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This Viewpoint examines poor uptake of the annual updated COVID vaccines among US residents despite strong evidence of their effectiveness in lowering the risk of death, serious illness, and hospitalization.
This prospective, observational cohort study uses data from the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery adult cohort to assess post–COVID-19 condition (or long COVID) with additional participant data and an expanded symptom list.
Objective
The purpose of the study is to compare the prevalence and associated risk factors of smell and/or taste disorders depending on different virus strains in Hiroshima, Japan.
Design
A cross-sectional design was used.
Setting and participants
Data were collected for all COVID-19-confirmed inpatients admitted to 27 hospitals in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan, between 8 April 2020 and 31 January 2023.
Main outcome measures
Smell and/or taste disorders were indicated by physicians on Hiroshima prefecture COVID-19 version J-SPEED forms completed at discharge.
Results
The COVID-19 data from this period corresponds to the following four strains: Wild-dominant, Alpha-dominant, Delta-dominant and Omicron-dominant. A total of 11 353 confirmed cases were analysed and 1261 cases (11.11%) were reported for smell and/or taste disorders.
Among patients with Wild-dominant, 241 out of 1141 cases (21.12%) exhibited smell and/or taste disorders. For Alpha, 223 out of 1265 cases (17.63%), for Delta, 480 out of 1516 cases (31.66%) and for Omicron, 317 out of 7431 cases (4.27%) presented with smell and/or taste disorders. For all four variants, age
Objectives
Despite widespread vaccination programmes and consensus recommendations, the understanding of the durability of COVID-19 vaccination against ensuing infection and transmission at the individual level is incomplete. The objective of this study was to estimate the effects of time-varying covariates including time since vaccination and symptoms on subsequent positive SARS-CoV-2 test results and assess the stability of these effects between March 2020 and April 2022.
Design
Prospective cohort study.
Setting
Urban university in the USA.
Participants
Drexel University students, faculty, and staff (n=15 527) undergoing mandatory COVID-19 symptom tracking, testing and vaccinations.
Intervention
Systematic symptom tracking and SARS-COV-2 testing starting in September 2020 and mandatory COVID-19 vaccination starting in September 2021.
Main outcomes and measures
COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness modified by time since vaccination and symptoms.
Results
Using fit-for-purpose digitally based symptom and vaccine tracking and mandatory comprehensive testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection, we estimate the time-dependent effects of vaccination, symptoms and covariates on the risk of infection with a Cox proportional hazards model based on calendar time scale. We found a strong protective effect of vaccination against symptomatic infection. However, there was strong evidence of a protective effect against infection only in the first 90 days after completed vaccination, and only against symptomatic versus asymptomatic infection. The overall estimated effect of vaccination within 30 days, including asymptomatic infections, was 37.3% (95% CI 26%, 47%). Vaccine effect modification by reported symptoms and time period was estimated, revealing the protective effect of vaccination within 90 days against symptomatic infection that varied from 90% (95% CI 84%, 94%) to 49%(95% CI –77%, 85%) across time periods.
Conclusions
This study is among the first to prospectively capture complete COVID-19 symptom, testing and vaccination data over a multiyear period. Overall effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine against subsequent infection, including transmissible asymptomatic infections, is modest and wanes after 90 days. Vaccination policies may need to take these issues into account.
Our novel risk prediction tool uses a simple method to adjust for temporal changes and can be implemented to facilitate uptake of evidence-based therapies. The study provides proof-of-concept for leveraging real-time data to support risk prediction that incorporates changing population-level trends and variation patient-level risk.
Introduction
Acute pain levels following orthopaedic injury (eg, fracture) are a predictor of the onset of chronic pain, which affects nearly 50% of fracture patients and impairs functional recovery. Among current pharmacological treatments for acute pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been associated with delayed bone healing, while opioids inhibit effective bone remodelling, increase the risk of pseudarthrosis and carry a high risk of addiction. In light of this, the development of new pain treatments is essential. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-addictive and non-psychotropic cannabis component stands out as a potential therapeutic agent, given its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties as well as its potential benefits for bone healing. This randomised controlled trial aims to investigate the effect of acute CBD treatment, compared with placebo, on patients’ self-reported pain, inflammation and well-being following a fracture injury.
Methods and analysis
This is a triple-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 225 adults aged 18–70 years, who have suffered a long bone fracture and were treated at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, will be randomly assigned within 1 week to one of three treatment arms (25 mg or 50 mg of CBD or placebo) for 1 month. The primary outcome will be the difference in the pain score between groups at 1-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes will include measures of persistent pain, inflammation, opioid usage, quality of life, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, cognition and orthopaedic function. Data will be collected at baseline, 1-month and 3-month follow-ups.
Ethics and dissemination
This study obtained a Health Canada licence for use of cannabis products. It has also been approved by Health Canada and the Research Ethics Board of the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (Project ID 2025-2105). The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at local, national and international conferences. The trial’s results will be made publicly available on the ClinicalTrials.gov database.
Trial registration number
NCT06448923.
Objectives
Herpes zoster (HZ) infection is associated with a higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including stroke and coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with diabetes are at an increased risk of MACE, highlighting the importance of studying this population to assess the potential protective effects of HZ vaccination. This study aims to investigate the risk of MACE after HZ vaccination in patients with diabetes.
Design
Retrospective cohort study.
Setting
Community-based population in the USA.
Participants
Using the TriNetX database, the study included 4.9 million patients with diabetes from 2006 to 2022. It established two cohorts: 68 178 patients in the HZ vaccination (comprising any HZ vaccine, Shingrix or Zostavax) and 4 835 246 patients in the no HZ vaccination group. After excluding patients with a history of MACE, immune disease and complications of HZ prior to the index date, the study cohort was reduced to 45 960 patients. Propensity score matching, accounting for age, sex, race, socio-economic status and disease comorbidities, was conducted to minimise study bias.
Interventions
HZ vaccination.
Outcome measures
MACE outcomes are defined as the first occurrence of CAD or stroke. Comparative risk analysis was conducted using HRs.
Results
Post matching, the mean patient age was 63.5 years, with 49.2% females. The incidence rate of MACE was lower among vaccinated patients compared with unvaccinated individuals, with an HR of 0.76 (0.72–0.79). For secondary endpoints, the HRs were 0.73 (0.69–0.78) for CAD, 0.79 (0.74–0.84) for stroke and 0.54 (0.52–0.57) for all-cause mortality. These protective effects remained consistent across different age groups, sexes and diabetes types, supporting the potential benefit of HZ vaccination in reducing cardiovascular risk.
Conclusions
HZ vaccination is associated with a lower risk of MACE in patients with diabetes. Further prospective studies are critically needed to confirm this finding.
Objectives
Advances in the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) have seen the development of long-acting injectable opioid substitutes which could improve outcomes for people with OUD. However, comparative quantitative analysis of individual outcomes is lacking. The present study sought to investigate factors associated with prescribing long-acting injectable buprenorphine (LAIB), and changes in outcome variables compared with oral medication for OUD.
Design
Cross-sectional retrospective analysis of electronic health records.
Setting
Community substance use treatment service Via. Six sites shared their data between 15 August 2022 and 15 August 2023.
Participants
Anonymised data were extracted for 235 people receiving LAIB and 266 people receiving oral medication for OUD.
Primary and secondary outcomes
Prescribing data, sociodemographic information (age, sex, indices of multiple deprivation decile of individual’s residence, primary and secondary substance, number of previous treatment episodes, employment and ethnicity) and treatment outcome profiles (substance use, physical and mental health, quality of life, employment) were extracted and analysed. To examine predictors of receiving LAIB (vs medication for OUD), we conducted logistic regression including the demographic predictors. Psychological health, physical health and quality of life scores were analysed using Welch’s t-tests.
Results
LAIB was associated with positive changes in quality of life between the first and last assessments. Demographic and situational factors were predictors of LAIB initiation, indicating the potential for increasing health inequalities in substance use treatment.
Conclusions
LAIB is associated with changes in quality of life over a 1-year period. Further research is needed to investigate the aetiology of improved well-being and outcomes over time.
Objectives
This study aimed to compare mortality rates and length of hospital stay between patients with critical COVID-19 transferred to another hospital due to capacity constraints and those who remained at their initial admission hospital.
Design
Single-centre cohort study.
Setting and participants
665 patients were treated for SARS-CoV-2 at two intensive care units (ICUs) in Stockholm, Sweden, from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2021. Data on interhospital transfers (IHTs) were retrieved from medical records and patient data management systems according to predefined protocols.
Main outcome measures
The outcomes were 30-day and 90-day mortality, days alive and out of ICU. HR with 95% CI were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models with adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, severity of illness, comorbidity, invasive ventilation, treatment limitations and pandemic waves.
Results
Of 665 patients, 133 (20%) were transferred to another hospital. The mortality rate of transferred patients compared with non-transferred patients at 30 days was 19% vs 26% (p=0.13) and at 90 days 26% vs 30% (p=0.43). In the adjusted Cox regression analysis, IHT was associated with a lower mortality risk at 30 days (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.76) and 90 days (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.79). However, the number of days alive and out of ICU was significantly lower for the IHT group at 30 days.
Conclusion
In our study, IHT due to capacity constraints among critically ill COVID-19 patients was not associated with a higher mortality risk. The suitability for transfer was likely associated with lower mortality, although residual confounding cannot be ruled out. The requirement for invasive ventilation among transferred patients might account for the extended length of ICU stay, rather than the transfer itself. However, the difficulty in studying this issue lies in the fact that while patients are likely exposed to risks during transfer, they are simultaneously the patients stable enough to be transported.
Palamara (Iss), ‘il virus va ancora monitorato anche senza emergenza’
Rehabilitation involving cognitive behavioral therapy could help improve functional capacity for those with post–COVID-19 condition, also known as long COVID, according to a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open. Patients who had undergone a brief outpatient program incorporating cognitive and behavioral approaches reported greater improvements in physical function after 1 year than those who had undergone rehabilitation care as usual.
FEP incidence in South London increased during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among Black and Asian individuals.
Sondaggio Cimo Fesmed tra camici bianchi del Ssn
In patients hospitalised for COVID-19 receiving ventilatory support, we found no evidence that higher dose corticosteroids reduced the risk of death compared to usual care, which included low dose corticosteroids.
Objective brain injury and associated cognitive impairment were noted as long as 1 year after infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Objectives
This study aims to characterise the diversity of post-COVID-19 physical and mental health outcomes, known as the post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), and the determining factors 3–6 months after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Design
This is a prospective cohort study.
Setting
This study took place at the European Hospital of Marseille, France.
Participants
Participants include patients with acute COVID-19 treated as inpatients or outpatients.
Interventions
Interventions include face-to-face assessment of physical and mental health symptoms.
Main outcome measures
Main outcome measures include symptom scores and scales, as well as paraclinical elements (thoracic CT scan, pulmonary functional tests). Multiple component analysis was used to identify clinical phenotypic clusters of PCC patients, as well as their initial comorbidity groups. A multinomial regression model was used to evaluate the association between the initial comorbidities and disease severity with PCC phenotype.
Results
A total of 210 patients agreed to participate, of which 157 (75%) reported at least one symptom at the 3–6 months visit; mostly asthenia, dyspnoea, psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and cognitive disorders. Four PCC clusters were recognised: (1) paucisymptomatic PCC (n=82, 39%); (2) physical sequelae PCC (n=39, 18.6%), (3) pre-existing pulmonary comorbidities PCC (n=29, 13.8%); and (4) functional somatic and/or mental symptoms PCC (n=60, 28.6%). In addition to their PCC symptoms, the patients in these clusters differed in terms of their demographic characteristics (sex), comorbidities and severity of COVID-19.
Conclusions
The four identified PCC clusters corresponded to distinct and coherent clinical and paraclinical entities, making it possible to consider adapted and personalised prognosis and therapeutic interventions.
