Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis
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The long head of biceps (LHB) is one of the tendons of the rotator cuff that runs strictly close to the humeral head. In case of pathology, it can be responsible for pain and shoulder impairment: in such cases, surgical options include tenotomy or tenodesis. The management of LHB along with surgery of the rotator cuff or during shoulder prosthetic replacement has been widely discussed in the literature. Conversely, the possibility of acute impingement and incarceration of LHB in proximal humerus fractures, as well as its role in shoulder pain in outcomes of these fractures, has been poorly considered. ⋯ LHB should be taken into consideration both in the acute phase of fractures of the proximal humerus and in the outcomes. Other studies are needed to better understand its optimal management during fracture surgery.
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Sir, Italy has been recently involved in the outbreak of severe interstitial pneumonia associated with the previously unknown Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (1,2). Even before the notification of the first autochthonous cases, the SARS-CoV-2 associated syndrome (COVID-19) had raised an intense attention in the public opinion (3), with a counterproductive over-abundance of mixed quality information. As even Italian healthcare workers (HCWs) were not spared by subsequent misunderstandings and knowledge gaps during the previous influenza pandemic of 2009 (4), we performed a web-based survey (Google® Modules), specifically aimed to characterize knowledge status and risk perceptions in a sample from participating to 6 Facebook discussion groups (181,684 total unique members at the time of the study). ⋯ Actually, the base of evidence shared by participants at the time of the study substantially ignored that COVID-19 may be characterized by dermatologic and gastro-intestinal symptoms (8-9). As most of infections may be actually pauci- or asymptomatic, such early exposure in the healthcare settings may have contributed to the quick spreading of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Northern Italy. Therefore, despite the intrinsic limits of a convenience sampling, web-based survey (10), our study stresses the importance to improve the overall quality of information on COVID-19 conveyed not only in HCWs, but also in the general population. Moreover, our data may contribute to clarify the early stages of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Italy.
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Sofosbuvir may be a potential option in the treatment of COVID-19 based on the similarity between the replication mechanisms of the HCV and the coronavirus. According the limited experimental evidences, it is hypothesized that sofosbuvir might be a potential option to improve care of patients with COVID-19 especially at the start of the disease and before invasion of the virus into the lung parenchymal cells. Efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir in treatment of COVID-19 may be considered in future clinical studies.