Medicina
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Background and Objectives: The role of physical activity (PA) in elderly patients admitted to surgical units for mild acute diverticulitis in the development of disability has not been clarified so far. Our aim is to demonstrate the relationship between physical activity and better post-discharge outcomes on disability in elderly population affected by diverticular disease. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data of 56 patients (32 Males-24 females) collected from October 2018 and March 2020 at Cardarelli Hospital in Campobasso. ⋯ In the logistic regression analysis, which evaluated the independent role of PASE in disability development, statistical significance was not reached, showing an Odds Ratio of 0.51 95% CI 0.25-1.03 p value 0.062. Discussion: Reduced physical activity in everyday life in elderly is associated with increased post-hospitalization disability regarding independence, cognitive performance and immobilization. Conclusions: Poor physical performance diagnosis may allow to perform a standardized multidimensional protocol to improve PA to reduce disability incidence.
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Background and Objectives: Sentinel surveillance in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico represented a significant cost reduction and was useful in estimating the population infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, it also implied that many patients were not screened and therefore had no accurate diagnosis. In this study, we carried out a population-based SARS-CoV-2 screening in Mexico to evaluate the COVID-19-related symptoms and their weighting in predicting SARS-CoV-2 infection. ⋯ Conclusions: Dysgeusia, fever, and asthenia increased the odds of a positive result for COVID-19 1.74-4.98-fold among the study population. Patients with neurological, respiratory, and/or musculoskeletal manifestations had higher viral loads at COVID-19 diagnosis than those observed in asymptomatic patients. A high percentage of the participants in the study (61.85%) did not meet the operational definition for a suspected case of COVID-19 established by the Mexican Health Authority's consensus, representing a high percentage of the population that could have remained without a COVID-19 diagnosis, so becoming a potential source of virus spread.
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Observational Study
Correlation between the Perfusion Index and Intraoperative Hypothermia: A Prospective Observational Pilot Study.
Background and Objectives: We examined the association between the baseline perfusion index (PI) and changes in intraoperative body temperature during general anesthesia. The PI reflects the peripheral perfusion state. The PI may be associated with changes in body temperature during general anesthesia because the degree of redistribution of body heat from the central to the peripheral compartment varies depending on the peripheral perfusion state. ⋯ The baseline PI and body temperature were independently associated with intraoperative hypothermia (PI: odds ratio [OR], 0.270; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.105-0.697; P = 0.007, baseline body temperature: OR, 0.061; 95% CI, 0.005-0.743; P = 0.028). Conclusions: This study showed that low baseline PI was the factor most related to the development of intraoperative hypothermia. Future studies should consider the PI as a predictor of intraoperative hypothermia.
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Case Reports
Primary Mucosal Melanoma Presenting with a Unilateral Nasal Obstruction of the Left Inferior Turbinate.
We report the case of a primitive nasal melanoma in an 82-year-old patient, showing how this rare malignancy, with non-specific signs and symptoms, can represent a challenging diagnosis for the physician. A 82-year-old Caucasian patient presented for unilateral nasal obstruction and occasional epistaxis. Computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the facial massif revealed turbinate hypertrophy and a polypoid phlogistic tissue isointense in T1 with an intermediate signal in T2 and Short-TI Inversion Recovery (STIR)-T2, occupying the middle meatus and the anterior upper and lower left meatus with partial obliteration of the ostium and the infundibulum of the maxillary sinus. ⋯ No local or systemic relapse was noticed at the 2-month follow-up visit. Although mucosal melanoma is a rare and aggressive malignancy characterized by a poor prognosis, early diagnosis allows a more conservative approach, with little surgical difficulty and no aesthetic effect. Our case raises awareness of the importance of early intervention even in those cases where the clinic symptoms and diagnostic images show uncertain severity.
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Background and objectives: Mortality may increase in hypouricemia as well as inhyperuricemia. We assessed the predictive value of low serum uric acid (SUA) levels on the risk of overall mortality or a composite endpoint of death and nonfatal events. Materials and Methods: In 1013 community-based middle-aged adults, free of uncontrolled diabetes and coronary heart disease at baseline, the association of sex-specific SUA tertiles with defined outcomes was evaluated prospectively by logistic regression, stratified to gender and presence of type-2 diabetes, using recent criteria. ⋯ Adverse outcomes in diabetic women were predicted by tertiles 2 and 3. Conclusions: Inverse association of SUA with adverse outcomes, especially in men, is consistent with the involvement of uric acid mass in autoimmune activation. The positive association of uric acid with adverse outcomes in diabetic women is likely mediated by concomitant high-density lipoprotein dysfunction.