Experimental data on SOA formation from mixtures of anthropogenic and biogenic organic compounds

AbstractSecondary organic aerosols (SOA) constitute a significant fraction of the atmospheric particulate matter. Theses particles are formed as a consequence of the oxidation reaction of certain organic gases that leads to the formation of low-volatility compounds. As for other pollutants, air quality models allow the simulation of particle levels and thus models constitute a powerful tool in air quality management. Nevertheless, the accepted use of models must be based on the validation of its capacity to reproduce observed concentrations. Air monitoring sites provide measured information of a large variety of ambient pollutants. Unfortunately, measurements on SOA are not normally available, as current monitoring networks do not include instrumentation to distinguish primary from secondary sources of organic carbonaceous aerosol. This paper presents a set of photooxidation experiments performed in the European Photorreactor (EUPHORE) smog chamber (CEAM, Spain) under different experimental conditions to investigate SOA formation. The use of chambers allows the isolation of atmospheric chemistry and aerosol formation processes. Thus, although these measurements were obtained at initial precursor concentrations higher than those in atmospheric conditions, they constitute a valuable set of information for SOA model evaluation purposes

Effectiveness of email-based reminders to increase vaccine uptake: a systematic review

Background: In times of vaccine hesitancy and decreasing immunization coverage, it is crucial to exploit the potential of digital solutions to support immunization programmes and ultimately increase vaccine uptake. Scant evidence exists on the impact of email-based immunization reminders. In particular, while email communication is exponentially increasing at the global level, its use for health communication is still sporadic and limited data exists on its application to immunization programmes. The objective of this study is to systematically retrieve and critically appraise the available literature on the effectiveness of email-based reminders to increase vaccine uptake, with the ultimate aim to inform and encourage its integration in the implementation of immunization programmes. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of literature following the PRISMA. We included studies providing quantitative comparative data on any measure of vaccine uptake. We extracted data on study design, study population, vaccine type and details of email-based interventions; data were pooled by type of comparison (no reminders, traditional reminders, other digital reminders). Results: Eleven studies were included, 90% with experimental study designs. While email communication succeeds in increasing vaccine uptake when compared with no intervention, weak and heterogeneous data exist supporting the superiority of email reminders, as compared to traditional methods or other digital reminders. Encouraging evidence report the effectiveness of reminder methods combining different strategies and tailored to target populations’ preferences. Conclusions: Theoretically, email communication offers many advantages: it is cheaper and faster, it can be automated and linked to electronic immunization registries, and reach people on the move. As we urge the need for further research to prove email communication impact on vaccine uptake in different settings, we underline the importance of identifying how to best integrate email communication in vaccine delivery equipping immunization programmes with technical infrastructures and normative frameworks suitable to embrace innovation

COVID-19 mortality rate in nine high-income metropolitan regions

We analyzed the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic in 9 metropolitan regions of the world with similar socio-demographic characteristics, daytime commuting population and business activities: the New York State, Bruxelles-Capital, the Community of Madrid, Catalonia, the Île-de-France Region, the Greater London county, Stockholms län, Hovedstaden (Copenhagen) and the Lombardy Region. The Lombardy region reported the highest COVID-19 crude mortality rate (141.0 x 100,000) 70-days after the onset of the epidemic, followed by the Community of Madrid (132.8 x 100,000) New York State (120.7 x 100,000). The large variation in COVID-19 mortality and case-fatality rates for COVID-19 in different age strata suggested a more accurate analysis and interpretation of the epidemic dynamics after standardization of the rates by age. The share of elder populations (>70 years) over total population varies widely in the considered study settings, ranging from 6.9% in Catalonia to 17.0% in Lombardy. When taking age distribution into consideration the highest standardized mortality rate was observed in the State of New York (257.9 x 100,000); with figures in most of the European regions concentrated between 123.3 x 100,000 in Greater London and 177.7 x 100,000 in Bruxelles-Capital, lower in French and Danish regions. We also report and critical appraise, when available, COVID-19 mortality figures in capital cities, nursing homes, as well as excess mortality at country level. Our data raise awareness on the need for a more in-depth epidemiological analysis of the current COVID-19 public health emergency that further explores COVID-19 mortality determinants associated with health services delivery, community-level healthcare, testing approaches and characteristics of surveillance systems, including classification of COVID-19 deaths. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4: Psychometric properties among a French clinical eating disorder sample and normative comparisons

International audienceAlthough the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4) has been shown to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing appearance pressures and appearance ideal internalization among French college students, to date its psychometric properties among French clinical populations have not been examined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the SATAQ-4 among a French female clinical eating disorder sample, and to compare the mean SATAQ-4 scores from this clinical sample to previously published means observed among French female college women. The current sample included 192 French women consecutively recruited from an outpatient eating disorders unit in France. Participants completed the SATAQ-4, as well as validated measures of body image and eating pathology. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the original 22-item five-factor solution provided less than adequate fit to the data. In contrast, the reduced 20-item five-factor solution identified among French college students provided a good fit to the data. The SATAQ-4 subscales generally exhibited moderate positive associations with convergent measures of body image and eating disturbance, consistent with expectations. Differences in SATAQ-4 subscale means across diagnostic groups were observed. In addition, the clinical group reported higher scores on the Internalization: Thin/Low Body Fat and Internalization: Muscular/Athletic subscales compared to a non-clinical French sample. Findings support the SATAQ-4 as a valuable tool for assessing sociocultural influences on body image and eating concerns among French women with eating disorders

Public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emergency healthcare system

Background: The Lombardy region has been the Italian region most affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. The emergency healthcare system was under deep stress throughout the past year due to the admission of COVID-19 patients to the emergency department (ED) and had to be thoroughly reorganized. Methods: We performed a retrospective descriptive analysis of patients admitted into the ED recorded in the Lombardy online regional portal called EUOL (Emergenza e Urgenza OnLine). We compared the data registered in the EUOL with the patients admitted to the EDs from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019 and from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020. Results: The number of admissions to the ED decreased by 32.5% in 2020 compared with 2019, reaching the lowest number in March and April. However, the percentage of patients hospitalized after ED significantly increased in 2020 compared with 2019 (P < 0.0001), reflecting the management of patients with a more severe clinical condition. More patients arrived at the ED by ambulance in 2020 (21.7% in 2020 versus 15.1% in 2019; P < 0.0001), particularly during March and April. Conclusions: This analysis showed the importance of monitoring the pandemic's evolution in order to treat more critically ill patients, despite a lower number of patients

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation missed by bystanders: Collateral damage of coronavirus disease 2019

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic changed the time-dependent cardiac arrest network. This study aims to understand whether the rescue standards of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) were handled differently during pandemic compared to the previous year. Methods: Data for the years 2019 and 2020 were provided by the records of the Lombardy office of the Regional Agency for Emergency and Urgency. We analysed where the cardiac arrest occurred, when CPR started and whether the bystanders used public access to defibrillation (PAD). Results: During 2020, there was a reduction in CPRs performed by bystanders (odds ratio [OR] = 0.936 [95% confidence interval (CI95%) 0.882–0.993], p =.029) and in the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (OR = 0.621 [CI95% 0.563–0.685], p <.0001), while there was no significant reduction in the use of PAD. Analysing only March, the period of the first wave in Lombardy, the comparison shows a reduction in bystanders CPRs (OR = 0.727 [CI95% 0.602–0.877], p =.0008), use of PAD (OR = 0.441 [CI95% 0.272–0.716], p =.0009) and in ROSC (OR = 0.179 [CI95% 0.124–0.257], p <.0001). These phenomena could be influenced by the different settings in which the OHCAs occurred; in fact, those that occurred in public places with a mandatory PAD were strongly reduced (OR = 0.49 [CI95%, 0.44–0.55], p <.0001). Conclusions: COVID-19 had a profound impact on the time-dependant OHCA network. During the first pandemic wave, CPR and PAD used by bystanders decreased. The different contexts in which OHCAs occurred may partially explain these differences

Meningiti, meningo-encefaliti ed encefaliti da virus Toscana in Italia, 2016-2021. Punta dell’iceberg di una arbovirosi endemica poco conosciuta

Toscana virus meningitis, meningo-encephalitis and encephalitis in Italy, 2016-2021: the tip of the iceberg of a poorly known endemic arbovirus Introduction Toscana virus (TOSV) is an emerging pathogen, however it is seldom considered by physicians among the differential diagnoses of summer meningitis, leading to under-ascertainment. The aim of this study is to describe cases of laboratory confirmed TOSV central nervous system (CNS) infections, notified in Italy in the period 2016-2021. Materials and methods We described all cases of meningitis/meningo-encephalitis/encephalitis notified to the Italian national TOSV surveillance system from 2016 to 2021. All cases were laboratory-confirmed. We calculated incidence (overall, stratified by year, sex, age group and by municipal urbanization level) and the frequency of hospitalizations and deaths. Results Between June 2016 and October 2021, 331 confirmed cases of TOSV meningitis/meningo-encephalitis/ encephalitis were reported in Italy (median 56 cases/year) of whom 292 were hospitalized. The cases were reported in 9/21 Italian Regions with the highest incidence in rural municipalities. Average age was 46 (range 0-89 years), most cases were male (233, 70%). An increased notification rate was observed in 2018 when incidence (1.47 cases/1,000,000) was almost twice the mean incidence in the remaining study period (0.81 cases/1,000,000). Overall, incidence was higher in age groups between 20 and 59 years. In 2020-2021 no deaths were reported. Discussion and conclusions The number of human infections caused by TOSV in Italy is under-estimated and diverse testing policies may bias the observed case distribution. Higher incidences in working age males and in rural municipalities might point to specific risk factors, also occupational. While no deaths were recently reported, TOSV impacts on hospital services