Evaluation of antibody response anti SARS-Cov-2: A retrospective observational study (Marche-Italy).

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has hit every country in the world. Almost a quarter of a billion cases and nearly 5 million deaths reported globally as of late September 2021. Compared to over 6 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered, the pandemic does not seem to disappear. The duration of protective immunity is currently not defined. Primary immune responses are inevitably declining and the continuous transmission of increasingly worrying viral variants. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the antibody response at 120 and 180 days in employees of an hospital of Marche (Italy) who have completed the vaccination cycle with Pzifer-Biontech vaccine and to highlight the correlation with quantitative and qualitative variables. The secondary objective is to study the nature and frequency of adverse events in relation to variables such as comorbidity, age, gender, working areas and developed antibody titer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational retrospective study was carried out to evaluate the antibody response at 120 and 180 days. Subjects receiving a double dose of vaccine at least 21 days apart and those receiving the second dose of the same vaccine between 18 January 2021 and 31 March 2021 shall be considered. The study included non-probability sampling of convenience. All parties have provided informed written consent to access personal and clinical data. RESULTS: The sample is composed by 1.115 subjects. The results of the study reveal an important immune response detected by IgG dosage, both at 120 and 180 days after the second dose of Sars-Cov-2 vaccine mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine (Pzifer-Biontech), other than very rare exceptions. Antibody values are higher among hospital workers compared to those working in other areas, both 120 and 180 days. These values are even higher in the health professionals who provide assistance in wards with positive Covid patients, both at 120 days (p=0.06) and at 180 days; the mean values of IgG are statistically higher in direct assistance of Covid patients at 180 days(p=0.029). The most frequent adverse drug events after the second dose of vaccine were pain at the site of inoculation of the vaccine (70.7%), fatigue (35%) and arthralgia (19%). It was finally shown that people with diabetes or smokers had an average antibody response statistically lower than 120 days and 180 days from the second dose. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study leads to the conclusion that the second dose of vaccine Sars-Cov-2 vaccine mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine allows a consistent antibody response. Further multicentric studies are needed to investigate the antibody response to vaccination Sars-Cov-2 mRNA BNT162b2.

Diabetes and technology: A pilot study on the management of patients with insulin pumps during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The recent COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the treatment process through IT/technological supports, useful in the management of chronic patients such as those affected by type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM). Specific routes for fragile patients such as those with micro-infusers have been created thanks to the application of "Diabetes Technology," which allows patients to monitor blood glucose quickly and easily. The present pilot study aimed to assess the quality of care provided to patients with micro-infusers in a delicate phase such as a pandemic lockdown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was used. In the first part, with prior written consent, patients with insulin pumps enrolled voluntarily. In the second part, the focus group discussion (FGD) was carried out with the voluntarily enrolled participants. The FGD data were organized and analyzed by the thematic areas. RESULTS: The number of patients with afferent insulin pumps at the center was 50 individuals. Among them, 20 patients voluntarily joined the first part of the study by completing the PACIC questionnaire, which gave an average result of 3.34 (min. 2.2 and max. 4.2). In the second part, the application of the focus group technique demonstrated that technology is decisive in the management of diabetic pathology, not only in the emergency phase. CONCLUSIONS: At the time of public health crises, alternative strategies such as Tele-Nursing or Telemedicine could be crucial for the management of patients with micro-infuser not only in critical moments, such as lockdown, but also in ordinary health management.

Food knowledge of patients at the first access to a Diabetology center. / Conoscenze alimentari in pazienti afferenti ad un centro di diabetologia

Il diabete rappresenta una patologia in costante aumento: familiarità, età e stili di vita rappresentano i principali fattori di rischio per questa malattia e per le complicanze ad essa correlate. Considerando l'importanza del regime alimentare per la prevenzione e il trattamento di questa patologia, scopo del presente studio è stato quello di valutare le conoscenze alimentari di pazienti al primo accesso presso un centro di Diabetologia e di indagare sulla loro eventuale influenza su alcuni parametri ematici. È stato somministrato il questionario di Moynihan. La relazione tra i punteggi ottenuti e le variabili emoglobina glicata, BMI, glicemia a digiuno, è stata analizzata attraverso regressione multipla basata sul metodo dei minimi quadrati ordinari (modello OLS). Il response rate è stato del 73,3%. Il punteggio medio totale ottenuto dal questionario è stato di 23,61 ed è stata osservata una correlazione statisticamente significativa (p<0,0473) tra i migliori punteggi del questionario e i valori di Hb1Ac. Questo studio è il primo passo di un'indagine più ampia che verrà condotta nell'ottica di promuovere una formazione del paziente volta a verificare nel tempo le ricadute positive sulle scelte alimentari e sui parametri clinici.