Background: Global dietary patterns have gradually shifted toward a ‘western type’ with progressive increases in rates of metabolic imbalance. Recently, animal and human studies have revealed positive effects of caloric restriction (CR) on many health domains, giving new knowledge for prevention of ill and health promotion; Methods: We conducted a systematic review (SR) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the role of CR on health status in adults. A meta-analysis was performed on anthropometric, cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes; Results: A total of 29 articles were retrieved including data from eight RCTs. All included RCTs were at low risk for performance bias related to objective outcomes. Collectively, articles included 704 subjects. Among the 334 subjects subjected to CR, the compliance with the intervention appeared generally high. Meta-analyses proved benefit of CR on reduction of body weight, BMI, fat mass, total cholesterol, while a minor impact was shown for LDL, fasting glucose and insulin levels. No effect emerged for HDL and blood pressure after CR. Data were insufficient for other hormone variables in relation to meta-analysis of CR effects; Conclusion: CR is a nutritional pattern linked to improved cardiometabolic status. However, evidence is limited on the multidimensional aspects of health and requires more studies of high quality to identify the precise impact of CR on health status and longevity.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is a vaccine against the COVID-19 infection that was granted a conditional marketing authorization by the European Commission in January 2021. However, following a report from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of European Medicines Agency, which reported an association with thrombo-embolic events (TEE), in particular disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), many European countries either limited it to individuals older than 55–60 years or suspended its use. We used publicly available data to carry out a quantitative benefit–risk analysis of the vaccine among people under 60 in Italy. Specifically, we used data from PRAC, Eudravigilance and ECDC to estimate the excess number of deaths for TEE, DIC and CVST expected in vaccine users, stratified by age groups. We then used data from the National Institute of Health to calculate age-specific COVID-19 mortality rates in Italy. Preventable deaths were calculated assuming a 72% vaccine efficacy over an eight-month period. Finally, the benefit–risk ratio of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination was calculated as the ratio of preventable COVID-19 deaths to vaccine-related deaths, using Monte-Carlo simulations. We found that among subjects aged 20–29 years the benefit–risk (B-R) ratio was not clearly favorable (0.70; 95% Uncertainty Interval (UI): 0.27–2.11). However, in the other age groups the benefits of vaccination largely exceeded the risks (for age 30–49, B-R ratio: 22.9: 95%UI: 10.1–186.4). For age 50–59, B-R ratio: 1577.1: 95%UI: 1176.9–2121.5). Although many countries have limited the use of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, the benefits of using this vaccine clearly outweigh the risks in people older than 30 years. Study limitations included risk of underreporting and that we did not provide age-specific estimates. The use of this vaccine should be a strategic and fundamental part of the immunization campaign considering its safety and efficacy in preventing COVID-19 and its complications.

ObjectiveTo find a definition of chronic disease based on literature review and to estimate the population-based prevalence rate of chronicity in a province in Northern Italy.DesignRetrospective observational study based on administrative databases.Data sources/settingArchives of the National Health Service that contain demographic and administrative information linked with the archives of ticket exemptions (2000–2019), the hospital discharge and drug prescriptions (2016–2019).ParticipantsSubjects who lived in Vercelli Local Health Authority, a Northern Italian province (Piedmont region), and were alive in December 2019.Main outcome measuresPrevalence of subjects with at least one chronic disease identified by administrative sources and stratification of population according to the number of comorbidities. The pathologies considered were: chronic ischaemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, hypertension, stroke, neoplasm, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, dementia, autism spectrum disorder, depression, schizophrenia, hepatitis, HIV and substance use disorders.ResultsOur target population was about 164 344 subjects. The overall prevalence of subjects with at least one chronic condition was 21.43% (n=35 212): 19 541 were female and 15 671 were male with a raw prevalence of 22.96% and 19.77%, respectively. The overall prevalence increases with age until 85 years old, then a decrease is observed. Moreover, 16.39% had only one pathology, 4.30% two diseases and 0.74% had a more complex clinical condition (more than three diseases).ConclusionsDespite the difficulty of having a unique definition of chronic disease, the prevalence obtained was coherent with the estimates reported by other national surveillance systems such as Passi and Passi d’Argento. Underestimates were observed when international comparisons were done; however, when we used less stringent definitions of chronic diseases, similar results were obtained.

ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is a vaccine against the COVID-19 infection that was granted a conditional marketing authorization by the European Commission in January 2021. However, following a report from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of European Medicines Agency, which reported an association with thrombo-embolic events (TEE), in particular Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), many European countries either limited to individuals older than 55-60 years or suspended its use. We used publicly available data to carry out a quantitative risk-benefit analysis of the vaccine among people under 60 in Italy. Specifically, we used data from PRAC, Eudravigilance and ECDC to estimate the excess number of deaths for TEE, DIC and CVST expected in vaccine users, stratified by age groups. We then used data from the National Institute of Health to calculate age-specific COVID-19 mortality rates in Italy. Preventable deaths were calculated assuming a 72% vaccine efficacy over an 8-month period. Finally, benefit-risk ratio of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination was calculated as the ratio between preventable COVID-19 deaths and vaccine-related deaths, using Monte-Carlo simulations. We found that among subjects aged 20-29 years the benefit-risk [B-R] ratio was not clearly favorable (0.70; 95% Uncertainty Interval [UI]: 0.27-2.11). However, in the other age groups the benefits of vaccination largely exceeded the risks (for age 30-49, B-R ratio: 22.9: 95%UI: 10.1-186.4). For age 50-59, B-R ratio: 1577.1: 95%UI: 1176.9-2121.5). Although many countries have limited the use of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, the benefits of using this vaccine clearly outweigh the risks in people older than 30 years. The use of this vaccine should be a strategic and fundamental part of the immunization campaign considering its safety and efficacy in preventing COVID-19 and its complications.

Background The higher disease burden and related costs due to an increasing aging population have placed tremendous pressure on the healthcare systems worldwide. Given that music, both listened and actively performed, promotes and maintains good health and wellbeing among the population, we sought to perform a systematic review that would assess its biopsychosocial effects on a population over 40 years of age. Methods A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed articles up to April 2021 was conducted on six electronic databases (i.e. Cochrane, MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus). Our study population only included healthy adults of 40 years and older. A total of 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) matched the inclusion criteria and were therefore analyzed. Results Despite the heterogeneity of the methodologies used in the selected studies, our findings suggest that active musical participation can lead to beneficial effects on both cognitive and psychosocial functioning, whereas the positive impact of listening to music seems to be predominantly restricted to the cognitive domain. Conclusions Although our results are consistent with both active and passive music activities favouring health and wellbeing in individuals 40 years old and over, future prospective RCTs, employing more uniformed and sensitive measurements, should allow us to better gauge the role of music participation in healthy aging and longevity, especially in countries with a high population density of elderly people.