Large area SiC-UV phothodiode for spectroscopy portable system

In this work, we present the extensive characterization of large area Silicon Carbide based UV sensors candidate for outdoors spectroscopic applications of gas or liquid. The proposed SiC Schottky devices exhibit dark current density of 0.12 nA/cm2 @ 15 V, a 0.12 A/W responsivity @ 300 nm, optimal visible blindness and switching time of ~ 190 ns. Effects of temperature on the sensor performance, of crucial interest for outdoors applications, are also examined in the range from -20 °C to 90 °C.Published2931 - 29367TM. Sviluppo e Trasferimento TecnologicoJCR Journa

Vitamina D na admissão e gravidade da doença em pacientes com COVID-19 na Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos

Introduction: 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) would decrease the incidence of viral respiratory infections, due to its pleiotropic effect on immunomodulation. Objective: We evaluated the influence of severe 25(OH)D deficiency on the severity of COVID-19 disease. Methods: retrospective observational study, including 164 patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit who had plasma 25(OH)D values in the first 72 hours of hospitalization. Results: 136 (83%) patients exhibited 25(OH)D deficiency (<30 ng/mL) and 35 (21%) had 25(OH)D ≤12 ng/m. Patients with severe 25(OH)D deficiency were significantly more likely to have severe COVID-19 (OR 2.2, 95%CI 1.02 to 5.06, p= 0.049) and were more likely to need invasive ventilatory support (OR 2.4, 95%CI 1.09 to 5.58, p=0.036). Mortality was significantly higher in the severe 25(OH)D deficiency group (40% vs 22%, p=0.03), with an OR 2.4, 95%CI 1.07 to 5.32, p=0.031. In the multivariate model, history of cardiovascular disease, severe 25(OH)D deficiency, PaO2/FiO2 and invasive ventilatory support remained significant. Conclusion: This study confirms that severe vitamin D deficiency is associated with more severe lung compromise, increased disease severity and risk of death in patients with COVID-19     TRANSLATE with x English Arabic Hebrew Polish Bulgarian Hindi Portuguese Catalan Hmong Daw Romanian Chinese Simplified Hungarian Russian Chinese Traditional Indonesian Slovak Czech Italian Slovenian Danish Japanese Spanish Dutch Klingon Swedish English Korean Thai Estonian Latvian Turkish Finnish Lithuanian Ukrainian French Malay Urdu German Maltese Vietnamese Greek Norwegian Welsh Haitian Creole Persian     TRANSLATE with COPY THE URL BELOW Back EMBED THE SNIPPET BELOW IN YOUR SITE Enable collaborative features and customize widget: Bing Webmaster Portal BackIntroducción: La 25-hidroxivitamina D (25(OH)D) disminuiría la incidencia de infecciones respiratorias virales, por su efecto pleiotrópico en la inmunomodulación. Objetivo: evaluamos la influencia de la deficiencia severa de 25(OH)D con la severidad de la enfermedad COVID-19. Métodos: estudio retrospectivo observacional, que incluyó 164 pacientes con diagnóstico de COVID-19 ingresados a la unidad de cuidados intensivos que tuvieran valores plasmáticos de 25(OH)D las primeras 72 horas de internación. Resultados: exhibieron deficiencia de 25(OH)D (<30 ng/ml) 136 (83%) pacientes y 35 (21%) tuvieron 25(OH)D ≤12 ng/m.  Los pacientes con deficiencia severa de 25(OH)D tuvieron significativamente mayor probabilidad de COVID-19 severo (OR 2.2, IC95% 1.02 a 5.06, p= 0,049) y presentaron mayor probabilidad de requerir asistencia ventilatoria invasiva (OR 2.4, IC95% 1.09 a 5.58, p=0.036). La mortalidad, fue significativamente mayor en el grupo con deficiencia severa de 25(OH)D (40% vs 22%, p=0.03), con un OR 2.4, 95%IC 1.07 a 5.32, p=0.031. En el modelo multivariado, el antecedente de enfermedad cardiovascular, deficiencia severa de 25(OH)D, PaO2/FiO2 y asistencia ventilatoria invasiva, permanecieron significativos. Conclusión: este estudio confirma que la deficiencia severa de vitamina D se asocia con una afectación pulmonar más grave, una mayor gravedad de la enfermedad y riesgo de muerte en pacientes con COVID-19.     TRANSLATE with x English Arabic Hebrew Polish Bulgarian Hindi Portuguese Catalan Hmong Daw Romanian Chinese Simplified Hungarian Russian Chinese Traditional Indonesian Slovak Czech Italian Slovenian Danish Japanese Spanish Dutch Klingon Swedish English Korean Thai Estonian Latvian Turkish Finnish Lithuanian Ukrainian French Malay Urdu German Maltese Vietnamese Greek Norwegian Welsh Haitian Creole Persian     TRANSLATE with COPY THE URL BELOW Back EMBED THE SNIPPET BELOW IN YOUR SITE Enable collaborative features and customize widget: Bing Webmaster Portal Back      TRANSLATE with x English Arabic Hebrew Polish Bulgarian Hindi Portuguese Catalan Hmong Daw Romanian Chinese Simplified Hungarian Russian Chinese Traditional Indonesian Slovak Czech Italian Slovenian Danish Japanese Spanish Dutch Klingon Swedish English Korean Thai Estonian Latvian Turkish Finnish Lithuanian Ukrainian French Malay Urdu German Maltese Vietnamese Greek Norwegian Welsh Haitian Creole Persian     TRANSLATE with COPY THE URL BELOW Back EMBED THE SNIPPET BELOW IN YOUR SITE Enable collaborative features and customize widget: Bing Webmaster Portal Bac

Elderly HIV-positive women: A gender-based analysis from the Multicenter Italian \u201cGEPPO\u201d Cohort

BACKGROUND: HIV-positive patients are facing age-and disease-related comorbidities. Since gender differences in viro-immunological, clinical and therapeutic features have been described, aim of this analysis was to explore such differences in elderly HIV-positive females compared to males coming from the same cohort. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Ten Infectious Diseases Center participating to a new multicenter Italian geriatric Cohort aiming at describing health transition over time in HIV-positive individuals. PARTICIPANTS: HIV-positive patients aged 6565 years old. MEASUREMENTS: We recorded clinical, viro-immunological and therapeutical data. RESULTS: We included 210 women (17%) out of 1237 patients. Compared to males, elderly females were less likely to present a HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL (74.3% vs. 81.8%, OR 0.64, 95%CI 0.44-0.93); they showed higher CD4+/CD8+ ratio (p = 0.016). Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) strategies were similar between genders (p>0.05), although women were less likely to be treated with protease Inhibitors (PIs) (p = 0.05); specifically, in triple-drug regimens females received less PIs (28% vs 38% p = 0.022) and more integrase inhibitors (30% vs. 20% p = 0.012). Bone disease was more common in females (p<0.001) while males presented more frequently cardiovascular disease (CVD) (p<0.001). In females with bone disease, PIs and boosted regimens (38% vs. 53.7% p = 0.026 and 30.4 vs 44.0% p = 0.048 respectively) were prescribed less frequently. Polypharmacy was common and similar in both genders (20% vs. 22.8%, p = >0.05). A higher use of lipid-lowering drugs (20.5% vs. 14.8%, p = 0.04) was observed in females and yet they were less likely to receive anti-thrombotic agents (18.6% vs. 26.3%, p = 0.019) even when CVD was recorded (57.1% vs. 83.1%, p = 0.018). In multivariate analysis, we found that female gender was independently associated with a higher CD4+/CD8+ ratio but not with virological suppression. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly HIV-positive women display a worse virologic response despite a better immune reconstitution compared to males. The burden of comorbidities as well as the medications received (including cART) may slightly differ according to gender. Our data suggest that more efforts and focused interventions are needed in this population

Enhanced immunological recovery with early start of antiretroviral therapy during acute or early HIV infection–results of Italian Network of ACuTe HIV InfectiON (INACTION) retrospective study

ABSTRACT Background: Viral load peak and immune activation occur shortly after exposure during acute or early HIV infection (AEHI). We aimed to define the benefit of early start of antiretroviral treatment (ART) during AEHI in terms of immunological recovery, virological suppression, and treatment discontinuation. Setting: Patients diagnosed with AEHI (Fiebig stages I-V) during 2008-2014 from an analysis of 20 Italian centers. Methods: This was an observational, retrospective, and multicenter study. We investigated the ef- fect of early ART (defined as initiation within 3 months from AEHI diagnosis) on time to virolog- ical suppression, optimal immunological recovery (defined as CD4 count ≥ 500/μL, CD4 ≥ 30%, and CD4/CD8 ≥ 1), and first-line ART regimen discontinuation by Cox regression analysis. Results: There were 321 patients with AEHI included in the study (82.9% in Fiebig stage III-V). At diagnosis, the median viral load was 5.67 log10 copies/mL and the median CD4 count was 456 cells/μL. Overall, 70.6% of patients started early ART (median time from HIV diagnosis to ART initiation 12 days, IQR 6-27). Higher baseline viral load and AEHI diagnosis during 2012-2014 were independently associated with early ART. HBV co-infection, baseline CD4/CD8 ≥ 1, lower baseline HIV-RNA, and AEHI diagnosis in recent years (2012-2014) were independently associ- ated with a shorter time to virological suppression. Early ART emerged as an independent predic- tor of optimal immunological recovery after adjustment for baseline CD4 (absolute and percent- age count) and CD4/CD8 ratio. The only independent predictor of first-line ART discontinuation was an initial ART regimen including > 3 drugs. Conclusions: In a large cohort of well-characterized patients with AEHI, we confirmed the ben- eficial role of early ART on CD4+ T-cell recovery and on rates of CD4/CD8 ratio normalization. Moreover, we recognized baseline CD4/CD8 ratio as an independent factor influencing time to virological response in the setting of AEHI, thus giving new insights into research of immunolog- ical markers associated with virological control

Insight in cognitive impairment assessed with the Cognitive Assessment Interview in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia

The Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI) is an interview-based scale measuring cognitive impairment and its impact on functioning in subjects with schizophrenia (SCZ). The present study aimed at assessing, in a large sample of SCZ (n = 601), the agreement between patients and their informants on CAI ratings, to explore patients' insight in their cognitive deficits and its relationships with clinical and functional indices. Agreement between patient- and informant-based ratings was assessed by the Gwet's agreement coefficient. Predictors of insight in cognitive deficits were explored by stepwise multiple regression analyses. Patients reported lower severity of cognitive impairment vs. informants. A substantial to almost perfect agreement was observed between patients' and informants' ratings. Lower insight in cognitive deficits was associated to greater severity of neurocognitive impairment and positive symptoms, lower severity of depressive symptoms, and older age. Worse real-life functioning was associated to lower insight in cognitive deficit, worse neurocognitive performance, and worse functional capacity. Our findings indicate that the CAI is a valid co-primary measure with the interview to patients providing a reliable assessment of their cognitive deficits. In the absence of informants with good knowledge of the subject, the interview to the patient may represent a valid alternative