ARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) remains the most common cause of death in industrialized countries, and hypertension is themostfrequenttreatableriskfactor.The analysis of international variation in risk factors has historically resulted in important insights into the etiology of CVD. 1 Moreover,internationalcomparisonsprovide useful information about achievable levels of risk reduction. Most etiologic research studies 1,2 on geographic variation in hypertension have investigated specific hypotheses, such as the role of fat or salt consumption, often choosing extreme social environments to maximize contrasts. Other projects, most notably the World Health Organization Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (WHO MONICA) Project, sought to characterize overall coronary risk profiles and monitor trends. 3,4 In recent years, many countries have undertaken large-scale national health surveys that include rigorous measurement of cardiovascular risk status. Considerable epidemiologic research has been conducted using these surveys, such as the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). 5,6 When measurements are Author Affiliations and Financial Disclosure are listed at the end of this article.

Objectives: to verify if hand-grip performance in older men is a predictor of disability. Design: population-based prospective study. Setting: a sample from the Italian rural cohorts of the FINE study (Finland, Italy, Netherlands Elderly), representative of the general population of elderly men surveyed in 1991 and 1995. Participants: 140 men aged 71-91 years who reported no disability in performing activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activity of daily living (IADLs) and mobility activities at baseline examination and provided information on their functional status at follow-up 4 years later. Measurements: disability was defined as needing help in performing ADLs, IADLs and mobility. Hand-grip strength was evaluated at baseline by a mechanical dynamometer. Results: after adjusting for potential confounding variables, a lower concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was the only factor predicting disability in men aged 76 years or younger and only reduced hand-grip strength predicted incident disability in men 77 years or older. Conclusion: poor hand strength as measured by hand-grip is a predictor of disability in older people. The handgrip test is an easy and inexpensive screening tool to identify elderly people at risk of disability.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pediatric patients aged ,18 years in Italy. METHODS: Data from the national case-based surveillance system of confirmed COVID-19 infections until May 8, 2020, were analyzed. Demographic and clinical characteristics of subjects were summarized by age groups (0-1, 2-6, 7-12, 13-18 years), and risk factors for disease severity were evaluated by using a multilevel (clustered by region) multivariable logistic regression model. Furthermore, a comparison among children, adults, and elderly was performed. RESULTS: Pediatric patients (3836) accounted for 1.8% of total infections (216 305); the median age was 11 years, 51.4% were male, 13.3% were hospitalized, and 5.4% presented underlying medical conditions. The disease was mild in 32.4% of cases and severe in 4.3%, particularly in children #6 years old (10.8%); among 511 hospitalized patients, 3.5% were admitted in ICU, and 4 deaths occurred. Lower risk of disease severity was associated with increasing age and calendar time, whereas a higher risk was associated with preexisting underlying medical conditions (odds ratio = 2.80, 95% confidence interval = 1.74-4.48). Hospitalization rate, admission in ICU, disease severity, and days from symptoms onset to recovery significantly increased with age among children, adults and elderly. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that pediatric cases of COVID-19 are less severe than adults; however, age #1 year and the presence of underlying conditions represent severity risk factors. A better understanding of the infection in children may give important insights into disease pathogenesis, health care practices, and public health policies.

The differences in HCV seroprevalence among studies can largely be explained by differences in the proportion of inmates who are IDU and partly by differences in seroprevalence among IDU in the community. Tattooing and female gender were also associated with HCV positivity. These findings should be taken into account when planning prevention activities in prisons.

On March 11, 2020, Italy imposed a national lockdown to curtail the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We estimate that, 14 days after lockdown, the net reproduction number had dropped below 1 and remained stable at »0.76 (95% CI 0.67–0.85) in all regions for > 3 of the following weeks.