Background As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, more and more people are infected with SARS-CoV-2. The short- and medium-term effects of the infection have been described, but the description of the long-term sequelae is lacking in the literature. Methods Patients healed from Covid-19 from February 2020 to May 2020 were considered for inclusion in this study, regardless of the severity of the disease during the acute phase. Eligible patients were consecutively contacted and a semi-structured interview was administered between February and March 2021 by trained medical staff. Results 303 patients were eligible and accepted to participate in the study and were enrolled. Most patients (81%) reported at least one symptom of those surveyed, and the most prevalent symptoms related to fatigue (52%), pain (48%) and sleep disorders (47%). Sensory alterations were present in 28% of surveyed patients, but in most of these cases (74% of those affected by sensory alterations or 20% of the overall sample) symptoms reported were either anosmia or dysgeusia. Higher prevalence was generally observed with increasing age, although the most relevant differences were observed when comparing young vs middle-aged adults. Conclusion At 12-months after acute infection, COVID-19 survivors were still suffering of symptoms identified at shorter follow-up including fatigue, pain and sleep disorders among the most frequent. A more severe impairment in the acute phase did not seem to predict more severe complications.

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Purpose Current conservative treatments for knee OA provide limited benefits, with symptoms relief for a short amount of time. Regenerative medicine approaches such as the use of microfragmented adipose tissue (mFAT) showed promising results in terms of durable effects and the possibility to enhance tissue healing and counteract the progression of the pathology. Nevertheless, up to today, the large part of clinical data about mFAT use refers to uncontrolled studies, especially in the surgical setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of mFAT applied in association with arthroscopic debridement (AD) for the treatment of knee OA, in terms of symptoms relief and tissue healing. Methods This study is a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial. 78 patients affected by knee OA grade 3–4 according to KL classification were randomly assigned to AD or AD + mFAT treatment groups. Clinical, radiological and serological assessments were performed at 6 months after treatment. Additional clinical evaluation was performed at the end of the study with an average follow-up of 26.1 ± 9.5 months. VAS, KOOS, WOMAC and SF-12 were also collected at both timepoints, KSS only at 6 months. Results Treatment with AD + mFAT improved functional scores at both 6 months (KOOS-PS: + 11.7 ± 20.2 vs + 24.4 ± 22.5, in AD and AD + mFAT, respectively, p = 0.024; KSS: + 14.9 ± 15.9 vs + 24.8 ± 23.5, in AD and AD + mFAT, respectively, p = 0.046) and 24-month follow-ups (KOOS-PS Functional subscale: − 2.0 ± 3.5 vs − 4.7 ± 4.2, in AD and AD + mFAT, respectively, p = 0.012). Lower T2-mapping scores were obtained in AD + mFAT-treated group in medial and lateral condyle compartments (p < 0.001). Slight increase was observed in the levels of a serum biomarker of cartilage deposition (PIIINP) in both groups at 6-month follow-up (p = 0.037). Conclusion mFAT improves functional outcome and MRI appearance when used in association with AD, therefore supporting its use in the treatment of knee OA in an arthroscopic setting.

Background: The rapid diffusion of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Northern Italy led the Italian government to dictate a national lockdown from 12 March 2020 to 5 May 2020. The aim of this observational cohort study is to analyze the differences in the number of pediatric patients’ admission to the Emergency Room (ER) and in the type and causes of injury. Methods: The pediatric population during the pandemic was compared to a similar group of patients admitted to the ER in 2019. Sex, age, triage color-code at admission, cause of trauma and presence of symptoms related to COVID-19 infection, discharge diagnosis and discharge modes were investigated. Results: The lockdown period led to a reduction of 87.0% in ER admissions with a particular decrease in patients older than 12 years old. Moreover, a trend towards more severe codes and an increase in home-related injuries were observed during the pandemic, whereas the diagnosis of fracture was less frequent in the pre-pandemic group (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: A significant decrease in the ER attendances was reported during the lockdown. A shift in the cause and type of injury was observed; only the most serious traumas sought medical care with a higher percentage of severe triage codes and fractures.

One year after SARS-CoV-2 infection, most patients (81%) presented at least one symptom with the most prevalent being fatigue and weakness (52%), muscle and joint pain (48%), sleep disorders (47%), neurological and cognitive impairment (36%), and respiratory disorders (36%).