Annali dell'Istituto superiore di sanita
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Current literature shows that secondary bacterial infections, although less frequent than in previous influenza pandemics, affect COVID-19 patients. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Legionella pneumophila, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus and Klebsiella spp. are the main species isolated. ⋯ However, bacterial coinfection rates increase in patients admitted in the intensive care units, and those diseases can be due to super-infections by nosocomial antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This highlights the urgency to revise frequent and empiric prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics in COVID-19 patients, with more attention to evidence-based studies and respect for the antimicrobial stewardship principles.
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Ann. Ist. Super. Sanita · Jan 2019
Measuring health literacy in Italy: a validation study of the HLS-EU-Q16 and of the HLS-EU-Q6 in Italian language, conducted in Florence and its surroundings.
Health literacy (HL) is the capacity of individuals, families, and communities to make sound health decisions in the context of everyday life: at home, at the workplace, and in the community, marketplace, healthcare sector, and political arena. The aim of this study, as a part of a research conducted in Florence (Italy) and its surrounding, is to validate the Italian version of the short form (HLS-EU-Q16) and of the short-short form (HLS-EU-Q6) of the HLS-EU-Q47, as a part of a research conducted to assess the level of HL in a population-based sample in Florence. ⋯ The results provided the first evidence for the reliability and validity of the HLS-EU-Q instruments (HLS-EU-Q16, HLS-EU-Q6, General-HL Index) in Italian general population. The differences in some of the results with respect to other published studies lay for specific cultural characteristics, that affect HL level and the relationships between HL, antecedents, and outcomes.
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Ann. Ist. Super. Sanita · Jan 2019
iGeneration's social media usage in retrieving information related to healthcare education: a web-based survey among Italian and Romanian undergraduate medical students.
The aim of our study was to assess medical undergraduate student's preferences associated with the value of information/learning methods via social media. An electronic questionnaire was developed and applied to undergraduate medical students from two university centers: Foggia (Italy) and Cluj-Napoca (Romania). 1196 answers were collected, 326 from the Italian university, and 870 from the Romanian university. Students use smartphones to access Facebook, from home, in average 1-3 hours daily. ⋯ Social media is used to search for information about a specific medical topic or to manage daily student activities. Romanians frequently share information with other colleagues or search for topics related to courses taught at school. The medical students use social media for academic purposes similarly in Italy and Romania.
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Ann. Ist. Super. Sanita · Oct 2018
Information needs on precision medicine: a survey of Italian health care professionals.
Despite advances in technology development for precision medicine, obstacles remain as barriers to progress and change. In this context simple questions arise: what is the level of understanding of precision medicine among healthcare professionals? We tried to address this question with a survey whose objective was to explore the perception and understanding of precision medicine. ⋯ Our findings show that healthcare professionals have partial knowledge on this topic and that there is a significant association between respondents' knowledge and their clinical specialty. However, despite some misconceptions about precision medicine, a genuine interest and familiarity with its basic principles seems to emerge.
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Ann. Ist. Super. Sanita · Jul 2018
Proof of nicotine transfer to rat pups through maternal breast feeding to evaluate the neurobehavioral consequences of nicotine exposure.
This study investigates the transfer of nicotine from lactating dams to their offspring through breast milk, in the frame of a research focused to ascertain toxicological and neuro-behavioural effects on pups as consequence of either unavoidable ("yoked & forced") or voluntary ("freely-chosen") maternal nicotine exposure. To this aim, plasmatic concentrations of nicotine and cotinine were determined by LC-MS/MS in Wistar rat pups whose mothers were orally administered with nicotine during lactation. Mothers were divided into a voluntary drinking group, an unavoidable consumption group, and controls. ⋯ Within-laboratory reproducibility (CV%) was <12%, with recovery of 86.2-118.8%. Results showed the presence of nicotine in 67% of samples from freely-chosen consumption group (1.30 ± 0.31 ng/mL) and in 60% of samples from yoked-consumption group (1.19 ± 0.62 ng/mL); cotinine was found in all the samples from freely-chosen (1.92 ± 0.77 ng/mL) and yoked-consumption groups (1.43 ± 0.30 ng/mL). Data provide an evidence-based support to maternal/offspring nicotine transfer as function of different ways of oral exposure.