The programming of CIs is essential for good performance. However, no Good Clinical Practice guidelines exist. This paper reports on the results of an inventory of the current practice worldwide. A questionnaire was distributed to 47 CI centers. They follow 47600 recipients in 17 countries and 5 continents. The results were discussed during a debate. Sixty-two percent of the results were verified through individual interviews during the following months. Most centers (72%) participated in a cross-sectional study logging 5 consecutive fitting sessions in 5 different recipients. Data indicate that general practice starts with a single switch-on session, followed by three monthly sessions, three quarterly sessions, and then annual sessions, all containing one hour of programming and testing. The main focus lies on setting maximum and, to a lesser extent, minimum current levels per electrode. These levels are often determined on a few electrodes and then extrapolated. They are mainly based on subjective loudness perception by the CI user and, to a lesser extent, on pure tone and speech audiometry. Objective measures play a small role as indication of the global MAP profile. Other MAP parameters are rarely modified. Measurable targets are only defined for pure tone audiometry. Huge variation exists between centers on all aspects of the fitting practice.

The importance of intestinal microbiota in the development of various systemic diseases has been highlighted over time. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a systemic disease with a complex pathogenesis involving a particular genetic marker and distinctive environmental triggers such as a specific gut dysbiosis. We conducted a prospective case‑control study which included 60 subjects from Iasi Rehabilitation Hospital: 28 AS cases and 32 healthy controls. Intestinal microbiota analysis was performed by real‑time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in stool samples. We performed the quantitative analysis of gut microbiome, focusing both on anti‑inflammatory (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) and pro‑inflammatory (Bacteroides, Escherichia coli) species. Overall, intestinal bacterial diversity in the AS group was decreased compared to that noted in the control. A significantly decreased level of Clostridium leptum was observed, associated with an increased level of Escherichia coli. We showed correlations between laboratory tests (liver and kidney functional tests, inflammatory syndrome), the presence of HLA‑B27, smoker status, the forms of AS with peripheral arthritis vs. pure axial forms and bacterial structures. No significant correlations were shown for disease activity scores, radiological stage of sacroiliitis or for body mass index. Our findings support that the intestinal microbiome in AS patients has a special signature characterized by an inflammatory status. Numerous environmental, genetical, clinical and paraclinical factors can lead to changes in gut bacterial diversity in these cases.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the ongoing global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Although initially viewed as an acute respiratory illness, COVID-19 is clearly a complex multisystemic disease with extensive cardiovascular involvement. Emerging evidence shows that the endothelium plays multiple roles in COVID-19 physiopathology, as both a target organ that can be directly infected by SARS-CoV-2 and a mediator in the subsequent inflammatory and thrombotic cascades. Arterial stiffness is an established marker of cardiovascular disease. The scope of this review is to summarize available data on the acute and long-term consequences of COVID-19 on vascular function. COVID-19 causes early vascular aging and arterial stiffness. Fast, noninvasive bedside assessment of arterial stiffness could optimize risk stratification in acute COVID-19, allowing for early escalation of treatment. Vascular physiology remains impaired at least 12 months after infection with SARS-CoV-2, even in otherwise healthy adults. This raises concerns regarding the extent of arterial remodeling in patients with preexisting vascular disease and the potential development of a persistent, chronic COVID-19 vasculopathy. Long-term follow up on larger cohorts is required to investigate the reversibility of COVID-19-induced vascular changes and their associated prognostic implications.

The vestibular acute stress induces reversible alert-like reactions that involve the sympathetic adrenal-medullar system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses. The present study aimed to evaluate salivary α-amylase and salivary cortisol production in relation with cardiovascular reactivity induced by acute stress in healthy subjects. Forty-eight young healthy male volunteers were examined under basal conditions and at various times after reaching the maximal nystagmic reaction following air caloric vestibular test. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure were recorded at the same time as measurement of the salivary α-amylase and salivary cortisol. At the end of the caloric vestibular test session, perceived stress scale questionnaires were administered to measure the self-perceived stress impact induced by the task, and individual scores were compared with those measured on the enrollment day. Following caloric vestibular test-evoked vertigo, salivary α-amylase and cortisol showed distinct trends in their production after acute stress: Student’s t-test was used to compare the α-amylase vs cortisol slopes of the respective interpolated regression lines, and the difference was significant (t = -3.283; p<0.001); an increase in salivary cortisol production corresponded with a decrease in the salivary α-amylase concentration. In addition, salivary biomarker modifications were associated with consistent changes in the heart rate, systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure. Using the air caloric vestibular test task as a stressor, the present study demonstrated a connection between the acute hormonal stress response to vestibular stimulation and cardiovascular output. However, further research is needed before we can define the potential importance of the consistent cardiovascular activity changes evoked by vestibular stimulation and the possible functional consequences for cardiovascular regulation and orthostatic tolerance in humans.

Background: Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and metabolic syndrome (MS) promote arterial stiffening. As a basis for this study, we presumed that arterial stiffness could be assessed using the Arteriograph (TensioMed, Budapest, Hungary) to detect early modifications induced by continuous positive airway therapy (CPAP) in reversing this detrimental vascular remodeling. Arterial stiffness is increasingly acknowledged as a major cardiovascular risk factor and a marker of subclinical hypertension-mediated organ damage. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the arterial stiffness changes in patients with moderate–severe OSA and MS after short-term CPAP use. Methods: We performed a prospective study that included patients with moderate–severe OSA and MS who had not undergone previous CPAP therapy. All subjects underwent clinical examination and arterial stiffness assessment using the oscillometric technique with Arteriograph (TensioMed, Budapest, Hungary) detection before and after 8-week CPAP therapy. Results: 39 patients with moderate–severe OSA were included. Eight weeks of CPAP therapy significantly improved central systolic blood pressure (Δ = −11.4 mmHg, p = 0.009), aortic pulse wave velocity (aoPWV: Δ = −0.66 m/s, p = 0.03), and aortic augmentation index (aoAix: Δ = −8.25%, p = 0.01) only in patients who used the device for a minimum of 4 h/night (n = 20). Conclusions: Arterial stiffness was improved only among CPAP adherent patients and could be detected using the Arteriograph (TensioMed, Budapest, Hungary), which involves a noninvasive procedure that is easy to implement for the clinical evaluation of arterial stiffness.