Anosmia and Dysgeusia in the Absence of Other Respiratory Diseases: Should COVID-19 Infection Be Considered?

We describe two elderly patients evaluated at emergency departments for anosmia/dysgeusia in the absence of any other respiratory symptoms prior to or upon admission. In the current epidemiological context, clinical and biological work-up led to a diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. Unfortunately, one of the patients died during hospitalization, but the other recovered and was discharged. LEARNING POINTS: In the current epidemiological situation, anosmia and dysgeusia in the absence of other respiratory conditions should be carefully evaluated.Special attention should be given to patients with non-classic COVID-19 symptoms in order to reduce transmission and protect health providers.

Thrombocytopenia in the Course of COVID-19 Infection.

We report three cases of severe thrombocytopenia during COVID-19 infection associated with either cutaneous purpura or mucosal bleeding. The initial investigations ruled out other causes of thrombocytopenia. Two of the patients were treated with intravenous immunoglobulins and eltrombopag, while the third recovered spontaneously. A good clinical and biological response was achieved in all patients leading to hospital discharge. LEARNING POINTS: Immune thrombocytopenia should be considered in COVID-19-infected patients presenting with thrombocytopenia.Coronavirus-related thrombocytopenia can be severe and life-threatening.Despite the severity of coronavirus-related immune thrombocytopenia, recovery may be spontaneous or achieved following immunoglobulin or platelet growth factor administration.

Cutaneous Complications Secondary to Haemostasis Abnormalities in COVID-19 Infection.

We describe the case of a patient hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure in a standard medical ward. During hospitalization, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and transferred to a special unit. The clinical course was marked by worsening of the respiratory disease, the development of right parotiditis and thrombosis of the left internal jugular vein. Therapeutic anticoagulation was initiated and 2 days later, the minimal dermatoporosis lesions previously present in the upper extremities evolved to haemorrhagic bullae with intra-bullae blood clots and dissecting haematomas. Surgical management of the dissecting haematomas was difficult in the context of haemostasis abnormalities. The patient died 29 days after hospital admission. LEARNING POINTS: Single room accommodation should be preferred to double room accommodation in standard wards during the COVID-19 pandemic.Anticoagulation therapy and the presence of lupus anticoagulant may induce cutaneous complications during COVID-19 infection.The discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy did not help improve the management of cutaneous lesions.

Two-Years Follow-Up of Symptoms and Return to Work in Complex Post-COVID-19 Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Many COVID-19 patients present with severe long-lasting symptoms. They might benefit from a coordination team to manage such complex situations, but late efficacy still needs to be determined. POPULATION AND METHODS: Out of 105 contacts, 45 patients had two phone consultations separated by personalized support 15 and 22 months, respectively, after COVID infection. Self-reported symptoms, feelings of improvement and ability to return to work allowed us to determine the efficacy of the therapeutic strategy proposed. RESULTS: Unlike what was expected, many post-COVID-19 patients directly contacted the coordination team and had significant pre-existing comorbidities. Despite exercise, respiratory, olfactory rehabilitations, cognition/speech therapy and/or psychological support, the more frequent self-reported symptoms (fatigue, neurocognitive disorders, muscles and joint pain) did not resolve. However, dyspnea, anxiety and chest pain were significantly reduced. Finally, 2/3 of the patients felt some degree of improvement and returned to work either partially or fully, but 1/3 remained complaining of symptoms and out of work as late as 22 months after COVID occurrence. All patients greatly appreciated the second phone consultation. CONCLUSIONS: In such complex situations, besides early and adapted rehabilitations and psychological help allowing better symptom management, relatively simple actions such as a phone call might be very useful to reduce patients' feelings of abandonment.

Prognostic Significance of Lung and Cava Vein Ultrasound in Elderly Patients Admitted for Acute Heart Failure: PROFUND-IC Registry Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Heart failure is an extremely prevalent disease in the elderly population of the world. Most patients present signs and symptoms of decompensation of the disease due to worsening congestion. This congestion has been clinically assessed through clinical signs and symptoms and complementary imaging tests, such as chest radiography. Recently, pulmonary and inferior vena cava ultrasound has been shown to be useful in assessing congestion but its prognostic significance in elderly patients has been less well evaluated. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare the clinical and radiological characteristics and predictive values for mortality in patients admitted for heart failure through the determination of B lines by lung ultrasound and the degree of collapsibility of the inferior vena cava (IVC). Secondarily, the study aims to assess the prediction of 30-day mortality based on the diameter of the IVC by means of the ROC curve. METHODS: This is an observational cohort study based on data collected in the PROFUND-IC study, a nationwide multicentric registry of patients admitted with decompensated heart failure. Data were collected from these patients between October 2020 and April 2022. RESULTS: A total of 482 patients were entered into the PROFUND-IC registry between October 2020 and April 2022. Bedside clinical ultrasound was performed during admission in 301 patients (64.3%). The number of patients with more than 6 B-lines on lung ultrasound amounted to 194 (66%). Statistically significant differences in 30-day mortality (22.1% vs. 9.2%; p = 0.01) were found in these patients. The sum of patients with IVC collapsibility of less than 50% amounted to 195 (67%). Regarding prognostic value, collapsibility data were significant for the number of admissions in the last year (12.5% vs. 5.5%; p = 0.04), in-hospital mortality (10.1% vs. 3.3%, p = 0.04) and 30-day mortality (22.6% vs. 8.1%; p < 0.01), but not for readmissions. Regarding the prognostic value of IVC diameter for 30-day mortality, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.73, with a p < 0.01. The curve cut-off point with the highest sensitivity (70%) and specificity (70.3%) was for an IVC value of 22.5 mm. In the logistic regression analysis, we observed that the variable most associated with patient survival at 30 days was the presence of a collapsible inferior vena cava, with more than 50% OR 0.359 (CI 0.139-0.926; p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: The subgroups of patients analyzed with more than six B lines per field and IVC collapsibility less than or equal to 50%, as measured by clinical ultrasound, had higher 30-day mortality rates than patients who did not fall into these subgroups. IVC diameter may be a good independent predictor of 30-day mortality in patients with decompensated heart failure. Comparing both ultrasound variables, it seems that in our population, the assessment of the inferior vena cava may be more associated with short-term prognosis than the pulmonary congestion variables assessed by B lines.

Effects of Rehabilitation on Long-COVID-19 Patient's Autonomy, Symptoms and Nutritional Observance.

BACKGROUND: Despite significant improvements in COVID-19 therapy, many patients still present with persistent symptoms and quality-of-life alterations. The aim of this study was to simultaneously investigate the long-term evolution of autonomy, malnutrition and long-lasting symptoms in people infected with COVID-19 and hospitalized in the ICU. METHOD: Patients' clinical characteristics; extent of their loss of autonomy based on "Autonomie Gérontologie Groupes Iso-Ressources" (AG-GIR) classification; nutritional status while following the French and Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) recommendations; and symptom evolutions before infection, during hospitalization and rehabilitation, and up to 6 months after returning home were determined in thirty-seven patients. RESULTS: Prior to a COVID-19 infection, all patients were autonomous, but upon admission to the rehabilitation center (CRM), 39% of them became highly dependent. After discharge from the center and 6 months after returning home, only 6 and 3%, respectively, still required considerable assistance. Of these thirty-seven patients, 11% were moderately malnourished and 81% presented with severe malnutrition, with a significant correlation being observed between malnutrition and autonomy (p < 0.05). Except for fatigue, which persisted in 70% of the patients 6 months after discharge from rehabilitation, all other symptoms decreased significantly. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a striking decrease in autonomy associated with malnutrition after hospitalization for a COVID-19 infection and a clear beneficial effect from personalized rehabilitation. However, although almost all patients regained autonomy 6 months after returning home, they often still suffer from fatigue. Patient compliance with their nutritional recommendations deserves further improvement, preferably through personalized and persistent follow-up with the patient.

Hearing Loss and Sixth Cranial Nerve Paresis after COVID-19.

An 80-year-old patient was admitted to the internal medicine department for binocular diplopia and hearing loss with sudden onset. The patient had presented with SARS-CoV-2 infection 3 weeks previously and had been admitted to hospital. Complete work-up including autoimmunity, serum and LCR viral serology and MRI did not allow a diagnosis to be established. The hypothesis of a microvascular origin or the previous SARS-CoV-2 infection was considered. The latter was retained in light of the temporal relationship, the absence of other pathologies after exhaustive work-up, and the clinical evolution. LEARNING POINTS: A temporal relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptoms in the absence of other pathologies is important for diagnosis.Mid or long-term follow-up is necessary in patients with unexplained symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Abnormal liver tests and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease predict disease progression and outcome of patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a serious public health issue that became rapidly pandemic. Liver injury and comorbidities, including metabolic syndrome, are associated with severe forms of the disease. This study sought to investigate liver injury, clinical features, and risk factors in patients with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19. METHODS: We retrospectively included all consecutive patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 between February, 22 and May 15, 2020 at the emergency rooms of a French tertiary hospital. Medical history, symptoms, biological and imaging data were collected. RESULTS: Among the 1381 hospitalizations for COVID-19, 719 patients underwent liver tests on admission and 496 (68.9%) patients displayed abnormal liver tests. Aspartate aminotransferase was most commonly abnormal in 57% of cases, followed by gamma-glutamyl transferase, alanine aminotransferase, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin in 56.5%, 35.9%, 18.4%, 11.4%, and 5.8%. The presence of hepatocellular type more than 2xULN was associated with a higher risk of hospitalization and a worse course of severe disease (odd ratio [OR] 5.599; 95%CI: 1.27-23.86; p = 0.021; OR 3.404; 95% CI: 2.12-5.47; p < 0.001, respectively). A higher NAFLD fibrosis score was associated with a higher risk of hospitalization (OR 1.754; 95%CI: 1.27-2.43, p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, patients with high fibrosis-4 index had a 3-fold greater risk of severe disease (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Abnormal liver tests are common in patients with COVID-19 and could predict the outcome. Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis are at higher risk of progressing to severe COVID-19.

Glycemic Disorder Risk Remote Monitoring Program in the COVID-19 Very Elderly Patients: Preliminary Results.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated the use of new technologies and new processes to care for hospitalized patients, including diabetes patients. This was the basis for the "GER-e-TEC COVID study," an experiment involving the use of the smart MyPredi TM e-platform to automatically detect the exacerbation of glycemic disorder risk in COVID-19 older diabetic patients. Methods: The MyPredi TM platform is connected to a medical analysis system that receives physiological data from medical sensors in real time and analyzes this data to generate (when necessary) alerts. An experiment was conducted between December 14th, 2020 and February 25th, 2021 to test this alert system. During this time, the platform was used on COVID-19 patients being monitored in an internal medicine COVID-19 unit at the University Hospital of Strasbourg. The alerts were compiled and analyzed in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values with respect to clinical data. Results: 10 older diabetic COVID-19 patients in total were monitored remotely, six of whom were male. The mean age of the patients was 84.1 years. The patients used the telemedicine solution for an average of 14.5 days. 142 alerts were emitted for the glycemic disorder risk indicating hyperglycemia, with an average of 20.3 alerts per patient and a standard deviation of 26.6. In our study, we did not note any hypoglycemia, so the system emitted any alerts. For the sensitivity of alerts emitted, the results were extremely satisfactory, and also in terms of positive and negative predictive values. In terms of survival analysis, the number of alerts and gender played no role in the length of the hospital stay, regardless of the reason for the hospitalization (COVID-19 management). Conclusion: This work is a pilot study with preliminary results. To date, relatively few projects and trials in diabetic patients have been run within the "telemedicine 2.0" setting, particularly using AI, ICT and the Web 2.0 in the era of COVID-19 disease.

Results of the Second Phase of the GER-e-TEC Experiment concerning the Telemonitoring of Elderly Patients Affected by COVID-19 Disease to Detect the Exacerbation of Geriatric Syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has wreaked health and economic damage globally. This pandemic has created a difficult challenge for global public health. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated the use of new technologies and new processes to care for hospitalized patients, including elderly patients. Our team developed a telemonitoring program focused on the prevention of geriatric syndromes, the "GER-e-TEC COVID study". METHODS: This second phase took place during the 3rd wave of the epidemic in France, between 14 December 2020 and 25 February 2021, conducted in the University Hospital of Strasbourg. RESULTS: 30 elderly patients affected by COVID-19 disease were monitored remotely; the mean age was 85.9 years and a male/female ratio of 1.5 to 1.11 (36.7%) died during the experiment. The patients used the telemedicine solution for an average of 27.3 days. 140,260 measurements were taken while monitoring the geriatric syndromes of the entire patient group. 4675 measurements were recorded per patient for geriatric disorders and risks. 319 measurements were recorded per patient per day. The telemedicine solution emitted a total of 1245 alerts while monitoring the geriatric syndromes of the entire patient group. In terms of sensitivity, the results were 100% for all geriatric risks and extremely satisfactory in terms of positive and negative predictive values. Survival analyses showed that gender played no role in the length of the hospital stay, regardless of the reason for the hospitalization (decompensated heart failure (p = 0.45), deterioration of general condition (p = 0.12), but significant for death (p = 0.028)). The analyses revealed that the length of the hospital stay was not affected by the number of alerts. The results concerning the predictive nature of alerts are satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: The MyPredi™ telemedicine system allows for the generation of automatic, non-intrusive alerts when the health of a COVID-19 elderly patient deteriorates due to risks associated with geriatric syndromes.

Lockdown Effect on Elderly Nutritional Health.

Pandemics and lockdowns may be associated with unpremeditated consequences, such as bodyweight changes, isolation, as well as sedentarity. Reports have been published on malnutrition among patients suffering from COVID-19. This study aimed to highlight the short-term effects of the lockdown on the nutritional health of elderly people living at home and benefiting from home care services, yet without any COVID-19 pathology. In 50 subjects displaying weight, body mass index, and MNA score stability two months earlier, we observed significant alterations in these parameters following the lockdown. Thus, malnutrition rose from 28-34% to 58%. Furthermore, trigger factors for malnutrition changed, with social isolation accounting for 64% of the confinement's deleterious effects among the elderly. In conclusion, despite the elderly being not directly affected by SARS-CoV2, the nutritional status of elderly subjects living at home with no or only mild autonomy loss was greatly and rapidly affected by the lockdown. Moreover, the main trigger factors for malnutrition were essentially related to social isolation and depressive syndromes. Knowing the impact of confinement on the elderly's health, these results may help further modulate ongoing public health interventions in case of future lockdowns.

SARS-CoV-2 infection and psychiatric manifestations in a previous healthy patient.

BACKGROUND: The clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection was initially dominated by respiratory symptoms. However, the clinical spectrum is wide and neuropsychiatric syndromes are also a source of medical concern. Our aims are to present an atypical clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection characterized by auditory hallucinations and unusual behavior and to emphasize the diversity of clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 33-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department (ED) with a one-day history of auditory hallucinations, unusual behavior, changes in her sleeping habits and incoherent speech. No other symptoms were reported. Blood examinations confirmed high elevated white cell count and C-reactive protein. The head CT scan was normal but the chest scan showed right ground-glass opacities in the lower zones. The oropharyngeal swab was positive for SARS-CoV-2. Based on these results, the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was retained. The patient received no specific treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection and only needed oxygen therapy support for 7 days. The additional dose of Olanzapine 10 mg daily was initially prescribed but the patient was back to her usual self on day 14 of hospital admission leading to its discontinuation. This clinical course was consistent with a first episode of psychosis triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSION: Neuroinflammation owing to SARS-CoV-2 infection could be responsible for a wide and unknown spectrum of neuropsychiatric manifestations. During this pandemic, special attention should be given to patients with no previous history of psychiatric disorders presenting to ED with neuropsychiatric syndromes of unknown etiology.

Reduced Flow-Mediated Dilatation Is Not Related to COVID-19 Severity Three Months after Hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread rapidly worldwide, with more than two million deaths. Evidence indicates the critical role of the vascular endothelium in its pathophysiology but, like potential changes in functional vasodilation, the vascular effect of SARS-CoV-2 at a given distance from the acute infection is largely unknown. We assessed brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in 27 COVID-19 patients needing conventional or intensive care unit hospitalization, three months after SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnosis and in nine age- and sex- matched control subjects. Interestingly, the FMD was lower in COVID-19 patients as compared to controls (8.2 (7.2-8.9) vs. 10.3 (9.1-11.7)); p = 0.002, and half of the hospitalized COVID-19 survivors presented with a reduced FMD < 8% at three months of COVID-19 onset. Impaired FMD was not associated with severe or critical SARS-CoV-2 infection, reflected by ICU hospitalization, total hospitalization duration, or severity of lung damage. In conclusion, reduced FMD is often observed even three months after hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection, but such alteration predominantly appears to not be related to COVID-19 severity. Longer and larger follow-up studies will help to clarify the potential prognosis value of FMD among COVID-19 patients, as well as to further determine the mechanisms involved.

The SADDEN DEATH Study: Results from a Pilot Study in Non-ICU COVID-19 Spanish Patients.

Introduction: The worldwide pandemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infection with serious clinical manifestations, including death. Our aim is to describe the first non-ICU Spanish deceased series with COVID-19, comparing specifically between unexpected and expected deaths. Methods: In this single-centre study, all deceased inpatients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who had died from March 4 to April 16, 2020 were consecutively included. Demographic, clinical, treatment, and laboratory data, were analyzed and compared between groups. Factors associated with unexpected death were identified by multivariable logistic regression methods. Results: In total, 324 deceased patients were included. Median age was 82 years (IQR 76-87); 55.9% males. The most common cardiovascular risk factors were hypertension (78.4%), hyperlipidemia (57.7%), and diabetes (34.3%). Other common comorbidities were chronic kidney disease (40.1%), chronic pulmonary disease (30.3%), active cancer (13%), and immunosuppression (13%). The Confusion, BUN, Respiratory Rate, Systolic BP and age ≥65 (CURB-65) score at admission was >2 in 40.7% of patients. During hospitalization, 77.8% of patients received antivirals, 43.3% systemic corticosteroids, and 22.2% full anticoagulation. The rate of bacterial co-infection was 5.5%, and 105 (32.4%) patients had an increased level of troponin I. The median time from initiation of therapy to death was 5 days (IQR 3.0-8.0). In 45 patients (13.9%), the death was exclusively attributed to COVID-19, and in 254 patients (78.4%), both COVID-19 and the clinical status before admission contributed to death. Progressive respiratory failure was the most frequent cause of death (92.0%). Twenty-five patients (7.7%) had an unexpected death. Factors independently associated with unexpected death were male sex, chronic kidney disease, insulin-treated diabetes, and functional independence. Conclusions: This case series provides in-depth characterization of hospitalized non-ICU COVID-19 patients who died in Madrid. Male sex, insulin-treated diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and independency for activities of daily living are predictors of unexpected death.

First Test of an Automated Detection Platform to Identify Risk of Decompensation in Elderly Patients.

INTRODUCTION: We tested the MyPredi™ e-platform which is dedicated to the automated, intelligent detection of situations posing a risk of decompensation in geriatric patients. OBJECTIVE: The goal was to validate the technological choices, to consolidate the system and to test the robustness of the MyPredi™ e-platform through daily use. RESULTS: The telemedicine solution took 3,552 measurements for a hospitalized patient during her stay, with an average of 237 measurements per day, and issued 32 alerts, with an average of 2 alerts per day. The main risk was heart failure which generated the most alerts (n=13). The platform had 100% sensitivity for all geriatric risks, and had very satisfactory positive and negative predictive values. CONCLUSION: The present experiment validates the technological choices, the tools and the solutions developed. LEARNING POINTS: Patients with chronic conditions can be monitored with telemedicine systems to optimise their management, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.The goal was to validate the technological choices, to consolidate the system and to test the robustness of the MyPredi™ e-platform, through daily use in an elderly patient.The present experiment demonstrates the relevance of the technological choices, the tools and the solutions developed.

Prognostic Value of Troponin Elevation in COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients.

(1) Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) penetrates the respiratory epithelium through angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) binding. Myocardial and endothelial expression of ACE2 could account for the growing body of reported evidence of myocardial injury in severe forms of Human Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to provide insight into the impact of troponin (hsTnI) elevation on SARS-CoV-2 outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. (2) Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of hospitalized adult patients with the SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to a university hospital in France. The observation period ended at hospital discharge. (3) Results: During the study period, 772 adult, symptomatic COVID-19 patients were hospitalized for more than 24 h in our institution, of whom 375 had a hsTnI measurement and were included in this analysis. The median age was 66 (55-74) years, and there were 67% of men. Overall, 205 (55%) patients were placed under mechanical ventilation and 90 (24%) died. A rise in hsTnI was noted in 34% of the cohort, whereas only three patients had acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and one case of myocarditis. Death occurred more frequently in patients with hsTnI elevation (HR 3.95, 95% CI 2.69-5.71). In the multivariate regression model, a rise in hsTnI was independently associated with mortality (OR 3.12, 95% CI 1.49-6.65) as well as age ≥ 65 years old (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.45-7.18) and CRP ≥ 100 mg/L (OR 3.62, 95% CI 1.12-13.98). After performing a sensitivity analysis for the missing values of hsTnI, troponin elevation remained independently and significantly associated with death (OR 3.84, 95% CI 1.78-8.28). (4) Conclusion: Our study showed a four-fold increased risk of death in the case of a rise in hsTnI, underlining the prognostic value of troponin assessment in the COVID-19 context.

Outcomes of COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients Previously Treated with Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors.

(1) Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) penetrates respiratory epithelium through angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 binding, raising concerns about the potentially harmful effects of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi) on Human Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) evolution. This study aimed to provide insight into the impact of RASi on SARS-CoV-2 outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. (2) Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of hospitalized adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to a university hospital in France. The observation period ended at hospital discharge. (3) Results: During the study period, 943 COVID-19 patients were admitted to our institution, of whom 772 were included in this analysis. Among them, 431 (55.8%) had previously known hypertension. The median age was 68 (56-79) years. Overall, 220 (28.5%) patients were placed under mechanical ventilation and 173 (22.4%) died. According to previous exposure to RASi, we defined two groups, namely, "RASi" (n = 282) and "RASi-free" (n = 490). Severe pneumonia (defined as leading to death and/or requiring intubation, high-flow nasal oxygen, noninvasive ventilation, and/or oxygen flow at a rate of ≥5 L/min) and death occurred more frequently in RASi-treated patients (64% versus 53% and 29% versus 19%, respectively). However, in a propensity score-matched cohort derived from the overall population, neither death (hazard ratio (HR) 0.93 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-1.50), p = 0.76) nor severe pneumonia (HR 1.03 (95%CI 0.73-1.44), p = 0.85) were associated with RASi therapy. (4) Conclusion: Our study showed no correlation between previous RASi treatment and death or severe COVID-19 pneumonia after adjustment for confounders.

Medicine 4.0: New Technologies as Tools for a Society 5.0.

Are new technologies in the medicine sector a driver to support the development of a society 5.0? Innovation pushes the artisan to become smart and lean, customer-oriented but within a standardized environment of production, maintaining and ensuring the quality of the product. An artisan is a user and innovator, as an essential part of the industrial chain. In the healthcare sector, the doctor is the industrial artisan, and medicine can be considered as an example of a smart tool, strongly tailored, that embeds the innovation of materials, nano-devices, and smart technology (e.g., sensors and controllers). But how much of society is ready to host smart technology "on board", becoming "on life", constantly connected with remote controls that allow us to monitor, gather data, and, in any case, act, with preventive healthcare solutions? After a short overview of the medicine sector, a preliminary, tentative link between technological innovation and the healthcare sector allows us to adopt several outlooks on how to change research, always more transdisciplinary, combining science with social science in order to remain human-centered.