Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, a novel coronavirus from the same family as SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, has spread worldwide leading the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic. The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), presents flu-like symptoms which can become serious in high-risk individuals. Here, we provide an overview of the known clinical features and treatment options for COVID-19. We carried out a systematic literature search using the main online databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, UpToDate, Embase and Web of Science) with the following keywords: 'COVID-19', '2019-nCoV', 'coronavirus' and 'SARS-CoV-2'. We included publications from 1 January 2019 to 3 April 2020 which focused on clinical features and treatments. We found that infection is transmitted from human to human and through contact with contaminated environmental surfaces. Hand hygiene is fundamental to prevent contamination. Wearing personal protective equipment is recommended in specific environments. The main symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, fatigue, slight dyspnoea, sore throat, headache, conjunctivitis and gastrointestinal issues. Realtime PCR is used as a diagnostic tool using nasal swab, tracheal aspirate or bronchoalveolar lavage samples. Computed tomography findings are important for both diagnosis and follow-up. To date, there is no evidence of any effective treatment for COVID-19. The main therapies being used to treat the disease are antiviral drugs, chloroquine/ hydroxychloroquine and respiratory therapy. In conclusion, although many therapies have been proposed, quarantine is the only intervention that appears to be effective in decreasing the contagion rate. Specifically designed randomized clinical trials are needed to determine the most appropriate evidence-based treatment modality.
The aim of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), comparing five different groups of individuals (healthy young and elderly, sleep apnoea syndrome patients, depressed patients, individuals with dementia) by both questionnaire scores and polysomnographic measures. Fifty individuals (10 for each group) participated in the study. Each of them filled in the PSQI and slept for two consecutive nights in the sleep laboratory. The PSQI showed an overall reliability coefficient (Cronbach's α) of 0.835, indicating a high degree of internal consistency. The mean PSQI global score showed significant differences between groups, with an impaired overall quality of sleep in patients' groups with respect to both the healthy groups. Results also indicated that the best cut-off score (differentiating "good" from "bad" sleepers) is 5. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index is a useful, valid and reliable tool for the assessment of sleep quality, with an overall efficiency comparable to the mother language version and differentiate "good" from "bad" sleepers. The Italian version of the questionnaire provides a good and reliable differentiation between normal and pathological groups, with higher scores reported by people characterized by impaired objectively evaluated sleep quality.
BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent condition associated with a high health care resource consumption and health care expenditures, driven mainly by exacerbations-related hospitalizations. Telemedicine has been proposed as a mean for timely detection of exacerbation, but the available evidence is inadequate to provide conclusive information on its efficacy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a telemonitoring system in reducing COPD-related hospitalizations in an elderly population with COPD.MethodsThis is a parallel arms, randomized trial including patients aged 65 or older with COPD in GOLD stages II and III enrolled in a Pulmonary Medicine outpatient facility. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a non-invasive system able to telemonitor vital signs (oxygen saturation, heart rate, near-body temperature, overall physical activity) or standard care, and were followed up for 9 months. The outcome measures were the number of exacerbations and exacerbation-related hospitalization.ResultsFifty patients were included in the telemonitoring group and 49 in the control group. The incidence rate of respiratory events was 28/100 person/years in the telemonitoring group vs. 42/100 person/years in the control group (incidence rate ratio: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.32 – 1.36). The corresponding figures for hospital admissions where 13/100 person/years and 20/100 person/years, respectively (IRR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.21 – 1.86).ConclusionsIn our study, COPD patients followed up with the aid of a multiparametric remote monitoring system experienced a lower rate of exacerbations and COPD-related hospitalizations compared to patients followed up using the standard model of care. These results need to be replicated in larger studies before they can be applied to the general COPD population. Trial registration number: NCT01481506 (clinicaltrials.gov). Funding: co-financed by Lazio Region and Intersistemi Inc.
Endothelial-dependent and, to a lesser extent, endothelial-independent dilations are significantly impaired in COPD, and the impairment is proportional to the severity of bronchial obstruction.
RVP is associated with higher mortality in the elderly and, thus, deserves the same attention paid to an obstructive pattern. However, mechanisms mediating this association need to be clarified.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.