Women in the Catholic World Facing Pandemic. Gendered Activism

Studies on religion in Italy at the time of Covid-19 have investigated the influence of the pandemic on the trend of religiosity in the country, both in its traditional and new forms. But the study of the life of Italian Catholic women during the most acute phase of the health emergency was completely neglected. This absence also reflects a lacuna in the contemporary sociological debate : the scarcity of research that investigates both the religiosity of Italian women and the female Catholic protagonism. The article aims to help fill this gap by investigating how Catholic activists have reacted to the pandemic. To this end, the experience of << Women for the Church >>, a group founded in 2017 by Paola Lazzarini, a sociology and journalist, will be examined. This lens will allow us to extend our gaze beyond the experience of these activists, to start a broader reasoning on how practicing Catholic women have faced the absence of public rites, finding alternative solutions for themselves and their families.

Poetry in Pandemic: A Multimodal Neuroaesthetic Study on the Emotional Reaction to the Divina Commedia Poem

Poetry elicits emotions, and emotion is a fundamental component of human ontogeny. Although neuroaesthetics is a rapidly developing field of research, few studies focus on poetry, and none address its different modalities of fruition (MOF) of universal cultural heritage works, such as the Divina Commedia (DC) poem. Moreover, alexithymia (AX) resulted in being a psychological risk factor during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aims to investigate the emotional response to poetry excerpts from different cantica (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso) of DC with the dual objective of assessing the impact of both the structure of the poem and MOF and that of the characteristics of the acting voice in experts and non-experts, also considering AX. Online emotion facial coding biosignal (BS) techniques, self-reported and psychometric measures were applied to 131 literary (LS) and scientific (SS) university students. BS results show that LS globally manifest more JOY than SS in both reading and listening MOF and more FEAR towards Inferno. Furthermore, LS and SS present different results regarding NEUTRAL emotion about acting voice. AX influences listening in NEUTRAL and SURPRISE expressions. DC's structure affects DISGUST and SADNESS during listening, regardless of participant characteristics. PLEASANTNESS varies according to DC's structure and the acting voice, as well as AROUSAL, which is also correlated with AX. Results are discussed in light of recent findings in affective neuroscience and neuroaesthetics, suggesting the critical role of poetry and listening in supporting human emotional processing. © 2023 by the authors.

Can point of care ultrasound (POCUS), in the general ward and in primary care, reduce 30-day hospital readmission (HR) in a heart failure (HF) population?

Background: about 25% of patients admitted for HF are readmitted to hospital within 30 days. Fluid congestion is the leading cause for short-term readmission. Lung ultrasound (LUS) has become widely used to assess pulmonary congestion of cardiac origin for hospitalized patients on admission and before discharge but also for patients with HF undergoing outpatient follow-up. Inferior vena cava ultrasonography (IVCUS) seems also to be a useful tool in the care of patients with chronic HF. General practitioners (GPs) can safely use POCUS in a wide range of clinical settings to aid diagnosis and better the care of their patients. Furthermore, they have expressed a need for greater training to diagnose and manage HF. An effective advanced fluid management programme, consisting in an intervention providing tailored therapy guided by intravascular volume assessment, is associated with improving readmission and mortality in HF. However, experts report long waiting lists for HF clinics and emphasize that scheduled follow-up appointments with a cardiologist do not regularly occur within two weeks of discharge, as recommended in guidelines. Purpose: to assess if POCUS, including LUS and IVC collapse index (IVCCI), can help in-hospital management in the general ward and if GPs can early identify signs of fluid overload after discharge, providing early referral and optimal therapy according to 2021 ESC guidelines. Methods: observational pilot study to test routine POCUS performed on hospital admission, before discharge and after 2 weeks in the GP ambulatory setting, after an in-hospital training period. 30-day HR was retrospectively compared to the clinical standard. Results: among 250 consecutive SARS-CoV-2 negative patients admitted to the department of internal medicine, 56 (22.4%) have been hospitalized for acute decompensated HF (17.8% HFrEF, 26.8%, HFmrEF, 55.4% HFpEF). 17 patients (30% M/F 6/11: group 1) underwent POCUS, while 39 patients (70% M/F 25/14, group 2) the standard management. Mean age difference (group1: 80.6±9.6 vs group2: 82.8±8.2) as well as comorbidities were not significant among groups (t-test p<0.19), while mean length of stay (MLS) for group1 (6.5±2.9 days) vs group2 (12±6.2 days) was significant (t-test p<0.001). LUS on discharge excluded persistent congestion in 76.5% (B-lines ≥ 3: 23.5%, yet 75% of these patients had no findings on ascultation), while IVCCI was >50%, 30-50%, <30% respectively in 52.9%,17.6% and 29.4%). 3 patients were evaluated after 2 weeks by GP. The 30-day HR was 5.8% (group1) vs 12.8% (group2) (χ2 test p<0.0012). Conclusions: POCUS seems to have contributed to reduce MLS, encouraging attainment of an optimal volume status at discharge and prescription of an optimal therapy. LUS and IVCUS are simple tools which may be performed soon after discharge by GP, contributing to reduce 30-day HR improving post discharge quality of care.

Bedside multi-organ point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) and focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) experience in a multidisciplinary low intensity COVID-19 department during the current pandemic scenario

Background: COVID-19 has caused devastation in the past year. PoCUS including lung ultrasound (LUS) and FoCUS as a clinical adjunct has played a significant role in medical management of these patients. The use of US is suggested in many clinical situations related to respiratory, cardiovascular and thromboembolic aspects of COVID-19. Limitations due to insufficient data are opportunities for future research. Aim of the study: To evaluate PoCUS and FoCUS in daily practice, in order to better understand their role in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients. Materials and Methods: Retrospective evaluation in a multidisciplinary COVID 19 department during the current pandemic scenario. PoCUS and FoCUS activity have been performed using a multi-frequency probes equipment. Results: 70 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients (M/F 34/36, mean age 68.1±5.5) have been admitted in a multidisciplinary low intensity (Pa O2/Fi O2 ≥300) COVID 19 department from December 27th, 2021 for 36 consecutive days. 47% had pneumonia, 78% of which were no-vax patients. 47% were discharged home, 7.1% transferred to the intensive care unit for clinical deterioration, 8.6% to the post-acute ward, while 4.3% died. PoCUS and FoCUS were performed in 55.3% (internal US 38.4%, CUS 30.8%, procedures 30.8%). 2 newly diagnosed gastrointestinal neoplasms have been identified. Conclusions: in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients PoCUS and FoCUS are rapid, bedside, goal-oriented, diagnostic test that are used to answer specific clinical questions, not only for pulmonary disease but also to better evaluate relevant underlying comorbidities.

Smell and taste dysfunction during the COVID-19 pandemic: an infodemiological analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can cause smell and taste dysfunction. We aimed to investigate the general community's interest in smell dysfunction (SD) and taste dysfunction (TD) using Google Trends to compare results with more common symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as fever and cough. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relative Search Volumes (RSVs) for the English terms "Smell", "Taste", "Fever" and "Cough", filtered by the category "Health", were collected from 2018 through 2020. Moreover, RSVs using synonyms of "Taste" and "Smell" in 5 European languages were analyzed. RESULTS: The worldwide mean RSVs for "Fever", "Cough", "Smell", and "Taste" during 2020 were 49%, 34%, 8% and 9%, respectively. RSVs associated with the search terms "Fever" and "Cough" showed a peak between February and March 2020, as did "Smell" and "Taste". Even though RSVs were much lower, they were highly correlated (r=0.890). RSVs obtained from "Smell" and "Taste" in five European languages (German, English, French, Italian and Spanish) had similar temporal trends. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show the level of the general population's interest for early symptoms, suggesting that their interest in SARS-CoV-2 infection symptoms, such as SD and TD, was scarce but peaked during the pandemic outbreak.

SARS-CoV-2 infection and H1N1 vaccination: does a relationship between the two factors really exist? A retrospective analysis of a territorial cohort in Ferrara, Italy.

OBJECTIVE: SARS-CoV-2 has been compared with other strains of coronaviruses, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and with the flu viruses: all of them manifest themselves with respiratory symptoms and, although their genetic patterns are similar, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection has quickly reached global dimensions, demonstrating that SARS-CoV-2 is a virus with greater spreading capacity, albeit less lethal. Compared with influenza viruses, coronaviruses have a longer incubation period and the patients with coronaviruses' syndromes develop more severe diseases requiring frequent hospitalizations and intensive care admissions. The aim was to explore the relationships between seasonal influenza vaccination and coronavirus infection and to understand whether this hypothetic role by the flu vaccines modifies SARS-CoV-2 infection's outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective, multicenter study, we enrolled 952 patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection; 448 were admitted to our two main hospitals in Ferrara territory, while the remaining 504 were isolated at home. We compared the group of patients who had been vaccinated for influenza in the previous 12 months to that of unvaccinated patients. RESULTS: Significant differences were found for both the need for hospitalization and 30-day mortality between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. We found age to be the only independent risk factor for a worse 30-day prognosis, while gender, influenza vaccinations and age itself were independent risk factors for undergoing hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: In our groups of patients, we found a relationship between seasonal influenza vaccinations and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Age seems to be the main risk factor for short-term mortality in COVID-19 inpatients, while the influenza vaccination is, together with gender and age itself, a determining factor in predicting the need for hospitalization.

Prediction of in-hospital mortality of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection by comorbidity indexes: an Italian internal medicine single center study.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized for severe acute respiratory syndrome due to coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection seems to be closely related with burden of comorbidities. A comorbidity score could help in clinical stratification of patients admitted to internal medicine units. Our aim was to assess a novel modified Elixhauser index (mEi) and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) for predicting in-hospital mortality (IHM) in internal medicine patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This single-center retrospective study enrolled all consecutive patients discharged from internal medicine unit with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Both the mEi and CCI were easily calculated from administrative data. Comorbidity scores were tested using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, and the respective area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: The total sample consisted of 151 individuals, and 30 (19.9%) died during their hospital stay. Deceased subjects were older (82.8±10.8 vs. 63.3±18.1 years; p<0.001) and had a higher burden of comorbidities: the mEi and CCI were 29.9±11 vs. 8.8±9.2 and 4.6±2.6 vs. 1.2±2 (p<0.001), respectively. Only the mEi was independently associated with IHM (OR 1.173), and ROC curves analysis showed that the AUCs were 0.863 and 0.918 for the CCI and for mEi, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In patients admitted to internal medicine wards with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the mEi showed a better performance in predicting IHM than CCI.

Morning vs. evening administration of antiviral therapy in COVID-19 patients. A preliminary retrospective study in Ferrara, Italy.

OBJECTIVE: At the end of 2019, the Novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), spread rapidly from China to the whole world. Circadian rhythms can play crucial role in the complex interplay between viruses and organisms, and temporized schedules (chronotherapy) have been positively tested in several medical diseases. We aimed to compare the possible effects of a morning vs. evening antiviral administration in COVID patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated all patients admitted to COVID internal medicine units with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, and treated with darunavir-ritonavir (single daily dose, for seven days). Age, sex, length of stay (LOS), pharmacological treatment, and timing of antiviral administration (morning or evening), were recorded. Outcome indicators were death or LOS, and laboratory parameters, e.g., variations in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2, mmHg) to fractional inspired oxygen (FiO2) (PaO2/FiO2), and leucocyte count. RESULTS: The total sample consisted of 151 patients, 33 (21.8%) of whom were selected for antiviral treatment. The mean age was 61.8±18.3 years, 17 (51.5%) were male, and the mean LOS was 13.4±8.6 days. Nine patients (27.3%) had their antiviral administration in the morning, and 24 (72.7%) had antiviral administration in the evening. No fatalities occurred. Despite the extremely limited sample size, morning group subjects showed a significant difference in CRP variation, compared to that in evening group subjects (-65.82±33.26 vs. 83.32±304.89, respectively, p<0.032). No significant differences were found for other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: This report is the first study evaluating temporized morning vs. evening antiviral administration in SARS-CoV-2 patients. The morning regimen was associated with a significant reduction in CRP values. Further confirmations with larger and multicenter samples of patients could reveal novel potentially useful insights.