Impact of COVID-19 related alterations in circulating respiratory viruses on children and adult patients with recurrent wheeze and asthma

Introduction: The epidemiology of respiratory infections changed fundamentally during COVID-19 pandemic. While during lockdown periods numbers of respiratory infection were low, an increase of respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus infections was reported outside the natural season. Viral infections being the main trigger for asthma and wheeze episodes in children, we aimed to investigate the impact of this observation on children and adults. Method(s): Within the ALL Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE), an observational, longitudinal multicenter asthma study, we assessed data regarding disease control, use of medication and etiology of exacerbations at three time points, during (pilot: Feb-Aug 2020: n= 280, phase 1: Oct-Apr 2020/21: n= 412) and after lockdown periods (phase 2: JunOct 2021: n= 327). Result(s): We observed high proportions of improvement in disease burden in preschool children (age 0-5.9 years) during lockdown periods in the pilot-phase (35%) and in phase 1 (32%). While after easing of hygiene measures none of the preschool children reported improvement (phase 1/phase 2;p = 0.02), 29% showed worsening of their condition (pilot/phase 2, p = 0.01) associated with viral infections and higher need for medication. Children aged 6-18 years showed a stable course over all phases. In contrast, adults reported worsening of their asthma (pilot, 19%, phase 1, 29%), but no significant change in phase 2 (23%). Conclusion(s): COVID-19 related measures caused a reduction and re-emerge of respiratory virus infections, which influenced the course of disease in preschool children with recurrent wheeze, but not in older children and adults with asthma.

Impact of COVID-19 related alterations in circulating respiratory viruses on children and adult patients with recurrent wheeze and asthma

Introduction During COVID-19 pandemic, the epidemiology of respiratory infections changed fundamentally. During lockdown periods rates of respiratory infection were low. An increase of respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus infections was reported after easing of hygiene measures compared to lockdown and pre-pandemic periods. We investigated the impact of this observation on children and adults with wheeze and asthma. Methods Within the ALL Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE), we conducted questionnaires at three time points, during (Pilot: Feb-Aug 2020: n= 279, Phase 1: Oct-Apr 2020/21: n= 412) and after lockdown periods (Phase 2 Jun-Oct 2021: n= 327). Data on disease control (based on personal assessment and adapted GINA control status), use of medication and etiology of exacerbations were analyzed. Results Preschool children (age 0-5.9 years) showed a noticeable high improvement of 35% (Pilot) and 32% (Phase 1) in disease burden measured by specific symptoms and general personal assessment during lockdown periods. In contrast after easing of hygiene measures none of the preschoolers reported improvement compared to the beginning of the pandemic and lockdown phases (Pilot/ Phase 2;p= 0,0003;Phase 1/Phase 2;p = 0.004), but 29% showed worsening of their condition (Pilot/Phase 2, p = 0.02), associated with viral infections and higher need for medication. Children aged 6- 18 years had a stable asthma course over all phases. Adults reported higher proportion of worsening of their asthma in Phase 1 (30%) in comparison to the Pilot (19%), (p = 0.02), but not in Phase 2 (22%) compared to the Pilot (p= 0.39) or Phase 1 (p= 0.14). Conclusion COVID-19 related measures caused a reduction and re-emergence of respiratory virus infections, which influenced the course of disease in preschool children with recurrent wheeze, but not in older children and adults with asthma.

The Miracle of Bern

Ende September wird im legendaren Wankdorf-Stadion die 43. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft fur Padiatrische Pneumologie stattfinden. Gut zweieinhalb Jahre nach dem Beginn der COVID-19-Pandemie wird es die erste Jahrestagung sein, bei der wir uns - hoffentlich! - wieder personlich treffen konnen. Unsere Fachgesellschaft hat sich in dieser Zeit verandert: Wir haben gelernt, dass man eine Jahrestagung auch virtuell abhalten kann. Wir denken immer mehr uber digitale Fortbildungsangebote nach. Die << Junge GPP >> wurde gegrundet und ist im Vorfeld dieser Jahrestagung sehr aktiv gewesen. In der Arbeitsgruppe GPP der Zukunft haben wir uns u.a. uber unsere Zusammenarbeit mit der Industrie auseinandergesetzt und fuhren eine Befragung unserer Mitglieder durch, um einen gemeinsamen Weg in dieser Frage fur die Zukunft zu definieren. Wir haben unsere Kongresszeitschrift aufgegeben und beginnen mit der heutigen Ausgabe eine professionelle Zusammenarbeit mit der Klinischen Padiatrie, mit peer-review editierten Beitragen, die dann auch uber pubMed zu finden sind. Die Anfragen an die Geschaftsstelle der GPP zu Leitlinien, Stellungnahmen, Weiterbildungsthemen und offentlichkeitsarbeit sind in den letzten Jahren deutlich angestiegen. Und schliesslich endet im September meine Zeit als GPP-Prasident und wir wahlen gemeinsam einen neuen Vorstand.

Self-presentation and social media usage: a case study of professional alpine skiing athletes during the Winter Olympic Games and World Cup

Social media sites are rich communication and marketing tools used by athletes to promote their "brand" and interact with fans. Indeed, the proliferation of social media has led to athletes promoting themselves across multiple platforms. This study examined how the world's top 10 professional alpine skiing athletes used social media to present themselves and engage with fans during the 2017-18 World Cup and 2018 Winter Olympic Games. The data for the latest Winter Olympic Games in 2022 (organized under changed circumstances because of COVID-19) were not available for this study at the time of finalization. Guided by self-presentation theory, this study used a content analysis to examine how athletes presented themselves in social media photographs. The results demonstrated that athletes employed similar posting patterns across the social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). The posting distribution per athlete and channel was different, as some athletes used the same posts across all channels. Twitter boasted the highest posting frequency. Based on the coded social media posts, athletes' self-presentation mainly focused on business life content. Thus, they appeared as dressed but posed, a finding that aligns with Goffman's notion of front-stage performance. This case study extends the literature as it involves an analysis of self-presentation across multiple channels, comparing two international events while using a sample of one sport.

Fulvestrant in the treatment of luminal metastatic breast cancer: The balance of effectiveness and safety

The review presents the results of studies of fulvestrant in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Hormone therapy is an effective method of treating hormone-positive metastatic breast cancer even in the presence of visceral metastases in the absence of a visceral crisis and without detected resistance to endocrine therapy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hormone therapy is safer for patients with hormone-positive MBC than chemotherapy, since it does not lead to immunosup-pression. Fulvestrant is a “pure antiestrogen”, it has a greater affinity for estrogen receptors than tamoxifen. Fulvestrant is both a competitive antagonist and a selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), this mechanism of action provides complete blocking of the estrogen signaling pathway. In the phase III CONFIRM study, the optimal dose of fulvestrate was determined to be 500 mg once every 28 days, with a loading dose of 500 mg on day 15 of the first month of thera-py. In the FALCON phase III study (n = 462), which included postmenopausal MBC patients who had not previously received any endocrine therapy, fulvestrant 500 mg was compared with the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole. Significant improvement in PFS was achieved with fulvestrant therapy compared to anastrozole: 16.6 months in the fulvestrant group versus 13.8 months with anastrozole [OR = 0.797;95% CI 0.637–0.999;p = 0.0486]. A subgroup analysis showed that patients without visceral metastases can benefit most from taking fulvestrant. In all studies fulvestrant 500 mg has demonstrated a good toxicity profile, so it is being studied as a component of combined endocrine therapy. In the PALOMA-3 study the combination of fulvestrant with palbociclib (CDK4/6 inhibitor) demonstrated a median PFS 9.5 months, compared with monotherapy with fulvestrant – 4.6 months (HR = 0.46, p < 0.0001). In the MONALEESA-3 study, the median PFS in patients receiving ribociclib with fulvestrant was significantly higher compared to those taking placebo with fulvestrant: 20.5 months and 12.8 months, respectively (HR = 0.593;95% CI: 0.480–0.732;p < 0.001). In the MONARCH-2 study the combination of fulvestrant and abemaciclib was studied in the second line of therapy, the median PFS was 16.4 months in the group of fulvestrant and abemaciclib, and 9.3 months in the group of fulvestrant and placebo (HR = 0.553;95% CI 0.449-0.681;p < 0.0001). Fulvestrant has a satisfactory toxicity profile, does not require supporting therapy, and is included in the clinical recommendations for monotherapy and combination therapy. © 2020, Remedium Group Ltd. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 stay-at-home order in Tyrol, Austria: sports and exercise behaviour in change?

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate differences in the frequency and types of engagement in sports before, during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stay-at-home order in Tyrol, Austria. STUDY DESIGN: A representative population survey was conducted. METHODS: A sample of Tyroleans (N = 511) was questioned by a market research institute via an online questionnaire or telephone survey. RESULTS: During the stay-at-home order, participants engaged less in sports than before and after the restrictions. However, within-group analyses revealed increasing sport participation in less active groups when comparing the pre- and post-COVID-19 period. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the restrictions during the stay-at-home order, respondents did engage in sports and promoted their health. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to investigate the long-term effects of the COVID-19 crisis on sports and exercise behaviour as well as the extent to which sports policy measures may be able increase sports participation.