Late histological findings in symptomatic COVID-19 patients: A case report

RATIONALE: Although there have been several studies describing clinical and radiographic features about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, there is a lack of pathologic data conducted on biopsies or autopsies. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 56-year-old and a 70-year-old men with fever, cough, and respiratory fatigue were admitted to the intensive care unit and intubated for respiratory distress. DIAGNOSIS: The nasopharyngeal swab was positive for COVID-19 and the chest Computed Tomography (CT) scan showed the presence of peripheral and bilateral ground-glass opacities. INTERVENTIONS: Both patients developed pneumothoraces after intubation and was managed with chest tube. Due to persistent air leak, thoracoscopies with blebs resection and pleurectomies were performed on 23rd and 16th days from symptoms onset. OUTCOMES: The procedures were successful with no evidence of postoperative air-leak, with respiratory improvement. Pathological specimens were analyzed with evidence of diffuse alveolar septum disruption, interstitium thickness, and infiltration of inflammatory cells with diffuse endothelial dysfunction and hemorrhagic thrombosis. LESSONS: Despite well-known pulmonary damages induced by the COVID-19, the late-phase histological changes include diffused peripheral vessels endothelial hyperplasia, in toto muscular wall thickening, and intravascular hemorrhagic thrombosis

Monsignor Luigi Biraghi e i falsi di Cernusco

We present here some reflections on an inscription from Cernusco sul Naviglio (Milan) discovered by Monsignor Luigi Biraghi in 1849 and published by Mommsen among the falsae in CIL V 664*. This paper stems from the discovery of some private and unpublished letters by Biraghi that we consulted at the Archive of the Quadronno Institute of the Sisters of St. Marcellina in Milan. This correspondence informs us of Biraghi\u2019s personal and professional relationships with other mid-19th century classical scholars. The analysis of these documents will shed some light on the harsh judgment that Mommsen (along with others) expressed on Biraghi regarding some inscriptions that he had discovered in the Ager Mediolanensis

Prevalence, Outcome, and Prevention of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection in Neonates Born to Women with Preconception Immunity (CHILd Study)

Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading infectious cause of congenital disabilities. We designed a prospective study to investigate the rate, outcome, and risk factors of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection in neonates born to immune women, and the potential need and effectiveness of hygiene recommendations in this population. Methods: The study was composed of 2 sequential parts: an epidemiology (part 1) and a prevention (part 2) study. Performance of part 2 depended upon a cCMV rate >0.4%. Women enrolled in part 1 did not receive hygiene recommendations. Newborns were screened by HCMV DNA testing in saliva and cCMV was confirmed by urine testing. Results: Saliva swabs were positive for HCMV DNA in 45/9661 newborns and cCMV was confirmed in 18 cases. The rate of cCMV was. 19% (95% confidence interval [CI]:. 11-.29%), and 3 out of 18 infants with cCMV had symptoms of CMV at birth. Age, nationality, occupation, and contact with children were similar between mothers of infected and noninfected newborns. Twin pregnancy (odds ratio [OR]: 7.2; 95% CI: 1.7-32.2; P =. 037) and maternal medical conditions (OR: 3.9; 95% CI: 1.5-10.1; P =. 003) appeared associated with cCMV. Given the rate of cCMV was lower than expected, the prevention part of the study was cancelled. Conclusions: Newborns from women with preconception immunity have a low rate of cCMV, which appears to be mostly due to reactivation of the latent virus. Therefore, serological screening in childbearing age would be pivotal to identify HCMV-seropositive women, whose newborns have a low risk of cCMV. Clinical trials registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03973359)

VGI VISUALISATION TO SUPPORT PARTICIPATORY LAKE MONITORING: THE CASE STUDY OF SIMILE PROJECT

This study focuses on the role of VGI visualization in encouraging participation to environmental Citizen Science, taking as a case study the mobile application developed within SIMILE (Informative System for the Integrated Monitoring of Insubric Lakes and their Ecosystems) project activities. The main project goal is the protection of water quality for Lugano, Maggiore and Como lakes through a geoinformatics coordination of existing monitoring systems with new data collection methods (satellite images, high frequency sensors and citizen science). This tool enables the producers to perform a community-based monitoring side by side with local authorities and research bodies improving the efficiency of the current protocols. Referring to ontologies of geospatial data, the VGI samples are analysed under different aspects as their quality, quantity, variety, granularity, spatial and temporal distribution, highlighting their temporary, moving and changing nature. This analysis shows the presence of potential contradictions existing between the application use and the perceived lake water quality, to be mitigated mainly working on the user interface of the map view. So, a study of existing conventions, especially in terms of colours, is compared with the results coming from the application of consolidated survey methodologies to this specific context. Reflections on markers, symbols and attributes of features and maps are presented introducing geovisual analytical solutions for dynamic phenomena. The design solutions adopted are finally presented and validated with a combination of different usability evaluation methods like heuristics and field tests

Crowdsourcing water quality with the simile app

This paper aims at presenting the application for lake water quality monitoring which has been developed in the framework of SIMILE (Informative System for the Integrated Monitoring of Insubric Lakes and their Ecosystems) Interreg Italy-Switzerland project. The objective of SIMILE project is to facilitate the monitoring of the Maggiore, Como, and Lugano lakes through the integration of different techniques: in situ monitoring with buoys, remote sensing and citizen science. A mobile application has been designed in agreement with the project partners, who are also actors working for lake quality monitoring, such as CNR (Italian National Research Council) and ARPA (Agency for prevention and environmental protection). The developed application allows to collect data over the area of interest, such as pictures and parameters which can be acquired by visual inspection as well as with appropriate tools, depending on the user typology. The application has then been implemented with open source software to foster its use also for other projects with similar goals. In the paper, the design choices, the architecture and the implementation details are described

Citizen science tools for lake monitoring in the framework of the united nations sustainable development goals: The project SIMILE

SIMILE (Informative System for the Integrated Monitoring of Insubric Lakes and their Ecosystems) is a cross-border Italian-Swiss project aiming to improve the management of the Insubric lakes and their ecosystems with different technologies as well as the participation of citizens and stakeholders in water resources monitoring. In this project, water monitoring and management was carried out through different technologies: in situ sensors, satellite imagery, and data coming from citizen science. This paper focuses in particular on this last source of information, describing how data sourced from citizen science can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN). The report illustrates the tools that have been developed for the collection and management of information provided through citizen science; a mobile cross-platform application for smartphones that can be used by any citizen and a Web application for administrators, useful for data management and editing