ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused more than 6 million deaths. Higher values of the FIB-4 index have been shown to be associated with disease severity. Although vaccination has helped to improve clinical outcomes and overall mortality, it remains important to identify clinical parameters that can predict a likely worse prognosis. Artificial intelligence and big data processing were used to retrieve data from patients with Covid-19 admitted during the period March 2020-January 2022 at the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS. Patients and clinical characteristics of patients with available FIB 4 data derived from the Gemelli Generator Real World Data (G2 RWD) were used to develop predictive models of mortality during the 4 waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. A logistic regression model was applied to the training and test set. The performance of the model was assessed by means of the ROC curve. After the pre-processing steps, 1143 patients and 35 variables were included in the final dataset. The FIB-4 discretization algorithm identified a cut-off of 2.54. After fitting the model for multiple mortality regression analysis: FIB-4>= 2.53 (OR=4.53, [CI: 2.83 - 7.25]), wave 3 (OR=0.34, [CI: 0.15 - 0.75], wave 4 (OR=0.40 [CI: 0.24 - 0.66]) and LDH (OR=1.001, [CI: 1.000 - 1.002]) were considered. The machine learning approach identified a cut-off of 2.53 for FIB-4 above which the risk of death increases significantly. These data may be useful in the clinical management of patients with Covid-19, as they can be calculated from the blood test after hospital admission.
ABSTRACT
In this interview, which was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in early March 2021, Lorenzo Codelli reflects on Latin American cinema and its underlying aesthetics, as well as on the global influence of Italian cinema, in particular neorealism, on filmmakers such as Ruy Guerra, Fernando Solanas and Alfonso Cuaron, among others. In recent years, the Latin American film industry has produced commercially successful films, such as Cuaron's Roma (2018), but few movies receive international distribution in particular if directed a Name) (2019), which premiered at Cannes' Directors' Fornight and has won many awards, is a case in point. Of special interest is Codelli's point of view on the status of contemporary national cinemas and the impact of popular television series on its very survival.
ABSTRACT
In the following interview, which was conducted during the COVID-19 shut-down in December 2020, Liliana Cavani reflects on her cinema and its underlying aesthetics, on current issues such as diversity and gender equality. She reminisces on her formative years and the impact of her anti-fascist grandparents as well as of those open-minded RAI executives who hired her as a freelance professional. She discusses her historical documentaries, her approach to the revolutionary experience of Francis and Clare of Assisi, and her stage production of Eduardo De Filippo’s Filumena Marturano (2016). Of special interest are the director’s comments on the new release of a re-mastered DVD of The Night Porter in England and some critics’ attempts to re-categorize her as a filmmaker obsessed with the corporeality of Eros. She also introduces her new screenplay, written in collaboration with physicist Carlo Rovelli.1. © 2021 Intellect Ltd Interview. English language. https://doi.org.
ABSTRACT
The Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 100,000,000 cases of coronavirus infection in the world in just a year, of which there were 2 million deaths. Its clinical picture is characterized by pulmonary involvement that culminates, in the most severe cases, in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, COVID-19 affects other organs and systems, including cardiovascular, urinary, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Currently, unique-drug therapy is not supported by international guidelines. In this context, it is important to resort to adjuvant therapies in combination with traditional pharmacological treatments. Among natural bioactive compounds, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) seems to have potentially beneficial effects. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an ongoing clinical trial with ultramicronized (um)-PEA as an add-on therapy in the treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In support of this hypothesis, in vitro and in vivo studies have highlighted the immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and pain-relieving effects of PEA, especially in its um form. The purpose of this review is to highlight the potential use of um-PEA as an adjuvant treatment in SARS-CoV-2 infection.