Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on psychophysical stress in patients with adrenal insufficiency: the CORTI-COVID study.

PURPOSE: COVID-19 is a novel threat to patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI), whose life expectancy and quality (QoL) are impaired by an increased risk of infections and stress-triggered adrenal crises (AC). If infected, AI patients require prompt replacement tailoring. We assessed, in a cohort of AI patients: prevalence and clinical presentation of COVID-19; prevalence of AC and association with intercurrent COVID-19 or pandemic-related psychophysical stress; lockdown-induced emotional burden, and health-related QoL. METHODS: In this monocentric (Ancona University Hospital, Italy), cross-sectional study covering February-April 2020, 121 (40 primary, 81 secondary) AI patients (59 males, 55 ± 17 years) completed telematically three questionnaires: the purpose-built "CORTI-COVID", assessing medical history and concern for COVID-19-related global health, AI-specific personal health, occupational, economic, and social consequences; the AddiQoL-30; the Short-Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey. RESULTS: COVID-19 occurred in one (0·8% prevalence) 48-year-old woman with primary AI, who promptly tailored her replacement. Dyspnea lasted three days, without requiring hospitalization. Secondary AI patients were not involved. No AC were experienced, but pandemic-related stress accounted for 6/14 glucocorticoid up-titrations. Mean CORTI-COVID was similar between groups, mainly depending on "personal health" in primary AI (ρ = 0.888, p < 0.0001) and "economy" in secondary AI (ρ = 0.854, p < 0.0001). Working restrictions increased occupational concern. CORTI-COVID correlated inversely with QoL. AddiQoL-30 and SF-36 correlated strongly. Comorbidities worsened patients' QoL. CONCLUSION: If educational efforts are made in preventing acute events, AI patients seem not particularly susceptible to COVID-19. The novel "CORTI-COVID" questionnaire reliably assesses the pandemic-related emotional burden in AI. Even under unconventional stress, educated AI patients preserve a good QoL.

Prospective study of the burden of acute gastroenteritis and rotavirus gastroenteritis in children less than 5 years of age, in Padova, Italy.

BACKGROUND: Data on the burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis in Europe are needed to help understand the potential impact of introducing new rotavirus vaccines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of prospective observational study (Rotavirus gastroenteritis Epidemiology and Viral types in Europe Accounting for Losses in Public Health and Society Study, REVEAL) conducted in 2004--2005 in seven European countries, we studied, the characteristics of acute gastroenteritis and rotavirus gastroenteritis in children less than 5 years in primary care, emergency room and hospital settings (Padova, Italy). RESULTS: A total of 757 children with acute gastroenteritis were included and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) results were available for 725 cases. The overall estimated annual incidence for rotavirus gastroenteritis was 4.7%. Overall, rotavirus gastroenteritis was estimated to account for 43.6% of acute gastroenteritis cases. Among children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) aged 6-23 months, 61.2% were rotavirus positive. Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) was responsible for 68.8% of hospitalizations, 61% of emergency consultations, and 33% of primary care consultations. The most prevalent serotype was G9 (84.4%) followed by G1 (11.8%). The relative risk for rotavirus gastroenteritis of being referred to hospital after an initial consultation in primary care was 3.37 (95% CI: 1.77-6.43) and 3.38 (95% CI: 2.28-5.01) for emergency room referral. Children with rotavirus gastroenteritis generally had more severe disease than children with rotavirus-negative gastroenteritis. CONCLUSION: Rotavirus accounts for a significant proportion of acute gastroenteritis cases in children less than 5 years in Italy, many of whom require frequent primary care consultations, or care in emergency room or hospital settings.

Short-acting general anaesthesia facilitates therapeutic ERCP in frail elderly patients with benign extra-hepatic biliary disease.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To ascertain whether therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for benign biliary disease in frail elderly patients with comorbid conditions can be safely undertaken in a district general hospital, and whether the procedure is facilitated by the use of short-acting general anaesthesia. SETTING: District general hospital in South East England. DESIGN OF STUDY: Clinical study of 25 consecutive patients with benign biliary disease. METHODS: Describes the process of bile duct clearance by therapeutic ERCP under short-acting general anaesthesia in 25 patients with co-morbidity aged > or = 80 years and gives details of the general anaesthesia and monitoring. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients had their bile ducts successfully cleared locally and one patient was stented for a benign biliary stricture. The ampullae of two other patients were lying within diverticula, which hindered cannulation and only pancreatograms were obtained; one of the patients had a successful bile duct clearance at a tertiary centre, the other refused further intervention. Complications (melaena, bronchopneumonia and a Clostridium difficile infection) occurred in two patients (8%). There was no morbidity associated with the anaesthesia, and no mortality occurred within 30 days of the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Bile duct clearance by therapeutic ERCP can be safely carried out in frail elderly patients in a district general hospital and the process is facilitated by the use of short-acting general anaesthesia. The importance of optimizing the patient's condition before ERCP, and not overfilling the pancreatic duct, is highlighted.

The effect of a 'containing' position in a hammock versus the supine position on the cutaneous oxygen level in premature and term babies.

We evaluated the influence of positioning, and particularly a containing position in a hammock compared with the supine position, on the respiration of the newborn. Recordings of the transcutaneous oxygen level of 40 preterm babies and 10 full-term babies placed in their incubators alternately in the two positions have been analyzed. We found no significant differences between the means of the oxymetric indexes in the hammock and in the supine position, even when the babies had different gestational ages and birth weights. The advantages of the containing position for the neuromotor and relational development of the newborn in the first year of life in comparison with the effects of supine placement, which should be avoided as much as possible in the premature, are pointed out.

Sites of action of light during phototherapy.

In order to investigate the main sites of action of phototherapy in the treatment of neonatal jaundice we studied (a) the in vivo and in vitro relationship between the hematocrit and the effectiveness of phototherapy, and (b) the effect of varying the skin area exposed to light. The results show that the hematocrit does not influence in vivo the efficacy of phototherapy, while they confirm that the total skin surface exposed to light is important in determining the effectiveness of light treatment. The authors have also studied the possible action of phototherapy on bilirubin solutions placed into the postmortem brain or the stomach. The results suggest that blue light does not penetrate strongly enough to photomodify the exposed pigment.

[Effect of obstructive malformations on the gastrointestinal tract on bilirubin levels in newborn infants]. / Influenza delle malformazioni ostruttive del tubo gastro-intestinale sui livelli bilirubinemici del neonato.

The authors have reviewed their cases of neonatal obstructive malformations of the intestinal tract and analyzed the incidence of association with indirect hyperbilirubinemia. 39 patients in four years are considered. In 23 of them there is a bilirubin level greater than 5 mg/100 ml. A great number of high bilirubin levels (greater than 15 mg/100 ml) is associated with volvulus, malrotations and intestinal atresias. Bilirubin levels between 11 and 15 mg/100 ml are often connected with meconium ileus while ano-rectal atresias have a low bilirubin level (less than 5 mg/100 ml). The reported data allow to conclude that the jaundice is an early, but unfortunately, not specific symptom of congenital intestinal obstruction. The entero-hepatic circulation seems to be an important cause of the neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Esophageal perforation in the newborn.

Two cases of esophageal perforation in the newborn are reported. The first case underwent surgery after suspected diagnosis of a traumatic perforation of a superior atresic esophageal stump. The second case was treated with supportive therapy. Both cases were cured and discharged in good health. The possible mechanisms of spontaneous and iatrogenic perforation are discussed.

[Treatment of necrotizing enteritis using peritoneal drainage. Presentation of a clinical case (author's transl)]. / Trattamento mediante drenaggi peritoneali dell'enterite necrotizzante. Presentazione di un caso clinico.

Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) of the new-born is a serious syndrome characterized by bilious vomiting, gastric retention, abdominal distention and bloody stools. Furthermore, the general condition of the neonate is frequently compromised. The pathogenesis is multi-factorial; however, most authors state that the primary cause of this syndrome is due to ischemia of the intestinal wall. The most serious complication in babies with NEC is perforation of the necrotic bowel, a condition which must always be treated surgically. We present a case of NEC that has a particularly interesting clinical course and, as well, an interesting approach to treatment, which involved the placement of a peritoneal drain. This drain was subsequently utilized for peritoneal lavage once the diagnosis of NEC was confirmed, because we felt that the patient's general condition was so serious that he could not tolerate surgery at this time.