Structure of the FeBTC Metal\u2013Organic Framework: A Model Based on the Local Environment Study

The local environment of iron in FeBTC, a metal organic framework commercially known as Basolite F300, is investigated combining XANES and EXAFS studies of the iron K-edge. The building block of the FeBTC can be described as an iron acetate moiety. Dehydration induces a change in the coordination of the first shell while preserving the network. We propose that the local structure around Fe atoms does not undergo a rearrangement, thus, leading to the formation of an open site. The analysis conveys that the FeBTC is a disordered network of locally ordered blocks

Investigation by raman spectroscopy of the decomposition process of HKUST-1 upon exposure to air

We report an experimental investigation by Raman spectroscopy of the decomposition process of Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) HKUST-1 upon exposure to air moisture (T=300 K, 70% relative humidity). The data collected here are compared with the indications obtained from a model of the process of decomposition of this material proposed in literature. In agreement with that model, the reported Raman measurements indicate that for exposure times longer than 20 days relevant irreversible processes take place, which are related to the occurrence of the hydrolysis of Cu-O bonds. These processes induce small but detectable variations of the peak positions and intensities of the main Raman bands of the material, which can be related to Cu-Cu, Cu-O, and O-C-O stretching modes. The critical analyses of these changes have permitted us to obtain a more detailed description of the process of decomposition taking place in HKUST-1 upon interaction with moisture. Furthermore, the reported Raman data give further strong support to the recently proposed model of decomposition of HKUST-1, contributing significantly to the development of a complete picture of the properties of this considerable deleterious effect

Relación de la ganancia solar, la aislación términa y los costos de calefacción solar/auxiliar en función de la forma edilicia.

A través de la arquitectura sustentable se  busca construir edificios cuyo impacto sobre el medio ambiente sea mínimo o nulo de manera de no comprometer los recursos para el futuro

Prácticas y técnicas materiales en la producción arquitectónica eco-ambiental

Este trabajo aborda las transformaciones tecnológicas en la producción arquitectónica respecto a las condicionantes eco-ambientales. Desde este horizonte, los proyectos de arquitectura enfrentan problemas de optimización, racionalidad y eficiencia energética, así como el control climático y la adecuada inserción en el contexto medio-ambiental. Esto significa una alternativa para ensayar prácticas y técnicas materiales con respecto a la estabilización termodinámica. 

An unusual case of unilateral sinus disease may reveal the presence of a retained foreign body

Introduction: Differential diagnosis of unilateral sinus disease (USD) is important in clinical practice as it can be broad, and for which timely and effective treatment is important. With this report we would like to present a case of a patient with a foreign body retained in the left maxillary sinus for eight years. Presentation of case: A 50-year-old gardener referred to have been injured on the job in 2010. Even though he was wearing his safety helmet with face shield and earmuffs, he had the sensation to have been hit by an object coming from the soil, while he was using his grass trimmer. However, the patient was asymptomatic with no complications. After eight years, the man started experiencing left nasal obstruction associated with purulent discharge and ipsilateral headache. A fetid odor coming from inside the nose and described as “the carcass of a dog” led him to seek medical attention. The patient underwent a functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) with septoplasty and a foreign body, consisting of a metal nail, was retrieved. Discussion: This case highlights a two key learning points. The first one concerns occupational safety measures; full-face shield helmets are the best option and should be employed in order to avoid the penetration of any possibly dangerous materials. Secondly, grass trimmers with more sophisticated designs are required in order to prevent injuries like this. Conclusions: Besides being peculiar because of the onset of clinical symptoms, this case report highlights the importance of full-face shield helmets and certified machinery

Putative Microbial Population Shifts Attributable to Nasal Administration of Streptococcus salivarius 24SMBc and Streptococcus oralis 89a

Changes in bacterial composition of nasal microbiota may alter the host\u2019s susceptibility to several infectious and allergic diseases such as chronic rhinosinusitis and allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 1-week administration of a probiotic product, composed by a combination of Streptococcus salivarius 24SMBc and Streptococcus oralis 89a, on the nostril microbiota. Differences in the nasal microbiota composition were investigated by using a next-generation sequencing approach. A strong and significant decrease in Staphylococcus aureus abundance was detected immediately after the bacterial administration. Moreover, comparing the microbial networks of nostril microbiota before and 1 month after the end of treatment, we detected an increase in the total number of both bacterial nodes and microbial correlations, with particular regard to the beneficial ones. Furthermore, a less abundance of microbial genera commonly associated to potential harmful bacteria has been observed. These results suggest a potential ability of S. salivarius 24SMBc and S. oralis 89a to regulate and reorganize the nasal microbiota composition, possibly favoring those microorganisms that may be able to limit the overgrowth of potential pathogens

COVID-19: what happened to all of the otolaryngology emergencies?

To the Editor, COVID-19 is a global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and Italy was the first European country to experience a large-scale outbreak. With this, every aspect of healthcare, the economy, and society has been deeply affected in Italy, so much so that fundamental changes are expected in the post-COVID-19 era. One aspect is that access to emergency care in Otolaryngology (ORL) patients has already changed in the month following the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, and, seemingly, many non-COVID illnesses have been disappearing. Although the government did not enact any limitations or prohibitions to emergency access for patients afflicted by acute ORL pathologies, the number of daily urgent consultations to the ORL Departments in Bari and Foggia University Hospitals has significantly reduced and, on some days, was even zero. One possible reason for this change may be patients’ fear of acquiring a nosocomial COVID-19 infection. Even so, it is difficult to believe that some acute diseases, such as massive epistaxis, otitis, or pharyngotonsillitis, could have occurred so rarely or not at all or, alternately, could have been treated at home by patients or their families. Rather, most certainly, primary care physicians, who have been performing telehealth consultations in accordance with the guidelines from the Higher Institute of Health (ISS), have been providing an invaluable service [1]; it is posited that patients who received primary care services this way may have been able to delay or even forego specialist evaluation. This telehealth treatment has not only helped to keep patients at home but has provided other benefits and should be considered in the future. Table ​Table11 shows data regarding the number of emergency department consultations by diagnosis in the 30 days preceding (from February 8th to March 8th, 2020) and 30 days following (from March 9th to April 9th, 2020) the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak at the two main tertiary referral centers in the Puglia region, as well as the percentage reduction for each diagnosis. The data revealed an overall decrease in the number of ORL emergency consultations by 80.8%. Of note, reductions were noted across all subspecialties. Although some illnesses, such as rhinitis, sinusitis, uvular edema, and tinnitus, do not usually require immediate attention, it is more difficult to explain the large reduction, ranging from 80.2% to 88.9%, of other diagnoses, such as vertigo, epistaxis, sudden hearing loss, otitis media, and peritonsillar abscesses, which often merit urgent ORL consultations. The reduction of some diagnoses may be the consequence of national lockdown orders. For example, the 84.6% reduction in the number of nasal bone fractures may be related to the near-absence of motor vehicle accidents reported during this time. In contrast, it is more difficult to explain the reduction of other acute diseases such as sudden hearing loss, whose frequency decreased 83.3%, especially when compared to non-disease conditions, such as cerumen impaction, whose reduction in presentation, interestingly, was slightly more modest at 73.7%. A reduction in the number of emergency ORL consultations by 80.8% during the COVID-19 pandemic creates new paradigms for the future. Over the past few decades, the workload performed by healthcare personnel in emergency departments has increased, and some have even noted a reduction in morale and job satisfaction, as their responsibilities include intervening in not only true emergencies but also managing many patients with non-acute complaints. One possible exacerbating factor is the length of waitlists to access outpatient care in the Italian National Healthcare System (NHS), as some patients may have to wait for months to see an otolaryngologist. This situation has motivated many to seek care in the emergency department to skip wait times and receive specialty evaluation and treatment without charge. Decreasing the utilization of emergency department services by improving access to primary care services has been a long-term aim, articulated since at least 1958, when physicians working at Hartford Hospital published a pioneering piece in The New England Journal of Medicine [2] that showed that only a minimum number of patients who visited the emergency department required inpatient care. At that time, proposed solutions were to increase utilization of outpatient care and to educate patients to seek a preliminary triage consultation with their family physicians; it is possible that the COVID-19 outbreak is pushing our current society in a similar direction. Certainly, the priority now is to fight the pandemic, but in time, many aspects of healthcare should be reviewed and better organization through telemedicine sought [3]. Hopefully, patients will have learnt to more appropriately utilize the numerous resources offered by the Italian NHS for all of its patients

Sensing of transition metals by top-down carbon dots

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are a new class of carbon-rich materials with a range of unique optical and structural properties. They can be defined as carbon nanoparticles, with sizes in the range of 1–10 nm, displaying absorption and emission activities in the UV-VIS range. Depending on the structure, CQDs display a wide variability of properties, which provides the possibility of finely tuning them for several applications. The great advantages of CQDs are certainly the ease of synthesis, non-toxicity, and the strong interactions with the surrounding environment. Based on this, CQDs are especially promising as selective chemosensors. The present study reports on carbon quantum dots synthesized with a top-down (TD) approach, and characterized by different optical, spectroscopic, and morphological techniques to identify the selectivity for metal ions belonging to the first transition series. In particular, the study focuses on the interaction between two samples, namely TD and TDA, featuring different surface functionalization, and heavy metal ions. Their sensing towards Co2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Zn2+, and Ni2+ has been tested by fluorescence (PL), steady state absorption spectroscopy, and time-resolved PL spectroscopy, in order to determine the fluorescence quenching. We found a PL quenching in the presence of concentrations of metal salts starting from 0.5 µM, and a selectivity towards the interacting ions, depending on CQDs’ surface features paving the way for their use for sensing

Probiotics Streptococcus salivarius 24SMB and Streptococcus oralis 89a interfere with biofilm formation of pathogens of the upper respiratory tract

Background: Infections of the ears, paranasal sinuses, nose and throat are very common and represent a serious issue for the healthcare system. Bacterial biofilms have been linked to upper respiratory tract infections and antibiotic resistance, raising serious concerns regarding the therapeutic management of such infections. In this context, novel strategies able to fight biofilms may be therapeutically beneficial and offer a valid alternative to conventional antimicrobials. Biofilms consist of mixed microbial communities, which interact with other species in the surroundings and communicate through signaling molecules. These interactions may result in antagonistic effects, which can be exploited in the fight against infections in a sort of "bacteria therapy". Streptococcus salivarius and Streptococcus oralis are α-hemolytic streptococci isolated from the human pharynx of healthy individuals. Several studies on otitis-prone children demonstrated that their intranasal administration is safe and well tolerated and is able to reduce the risk of acute otitis media. The aim of this research is to assess S. salivarius 24SMB and S. oralis 89a for the ability to interfere with biofilm of typical upper respiratory tract pathogens. Methods: To investigate if soluble substances secreted by the two streptococci could inhibit biofilm development of the selected pathogenic strains, co-cultures were performed with the use of transwell inserts. Mixed-species biofilms were also produced, in order to evaluate if the inhibition of biofilm formation might require direct contact. Biofilm production was investigated by means of a spectrophotometric assay and by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results: We observed that S. salivarius 24SMB and S. oralis 89a are able to inhibit the biofilm formation capacity of selected pathogens and even to disperse their pre-formed biofilms. Diffusible molecules secreted by the two streptococci and lowered pH of the medium revealed to be implied in the mechanisms of anti-biofilm activity. Conclusions: S. salivarius 24SMB and S. oralis 89a possess desirable characteristics as probiotic for the treatment and prevention of infections of the upper airways. However, the nature of the inhibition appear to be multifactorial and additional studies are required to get further insights