Flu and Covid-19: is there adherence to vaccination in target groups?

In Italy, the flu vaccine is recommended and free for target groups (adults≥60 years old, fragile people, healthcare workers, pregnant women). During the 2020/2021 flu season, an increased vaccination coverage (+6,9%) was observed compared to the previous season, also due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We aimed to investigate how strong the adherence to the flu vaccine was by the vulnerable groups and assess if the Covid-19 vaccination campaign may have influenced the rate of flu vaccines

The RainBO Platform for Enhancing Urban Resilience to Floods: An Ecient Tool for Planning and Emergency Phases

Many urban areas face an increasing flood risk, which includes the risk of flash floods. Increasing extreme precipitation events will likely lead to greater human and economic losses unless reliable and efficient early warning systems (EWS) along with other adaptation actions are put in place in urban areas. The challenge is in the integration and analysis in time and space of the environmental, meteorological, and territorial data from multiple sources needed to build up EWS able to provide efficient contribution to increase the resilience of vulnerable and exposed urban communities to flooding. Efficient EWS contribute to the preparedness phase of the disaster cycle but could also be relevant in the planning of the emergency phase. The RainBO Life project addressed this matter, focusing on the improvement of knowledge, methods, and tools for the monitoring and forecast of extreme precipitation events and the assessment of the associated flood risk for small and medium watercourses in urban areas. To put this into practice, RainBO developed a webGIS platform, which contributes to the “planning” of the management of river flood events through the use of detailed data and flood risk/vulnerability maps, and the “event management” with real-time monitoring/forecast of the events through the collection of observed data from real sensors, estimated/forecasted data from hydrologic models as well as qualitative data collected through a crowdsourcing app

N-glycosylation of HIV-gp120 may constrain recognition by T lymphocytes.

Abstract The HIV envelope protein gp120 is heavily glycosylated, having 55% of its molecular mass contributed by N-linked carbohydrates. We investigated the role of N-glycosylation in presentation of HIV-gp120 to T cells. T cell clones obtained from humans immunized with a recombinant nonglycosylated form of HIV-gp120 (env 2-3) were studied for their ability to recognize both env 2-3 and glycosylated gp120. We found that 20% of CD4+ T cell clones specific for env 2-3 fail to respond to glycosylated gp120 of the same HIV isolate. Using synthetic peptides, we mapped one of the epitopes recognized by such clones to the sequence 292-300 (NESVAINCT), which contains two asparagines that are glycosylated in the native gp120. These findings suggest that N-linked carbohydrates within an epitope can function as hindering structures that limit Ag recognition by T lymphocytes.</jats:p

Castor oil in Late Antique amphorae and jugs

Questo contributo mette a confronto i risultati di alcune analisi sui residui raccolti sulle superfici di alcuni reperti in ceramica, anfore e brocche in particolare, dove sono state rinvenute tracce di olio di ricino, probabilmente legato alla produzione di olii profumati o di balsami, ampiamente commerciati nel Mediterraneo tardoantico

Predictive clinical factors for ocular dryness in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Avaliar na superfície ocular de pacientes adultos internados em unidade de terapia intensiva os fatores clínicos preditores para o ressecamento ocular e para o diagnóstico de enfermagem Risco de ressecamento ocular. Método: Estudo transversal, realizado entre janeiro e julho de 2016, com 206 pacientes (412 olhos). A inferência quanto à presença do diagnóstico nos pacientes avaliados foi executada por enfermeiros diagnosticadores. A estatística descritiva e inferencial subsidiou a análise dos dados. Resultados: 47,6% dos pacientes apresentaram o Risco de ressecamento ocular, e 52,4% já estavam com o diagnóstico de ressecamento ocular. Foram identificadas diferenças estatísticas entre o diagnóstico de ressecamento ocular no olho direito com a hiperemia, secreção mucosa, edema palpebral e lagoftalmia. Além disso, observaram-se diferenças estatísticas entre a hiperemia e edema palpebral com o ressecamento ocular no olho esquerdo e com o diagnóstico de enfermagem Risco de ressecamento ocular. Conclusão: A hiperemia, secreção mucosa, edema palpebral e lagoftalmia são fatores clínicos preditores do diagnóstico de enfermagem de risco e também do ressecamento ocular no ambiente da unidade de terapia intensiva que merecem especial destaque na avaliação preventiva53CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQ444290/2014-1To evaluate the predictive clinical factors for ocular dryness and for the nursing diagnosis Risk for dry eye in the ocular surface of hospitalized adult patients in an intensive care unit. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and July 2016, with 206 patients (412 eyes). An inference about the presence of the diagnosis in the evaluated patients was performed by diagnostic nurses. The descriptive and inferential statistics subsidized the data analysis. Results: 47.6% of the patients presented Risk for dry eye, and 52.4% were already diagnosed with ocular dryness. Statistical differences between the ocular dryness diagnosis in the right eye with hyperemia, mucous secretion, eyelid edema and lagophthalmia were identified. In addition, statistical differences were observed between hyperemia and eyelid edema with Risk for dry eye in the left eye and with the nursing diagnosis Risk for dry eye. Conclusion: Hyperemia, mucous secretion, eyelid edema and lagophthalmia are the predictive clinical factors for the nursing diagnosis Risk for dry eye and also of ocular dryness in the intensive care unit environment which deserve special attention in the preventive evaluatio