Measurement of Grout Injection Efficacy for Stone Masonry Walls

For nearly a century, cementitious materials have regularly been injected into masonry structures in attempts to rehabilitate and retrofit them. Typical subjects for this treatment are multiple-leaf, stone walls characterized by poor bonding between external and internal leaves, presence of voids, lack of adhesion between the mortar and the stones, poor cohesion of mortar in the joints and in the rubble infill, possible presence of dry walls in the load bearing system. Unfortunately, most of this has been done without the ability to measure the success of the intervention. Though important progress has been made for establishing potential grout flow through extremely fine material, little is known on the efficacy of treatment in heterogeneous stone walls. The experimental work presented in this paper provides a contribution in establishing a laboratory correlation between visual verification and ultimate resistance, through the assessment of a material groutability and the determination of compressive strength.The research was financially supported by MURST and CNR-GNDT

Effects of the timing of administration of IgM- and IgA-enriched intravenous polyclonal immunoglobulins on the outcome of septic shock patients

Background: The administration of endovenous immunoglobulins in patients with septic shock could be beneficial and preparations enriched with IgA and IgM (ivIgGAM) seem to be more effective than those containing only IgG. In a previous study Berlot et al. demonstrated that early administration of ivIgGAM was associated with lower mortality rate. We studied a larger population of similar patients aiming either to confirm or not this finding considering also the subgroup of patients with septic shock by multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. Methods: Adult patients with septic shock in intensive care unit (ICU) treated with ivIgGAM from August 1999 to December 2016 were retrospectively examined. Collected data included the demographic characteristics of the patients, the diagnosis at admission, SOFA, SAPS II and Murray Lung Injury Score (LIS), characteristics of the primary infection, the adequacy of antimicrobial therapy, the delay of administration of ivIgGAM from the ICU admission and the outcome at the ICU discharge. Parametric and nonparametric tests and logistic regression were used for statistic analysis. Results: During the study period 107 (30%) of the 355 patients died in ICU. Survivors received the ivIgGAM earlier than nonsurvivors (median delay 12 vs 14 h), had significantly lower SAPS II, SOFA and LIS at admission and a lower rate of MDR- and fungal-related septic shock. The appropriateness of the administration of antibiotics was similar in survivors and nonsurvivors (84 vs 79%, respectively, p: n.s). The delay in the administration of ivIgGAM from the admission was associated with in-ICU mortality (odds ratio per 1-h increase = 1.0055, 95% CI 1.003\u20131.009, p < 0.001), independently of SAPS II, LIS, cultures positive for MDR pathogens or fungi and onset of septic shock. Only 46 patients (14%) had septic shock due to MDR pathogens; 21 of them (46%) died in ICU. Survivors had significantly lower SAPS II, SOFA at admission and delay in administration of ivIgGAM than nonsurvivors (median delay 18 vs 66 h). Even in this subgroup the delay in the administration of ivIgGAM from the admission was associated with an increased risk of in-ICU mortality (odds ratio 1.007, 95% CI 1.0006\u20131.014, p = 0.048), independently of SAPS II. Conclusions: Earlier administration of ivIgGAM was associated with decreased risk of in-ICU mortality both in patients with septic shock caused by any pathogens and in patients with MDR-related septic shock

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Arredi e rivestimenti marmorei dallo scavo di via D’Azeglio a Ravenna: risultati preliminari

Lo scavo archeologico di via d’Azeglio a Ravenna, realizzato tra il 1993 e il 1994 sotto la direzione della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell’Emilia Romagna (ora Soprintendenza Archeologia dell’Emilia Romagna), ha portato alla luce un ampio complesso residenziale che ha restituito una fitta sequenza stratigrafica articolata dall’età repubblicana al periodo altomedievale, che permette di restituire uno spaccato della storia urbana di un quartiere residenziale prospiciente un cardo stradale. Il contributo si inserisce all’interno del progetto di studio del complesso archeologico in collaborazione con il Dipartimento di Storia, Culture e Civiltà dell’Università di Bologna, finalizzato all’edizione integrale dei contesti di scavo e della cultura materiale da essi restituita. In questa sede verranno presentati i risultati preliminari relativi all’analisi effettuata su un campione di materiali pertinente gli arredi e i rivestimenti marmorei degli edifici indagati. La documentazione viene contestualizzata nell’ambito delle specifiche fasi insediative, al fine di ricostruire gli apparati decorativi dei vari ambienti e di fornire elementi utili per la cronologia delle diverse fasi edilizie e per la definizione degli aspetti funzionali, sociali e culturali del complesso

Measurement of Grout Injection Efficacy for Stone Masonry Walls

For nearly a century, cementitious materials have regularly been injected into masonry structures in attempts to rehabilitate and retrofit them. Typical subjects for this treatment are multiple-leaf, stone walls characterized by poor bonding between external and internal leaves, presence of voids, lack of adhesion between the mortar and the stones, poor cohesion of mortar in the joints and in the rubble infill, possible presence of dry walls in the load bearing system. Unfortunately, most of this has been done without the ability to measure the success of the intervention. Though important progress has been made for establishing potential grout flow through extremely fine material, little is known on the efficacy of treatment in heterogeneous stone walls. The experimental work presented in this paper provides a contribution in establishing a laboratory correlation between visual verification and ultimate resistance, through the assessment of a material groutability and the determination of compressive strength.The research was financially supported by MURST and CNR-GNDT

Progetto di indagini per la diagnosi e metodi per il controllo dell’intervento

Ed. Libreria Cortina - Padova