outcome. Median baseline values at the admission time were: total cholesterol at 136.89 ± 42.73 mg/dL, LDL-C 81.53 ± 30.35 mg/dL, and HDL-C 32.36 ± 15.13 mg/dL; and triglycerides at 115.00 ± 40.45 mg/dL, non-HDL-C 104.53 ± 32.63 md/dL, and TSH 1.15 ± 1.08 μUI/mL. Median values of pre-infection total cholesterol, HDL-C, and TSH were significantly higher than those measured at the admission time (p value < 0.05). The C-reactive protein (CRP) negatively correlated with LDL-C (p = 0.013) and HDL-C (p = 0.05). Our data underline a possible impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on thyroid function. Moreover it suggests a possible relation between COVID-19 and the lipid profile with a negative correlation between CRP, LDL-C, and HDL-C values, proposing the hypothesis that lipid lowering could follow the rising of the COVID-19 inflammatory state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thoracentesis is one of the most important invasive procedures in the clinical setting. Particularly, thoracentesis can be relevant in the evaluation of a new diagnosed pleural effusion, thus allowing for the collection of pleural fluid so that laboratory tests essential to establish a diagnosis can be performed. Furthermore, thoracentesis is a maneuver that can have therapeutic and palliative purposes. Historically, the procedure was performed based on a physical examination. In recent years, the role of ultrasound has been established as a valuable tool for assistance and guidance in the thoracentesis procedure. The use of ultrasound increases success rates and significantly reduces complications. The aim of this educational review is to provide a detailed and sequential examination of the procedure, focusing on the two main modalities, the ultrasound-assisted and ultrasound-guided form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus enters the cells via angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor; therefore, tissues expressing this receptor are potential targets for infection. Although many studies have observed gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, prevalence and clinical impact are still uncertain due to the heterogeneity of reports and obstacles to generalization. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included symptomatic patients requiring hospital admission, with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 by nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction test, between 18 March and 30 May 2020. Demographic data, symptoms at onset, vital signs, and laboratory tests at admission were recorded. Results: In all, 300 patients were included (57%M, 43%F). GI symptoms were mainly diarrhea (13%), anorexia (4.3%), vomiting (3%), and abdominal pain (2.3%). Overall, males were younger (68 years versus 76 years; p = 0.01); patients with GI manifestations at disease onset required significantly faster hospital admission and showed larger GI complication rates. GI symptoms were associated with abnormal high aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase serum titers, especially in male patients. Conclusion: Our study on an Italian population during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic shows that GI symptoms are part of the spectrum of the SARS-CoV-2 infection and could be the only manifestations at disease onset. Although patients with GI symptoms were associated with faster hospital admission and liver involvement, prognosis was not affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correlation between SARS-CoV-2 and oral manifestations is still controversial. The aim of this observational study was to determine the oral manifestation of the hospitalized patients for COVID-19. A total of 20 patients met the inclusion criteria and gave their signed informed consent. A questionnaire of 32 questions regarding the oral and systemic health condition was administrated to these patients during the convalescence. A descriptive statistic was performed. Data were analysed through the use of χ2 test, to assess the statistical significance. A statistically significant increase of about 30% of reporting xerostomia during hospitalization was observed (p = 0.02). Meanwhile, a decrease of oral hygiene was observed during the hospitalization, even if a non-statistically significant difference was shown between the two study time points (before and after hospitalization). During the hospitalization period, 25% of patients reported impaired taste, 15% burning sensation, and 20% difficulty in swallowing. An interesting result was that among the systemic conditions, hypertension was observed in 39% of patients and mostly in female patients (62.5%). Further studies are necessary to better understand the symptoms of this new virus in order to faster detect its presence in humans. Probably, a multidisciplinary team following the COVID-19 patients could be of key importance in treating this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is not only related to traditional cardiovascular risk factors like type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity, but it is also an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. MASLD has been shown to be independently related to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. MASLD is characterized by a chronic proinflammatory response that, in turn, may induce a prothrombotic state. Several mechanisms such as endothelial and platelet dysfunction, changes in the coagulative factors, lower fibrinolytic activity can contribute to induce the prothrombotic state. Platelets are players and addresses of metabolic dysregulation; obesity and insulin resistance are related to platelet hyperactivation. Furthermore, platelets can exert a direct effect on liver cells, particularly through the release of mediators from granules. Growing data in literature support the use of antiplatelet agent as a treatment for MASLD. The use of antiplatelets drugs seems to exert beneficial effects on hepatocellular carcinoma prevention in patients with MASLD, since platelets contribute to fibrosis progression and cancer development. This review aims to summarize the main data on the role of platelets in the pathogenesis of MASLD and its main complications such as cardiovascular events and the development of liver fibrosis. Furthermore, we will examine the role of antiplatelet therapy not only in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular events but also as a possible anti-fibrotic and anti-tumor agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a case in which lung ultrasound (LUS) was relevant to reach an early diagnosis of lung tuberculosis and to manage the patient in the right setting. Moreover, ultrasound allowed to detect and treat massive pleural effusion through an ultrasound‐guided thoracentesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have focused their attention on conjunctivitis as one of the symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, tear samples were taken from COVID-19 patients and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 was evidenced using Real Time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The main aim of this study was to analyze mRNA expression in the tears of patients with COVID-19 compared with healthy subjects using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). The functional evaluation of the transcriptome highlighted 25 genes that differ statistically between healthy individuals and patients affected by COVID-19. In particular, the NGS analysis identified the presence of several genes involved in B cell signaling and keratinization. In particular, the genes involved in B cell signaling were downregulated in the tears of COVID-19 patients, while those involved in keratinization were upregulated. The results indicated that SARS-CoV-2 may induce a process of ocular keratinization and a defective B cell response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although recent data show that SARS-CoV-2 infection seems to affect the central nervous system (CNS), little is known about the neuropsychiatric effects resulting from this condition. In addition to the well-known neurotrophism of coronaviruses, recent evidence shows also that the "cytokine storm" induced by the infection is at the basis of the neuroinflammation of the CNS. Furthermore, prolonged hospitalization, polypharmacotherapy, and isolation could be at the basis of the onset of delirium in hospitalized COVID patients. This multicentric observational study explores the incidence of the onset of delirium in an Italian cohort of SARS-CoV-2 positive inpatients.Methods: Data were collected in the COVIDhospitals of Brescia, Bergamo, Chieti, and Genova. Different socio-demographic, medical, neurological, and pharmacological parameters were collected. As a rapid screening for delirium, the 4AT scale was used. Eighty COVID-19 inpatients (mean age 74.7 ± 14.5 years) met the inclusion criteria (confirmed positivity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus; the presence of delirium and/or psychomotor agitation and/or new onset of other neuropsychiatric symptoms during hospitalization).Results: The majority of these patients (68.8%) had "hyperactive delirium" subtype. Polypharmacotherapy, current treatment with corticosteroids, and higher age were associated with delirium severity.Conclusion: These data provide an insight into the onset of delirium among COVID-19 patients underlining the need for monitoring, especially in elderly patients, the neuropsychiatric symptoms, and the therapy in order to have shorter hospitalization times and better outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic associated with a high risk of mortality. Human serum albumin (HSA) is an acute phase reactant with antioxidant property; however, its behavior and impact on survival in COVID-19 patients have never been studied so far. Among 319 COVID-19 patients followed up for a median of 19 days, 64 died. Compared with survivors, nonsurvivors had more prevalence of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, elevated levels of D-dimer, high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) and troponins, and lower values of albumin. At the Cox regression analysis, albumin (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.23–0.63, p < 0.001) and age (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.06, p = 0.001) were independently associated with mortality, irrespective of adjustment for gender, ICU admission, heart failure, COPD, and hs-CRP levels. Our observation leads to the hypothesis that HSA analysis may be used to identify patients at higher risk of death in COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterized by extremely heterogeneous features, going from cases with few symptoms to severe respiratory failures. Chest Computed Tomography (CT) is currently the gold-standard imaging method, although burdened by the risk of exposure to ionizing radiation and management / organizational concerns. In particular, the critical patient undergoing ventilation (invasive or not) seems to be difficult to monitor by repeated CT scan over time. We report the case of a 55-year-old male patient subjected to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and prone positioning, in which the use of ultrasound monitoring allowed to verify the effectiveness of the pressure support used in recruiting previously atelectasis lung areas. Lung ultrasound can guide pulmonary recruitment and pronation maneuvers in patients undergoing non-invasive ventilation. Ultrasound can identify atelectatic lung areas, which demonstrate an alveolar re-expansion following the setting of high PEEP values, as underlined by the reappearance of pleural/air interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical outcome data of patients discharged after Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are limited and no study has evaluated predictors of cardiovascular prognosis in this setting. Our aim was to assess short-term mortality and cardiovascular outcome after hospitalization for COVID-19. A prospective cohort of 296 consecutive patients discharged after COVID-19 from two Italian institutions during the first wave of the pandemic and followed up to 6 months was included. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The co-primary endpoint was the incidence of the composite outcome of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE: cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, acute heart failure, or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes). The mean follow-up duration was 6 ± 2 months. The incidence of all-cause death was 4.7%. At multivariate analysis, age was the only independent predictor of mortality (aHR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.16). MACCE occurred in 7.2% of patients. After adjustment, female sex (aHR 2.6, 95% CI 1.05–6.52), in-hospital acute heart failure during index hospitalization (aHR 3.45, 95% CI 1.19–10), and prevalent atrial fibrillation (aHR 3.05, 95% CI 1.13–8.24) significantly predicted the incident risk of MACCE. These findings may help to identify patients for whom a closer and more accurate surveillance after discharge for COVID-19 should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disorder which affects the motor neurons. Growing evidence suggests that ALS may impact the metabolic system, including the glucose metabolism. Several studies investigated the role of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) as risk and/or prognostic factor. However, a clear correlation between DM and ALS has not been defined. In this review, we focus on the role of DM in ALS, examining the different hypotheses on how perturbations of glucose metabolism may interact with the pathophysiology and the course of ALS. Methods: We undertook an independent PubMed literature search, using the following search terms: ((ALS) OR (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) OR (Motor Neuron Disease)) AND ((Diabetes) OR (Glucose Intolerance) OR (Hyperglycemia)). Review and original articles were considered. Results: DM appears not to affect ALS severity, progression, and survival. Contrasting data suggested a protective role of DM on the occurrence of ALS in elderly and an opposite effect in younger subjects. Conclusions: The actual clinical and pathophysiological correlation between DM and ALS is unclear. Large longitudinal prospective studies are needed. Achieving large sample sizes comparable to those of common complex diseases like DM is a challenge for a rare disease like ALS. Collaborative efforts could overcome this specific issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]