The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care-Sensitive Conditions in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia.

Background and Objectives: We aimed to explore whether the COVID-19 pandemic influenced hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional comparative study using two different time periods, the pre-pandemic (from March 2019 to February 2020) and the pandemic period (from March 2020 to February 2021), to explore the possible influences that the COVID-19 pandemic had on hospitalizations for ACSCs. The ACSCs were classified into the categories of vaccine-preventable, chronic, and acute disease. The indicators were statistically analyzed. Results: During the pandemic, a decrease in the total number of hospitalizations and ACSC hospitalizations was recorded. The relative risk for having any ACSC hospitalization in the pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.64-0.71; p = 0). The risk reduction was seen in all three categories of vaccine-preventable ACSCs, chronic disease, and acute disease. Large reductions were found in the relative risk of hospitalization for COPD and asthma. Considering the mode of discharge, there was a statistically significantly higher risk of ACSCs with fatal outcomes during the pandemic than in the pre-pandemic period (relative risk 1.31; 95% CI, 1.01-1.7; p = 0.0197). Conclusions: The results of this study show that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the total number of hospitalizations as well as hospitalizations relating to ACSCs. Certainly, one of the reasons for these changes was due to organizational changes in the working of the entire health system due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PGLa-H tandem-repeat peptides active against multidrug resistant clinical bacterial isolates.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising candidates for new antibiotic classes but often display an unacceptably high toxicity towards human cells. A naturally produced C-terminal fragment of PGLa, named PGLa-H, has been reported to have a very low haemolytic activity while maintaining a moderate antibacterial activity. A sequential tandem repeat of this fragment, diPGLa-H, was designed, as well as an analogue with a Val to Gly substitution at a key position. These peptides showed markedly improved in vitro bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity against both reference strains and multidrug resistant clinical isolates of Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens, with generally low toxicity for human cells as assessed by haemolysis, cell viability, and DNA damage assays. The glycine substitution analogue, kiadin, had a slightly better antibacterial activity and reduced haemolytic activity, which may correlate with an increased flexibility of its helical structure, as deduced using molecular dynamics simulations. These peptides may serve as useful lead compounds for developing anti-infective agents against resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive species.

The microscopic structure of cold aqueous methanol mixtures.

The evolution of the micro-segregated structure of aqueous methanol mixtures, in the temperature range 300 K-120 K, is studied with computer simulations, from the static structural point of view. The structural heterogeneity of water is reinforced at lower temperatures, as witnessed by a pre-peak in the oxygen-oxygen structure factor. Water tends to form predominantly chain-like clusters at lower temperatures and smaller concentrations. Methanol domains have essentially the same chain-like cluster structure as the pure liquid at high concentrations and becomes monomeric at smaller ones. Concentration fluctuations decrease with temperature, leading to quasi-ideal Kirkwood-Buff integrals, despite the enhanced molecular interactions, which we interpret as the signature of non-interacting segregated water and methanol clusters. This study throws a new light on the nature of the micro-heterogeneous structure of this mixture: the domain segregation is essentially based on the appearance of linear water clusters, unlike other alcohol aqueous mixtures, such as with propanol or butanol, where the water domains are more bulky.

Simple and complex disorder in binary mixtures with benzene as a common solvent.

Substituting benzene for water in computer simulations of binary mixtures allows one to study the various forms of disorder, without the complications often encountered in aqueous mixtures. In particular, we study the relationship between the local order generated by different types of molecular interactions and the nature of the global disorder, by analyzing the relationship between the concentration fluctuations and the correlation functions and the associated structure factors. Alkane-benzene mixtures are very close to ideal mixtures, despite appreciable short range shape mismatch interactions, acetone-benzene mixtures appear as a good example of regular mixtures, and ethanol-benzene mixtures show large micro-segregation. In the latter case, we can unambiguously demonstrate, unlike in the case of water, the appearance of domain-domain correlations, both in the correlation functions and the structure factor calculated in computer simulations. This finding helps to confirm the existence of a pre-peak in the structure factor associated with the micro-heterogeneity, which was speculated from several of our previous simulations of aqueous-alcohol mixtures. The fact that benzene as a solvent allows us to solve some of the problems that could not be solved with water points towards some of the particularities of water as a solvent, which we discuss herein. The concept of molecular emulsion put forward in our earlier work is useful in formulating these differences between water and benzene through the analogy with direct and inverse micellar aggregates.

How Different Predominant SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern Affected Clinical Patterns and Performances of Infected Professional Players during Two Soccer Seasons: An Observational Study from Split, Croatia.

There are limited data describing clinical patterns and match running performance (MRP) among players with COVID-19 infection before and after infection, particularly related to different predominant SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as in comparison to uninfected players. This observational study was conducted during two consecutive soccer seasons in one professional club in Split, Croatia. There were four clusters of mild, self-limited, or asymptomatic infection characterised by low adherence to preventive measures. Infected players had significantly more symptoms (t-test = 3.24; p = 0.002), a longer period of physical inactivity (χ2 = 10.000; p = 0.006) and a longer period of self-assessment for achieving full fitness (χ2 = 6.744; p = 0.034) in the 2020-2021 season (Wuhan wild strain and Alpha variant) than in the 2021-2022 season (Omicron variant). It was also found that, despite the milder clinical presentation of the infection in the 2021-2022 season, the players had significantly more abnormal laboratory findings (χ2 = 9.069240; p = 0.002), although without clinical significance at the time of the study. As for the MRP, player performance in the 2021-2022 season was not negatively affected by the Omicron variant, while there was an improvement in MRP in scores for a sample of all players. The RTP protocol was correctly applied because it helped the athletes to recover their pre-infection physical capacities relatively quickly. This study advances the understanding that an optimally and individually planned RTP protocol is crucial for the MRP of infected players. Future research needs to replicate the findings of abnormal laboratory results and extend the study focusing on their potential long-term clinical significance.