The COVID-19 Assessment for Survival at Admission (CASA) Index: A 12 Months Observational Study
Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease with a high rate of progression to critical illness. However, the stratification of patients at risk of mortality is not well defined. In this study, we aimed to define a mortality risk index to allocate patients to the appropriate intensity of care.Methods: This is a 12 months observational longitudinal study designed to develop and validate a pragmatic mortality risk score to stratify COVID-19 patients aged ≥18 years and admitted to hospital between March 2020 and March 2021. Main outcome was in-hospital mortality.Results: 244 patients were included in the study (mortality rate 29.9%). The Covid-19 Assessment for Survival at Admi…
IL-13 and IL-33 Serum Levels Are Increased in Systemic Sclerosis Patients With Interstitial Lung Disease
ObjectiveSystemic sclerosis (SSc) mortality is extremely variable in its internal organ involvement. Pulmonary fibrosis occurs in up to 30% of the cases. Animal models provide evidence that IL-33 is able to induce both cutaneous and pulmonary fibrosis via increased IL-13 and in SSc patients the levels of IL-33 correlate with skin fibrosis. Our aim was to test whether both IL-33 and IL-13 are higher in patients with diffuse SSc and interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) compared to SSc patients without ILD and healthy controls.MethodsSerum levels of IL-13 and IL-33 were measured in 30 SSc patients with diffuse disease and 30 healthy controls by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The extent of p…
Safety of intra-articular hip injection of hyaluronic acid products by ultrasound guidance: an open study from ANTIAGE register.
Abstract. – OBJECTIVE: We developed a standardized technique for ultrasound guided intra-articular injection of the hip joint with the purpose of extending routine intra-articular injection of hyaluronans and steroids to the hip, as commonly used in the knee. In this article we report the safety of this technique in an extended series of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were injected supine with an anterosuperior approach under ultrasound guidance. The Us probe is applied with a target device for biopsy. RESULTS: The standardised technique was used to inject 1906 patients with 4002 injections of hyaluronan products over a four-year period. The treatment was well tolerated with few, …