Efficacy and Safety of Pimodivir Combined with Standard-of-care in Hospitalized and Non-hospitalized High-risk Adolescents and Adults with Influenza A Infection.

BACKGROUND: An unmet need exists for effective antivirals to treat patients hospitalized with influenza. The results of 2 Phase 3 studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of pimodivir in combination with investigator-chosen standard-of-care (SoC) treatment are presented. METHODS: Hospitalized patients (hospital study; NCT03376321) and high-risk outpatients (outpatient study; NCT03381196) with laboratory-confirmed influenza A infection were randomized 1:1 to 600 mg pimodivir twice daily (BID) + SoC, or placebo BID + SoC for 5 days. For most patients SoC included oseltamivir. Primary endpoints were Hospital Recovery Scale (HRS) at Day 6 (hospital study) and median time to resolution (TTR) of influenza-related symptoms (outpatient study). RESULTS: Pimodivir + SoC (oseltamivir) treatment showed no clinical benefit over placebo + SoC on HRS at Day 6 (common odds ratio, 0.943 [95% CI, 0.609-1.462], P = .397; hospital study). A shorter median TTR of 7 symptoms was estimated with pimodivir + SoC versus placebo (92.6 hours [95% CI, 77.6-104.2] versus 105.1 hours [95% CI, 92.7-128.6], P = .0216; outpatient study). CONCLUSION: Pimodivir + SoC showed no additional clinical benefit versus SoC treatment alone in hospitalized patients. Pimodivir + SoC demonstrated shorter TTR of influenza symptoms versus placebo + SoC in high-risk outpatients.

The Current Mismatch Between COVID-19 Clinical Trial Design and the Evolving Profile of Hospitalized Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Evaluating 100 adult coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients at a Madrid hospital, we identified a mismatch between current clinical trial designs and the evolving profile of hospitalized patients. Most patients were ineligible due to design constraints, suggesting a need to rethink trial criteria for a more accurate representation of the hospitalized COVID-19 cohort.

Assessment of bacterial profile, antimicrobial susceptibility status, and associated factors of isolates among hospitalized patients at Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northeast Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistant bacteria among hospitalized patients are becoming a major public health threat worldwide, mainly in developing countries. Infections by these multidrug resistant pathogens cause high rate of mortality, prolong hospital stays, and affect individual and country economies in greater amounts. Thus, this study aimed to assess the bacterial profile, antimicrobial susceptibility status, and associated factors of isolates from hospitalized patients at the Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. METHODOLOGY: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between February and April 2021. Consecutive sampling was used to select the study participants. All bacterial isolates were identified using standard bacteriological techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using disk diffusion technique. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of 384 clinical samples (blood, urine, stool, wound, vaginal discharge, and ear discharge) processed 180 (46.9%) were culture positive. Overall, Escherichia coli was the predominant isolate (41; 22.8%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (36; 20%). Most of the isolates were from blood (70; 38.9%). The level of overall drug resistance of the gram-negative bacteria isolates for ampicillin, tetracycline, and cotrimoxazole was (104; 88.1%), (79; 75.9%), and (78; 75.0%), respectively. The overall multidrug rate of isolates was 143 (79.4%). Variables such as history of invasive procedures, chronic underlying diseases, history of hospitalization, and habit of eating raw animal products were statistically significant for the acquisition of bacterial infection. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION: E. Coli and S. aureus were the most common isolates. Most of the isolates were resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics. And also, consumption of raw animal products, chronic underlying disease, previous hospitalization, history of invasive procedures, and educational status were associated with the acquisition of bacterial infections. Therefore, routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing, proper patient management, wise use of antibiotics in clinical settings and health education are recommended.

Effect of inactivated vaccine boosters against severe and critical COVID-19 during the Omicron BA.5 wave: A retrospective analysis of hospitalized patients in China.

Few real-world analyses of the ability of vaccines to protect against severe COVID-19 have been published. In this real-world study, we compared the prevalence of severe or critical COVID-19 between patients at our hospital who were not vaccinated against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or who had been vaccinated partial, full, or booster course with the CoronaVac, containing inactivated virus propagated in Vero cells. Data from electronic health records were retrospectively analyzed for 4090 inpatients with COVID-19 who were treated at West China Hospital, Chengdu between December 6, 2022 and February 14, 2023. Clinicodemographic characteristics and COVID-19 severity were compared among patients who had been vaccinated 0, 1, 2 or more times with inactivated vaccine CoronaVac. To evaluate vaccine effectiveness over time, we plotted Kaplan-Meier curves with the percentage of patients with the outcome of severe or critical COVID-19 from the time of their last vaccine dose according to vaccination status. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess associations between vaccination status and COVID-19 severity. Cox regression was used to identify risk factors for severe or critical COVID-19. Among the 4090 patients, 171 had been vaccinated partial and 423 twice with the full CoronaVac regimens, while 905 had been vaccinated three times (boosted). The prevalence of severe or critical COVID-19 among patients was 11 percentage points lower among those vaccinated (40%) at least twice than among those unvaccinated (51%) (p＜0.001), while it was 10% points lower among those who had received a booster (41%) than among those unvaccinated (51%) (p＜0.001). Protection against severe or critical COVID-19 due to vaccination was significantly weakened by being older than 65 years, being male, or having diabetes, chronic heart disease, autoimmune disease, or chronic lung disease. Completing a full course of immunization with inactivated vaccine CoronaVac against SARS-CoV-2 can reduce the risk of severe or critical COVID-19 due to the Omicron BA.5 subvariant.

Impact of vaccination status on clinical outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

INTRODUCTION: It is important to identify the relationship between the COVID-19 vaccination status and the prognosis of this disease in hospitalized patients to gain a more accurate picture of their status and the effect of vaccination, as well as take necessary measures to improve their medical care. Thus, the present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the vaccination status of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and the disease severity index in terms of clinical, imaging, and laboratory criteria. METHODS: This research is a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study. the study population consisted of patients with a positive RT-PCR test for coronavirus, admitted to COVID-19 departments of teaching hospitals in Yazd, Iran, during two months in the sixth peak of COVID-19. The patients' data comprised demographic information (age, sex, and underlying disease), clinical information (length of hospital stay, length of ICU stay, and vaccination status), disease outcome (mortality and intubation), laboratory information (ESR, CRP, and NLR), and imaging information (lung involvement percentage), and finally, the relationship between patients' vaccination status and disease severity indices were analyzed with the chi-square test, independent t-test, and logistic regression analysis at a 95% confidence interval (CI). FINDINGS: According to research findings, the duration of hospitalization was 5.25 ± 2.34 and 6.11 ± 3.88 days in groups of patients with complete and incomplete vaccination, respectively (P = 0.003). The lengths of ICU stay were 6 ± 4.63 and 5.23 ± 3.73 days in both groups of patients admitted to the ICU (P = 0.395). Furthermore, there were significant relationships between the ICU admission rates, endotracheal intubation, mortality rate, the lung involvement score in the chest CT scan, and the NLR with the vaccination status.Multivariate regression analysis indicated that DM, IHD, NLR, CT scan score and vaccination status were related to patients' in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Complete vaccination of COVID-19 led to a milder disease in terms of clinical, imaging, and laboratory criteria of patients and decreased the possibility of hospitalization in ICUs, intubation, and mortality in patients.

Epidemiology of Citrobacter spp. infections among hospitalized patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Infections due to Citrobacter species are increasingly observed in hospitalized patients and are often multidrug-resistant. Yet, the magnitude and burden of Citrobacter spp. resistance in the hospital setting have not been reported. We aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of Citrobacter spp. infections among hospitalized patients, their main resistance patterns and Citrobacter spp. involvement in hospital outbreaks. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature (PROSPERO registration Jan-2023, CRD42023390084). We searched Embase, Medline and grey literature for studies on hospitalized patients diagnosed with Citrobacter spp. infections, and nosocomial outbreaks due to Citrobacter spp. published during the years 2000-2022. We included observational, interventional, surveillance studies and outbreak reports. Outcomes of interest were the frequency of Citrobacter spp. infections among hospitalized patients and 3rd generation cephalosporin and/or carbapenem resistance percentages in these infections. We used random-effects models to generate pooled outcome estimates and evaluated risk of bias and quality of reporting of outbreaks. RESULTS: We screened 1609 deduplicated publications, assessed 148 full-texts, and included 41 studies (15 observational, 13 surveillance and 13 outbreak studies). Citrobacter spp. urinary tract- and bloodstream infections were most frequently reported, with Citrobacter freundii being the main causative species. Hospital-acquired infection occurred in 85% (838/990) of hospitalized patients with Citrobacter infection. After 2010, an increasing number of patients with Citrobacter spp. infections was reported in observational studies. Pooled frequency estimates for Citrobacter spp. infections could not be generated due to lack of data. The pooled prevalence of ESBL and carbapenemase producers among Citrobacter isolates were 22% (95%CI 4-50%, 7 studies) and 18% (95%CI 0-63%, 4 studies), respectively. An increased frequency of reported Citrobacter outbreaks was observed after 2016, with an infection/colonization ratio of 1:3 and a case-fatality ratio of 7% (6/89 patients). Common outbreak sources were sinks, toilets, contaminated food and injection material. Implemented preventive measures included environmental cleaning, isolation of positive patients and reinforcement of hand hygiene. Only seven out of 13 outbreaks (54%) were definitively controlled. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the clinical importance of endemic and epidemic Citrobacter spp. in healthcare settings. As an emerging, multidrug­resistant nosocomial pathogen it requires heightened awareness and further dedicated surveillance efforts.

The impact of health disparities on peripheral vascular access outcomes in hospitalized patients: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Placement of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVC) is a routine procedure in hospital settings. The primary objective is to explore the relationship between healthcare inequities and PIVC outcomes. METHODS: This study was a multicenter, observational analysis of adults with PIVC access established in the emergency department requiring inpatient admission between January 1st, 2021, and January 31st, 2023, in metro Detroit, Michigan, United States. Epidemiological, demographic, therapeutic, clinical, and outcomes data were collected. Health disparities were defined by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The primary outcome was the proportion of PIVC dwell time to hospitalization length of stay, expressed as the proportion of dwell time (hours) to hospital stay (hours) x 100%. Multivariable linear regression and a machine learning model were used for variable selection. Subsequently, a multivariate linear regression analysis was utilized to adjust for confounders and best estimate the true effect of each variable. RESULTS: Between January 1st, 2021, and January 31st, 2023, our study analyzed 144,524 ED encounters, with an average patient age of 65.7 years and 53.4% female. Racial demographics showed 67.2% White, and 27.0% Black, with the remaining identifying as Asian, American Indian Alaska Native, or other races. The median proportion of PIVC dwell time to hospital length of stay was 0.88, with individuals identifying as Asian having the highest ratio (0.94) and Black individuals the lowest (0.82). Black females had a median dwell time to stay ratio of 0.76, significantly lower than White males at 0.93 (p < 0.001). After controlling for confounder variables, a multivariable linear regression demonstrated that Black males and White males had a 10.0% and 19.6% greater proportion of dwell to stay, respectively, compared to Black females (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Black females face the highest risk of compromised PIVC functionality, resulting in approximately one full day of less reliable PIVC access than White males. To comprehensively address and rectify these disparities, further research is imperative to improve understanding of the clinical impact of healthcare inequities on PIVC access. Moreover, it is essential to formulate effective strategies to mitigate these disparities and ensure equitable healthcare outcomes for all individuals.

Incidence and factors associated with deep vein thrombosis among hospitalized adult patients at Hawassa university comprehensive specialized hospital Hawassa city, Sidama, Ethiopia: retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Deep vein thrombosis is a public health problem with substantial morbidity and mortality globally. In Ethiopia, death due to complications of DVT is very significant however its incidence, risk factors, and preventive methods are not well studied. To assess the incidence and factors associated with deep vein thrombosis among hospitalized adult patients at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Hawassa, Ethiopia. METHOD: Intuitional-based retrospective study design was employed in July1-August 30, 2022 in 660 randomly selected patients' record cards. The patients' record cards were reviewed from 2012 to 2014 at Hawassa University Compressive Specialized Hospital. The data entry and analysis were done by using Epi Info and SPSS version 24. After adjusting covariates at a 95% confidence interval, an independent variable with a P value < 0.05 was declared significantly associated with deep vein thrombosis. An odds ratio was calculated to measure the strength of the relationship independent variable and deep vein thrombosis. RESULTS: The overall incidence of DVT was 10.6% [95% CI: 8.5%, 13.1%]. After adjusting for covariates, orthopedic trauma; AOR = 2.6 (95% CI (1.2-5.4), corona virus; AOR = 2.5 (95%CI (1.07-5.1), and hospital stay > 15 days; AOR = 2.2 (95% CI (1.25-3.94) were significantly associated with deep vein thrombosis. CONCLUSION: DVT incidence is high among hospitalized patients. An orthopedic trauma, a recent infection of the coronavirus, and a hospital stay above 15 days were a risk to acquire deep vein thrombosis. Early identification and detection of patients at high risk of developing DVT and provision of prophylaxis are recommended.

Incidence and characteristic of deep venous thrombosis in hospitalized chronic heart failure patients.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), outcomes and its characteristics in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) in a retrospective setting. OUTCOMES: Patients died of cardiac shock or acute exacerbation of heart failure (HF), admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) due to acute exacerbation of HF, patients decided to withdraw treatment and return home due to acute exacerbation of HF. METHODS: From January 2015 to June 2022, we admitted 359 patients diagnosed with CHF, and lower limb ultrasonography was performed for the examination of DVT after admission. The incidence of DVT was recorded and patients with known risk factors of VTE were identified and excluded after incidence of DVT was calculated. Patients' clinical data were then collected. RESULTS: The occurrence of DVT was 10.0% (36/359), as calf intramuscular vein thrombosis was the main constitution (n = 28, 75%). DVT patients with other factors (carcinoma, surgery, stroke, previous history of DVT) constituted a considerable part (33.3%, 12/36). Age, history of Diabetes Mellitus (DM), levels of DDi (D-Dimer), levels of alanine transferase (ALT) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDd) were independent predictors or risk factors of DVT in CHF patients, while chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 1-4, white blood cell (WBC) and direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) were protective factors. Incidence of DVT was correlated with a poor outcome of CHF patients (Pearson Chi-Square test, Value 19.612, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective study, incidence of DVT was found to be relatively high among hospitalized CHF patients, while patients with DVT was associated with a poor prognosis.

Differences of anticholinergic drug burden between older hospitalized patients with and without delirium: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on prospective cohort studies.

OBJECTIVES: This review aims to comprehensively summarize the differences in anticholinergic drug burden (ADB) scores between older hospitalized patients with and without delirium. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and CINAHL EBSCOhost databases to identify prospective cohort studies exploring the relationship between ADB and the occurrence of delirium in older hospitalized patients. The primary outcome of the review was the mean ADB scores for the delirium and non-delirium groups, and the secondary outcome was the scores for the subsyndromal and non-delirium groups. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were incorporated using a fixed-effect method. Moreover, we performed subgroup analysis according to the admission type, age, the ADB scale type and the ADB classification. RESULTS: Nine prospective cohort studies involving 3791 older patients with a median age of 75.1 (71.6-83.9) were included. The ADB score was significantly higher in the delirium group than in the non-delirium group (SMD = 0.21, 95%CI 0.13-0.28). In subgroup analysis, the age subgroup was split into < 75 and ≥ 75 according to the median age of the older people. There were significant differences in ADB scores between older people with delirium and those without delirium in various subgroups: surgical (SMD = 0.20, 95%CI 0.12-0.28), internal medicine (SMD = 0.64, 95%CI 0.25-1.02), age < 75 (SMD = 0.17, 95%CI 0.08-0.26), age ≥ 75 (SMD = 0.27, 95%CI 0.15-0.39), ADS scale (SMD = 0.13, 95%CI 0.13-0.40), ARS scale (SMD = 0.15, 95%CI 0.03-0.26), ACB scale (SMD = 0.13, 95%CI 0.01-0.25), pre-admission ADB (SMD = 0.24, 95%CI 0.05-0.43) and ADB during hospitalization (SMD = 0.20, 95%CI 0.12-0.27). CONCLUSIONS: We found a quantitative relationship between ADB and delirium in older patients admitted for internal medicine and surgery. And this relationship remained significant in different age, ADB scale type and ADB classification subgroups. However, the actual difference in ADB scores between patients with delirium and without delirium was small. More high-quality observational studies should be conducted to explore the impact of ADB on delirium and subsyndromal delirium. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol was published in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) [Ref: CRD42022353649].

Time to death from cervical cancer and its predictors in hospitalized patients: a survival approach study in Mato Grosso, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer (CC) is a serious public health concern, being the fourth most common cancer among women and a leading cause of cancer mortality. In Brazil, many women are diagnosed late, and in Mato Grosso, with its geographical diversity, there are specific challenges. This study analyzed hospital survival and its predictors using data from the Hospital Information System (SIH) of the Unified Health System (SUS) in Mato Grosso from 2011 to 2023. METHODS: Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier models were applied to determine survival time and identify mortality predictors. The adjusted Hazard Ratio (AHR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to measure the association between the factors analyzed. RESULTS: The hospital mortality rate was 9.88%. The median duration of hospitalization was 33 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 12-36), with a median survival of 43.7%. Patients were followed up for up to 70 days. In the multivariable Cox model, after adjusting for potential confounders, the risk of death during hospitalization was higher in patients aged 40-59 years (AHR = 1.39, p = 0.027) and 60-74 years (AHR = 1.54, p = 0.007), in the absence of surgical procedures (AHR = 4.48, p < 0.001), in patients with medium service complexity (AHR = 2.40, p = 0.037), and in the use of ICU (AHR = 4.97, p < 0.001). On the other hand, patients with hospital expenses above the median (152.971 USD) showed a reduced risk of death (AHR = 0.21, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study highlights that hospitalized CC patients have reduced survival, underscoring the need for interventions to improve care, including strategies for early diagnosis and expanded access to adequately resourced health services.

Influencing factors of length of stay among repeatedly hospitalized patients with mood disorders: a longitudinal study in China.

BACKGROUND: Patients with mood disorders usually require repeated and prolonged hospitalization, resulting in a heavy burden on healthcare resources. This study aims to identify variables associated with length of stay(LOS) of repeatedly hospitalized patients with mood disorders and to provide information for optimizing psychiatry management and healthcare resource allocation. METHODS: Electronic medical records (EMRs) of repeatedly hospitalized patients with mood disorders from January 2010 to December 2018 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Chi-square and t-test were adopted to investigate the differences in characteristics between the two groups of short LOS and long LOS. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) was conducted to investigate potential factors influencing LOS. RESULTS: A total of 2,009 repeatedly hospitalized patients with mood disorders were enrolled, of which 797 (39.7%) had a long LOS and 1,212 (60.3%) had a short LOS. Adverse effects of treatment, continuous clinical manifestation, chronic onset type, suicide attempt, comorbidity and use of antidepressants were positively associated with long LOS among all repeatedly hospitalized patients with mood disorders (P < 0.050). For patients with depression, factors associated with long LOS consisted of age, monthly income, adverse effects of treatment, continuous clinical manifestation, suicide attempt and comorbidity (P < 0.050). Whereas, for patients with bipolar disorder (BD), adverse effects of treatment, four or more hospitalizations and use of antidepressants contributed to the long LOS (P < 0.050). Influencing factors of LOS also vary among patients with different effectiveness of treatment. CONCLUSION: The LOS in repeatedly hospitalized patients with mood disorders was influenced by multiple factors. There were discrepancies in the factors affecting LOS in patients with different diagnoses and effectiveness of treatment, and specific factors should be addressed when evaluating the LOS.

[Number of teeth as indicator for individual risk for delirium]. / Zahnzahl als Indikator für individuelles Delirrisiko.

BACKGROUND: Recent research claims some interdependence between oral health and dementia; however, no empirical data could be found regarding the role of oral hygiene in delirium. This study investigated potential risk indicators related to oral hygiene in relation to development of delirium in the care of older patients. METHODS: A dental examination was performed in 120 patients in the context of a case-control study. The ratio of diseased patients with risk factors to diseased patients without risk factors describes the correlation between risk factors and the risk of disease. A binary logistic regression was performed to determine the correlation of the number of teeth to delirium. RESULTS: Every lost tooth enhances the delirium risk by 4.6%. Edentulous patients had a 2.66-fold higher risk to suffer from delirium. Caries experience and periodontitis has no significant impact on delirium prevalence. DISCUSSION: Both edentulousness and the number of lost teeth could be considered as risk indicators for delirium. Periodontitis or caries experience did not have a direct significant impact. The present study examined the merits of edentulousness and tooth loss as a screening parameter.

Night-time detection and response in relation to deteriorating inpatients: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Although detection and response to clinical deterioration have been studied, the range and nature of studies focused on night-time clinical setting remain unclear. AIM: This study aimed to identify and map existing research and findings concerning night-time detection and response to deteriorating inpatients in usual care or research settings. STUDY DESIGN: A scoping review method was used. PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Ichushi-Web databases were systematically searched. We included studies focusing on night-time detection and response to clinical deterioration. RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies were included. These studies were organized into five categories: night-time medical emergency team or rapid response team (MET/RRT) response, night-time observation using the early warning score (EWS), available resources for physicians' practice, continuous monitoring of specific parameters, and screening for night-time clinical deterioration. The first three categories were related to interventional measures in usual care settings, and relevant findings mainly demonstrated the actual situation and challenges of night-time practice. The final two categories were related to the interventions in the research settings and included innovative interventions to identify at-risk or deteriorating patients. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic interventional measures, such as MET/RRT and EWS, could have been sub-optimally performed at night. Innovations in monitoring technologies or implementation of predictive models could be helpful in improving the detection of night-time deterioration. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This review provides a compilation of current evidence regarding night-time practice concerning patient deterioration. However, a lack of understanding exists on specific and effective practices regarding timely action for deteriorating patients at night.

Patient Characteristics During Early Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, Palau, January 13-February 24, 2022.

Palau had no reported evidence of COVID-19 community spread until January 2022. We chart reviewed hospitalized patients who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result during early community transmission. Booster vaccinations and early outpatient treatment decreased hospitalizations. Inadequate hospital infection control practices contributed to iatrogenic COVID-19 and preventable deaths.

Two-year impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalized patients with skin diseases in China.

To investigate the clinical characteristics of skin disorders among hospitalized patients before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a retrospective study was conducted based on hospitalized patients with skin diseases from Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, the largest hospital in the south-central region of China, between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021. A total of 3039 hospitalized patients were enrolled in the study, including 1681 patients in the prepandemic group and 1358 patients in the pandemic group. The total number of hospitalized patients in the pandemic group decreased by 19.2%, with an increased proportion of patients over 60 years of age (39.8% vs. 35.8%). Moreover, compared with the prepandemic group, there were decreases in the occurrence of most skin diseases in the pandemic group, but the proportions of keratinolytic carcinoma (6.6% vs. 5.2%), dermatitis (24.0% vs. 18.9%), and psoriasis (18.0% vs. 14.8%) were higher in the pandemic group. In addition, longer hospital stays (ß = 0.07, SE = 0.02, P = 1.35 × 10-3 ) and higher hospital costs (ß = 0.06, SE = 0.03, p = 0.031) were found in the pandemic group through general linear models, even after the corresponding adjustment. In summary, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on patients with skin diseases, with fewer hospitalized patients, increased proportions of older patients, longer hospital stays, and increased hospital costs. These findings will facilitate better preparation for the most effective response to future pandemics.

Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern over a period of Delta and Omicron cocirculation, among patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in an Italian reference hospital: Impact on clinical outcomes.

Despite the higher transmissibility of Omicron Variant of Concern (VOC), several reports have suggested lower risk for hospitalization and severe outcomes compared to previous variants of SARS-CoV-2. This study, enrolling all COVID-19 adults admitted to a reference hospital who underwent both the S-gene-target-failure test and VOC identification by Sanger sequencing, aimed to describe the evolving prevalence of Delta and Omicron variants and to compare the main in-hospital outcomes of severity, during a trimester (December 2021 to March 2022) of VOCs' cocirculation. Factors associated with clinical progression to noninvasive ventilation (NIV)/mechanical ventilation (MV)/death within 10 days and to MV/admission to intensive care unit (ICU)/death within 28 days, were investigated through multivariable logistic regressions. Overall, VOCs were: Delta n = 130/428, Omicron n = 298/428 (sublineages BA.1 n = 275 and BA.2 n = 23). Until mid-February, Delta predominance shifted to BA.1, which was gradually displaced by BA.2 until mid-March. Participants with Omicron VOC were more likely to be older, fully vaccinated, with multiple comorbidities and to have a shorter time from symptoms' onset, and less likely to have systemic symptoms and respiratory complications. Although the need of NIV within 10 days and MV within 28 days from hospitalization and the admission to ICU were less frequent for patients with Omicron compared to those with Delta infections, mortality was similar between the two VOCs. In the adjusted analysis, multiple comorbidities and a longer time from symptoms' onset predicted 10-day clinical progression, while complete vaccination halved the risk. Multimorbidity was the only risk factor associated with 28-day clinical progression. In our population, in the first trimester of 2022, Omicron rapidly displaced Delta in COVID-19 hospitalized adults. Clinical profile and presentation differed between the two VOCs and, although Omicron infections showed a less severe clinical picture, no substantial differences for clinical progression were found. This finding suggests that any hospitalization, especially in more vulnerable individuals, may be at risk for severe progression, which is more related to the underlying frailty of patients than to the intrinsic severity of the viral variant.

Ramelteon for delirium prevention in hospitalized patients: An updated meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Although ramelteon has been examined as a relatively new therapeutic option for delirium prevention, current evidence to evaluate its efficacy is limited. We conducted an updated meta-analysis and examine the reliability of existing evidence regarding the effect of ramelteon on delirium prevention in hospitalized patients. Seven major electronic databases were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trials examining the efficacy of ramelteon in delirium prevention. Data were pooled using a frequentist-restricted maximum-likelihood random-effects model. A trial sequential analysis was performed using relative risk reduction thresholds of 50%. The primary outcome was the incidence of delirium (reported as odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals). The secondary outcomes were the days of delirium, all-cause mortality, and all-cause discontinuation. Of 187 potentially eligible studies identified, 8 placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials (n = 587) were included. This updated meta-analysis showed that ramelteon was associated with lower odds of delirium occurrence than placebo (0.50; 0.29-0.86; I2 = 17.48%). In trial sequential analysis, the effect of ramelteon across the superiority boundary when using a relative risk reduction threshold ranging from 40% to 60%. In subgroup analyses, ramelteon compared with placebo was associated with lower odds of delirium occurrence in the elderly group (k = 5; 0.28; 0.09-0.85; I2 = 27.93%) and multiple dosage group (k = 5; 0.34; 0.14-0.82; I2 = 44.24%) but not in the non-elderly and non-multiple dosage groups. When considering surgical patients and medical patients separately, ramelteon showed a trend in the treatment of delirium prevention in both groups, while these findings were not statistically significant. No significant between-group differences were found in the secondary outcomes. The current meta-analysis provides updated and reliable evidence that ramelteon, in comparison with placebo, reduces the risk of delirium among hospitalized patients.

Specialized palliative care for hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: an analysis of the LEOSS registry.

PURPOSE: Symptom control for patients who were severely ill or dying from COVID-19 was paramount while resources were strained and infection control measures were in place. We aimed to describe the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients who received specialized palliative care (SPC) and the type of SPC provided in a larger cohort. METHODS: From the multi-centre cohort study Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2 infected patients (LEOSS), data of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection documented between July 2020 and October 2021 were analysed. RESULTS: 273/7292 patients (3.7%) received SPC. Those receiving SPC were older and suffered more often from comorbidities, but 59% presented with an estimated life expectancy > 1 year. Main symptoms were dyspnoea, delirium, and excessive tiredness. 224/273 patients (82%) died during the hospital stay compared to 789/7019 (11%) without SPC. Symptom control was provided most common (223/273; 95%), followed by family and psychological support (50% resp. 43%). Personal contact with friends or relatives before or during the dying phase was more often documented in patients receiving SPC compared to patients without SPC (52% vs. 30%). CONCLUSION: In 3.7% of SARS-CoV-2 infected hospitalized patients, the burden of the acute infection triggered palliative care involvement. Besides complex symptom management, SPC professionals also focused on psychosocial and family issues and aimed to enable personal contacts of dying patients with their family. The data underpin the need for further involvement of SPC in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients but also in other severe chronic infectious diseases.

Hepatitis B antibody levels after different doses of hepatitis B vaccination: a retrospective study based on hospitalized children.

Many studies have investigated the positivity rate of hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) after hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) immunization. However, the antibody level, assessed monthly or at more frequent intervals after each of the three doses, particularly within the first year after birth, has not been previously reported. To elucidate the level of antibody formation at various times after vaccination, the current study used the available detection data of HBsAb in hospitalized children to analyze the HBsAb level after immunization combined with their vaccination history. Both the positivity rate and geometric mean concentration (GMC) increased sequentially with immunization doses, reaching their peaks earlier after the third dose than after the first two doses, and the rate of HBsAb positivity was able to reach 100% between 11 and 90 days after completing the three doses of HepB. Within one year after receiving the three doses, the antibody positivity rate and GMC were maintained above 90% and 100 mIU/mL, respectively, and subsequently steadily declined, reaching the lowest value in the 9th and 10th years. The current findings reveal, in more detail, the level of antibody formation at different times following each dose of HepB in hospitalized children, particularly in the age group up to one year after vaccination. For the subjects of this study, we prefer to believe that the proportion of HBsAb non-response should be less than 5% after full immunization with HepB, provided that the appropriate time for blood collection is chosen.