0000000000497140
AUTHOR
A Ballestrero
showing 11 related works from this author
The association between low skeletal muscle mass and delirium: results from the nationwide multi-centre Italian Delirium Day 2017
2021
Abstract Introduction Delirium and sarcopenia are common, although underdiagnosed, geriatric syndromes. Several pathological mechanisms can link delirium and low skeletal muscle mass, but few studies have investigated their association. We aimed to investigate (1) the association between delirium and low skeletal muscle mass and (2) the possible role of calf circumference mass in finding cases with delirium. Methods The analyses were conducted employing the cross-sectional “Delirium Day” initiative, on patient 65 years and older admitted to acute hospital medical wards, emergency departments, rehabilitation wards, nursing homes and hospices in Italy in 2017. Delirium was diagnosed as a 4 + …
Patterns of infections in older patients acutely admitted to medical wards: data from the REPOSI register
2019
In older adults infections are among the leading causes of emergency department visits, hospitalization, morbidity and mortality [1–3]. Infections also occur as adverse events during hospitalization, as highlighted by the large use of antibiotics in this setting, resulting in an increase of hospitalization length and mortality rate [4–6]. There is a paucity of studies, especially in European countries, that did offer a general pattern on all the types of infections occurring in acutely hospitalized older patients, being the literature mainly focused on single type of infections (i.e. pneumonia and urinary tract infections). To fill this gap of knowledge, we chose to observe and describe the…
W pair production cross-section and W branching fractions in $e^{+}e^{-}$ interactions at 189 GeV
2000
The cross-section for the process e+e- -> W+W- has been measured with the data sample collected by DELPHI at an average centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 155 pb^{-1}. Based on the 2392 events selected as WW candidates, the cross-section for the doubly resonant process e+e- -> W+W- has been measured to be 15.83 +- 0.38 (stat) +- 0.20 (syst) pb. The branching fractions of the W decay were also measured and found to be in good agreement with the Standard Model expectation. From these a value of the CKM mixing matrix element |V_{cs}| = 1.001 +- 0.040 (stat) +- 0.020 (syst) was derived.
Update of the search for supersymmetric particles in scenarios with Gravitino LSP and Sleptons NLSP
2001
An update of the search for sleptons, neutralinos and charginos in the context of scenarios where the lightest supersymmetric particle is the gravitino and the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle is a slepton, is presented, together with the update of the search for heavy stable charged particles in light gravitino scenarios and Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Models. Data collected in 1999 with the DELPHI detector at centre-of-mass energies around 192, 196, 200 and 202 GeV were analysed. No evidence for the production of these supersymmetric particles was found. Hence, new mass limits were derived at 95% confidence level.
Antibiotic use and associated factors in a large sample of hospitalised older people
2019
Objectives: The aims of this study were to assess (i) the prevalence of antibiotic use, (ii) factors associated with their use and (iii) the association with in-hospital mortality in a large sample of hospitalised older people in Italy.Methods: Data were obtained from the 2010-2017 REPOSI register held in more than 100 internal medicine and geriatric wards in Italy. Patients aged >= 65 years with at least one antibiotic prescription during their hospitalisation were selected. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with antibiotic use.Results: A total of 5442 older patients were included in the analysis, of whom 2786 (51.2%) were prescribed anti…
Disability, and not diabetes, is a strong predictor of mortality in oldest old patients hospitalized with pneumonia
2018
Abstract Background Pneumonia causes more deaths than any other infectious disease, especially in older patients with multiple chronic diseases. Recent studies identified a low functional status as prognostic factor for mortality in elderly patients with pneumonia while contrasting data are available about the role of diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in-hospital, 3-month and 1-year mortality in elderly subjects affected by pneumonia enrolled in the RePoSi register. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data collected on hospitalized elderly patients in the frame of the REPOSI project. We analyzed the socio-demographic, laboratory and clinical characteristics of subjects…
Search for the Standard Model Higgs boson at LEP in the year 2000
2001
Searches for the Standard Model Higgs boson have been performed in the data collected by the DELPHI experiment at LEP in the year 2000 at centre-of-mass energies between 200 and 209 GeV corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 224 pb^{-1}. No evidence for a Higgs signal is observed in the kinematically accessible mass range, and a 95% CL lower mass limit of 114.3 GeV/c^2 is set, to be compared with an expected median limit of 113.5 GeV/c^2 for these data.
Prevalence and Determinants of the Use of Lipid-Lowering Agents in a Population of Older Hospitalized Patients: the Findings from the REPOSI (REgistr…
2017
BACKGROUND: Older patients are prone to multimorbidity and polypharmacy, with an inherent risk of adverse events and drug interactions. To the best of our knowledge, available information on the appropriateness of lipid-lowering treatment is extremely limited. AIM: The aim of the present study was to quantify and characterize lipid-lowering drug use in a population of complex in-hospital older patients. METHODS: We analyzed data from 87 units of internal medicine or geriatric medicine in the REPOSI (Registro Politerapie della Società Italiana di Medicina Interna) study, with reference to the 2010 and 2012 patient cohorts. Lipid-lowering drug use was closely correlated with the clinical prof…
Measurement of the ZZ cross-section in e(+)e(-) interactions at 183-189 GeV
2001
Measurements of on-shell ZZ production are described, using data collected by DELPHI in 1997 and 1998, at centre-of-mass energies sqrt(s) = 182.6 GeV and 188.6 GeV respectively. Results obtained in each of the final states q qbar q qbar, mu+mu- q qbar, e+e- q qbar, nu nubar q qbar, l+l-l+l-, and nu nubar l+l- are presented. The measured cross-sections for on-shell ZZ production via the tree-level doubly-resonant graphs (NC02) are: sigma_{NC02}(182.6 GeV) = 0.38 +- 0.18 (stat) +- 0.04 (syst) pb, sigma_{NC02}(188.6 GeV) = 0.60 +- 0.13 (stat) +- 0.07 (syst) pb. They are consistent with the Standard Model expectations of 0.25 pb and 0.65 pb at each energy.
Measurement of the semileptonic b branching fractions and average b mixing parameter in Z decays
2001
The semileptonic branching fractions for primary and cascade b decays BR(b -> lepton-), BR(b -> c -> lepton+) and BR(b -> cbar -> lepton-) were measured in hadronic Z decays collected by the DELPHI experiment at LEP. The sample was enriched in b decays using the lifetime information and various techniques were used to separate leptons from direct or cascade b decays. By fitting the momentum spectra of di-leptons in opposite jets, the average b mixing parameter chi-bar was also extracted. The following results have been obtained: BR(b -> lepton-) = (10.70 +/- 0.08 (stat) +/- 0.21 (syst)_{+0.44}^{-0.30}(model))% BR(b -> c -> lepton+) = (7.98 +/- 0.22 (stat) +/- 0.21 (s…
Measurement and Interpretation of Fermion-Pair Production at LEP Energies of 183 and 189 GeV
2000
An analysis of the data collected in 1997 and 1998 with the DELPHI detector at e+e- collision energies close to 183 and 189 GeV was performed in order to extract the hadronic and leptonic fermion-pair cross-sections, as well as the leptonic forward-backward asymmetries and angular distributions. The data are used to put limit on contact interactions between fermions, the exchange of R-parity violating SUSY sneutrinos, Z' bosons and the existence of gravity in extra dimensions.