IFO - Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri

The possibility of detecting circulating tumor HPV DNA (ctHPVDNA) in plasma in patients with oropharyngeal cancer has been demonstrated in several reports. However, these data are from small cohorts and available tests for detection of ctHPVDNA are not fully validated. The aim is to evaluate sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ctHPVDNA by ddPCR to define its efficacy in the clinical setting for the diagnosis of HPV + OPSCC. A comprehensive search of three different databases: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. A total of 998 patients were evaluated from the 13 studies. OPSSC p16+ were 729, while controls p16− were 269. The meta‐analytic study estimated the diagnostic performance of ctHPVDNA as follows: pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.82–0.94) and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.85–0.98), respectively; positive and negative likelihood ratios of 12.6 (95% CI: 4.9–32.1) and 0.05 (95% CI: 0.02–0.13), respectively. ddPCR for ctHPVDNA has good accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for diagnosis of HPV + OPSCC. ctHPVDNA kinetic represents a great reliable opportunity to improve diagnostic and therapeutic management of cancer patients and could open new perspectives for understanding tumor biology.

Objective: The aim of the study is to validate and adapt the "Knowledge Attitute and Behaviour in the administration of medication in the home care setting questionnaire" in the home care setting in Cordoba, Spain, through a cross-validation process. Design: Cross-sectional study SAMPLE: 106 community nurses provide home care in Cordoba, and are involved in the management of the medication process in the patient's home. Measurements: Community nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward medication error prevention strategies in-home care. Results: For the evaluation of psychometric properties, Cronbach's α was calculated, which returned a value of 0.639, showing good internal consistency. Most participants agreed that the home care setting increases the risk of medication errors. Conclusion: The study, underscores the importance of analyzing the phenomenon of medication errors in the home care setting. The characteristics and peculiarities of a home care setting are different from a hospital setting, which means that factors such as the environment, the figures involved in the care process (caregivers and/or family members), and the way in which they communicate with the rest of the multi-professional team can influence both the type of errors and the likelihood of their occurrence.

Nowadays, treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has been enriched with novel therapeutical strategies. Metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT) is a continuous and frequent administration of chemotherapy at a lower dose and so whit less toxicity. Thus, this strategy could be attractive for elderly MBC patients. Aim of this analysis is to provide insights into mCHT’s activity in a real-life setting of elderly MBC patients. Data of patients ≥ 75 years old included in VICTOR-6 study were analyzed. VICTOR-6 is a multicentre, Italian, retrospective study, which collected data on mCHT in MBC patients treated between 2011 and 2016. A total of 112 patients were included. At the beginning of mCHT, median age was 81 years (75–98) and in 33% of the patients mCHT was the first line choice. Overall Response Rate (ORR) and Disease Control Rate (DCR) were 27.9% and 79.3%, respectively. Median PFS ranged between 7.6 and 9.1 months, OS between 14.1 and 18.5 months. The most relevant toxicity was the hematological one (24.1%); severe toxicity (grade 3–4) ranged from 0.9% for skin toxicity up to 8% for hematologic one. This is a large study about mCHT in elderly MBC patients, providing insights to be further investigated in this subgroup of frail patients.

The robotic nurse has an essential role in the robotics surgical team to successful robotic surgery. The operating room nurse takes on essential and specific roles, based on advanced skills. The studies published on this topic show that the nursing role positively impacts surgery outcomes; reduced mortality, reduced recovery time, reduced costs, lower complications, and greater patient satisfaction. This paper aims to describe the principal nursing skills and role in the robotic surgical contest, especially in the uro-oncological one. Moreover, in the last section, offers possible future research ideas on this topic to reach and maintain safe and high-quality care.

Background: The intensive care unit (ICU) brings together high-risk patients and interventions in a complex environment. Based on this consideration, medication administration error is the most common type of error that occurs in ICUs. Literature confirms that human factors (lack of knowledge, poor practices and negative attitudes) of nurses are the main contributors to the occurrence of medication administration errors in ICUs. Aim: To examine and compare the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour scores on medication administration error according to nurses' sociodemographic and professional variables. Study design: This is a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional international study based on a survey. Descriptive statistics were computed for all items of the questionnaire. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests) were used to carry out the comparison between groups. Results: The international sample consisted of 1383 nurses in 12 different countries. Statistically significant changes were seen in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour scores among several subgroups of the international population. Eastern nurses were more likely to show adequate knowledge about medication administration error prevention than Western nurses; concurrently, Western nurses were significantly more likely to show positive attitudes than Eastern nurses. No statistically significant differences in the behaviour scale were found in this study. Conclusions: The findings show a difference between knowledge and attitudes in relation to cultural background. Relevance to clinical practice: Decision makers in ICUs should consider cultural background when planning and implementing prevention strategies for medication administration errors. Further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of educational systems on the decrease of the incidence of medication administration errors in ICU.

Aims and objectives: To summarise the evidence published to date regarding nursing core competence in stoma care of any type of ostomy throughout the patient's ostomy surgery candidate care pathway from preoperative to follow-up. Background: Nurses should play a key role in all ostomy patient care pathways to help them to adapt to the new physics and psychological conditions from the preoperative phases to the prevention of tardive stomal complications. Design: Scoping review. Methods: This scoping review was conducted following the methodological framework proposed by Arskey and O'Malley, following the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis for Scoping Review. PRISMA-ScR Checklist is included in the manuscript. The following databases were queried: PubMed, EMBASE and CINAHL, from August to October 2022. Results: The search strategy in the consulted databases identified 3144 studies. Different types of ostomies were found and investigated: tracheostomy, gastrostomy, jejunostomy, ileostomy, colostomy and urostomy. The results of the included studies helped address the objective that allowed the ostomatherapy skills to be broken down into the different periods of the care pathway. Conclusion: Caring for an ostomy patient requires advanced skills and a trusting relationship. The skills outlined in this research suggest how essential the stoma care nurse specialist is in these patients' care.

Molecular modifiers of KRASG12C inhibitor (KRASG12Ci) efficacy in advanced KRASG12C-mutant NSCLC are poorly defined. In a large unbiased clinicogenomic analysis of 424 patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we identified and validated coalterations in KEAP1, SMARCA4, and CDKN2A as major independent determinants of inferior clinical outcomes with KRASG12Ci monotherapy. Collectively, comutations in these three tumor suppressor genes segregated patients into distinct prognostic subgroups and captured ∼50% of those with early disease progression (progression-free survival ≤3 months) with KRASG12Ci. Pathway-level integration of less prevalent coalterations in functionally related genes nominated PI3K/AKT/MTOR pathway and additional baseline RAS gene alterations, including amplifications, as candidate drivers of inferior outcomes with KRASG12Ci, and revealed a possible association between defective DNA damage response/repair and improved KRASG12Ci efficacy. Our findings propose a framework for patient stratification and clinical outcome prediction in KRASG12C-mutant NSCLC that can inform rational selection and appropriate tailoring of emerging combination therapies. Significance In this work, we identify co-occurring genomic alterations in KEAP1, SMARCA4, and CDKN2A as independent determinants of poor clinical outcomes with KRASG12Ci monotherapy in advanced NSCLC, and we propose a framework for patient stratification and treatment personalization based on the comutational status of individual tumors.

Background: Literature on the prevention of medication errors is growing, highlighting that knowledge, attitude and behavior with regard to medication errors are strategic to planning of educational activities and evaluating their impact on professional practice. In this context, the present pilot study aims to translate and validate nursing professionals' knowledge, attitudes and behavior (KAB theory) concerning medication administration errors in ICU from English into Persian. Furthermore, two main objectives of the project were: performing a pilot study among Iranian nurses using the translated questionnaire and carrying out a cultural measurement of the KAB theory concerning medication administration errors in an ICU questionnaire across two groups of Italian and Iranian populations. Methods: A cross-cultural adaptation of an instrument, according to the Checklist for reporting of survey studies (CROSS), was performed. The convenience sample was made up of 529 Iranian and Italian registered nurses working in ICU. An exploratory factor analysis was performed and reliability was assessed. A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the measurement invariance. Ethical approval was obtained. Results: There was an excellent internal consistency for the 19-item scale. Results regarding factorial invariance showed that the nursing population from Italy and Iran used the same cognitive framework to conceptualize the prevention of medication errors. Conclusions: Findings from this preliminary translation and cross-cultural validation confirm that the questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument within Persian healthcare settings. Moreover, these findings suggest that Italian and Persian nurses used an identical cognitive framework or mental model when thinking about medication errors prevention. The paper not only provides, for the first time, a validated instrument to evaluate the KAB theory in Iran, but it should promote other researchers in extending this kind of research, supporting those countries where attention to medical error is still increasing.

In 2002 we published an article describing a population of vessel-associated progenitors that we termed mesoangioblasts (MABs). During the past decade evidence had accumulated that during muscle development and regeneration things may be more complex than a simple sequence of binary choices (e.g., dorsal vs. ventral somite). LacZ expressing fibroblasts could fuse with unlabelled myoblasts but not among themselves or with other cell types. Bone marrow derived, circulating progenitors were able to participate in muscle regeneration, though in very small percentage. Searching for the embryonic origin of these progenitors, we identified them as originating at least in part from the embryonic aorta and, at later stages, from the microvasculature of skeletal muscle. While continuing to investigate origin and fate of MABs, the fact that they could be expanded in vitro (also from human muscle) and cross the vessel wall, suggested a protocol for the cell therapy of muscular dystrophies. We tested this protocol in mice and dogs before proceeding to the first clinical trial on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients that showed safety but minimal efficacy. In the last years, we have worked to overcome the problem of low engraftment and tried to understand their role as auxiliary myogenic progenitors during development and regeneration.

Exposure to light at night, insomnia, and disrupted circadian patterns could be considered risk factors for developing noncommunicable diseases. Understanding the awareness of the general population about the abovementioned factors could be essential to predict noncommunicable diseases. This report aimed to investigate the general community's interest in circadian, insomnia, metabolism, and light using Google Trends, and to evaluate results from different geographic areas. Relative search volumes (RSVs) for the factors mentioned, filtered by the "Health" category, were collected between 2007 and 2021. Moreover, RSVs were analysed in five different European languages. Worldwide mean RSVs for "Circadian", "Insomnia", "Light", and "Metabolism" during the study period were 2%, 13.4%, 62.2%, and 10%, respectively. In different developed countries, searching for light, insomnia, and metabolism were different, suggesting a variable level of awareness. Limited knowledge about the circadian pattern of human activities was detected. The highest correlation coefficient was calculated. Our results suggest the potential role of extensive data analysis in understanding the public interest and awareness about these risk factors. Moreover, it should be interpreted as the onset of stimulus for researchers to use comprehensible language for reaching comprehensive media coverage to prevent sleep and circadian system disturbances.

AIM: to examine the role of FDG PET/CT for assessing response to immunotherapy in patients with solid tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: data recorded in a multicenter (n=17), retrospective database between March and November 2021 were analyzed. The sample included patients with a confirmed diagnosis of a solid tumor who underwent serial FDG PET/CT (before and after one or more cycles of immunotherapy), who were >18 years of age, and had a follow-up of at least 12 months after their first PET/CT scan. Patients enrolled in clinical trials or without a confirmed diagnosis of cancer were excluded. The authors classified cases as having a complete or partial metabolic response to immunotherapy, or stable or progressive metabolic disease, based on a visual and semiquantitative analysis according to the EORTC criteria. Clinical response to immunotherapy was assessed at much the same time points as the serial PET images, and the two were compared. RESULTS: The study concerned 311 patients (median age: 67; range: 31-89 years) in all. The most common neoplasm was lung cancer (n=177, 56.9%), followed by malignant melanoma (n=101, 32.5%). Nivolumab was administered in 144 of the former patients (46.3%), and pembrolizumab in 126 of the latter (40.5%). Baseline PET and a first PET scan performed a median 3 months after starting immunotherapy were available for all 311 patients, while subsequent PET scans were obtained after a median 6, 12, 16, and 21 months for 199 (64%), 102 (33%), 46 (15%), and 23 (7%) patients, respectively. Clinical response to therapy was recorded at around the same time points after starting immunotherapy for 252 (81%), 173 (56%), 85 (27%), 40 (13%), and 22 (7%) patients, respectively. At successive time points, the consistency between PET scans and clinical findings was 37%, 54%, 26%, 37%, and 29%, respectively. After a median 18 (1-137) months, 113 (36.3%) patients had died. On Kaplan-Meier analysis, metabolic responders on two or more PET scans after starting immunotherapy had a better prognosis than non-responders (all p<0.001), while clinical response became prognostically informative from the second assessment after starting immunotherapy onwards. CONCLUSIONS: FDG PET/CT should have a role in the assessment of response to immunotherapy in patients with solid tumors. It can provide prognostic information and thus contribute to a patient’s appropriate treatment.

OBJECTIVE: The use of digital technologies could improve patients’ quality of care, satisfaction, and health-related outcomes in cancer patients. This paper aims to explore the use of digital technologies in nursing management of cancer patients in Italy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed. PubMed, Excerpta Medica dataBASE (Embase), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Cochrane Library databases were consulted from September 1, 2021, to January 31, 2022. Key terms for Telenursing/Telemedicine and cancer in Italy were used. The quality of each study was assessed through the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations method. RESULTS: 131 articles were found and 5 were included: two randomized-clinical-trial protocols aimed to explore the impact of medication management apps on patients' quality of life; one validation trial suggested good reliability in the therapeutic adherence of patients on chemotherapy but limited sensitivity in detecting related adverse events; two observational studies described the validation of telephone triage prehospitalization programs performed by nurses during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The use of digital technologies in nursing management of cancer patients is infrequent, however, increased during the pandemic. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the use of digital technologies in nursing management in cancer patients.

Cognitive impairment and dementia can negatively impact the nutritional capacities of older people. Malnutrition is common in hospitalized frail elderly people with cognitive impairment and negatively affects prognosis. Malnutrition worsens the quality of life and increases morbidity and mortality. This scoping review aimed to identify factors affecting the risk of malnutrition and preventive strategies in hospitalized patients with cognitive impairment, focusing on nursing interventions. The authors researched population, context, and concept in international databases of nursing interest. Full texts that met the inclusion criteria were selected and reviewed. The extracted data were subject to thematic analysis. A five-stage approach, already reported in the scientific literature, was utilized in the following scoping review. Of 638 articles yielded, 9 were included. Two focus areas were identified as follows: (1) prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition in older patients with cognitive decline; (2) nursing strategies used to enhance clinical outcomes. Nursing health interventions aim to recognize and reduce malnutrition risk, positively impacting this phenomenon. A multidisciplinary team is essential to meet the nutritional needs of these patients.

Objectives: To furnish a model to ensure access and use of healthcare services to the undocumented and homeless population. Methods: Between March 2020 and October 2021, public and third sector actors in Rome implemented an accessible COVID-19 screening service and vaccination program targeting the homeless and undocumented population. Results: 95.6% of the patients tested negative to both rapid and molecular tests. 0.9% tested positive to both. 0.7% were false negatives, while 2.8% were false positives. None of the participants refused the diagnostic treatment. From July to October 2021, 1384 people received a complete cycle of the COVID-19 vaccine through the program. 632 (45.6%) also agreed to perform the antibodies testing before inoculation. 318 (50.31%) of these were positive at the time of vaccination. Conclusion: We present a cost-effective model for reducing structural barriers to access diagnostic and preventive services for the homeless and undocumented population that can be applied to different public health settings.

Introduction: Dysphagia often results in serious, poor health outcomes. Nurses have an important role in assessing dysphagia. Therefore, they need reliable and effective screening tools to detect dysphagia. The purpose of this umbrella review is to locate the most valid, reliable, and usable bedside screening tools that allow nurses to identify dysphagia in institutionalized patients. Methods: Umbrella Review as suggested by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Inclusion criteria were: systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials or cross-sectional studies. We excluded: pediatric and psychiatric patients. We searched on PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Library, the Joanna Briggs Institute Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, and the Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Practice Database. Results: Six reviews were included. Four tools were reported in all the reviews: 3 oz swallowing water test, Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability, Toronto Bedside Swallowing Screening Test, Gugging Swallowing Screen. They have shown fair to good sensitivity and specificity. The reviews analysed did not allow for a comparative analysis between instruments, which may be hindering the selection of the optimal instrument for clinical practice. Conclusions: Almost all reviews have considered stroke patients. The next steps will be to determine if there is a tool applicable in multiple settings with different patients and if this intervention is cost-effective.

Aim: Nurses use their smartphones during the work shift. The objective of this review is to investigate the presence of bacteria on mobile phones and the procedures to disinfect or decontaminate the smartphone and decrease the infection rate. Method: This systematic review was carried out through a search on the main scientific databases by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The research was conducted by considering articles published in the last ten years. Results: Of 502 initial articles, 489 were excluded and 12 articles were considered relevant. Twelve articles were included in the review. The analysis of the studies showed a high contamination of pathogenic microorganisms on the device's surfaces, most of which appear to be antibiotic resistant. The use of smartphones during clinical practice increases the risk of contracting nosocomial infections. The presence of bacteria on mobile phones and their use favors the cross-transmission of microorganisms. Conclusion: Onset prevention is a primary goal for the entire multidisciplinary team. There are no protocols concerning smartphones disinfection during clinical practice, but their implementation would reduce the incidence by improving nursing care.

Background: Patients with solid or hematological tumors, neurological and immune-inflammatory disorders are potentially fragile subjects at increased risk of experiencing severe COVID-19 and an inadequate response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Methods: We designed a prospective Italian multicentrer study to assess humoral and T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients (n = 378) with solid tumors (ST), hematological malignancies (HM), neurological disorders (ND) and immunorheumatological diseases (ID). A group of healthy controls was also included. We analyzed the immunogenicity of the primary vaccination schedule and booster dose. Results: The overall seroconversion rate in patients after 2 doses was 62.1%. Significantly lower rates were observed in HM (52.4%) and ID (51.9%) than in ST (95.6%) and ND (70.7%); a lower median antibody level was detected in HM and ID versus ST and ND (P < 0.0001). Similar rates of patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 T-cell response were found in all disease groups, with a higher level observed in ND. The booster dose improved the humoral response in all disease groups, although to a lesser extent in HM patients, while the T-cell response increased similarly in all groups. In the multivariable logistic model, independent predictors of seroconversion were disease subgroup, treatment type and age. Ongoing treatment known to affect the immune system was associated with the worst humoral response to vaccination (P < 0.0001) but had no effect on T-cell responses. Conclusions: Immunosuppressive treatment more than disease type per se is a risk factor for a low humoral response after vaccination. The booster dose can improve both humoral and T-cell responses.

Background: the world population is aging, and the prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing. Chronic diseases affect the quality of life of patients and contribute toward increased healthcare costs if patients do not adhere to treatment. This study defines the medication adherence levels of patients with chronic diseases. Methods: an observational cross-sectional study was carried out. Patients aged 65 years and older with chronic diseases were included in this study. The medication adherence report scale was used. Results: overall, 98 patients aged 65 years and older were included. The mean age of responders was 78.65 years. Study population: 71.43% were always adherent; 9.79% often adherent; 14.89% sometimes adherent; 3.87% rarely adherent; and 1% never adherent. The internal consistency of the MARS-5I was good: Cronbach's alfa value of 0.77. Conclusions: the MARS-5I is an effective self-report instrument to measure the medication adherence of patients. However, further studies are needed to explore factors affecting medication adherence to avoid clinical consequences for patients and high healthcare costs for healthcare facilities. Healthcare communication could be improved to ensure better transitional care.

PURPOUSE: to assess the clinicopathologic features of a poorly defined subset of diffuse large b-cell lymphoma, which is characterized by the secretion of an IgM paraprotein (IgMs-DLBCL). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: multicentre, retrospective, and comparative study to analyse with an integrated diagnostic approach the IgMs-DLBCL subset. RESULTS: Overall, 650 DLBCL were enrolled: 102 had an associated serum IgM and 56 other paraproteins (OP), the remaining 492 cases were the reference group (REF). IgMs-DLBCL were characterized by older age, advanced stage, dissemination to extra-nodal organs, elevated LDH and poor PS. As a result, the majority of IgMs had a high IPI, NCC-IPI and CNS-IPI score (p<.001). Furthermore, IgMs qualified as an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis for both PFS and OS (p<.001). Remarkably, the incidence of CNS involvement was higher in the IgMs compared to the OP and the REF subsets, respectively (p<.001). IgMs-DLBCL were characterized by: 1) prevalence of non-GCB/ABC-type; 2) frequent overexpression of BCL-2; 3) preferential IGVH4-34 gene usage; 4) MYD88 and TP53 mutations, both occurringin 30.8% of IgMs cases (95%CI, 14.3-51.8) CONCLUSION: Our study was carried out on the largest series of IgMs-DLBCL reported so far. This is a sizeable subset of DLBCL (7.9%, 95%CI, 5.9-10.5%),which is worth to detect at diagnosis. Remarkably, IgMs-DLBCL harbours features of a molecular subset that associate with a worse outcome. Indeed, more studies are necessary to fully understand the molecular pathogenesis of IgMs-DLBCL and the biological mechanisms leading to the high rate of CNS spreading.

Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic represents a difficult challenge for the whole of humanity. Sports, in which contact between athletes is essential, became impossible to practice without the risk of viral spread. Athletes of the national teams are a particular subgroup of the population for whom there is an important need for protection and the implementation of targeted preventive measures. The present report describes the protocol that was developed to answer the urgent protection need for athletes during COVID-19 pandemic. The protocol aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of a rigid prevention intervention to prevent outbreaks and infections in terms of COVID-19 as well as in other potential future pandemics from pathogens with similar path of transmission. Methods The study was conducted in rowing para-thletes training of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo2020. It was designed to create an anti-COVID-19 “ protection bubble ” with the aim to isolate para-athletes and their technical support team during pre-Olympic retreats. The “ bubble ” development relied on a carefully conducted protocol of repeated antigen and molecular COVID-19 tests on nasal and oropharyngeal fluids among all participants carried out before, during and at the end of each retreat. Results During the 10 months of protocol implementation there were no COVID-19 outbreaks among the para-athletes and technical personnel during the retreats. In total, 552 PCR tests and 298 antigen-based tests were performed for an average number of 42 test per athlete. The number of retreat participants was larger ( n = 23) in the beginning of the year due to the Paralympic selection rounds and smaller at the end of the study period ( n = 12). Conclusion The protocol has indicated that it is possible to implement an anti-COVID-19 protection protocol where athletes and technical staff can train and compete in safe conditions. The study showed that it is feasible to implement a rigid prevention protocol for athletes and technical staff based on repeated COVID-19 antigenic and molecular tests for a long period of training with excellent participation and compliance.