Psychiatric Admission Among Migrants Before and During Pandemic: a Retrospective Study in Acute Psychiatric Ward in Bologna, Italy.

Previous evidence showed significant discrepancies in psychiatric services utilization between migrants and reference populations. Our study aims were to evaluate incidence and characteristics of psychiatric hospitalizations of migrant patients compared with reference populations and to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic affected admissions. All patients admitted to the psychiatric ward "SPDC-Malpighi" of the Bologna Mental Health Department from 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2020 were included. Differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were tested by migrant status. Incidence rate ratios of hospital admissions by migrant status were estimated via Poisson regression considering population-at-risk, gender, and age-group. Migrants had higher hospitalization rates due to any psychiatric disorder (IRR = 1.16). The risk was especially pronounced among women (IRR = 1.25) and within the youngest age-group (IRR = 3.24). Young migrants had also a greater risk of compulsory admission (IRR = 3.77). Regarding admissions due to a specific diagnosis, we found relevant differences in hospitalization rates for psychosis, mood disorders, and personality disorders. Finally, migrants were more likely to be admitted via Emergency Department and less likely to be referred from a specialist. During the year of pandemic (2020) we observed an increase in the proportion of migrants admitted voluntarily or compulsorily. Migrants, especially those from the youngest age-group, had higher hospitalization rates for any disorder. Younger migrants were also at higher risk of compulsory treatment. The distribution of psychiatric admissions during the pandemic period seemed to have further increased discrepancies in mental healthcare needs and provision between migrants and the reference population. Tailored interventions and policies are urgently needed to address this issue.

Exposure to psychotropic medications and COVID-19 course after hospital admission: Results from a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: There is evidence of a bidirectional association between COVID-19 disease and psychiatric disorders. We aimed to assess whether exposure to psychotropic medications prior to hospitalization was associated with mortality or discharge within 30 days after hospital admission. METHODS: In this prospective study, we included all individuals with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection who were admitted to the Bologna University Hospital between 1st March 2020 and 31st January 2021. We collected data about pre-existing psychiatric disorders and the use of psychotropic medications at the admission. As univariate analyses, we estimated cumulative incidence functions for 30-day mortality and discharge stratifying by exposure to each of the psychotropic medication classes. Finally, we fitted Cox regression models to estimate cause-specific Hazard Ratios (HR) of 30-day mortality and discharge. Results were adjusted for sociodemographic (age, sex), clinically relevant variables (comorbidity, c-reactive protein levels, severity of disease at presentation, history of smoking, study period), and psychiatric variables (psychiatric disorder diagnosis, number of psychotropic medications). RESULTS: Out of a total of 1238 hospitalized patients, 316 were prescribed psychotropic medications at the time of admission. Among these, 45 (3.6%) were taking a first-generation antipsychotics (FGA) and 66 (5.3%) a second generation antipsychotic (SGA). Exposure to SGA was associated with increased rates of 30-day mortality (HR = 2.01, 95%CI = 1.02-3.97) and exposure to FGA was associated with decreased rates of 30-day discharge (HR = 0.55, 95%CI = 0.33-0.90). CONCLUSION: Patients with COVID-19 infection exposed to FGA and SGA may have worse COVID-19 infection outcomes.

Language proficiency and mental disorders among migrants: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: In this review, we aimed to evaluate the association between language proficiency (LP) and the prevalence and severity of mental disorders in migrants. Secondarily, we aimed to consider whether sociodemographic and migration-related factors may affect the correlation between LP and mental disorders. METHODS: MEDLINE, PsycArticles, EMBASE, and PsycInfo were systematically searched in April 2020 to identify original studies reporting prevalence of psychiatric symptoms or disorders among migrants and taking into account linguistic factors. RESULTS: The search of electronic databases initially yielded 1,944 citations. Of the 197 full texts assessed for eligibility, 41 studies were selected for inclusion in the systematic review. Thirty-five of the papers included reported a significant negative association between low LP and prevalence and/or severity of psychiatric symptoms or disorders, whereas only two records found the opposite relationship and four papers reported no association between them. Inadequate LP was consistently associated with several mental disorders in migrants, including psychotic, mood, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Notably, all the four longitudinal studies that met inclusion criteria for this review reported a positive effect of LP acquisition over time on prevalence or symptom severity of mental disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Even though larger prospective studies are needed to better evaluate the relationship between LP and psychiatric disorders among migrants, we believe that the present findings could be inspiring for authorities to provide support and courses to improve migrants' language proficiency upon arrival.

Management and outcomes of hepatic cirrhosis: Findings from the RING study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Hepatic cirrhosis is a frequent reason for ordinary hospital admission (OA). The RING study collected hospital discharge files (HDF) from Italian hospital gastroenterology units (IGU). This caselist provides a broad picture of the patients admitted for this pathology. MATERIAL/METHODS: More than 50,000 HDF for OA were collected between 2001 and 2004 from 26 IGU. RESULTS: Eight thousand four hundred and eighty-seven HDF (16%) had a diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis; Child-Pugh classes were 20.2% A, 34.8% B and 45.0% C. Patients' mean age was 63.7+/-12.1 years and 62.5% were male. A 61.1% of the cirrhosis cases had ascites, 29.9% portal-systemic encephalopathy, 29.2% hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 10% bleeding varices, 3.0% hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Mortality for OA for cirrhosis was 5.7% versus 2.6% for other diagnoses. The proportion varied with the severity of the cirrhosis: 0% for Child A, 1.1% B, 10.5% C. Mortality was significantly associated with: Child-Pugh at admission (odds ratio: OR 9.2), HRS (OR 11.7), bleeding varices (OR 2.2), HCC (OR 1.8). CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic cirrhosis was found in 16% of the OA to IGU and mortality was double the rate for all the other pathologies in the same wards. Child-Pugh is a useful prognostic tool, higher classes implying a greater risk of death. HRS and bleeding varices were the complications with most influence on in-hospital mortality.

Seasonal patterns of hospital treatment for inflammatory bowel disease in Italy.

AIM: It is still debated whether clinical flare-ups of chronic inflammatory bowel disease follow a seasonal pattern, and the various reports are based on general practitioners' records or hospital discharge charts. There are, however, no specific figures for treatment in hospital gastroenterology units, which serve as a reference point for these disorders. This study was therefore designed to investigate whether there is a seasonal pattern in admissions for inflammatory intestinal disease in Italy, differing from what is generally known about gastrointestinal pathologies, since there are no nation-wide figures on the subject. METHODS: The RING (Ricerca Informatizzata in Gastroenterologia) project is an observational study collecting hospital discharge forms from 22 centers in Italy. RESULTS: From winter 2000 to autumn 2003, the 22 gastroenterology units participating in the RING project discharged 32,357 patients following ordinary hospital admissions. Of these, 2,856 (8.8%) had a main diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease: 1,541 Crohn's disease, and 1,315 ulcerative colitis. No seasonal patterns were detected for either category, or when the analysis was done by age, sex and site of disease. CONCLUSIONS: The most serious flare-ups of inflammatory bowel disease, i.e. those requiring routine hospital treatment, do not appear to follow any seasonal pattern, regardless of the site of the disease or the patient's age or sex.

Higher doses of peginterferon alpha-2b administered twice weekly improve sustained virological response in difficult-to-treat patients with chronic hepatitis C: results of a pilot randomized study.

SUMMARY: Beside substantial progress in treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) particular patients (genotype 1/4, high viral load, previous nonresponse, cirrhosis) remain difficult to treat. The aim of our pilot randomized study was to compare efficacy and tolerability of standard doses of Peginterferon alpha-2b + ribavirin with higher doses of Peginterferon alpha-2b administered twice weekly + ribavirin. Sixty-five outpatients with CHC were subsequently enrolled. Group A (n = 22) received recommended doses of Peginterferon alpha-2b and group B (n = 43), received high doses twice weekly. Groups were comparable for baseline characteristics. All genotype 1/4 patients had high baseline viraemia. Sustained virological response (SVR) was significantly higher in group B among naïve patients (72%vs 25%, P = 0.024). A significantly higher rate of SVR was observed in group B both considering only genotype 1/4 patients, (46%vs 13%, P = 0.03) and grouping together genotype 1/4 naive and relapsers (57%vs 11%, P = 0.039). Discontinuation rate was 32% (7 of 22) in group A and 21% (9 [corrected] of 43) in group B. Our response rates are the highest reported for genotype 1/4 with high viraemia. Our pilot study supports the need of randomized studies to evaluate both viral kinetics and efficacy of high dose and twice weekly administration of Peginterferon alpha-2b in genotype 1/4 patients with high viraemia who may need personalized treatment schedules.

Value of splanchnic Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of portal hypertension.

The accuracy of various Doppler parameters of portal circulation in the diagnosis of relevant portal hypertension (presence of gastroesophageal varices) was prospectively validated. The following parameters were compared in 51 patients with chronic liver disease (40 with cirrhosis and 11 with chronic hepatitis): portal vein flow velocity and congestion index, hepatic and splenic arteries resistance indexes (RI), modified liver vascular index (portal flow velocity/hepatic artery RI) and portal hypertension index, a new index calculated as: [(hepatic artery RI x 0.69) x (splenic artery RI x 0.87)]/portal vein flow velocity. Highest accuracy was achieved by the splenic artery RI and the portal hypertension index (both around 75%) at cut-offs, respectively, of 0.60 and 12 cm/s(-1), which appeared to be, therefore, the most favorable parameters for the clinical practice. Their use may limit the need for endoscopy to search for varices.

Ranitidine bismuth citrate with either clarithromycin 1 g/day or 1.5 g/day is equally effective in the eradication of H. pylori and healing of duodenal ulcer.

BACKGROUND: No randomized double-blind studies have been performed to compare clarithromycin 1 g/day with higher doses of the macrolide (1.5 g/day) when combined with ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC). AIM: To compare H. pylori eradication and ulcer healing rates of RBC 400 mg b.d. for 4 weeks combined for the first 2 weeks either with clarithromycin 500 mg b.d. (Group A) or clarithromycin 500 mg t.d.s. (Group B). METHODS: Two hundred and seventy-three patients with H. pylori-positive active duodenal ulcer were included. H. pylori infection was detected by CLO-test and histology on antral and corpus biopsies before and at least 4 weeks after the end of therapy. Eradication was assumed if both CLO-test and histology results were negative for H. pylori. RESULTS: Eradication/healing rates according to intention-to-treat and per protocol analysis were 76/82% and 87/92% for Group A and 78/85% and 88/95% for Group B, respectively (P = N.S.). Adverse events were reported by 7% and 12% of patients in Groups A and B, respectively, and they were generally mild. CONCLUSIONS: RBC in co-prescription with clarithromycin 500 mg b.d. is as effective as RBC plus clarithromycin 500 t.d.s. in eradicating H. pylori and healing duodenal ulcers.

Extracorporeal lithotripsy of intrahepatic stones with associated strictures of intrahepatic biliary ducts.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Intrahepatic stones are a frequent disease in the Eastern world but rare in Western countries. Treatment is complex and often requires surgical intervention. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is a relatively recent technique, widely used in the treatment of stones in the gallbladder and common bile duct. It can also be used in the treatment of intrahepatic stones. The present study analyses the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy in intrahepatic stones. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In our study, we used extracorporeal lithotripsy in six cases of intrahepatic stones (mean age 53 years). In five of these cases deformities of the intrahepatic bile ducts were also present: stenoses and angulated strictures. The stones were in the right lobe of the liver in 5 patients, and in both lobes in 1 patient. Four patients had multiple stones and 2 a single stone, all varying in diameter from 6 to 25 mm. The stones were localized radiologically with contrast medium through a drainage tube. The technique does not require anaesthesia. An average of three lithotripsy sessions were necessary, with a mean total of 8050 shock waves per patient. RESULTS: Successful fragmentation was obtained in 5 out of 6 patients, while the remaining subsequently underwent surgery. No complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy proved to be effective, easy to perform and safe for the treatment of intrahepatic stones.

Bilateral acute suppurative parotitis due to Staphylococcus aureus: an hospital acquired case with fatal outcome.

During recent decades, acute bacterial parotitis has progressively changed its etiological and clinical spectrum. New risk factors and causative agents are emerging, while the associated rates of complications and mortality may remain still significant. A rare case of concurrent bilateral suppurative parotitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus has been observed in a patient hospitalized for prior abdominal surgery and multiple underlying illnesses. The disease had a complicated and ultimately fatal outcome, despite a timely diagnosis being made and a specific treatment started. A literature review dealing with risk factors, microbiology, clinical picture, complications, differential diagnosis, treatment and outcome of suppurative parotitis is presented.

Echo-guided percutaneous ethanol injection in small hepatocellular carcinoma: personal experience.

We performed echo-guided percutaneous ethanol injection of the lesion in 26 cirrhotic patients with 33 hepatocellular carcinomas measuring 3 cm in diameter or less. Post-treatment lesions had disappeared in 4 patients, while in the remaining 22 patients the echo pattern of the lesion had changed and biopsies were negative. Fifteen patients (follow-up 11-30 months) remain disease-free, while recurrence occurred between 3 and 36 months in 7 cases. Percutaneous ethanol injection was successfully repeated in 4 cases; 5 patients died, 1 of HCC, 2 of esophageal variceal bleeding, and 2 of liver failure; 3 of the last four patients had Child's C disease. Percutaneous ethanol injection is a valuable treatment for hepatocellular carcinomas measuring not more than 3 cm. It has yet to be established how far this treatment influences the survival rates of patients and the natural course of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Comparison between echo-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology and microhistology in diagnosing pancreatic masses.

Echo-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of pancreatic masses is a well-established diagnostic procedure. However, there is no consensus as to the superiority of cytology or microhistology. We compared the results of cytology and microhistology in 50 consecutive patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration biopsy for pancreatic masses. Aspirates were positive for malignant disease in 42 patients; the other eight had chronic focal pancreatitis. In the 42 cases of cancer, cytology provided conclusive results in 40 (95.2%); sampling was inadequate in two. Microhistology proved accurate in 30 cases (71.4%); insufficient tissue was obtained in 12, giving a statistically significant difference in favor of cytology (P < 0.01). In the eight patients with benign disease both techniques ruled out malignancy; in five microhistology gave further indications confirming suspected chronic pancreatitis (fibrosis, lymphocyte and histiocyte-cell infiltrate). Our results show that cytology is the method of choice in diagnosing pancreatic carcinoma. Microhistology can be a useful adjunct in patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis.

Laparoscopy compared with ultrasonography in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

In recent years, various newer imaging procedures have superseded laparoscopy in the detection of many diseases. The role of laparoscopy in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma is still subject to debate. To assess the value of laparoscopy compared with that of ultrasonography, we compared data obtained from a series of 54 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, all of whom had both procedures performed at nearly the same time. In our study, ultrasonography proved superior to laparoscopy in detecting the presence and extent of the hepatocellular carcinoma. Supplemental findings attributable to laparoscopy did not alter management, whereas additional information obtained by ultrasonography often did influence the choice of treatment. We conclude that ultrasonography is the primary diagnostic method of choice in the assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma and that laparoscopy should be reserved for only selected cases.

Intratumoral echo-guided injection of interleukin-2 and lymphokine-activated killer cells in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Interleukin-2 has proved to be effective for the intralesional treatment of tumors of the bladder. There are examples in literature of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment with lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells infused in the hepatic artery. We decided to check the effects of echo-guided intralesional injection of these cells in this disease. We treated 5 patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma, following cirrhosis; in 4 cases the mass had a diameter less than 3 cm (small HCC) while in the remaining case it measured 7 cm. Tumor size remained unchanged in 3 of the 4 small HCC, and increased only slightly in the other (over a period of 10 months). This would appear to indicate that treatment halted neoplasm growth or at least slowed it down. The echo pattern of the lesions changed, with a constant reduction in echogenicity. Finally, in multiple control biopsies, fibrosis, present in only one case before treatment, was found fairly constantly after treatment. There were no significant side effects, apart from slight water retention in one patient. On the basis of our preliminary results, we consider it worthwhile continuing this study to establish the most suitable IL-2 doses and analyze in more detail the modifications induced in the neoplasm.

Comparison between the 21-gauge Urocut needle and the 21-gauge Surecut needle in echo-guided percutaneous biopsy of neoplastic liver lesions.

Fine cutting needles for histology are now widely used in echo-guided biopsies of various organs. In this study we compared the results obtained in the biopsy of neoplastic hepatic lesions using two different 21-gauge cutting needles: Trucut needle (Urocut) and a modified Menghini needle (Surecut). Eighty-five patients with primary or metastatic hepatic neoplasms were biopsied with a Urocut needle and a further 85 patients underwent biopsy with a Surecut needle. The two groups were comparable for size and nature of hepatic neoplasms. The Urocut needle provided a much higher percentage of diagnostic material than the Surecut needle (94.8% vs 70.5%) regardless of the primary or metastatic nature of the lesion or its size. The diagnostic accuracy was only identical for both needles (91.3% for Urocut vs 91.5% for Surecut) whenever the diagnostic material was compared in cases in which both types of needles had been used to take the biopsy specimens. There were no complications in either of the two groups studied. Given the smaller incidence of non-diagnostic biopsies with the Urocut needle, we consider that this needle should be preferred in echo-guided biopsies of neoplastic hepatic lesions.

Cancer of the gastric stump in Italy, 1979-1986.

Sixteen thousand fiberoptic endoscopies were reviewed. Gastric stump cancer was found in 24 patients of 368 who had had gastric resection for benign peptic disease. A direct relation between the percentage of patients with cancer of the gastric stump and the postsurgical interval was observed. Patients with partial gastrectomy who are 15 to 20 years postoperative should have an endoscopy irrespective of presence or lack of symptoms. Multiple biopsies should be taken in view of the multicentric growth pattern of early carcinoma.

Echo-guided fine-needle biopsy of pancreatic masses.

Aim of this study was the evaluation of percutaneous echo-guided fine-needle biopsy in the diagnosis of focal lesions of the pancreas. In patients with masses of the pancreas 43 echo-guided fine-needle punctures have been performed. In 27 of the 30 cases of cancer, echo-guided puncture allowed aspiration of cells revealing malignancy. In the remaining three cases the histology was normal. Malignancy was not detected in the aspirate of any of the 13 cases of benign solid masses. In one of these patients we failed to obtain sufficient material for the purpose of diagnosis. The sensitivity of the method was 90%, the specificity 100%, and the diagnostic accuracy 92.8%. Positive and negative predictive values were 100 and 75%, respectively. No complications worthy of note occurred.

Small hepatocellular carcinoma: an Italian experience.

Recent reports have demonstrated the possibility of using ultrasound to detect hepatocellular carcinomas under 3 cm (small HCC). Our aim was to assess the incidence of small HCC in an Italian ultrasonographic series. Among 17,133 scans of unselected patients, we detected 85 HCC, 9 of which were under 3 cm. All patients had cirrhosis and 6 were HBsAg positive. An echo-guided biopsy was performed in all cases, and the diagnosis was always correct. We conclude that echographic follow-up is warranted in Italy for cases at risk for HCC such as HBsAg+ cirrhotics and patients with chronic aggressive HBsAg+ hepatitis older than 35, in agreement with the reports of Far Eastern authors.

Indications for laparoscopy before and after the introduction of ultrasonography.

We compared the outcome of laparoscopy performed from 1973 to 1974, prior to the introduction of routine ultrasound diagnostics, with that of examinations during the period 1980-1981 when ultrasound had become a well-established technique in the diagnosis of hepatic lesions. Our data reveal statistically significant changes in the use of laparoscopy in the diagnosis of cholestasis and tumors of the hepatic parenchyma. Laparoscopy now has fewer indications in the study of the jaundiced patient with suspected extrahepatic cholestasis which is easily identified at ultrasound. Given the high sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography in detecting metastases, laparoscopy has become a secondary examination. However, there has been an increase in the use of laparoscopy to identify benign hepatic lesions, particularly hemangiomas.