Energy performance of a ventilation system for an apartment according to the Italian regulation

According to recent regulations on energy saving in buildings, all new structures should guarantee high-energy performance. To this aim, the building envelope should be equipped with insulated walls and high-efficiency windows. This approach leads to considerable thermal insulation, but at the same time, in the absence of a suitable ventilation system, it results in a worsening of indoor air quality. A healthy quality of life requires good indoor air quality; especially in places where people spend most of their time, adequate air exchanges should be guaranteed and indoor pollution reduced to "acceptable" levels. In the present work, we performed a dynamic simulation of a ventilation system for an apartment using a mathematical model, i.e., the Trnsys commercial code. The model has been applied to an apartment of 66 m2 inside a condominium located in Bologna (Italy), but can also be used for other types of buildings as well. The variation of energy request due to different measurements of volume flow rate was evaluated

Clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, and histopathologic features of a hypoglossal malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in a maltese dog

Malignant tumours arising from peripheral nerves or displaying differentiation along the lines of the various elements of the nerve sheath are collectively referred to as MPNSTs. Histologically, in human MPNST, the malignant nature of these tumours is associated with an infiltrative and cellular proliferation of atypical, mitotically active spindle cells. Their predilection for sites varies with the species. In dogs the most common site for MPNST is the nerve roots or nerves of the brachial plexus, while the cranial nerve more frequently involved is the trigeminal nerve. In humans, hypoglossal peripheral nerve sheath tumours are rare, only few cases are described in literature; and the malignant forms are even exceptional. Fifty per cent of cases displayed both an intra- and extracrania component, and are referred as dumbbell-shaped tumours. To our knowledge this is the first case report an hypoglossal MPNST in a dog. In our case the tumour was dumbbell-shaped, with both intra-and extracranial components and associated with characteristic clinical signs of hypoglossal tumour. The malignant histological appearance of the lesion occurred without infiltrative growth

Optimum sizing of cogeneration plants by means of a genetic algorithm optimization: A case study

In the context of increasing energy consumption, multi-generation systems such as combined heat and power generation (CHP) are attractive to meet the increasingly stringent requirements regarding energy saving in buildings. Hospitals are great consumers of energy, both electrical and thermal: the use of heating and cooling equipment for maintaining satisfactory comfort and indoor air quality for the patients as well as the adoption of several electrical health equipment result in the highest energy consumption per unit floor area of the entire building sector. In the present study, co/tri-generation systems\u2019 optimal set-up, size and operation are investigated for small/medium size hospital facilities. More specifically, after the presentation of the energy consumption profiles for a medium size hospital with 600 beds, set as reference case for this study, a parametric analysis has been carried out varying the peak loads of the user. For each of the proposed scenarios, the optimal plant configuration (sizing of all the energy production systems) has been outlined by means of a numerical code (Trigen 3.0) in-house developed. Afterwards, in order to optimize the load distribution in a smart grid characterized by electrical, thermal, cooling and fuel energy fluxes, an ulterior numerical investigation has been performed. The software, named EGO (Energy Grids Optimizer) consists of a genetic algorithm procedure: it defines the optimal load distribution of a number of energy systems operating into a smart grid based on the minimization of an objective function which expresses the total cost of energy production. Finally, an economic analysis has been carried out in order to evaluate the profitability of the proposed CHP-heat pump scenario

Exploring Factors Influencing Changes in Incidence and Severity of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) is a rare condition associated with COVID-19 affecting children, characterized by severe and aberrant systemic inflammation leading to nonspecific symptoms, such as gastrointestinal, cardiac, respiratory, hematological, and neurological disorders. In the last year, we have experienced a progressive reduction in the incidence and severity of MIS-C, reflecting the worldwide trend. Thus, starting from the overall trend in the disease in different continents, we reviewed the literature, hypothesizing the potential influencing factors contributing to the reduction in cases and the severity of MIS-C, particularly the vaccination campaign, the spread of different SARS-CoV-2 variants (VOCs), and the changes in human immunological response. The decrease in the severity of MIS-C and its incidence seem to be related to a combination of different factors rather than a single cause. Maturation of an immunological memory to SARS-CoV-2 over time, the implication of mutations of key amino acids of S protein in VOCs, and the overall immune response elicited by vaccination over the loss of neutralization of vaccines to VOCs seem to play an important role in this change

Feasibility and effectiveness assessment of sars-cov-2 antigenic tests in mass screening of a pediatric population and correlation with the kinetics of viral loads

The gold standard for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection has been nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT). However, rapid antigen detection kits (Ag-RDTs), may offer advantages over NAAT in mass screening, generating results in minutes, both as laboratory-based test or point-of-care (POC) use for clinicians, at a lower cost. We assessed two different POC Ag-RDTs in mass screening versus NAAT for SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of pediatric patients admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Unit of IRCCS—Polyclinic of Sant’Orsola, Bologna (from November 2020 to April 2021). All patients were screened with nasopharyngeal swabs for the detection of SARS-CoV-2-RNA and for antigen tests. Results were obtained from 1146 patients. The COVID-19 Ag FIA kit showed a baseline sensitivity of 53.8% (CI 35.4–71.4%), baseline specificity 99.7% (CI 98.4–100%) and overall accuracy of 80% (95% CI 0.68–0.91); the AFIAS COVID-19 Ag kit, baseline sensitivity of 86.4% (CI 75.0–93.9%), baseline specificity 98.3% (CI 97.1–99.1%) and overall accuracy of 95.3% (95% CI 0.92– 0.99). In both tests, some samples showed very low viral load and negative Ag-RDT. This disagreement may reflect the positive inability of Ag-RDTs of detecting antigen in late phase of infection. Among all cases with positive molecular test and negative antigen test, none showed viral loads > 106 copies/mL. Finally, we found one false Ag-RDTs negative result (low cycle thresholds; 9 × 105 copies/mL). Our results suggest that both Ag-RDTs showed good performances in detection of high viral load samples, making it a feasible and effective tool for mass screening in actively infected children

Post-Traumatic Headache in Children after Minor Head Trauma: Incidence, Phenotypes, and Risk Factors

Minor head trauma (MHT) is very frequent in children and post-traumatic headache (PTH) is one of its most common complications; however, its management is still a challenge. We aimed to assess the incidence and clinical characteristics of, and risk factors for, PTH among children referred to our pediatric emergency department (PED) for MHT. A total of 193 patients aged 3–14 years evaluated for MTH were enrolled and followed up for 6 months through phone calls and/or visits. PTH occurred in 25/193 patients (13%). PTH prevalence was significantly higher in school-aged (≥6 years) than in pre-school-aged children (21.6% vs. 4.9%, respectively, p < 0.009). Females were found to be more affected. The median time of onset was 4.6 days after MHT; resolution occurred in a median of 7 weeks. In 83.3% of patients, PTH subsided in <3 months, while in 16.7% it persisted longer. A total of 25% of children exhibited the migraine and 75% the tension-type variant. Our analysis indicates the presence of headache upon arrival in PED, isolated or associated with nausea and dizziness, as a factor predisposing the patient to the development of PTH. Our findings could be useful to identify children at risk for PTH for specific follow-up, family counseling, and treatment

Immune response against adenovirus in acute upper respiratory tract infections in immunocompetent children

During acute upper respiratory tract infections (AURTIs) caused by Adenoviruses, the mix of severe clinical presentation, together with elevation of white blood cells (WBCs) and C-reactive protein (CRP), often mimicking bacterial infection, leads to an inappropriate use of antibiotics. We studied 23 immunocompetent children admitted to our Pediatric Emergency Unit with signs of acute Adenoviral AURTIs, aiming at better clarifying the biological background sustaining this clinical presentation. Infection etiology was tested with nasopharyngeal swabs, serology, and DNA-PCR. During fever peaks and subsequent recovery, we assessed WBC count with differential, CRP, procalcitonin, serum concentration of six inflammatory cytokines, and lymphocyte subset populations. Results: IL-6 and IL-8 were found elevated in the acute phase, whereas a significant decrease during recovery was found for IL-6 and IL-10. We highlighted an increase of B lymphocytes in the acute phase; conversely, during recovery, an increase in T regulatory cells was noted. Monocytes and leukocytes were found markedly elevated during fever peaks compared to convalescence. All patients recovered uneventfully. The composition of lymphocyte population subsets and serum alterations are the main drivers of an overprescribed antibiotic. Examination of hospital admissions and performance is needed in further investigations to rule out bacterial infections or inflammatory syndromes

Numerical Study and Geometric Investigation of the Influence of Rectangular Baffles over the Mixture of Turbulent Flows into Stirred Tanks

The present work aims to define strategies for numerical simulation of the mixture of turbulent flows in a stirred tank with a low computational effort, and to investigate the influence of the geometry of four rectangular baffles on the problem of performance. Two computational models based on momentum source and sliding mesh are validated by comparison with experimental results from the literature. For both models, the time‐averaged conservation equations of mass, momentum and transport of the mixture are solved using the finite volume method (FVM) (FLUENT® v.14.5). The standard k–ε model is used for closure of turbulence. Concerning the geometrical investigation, constructal design is employed to define the search space, degrees of freedom and performance indicators of the problem. More precisely, seven configurations with different width/length (L/B) ratios for the rectangular baffles are studied and compared with an unbaffled case. The momentum source model leads to valid results and significantly reduces the computational effort in comparison with the sliding mesh model. Concerning the design, the results indicate that the case without baffles creates the highest magnitude of turbulence kinetic energy, but poorly distributes it along the domain. The best configuration, (L/B)o = 1.0, leads to a mixture performance nearly two times superior than the case without baffles

Integrated transcriptomics and metabolomics reveal signatures of lipid metabolism dysregulation in HepaRG liver cells exposed to PCB 126.

Chemical pollutant exposure is a risk factor contributing to the growing epidemic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affecting human populations that consume a western diet. Although it is recognized that intoxication by chemical pollutants can lead to NAFLD, there is limited information available regarding the mechanism by which typical environmental levels of exposure can contribute to the onset of this disease. Here, we describe the alterations in gene expression profiles and metabolite levels in the human HepaRG liver cell line, a validated model for cellular steatosis, exposed to the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 126, one of the most potent chemical pollutants that can induce NAFLD. Sparse partial least squares classification of the molecular profiles revealed that exposure to PCB 126 provoked a decrease in polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as an increase in sphingolipid levels, concomitant with a decrease in the activity of genes involved in lipid metabolism. This was associated with an increased oxidative stress reflected by marked disturbances in taurine metabolism. A gene ontology analysis showed hallmarks of an activation of the AhR receptor by dioxin-like compounds. These changes in metabolome and transcriptome profiles were observed even at the lowest concentration (100 pM) of PCB 126 tested. A decrease in docosatrienoate levels was the most sensitive biomarker. Overall, our integrated multi-omics analysis provides mechanistic insight into how this class of chemical pollutant can cause NAFLD. Our study lays the foundation for the development of molecular signatures of toxic effects of chemicals causing fatty liver diseases to move away from a chemical risk assessment based on in vivo animal experiments