Smart Textile Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors for Respiratory Monitoring: Design and Preliminary Trials.

Continuous respiratory monitoring is important to assess adequate ventilation. We present a fiber optic-based smart textile for respiratory monitoring able to work during Magnetic Resonance (MR) examinations. The system is based on the conversion of chest wall movements into strain of two fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, placed on the upper thorax (UT). FBGs are glued on the textile by an adhesive silicon rubber. To increase the system sensitivity, the FBGs positioning was led by preliminary experiments performed using an optoelectronic system: FBGs placed on the chest surface experienced the largest strain during breathing. System performances, in terms of respiratory period (TR), duration of inspiratory (TI) and expiratory (TE) phases, as well as left and right UT volumes, were assessed on four healthy volunteers. The comparison of results obtained by the proposed system and an optoelectronic plethysmography highlights the high accuracy in the estimation of TR, TI, and TE: Bland-Altman analysis shows mean of difference values lower than 0.045 s, 0.33 s, and 0.35 s for TR, TI, and TE, respectively. The mean difference of UT volumes between the two systems is about 8.3%. The promising results foster further development of the system to allow routine use during MR examinations.Continuous respiratory monitoring is important to assess adequate ventilation. We present a fiber optic-based smart textile for respiratory monitoring able to work during Magnetic Resonance (MR) examinations. The system is based on the conversion of chest wall movements into strain of two fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, placed on the upper thorax (UT). FBGs are glued on the textile by an adhesive silicon rubber. To increase the system sensitivity, the FBGs positioning was led by preliminary experiments performed using an optoelectronic system: FBGs placed on the chest surface experienced the largest strain during breathing. System performances, in terms of respiratory period (TR), duration of inspiratory (TI) and expiratory (TE) phases, as well as left and right UT volumes, were assessed on four healthy volunteers. The comparison of results obtained by the proposed system and an optoelectronic plethysmography highlights the high accuracy in the estimation of TR, TI, and TE: Bland-Altman analysis shows mean of difference values lower than 0.045 s, 0.33 s, and 0.35 s for TR, TI, and TE, respectively. The mean difference of UT volumes between the two systems is about 8.3%. The promising results foster further development of the system to allow routine use during MR examinations

Sugli esordi di Alberto Moravia, romanziere e saggista (1926-1927)

Il contributo ricostruisce - sulla base di documenti in buona parte inediti - la genesi dei primi due saggi critici di Alberto Moravia, composti entrambi nell'ottobre del 1926. Il primo saggio, dedicato all'opera di James Joyce, si riteneva perduto ed è invece stato individuato su « Il Quarto Stato », il settimanale milanese diretto da Pietro Nenni e Carlo Rosselli ; il secondo, dedicato alla “crisi" del Romanzo, fu spedito al direttore de « La Fiera letteraria » Umberto Fracchia nell'autunno del 1926 ma pubblicato su quella rivista - per ragioni che qui si tenta di comprendere - solo nell'ottobre del 1927. In appendice vengono trascritti nella loro integrità i testi dei due saggi

Changing the awareness of physiatrists on muscuoskeletal ultrasound: Italy in EURO-MUSCULUS

The interest of physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) physicians in musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSUS) is increasing. In this study, we aimed to explore the attitudes of a group of Italian physiatrists on this topic before and after a 2½-day MSUS course. A 15-question survey (designed ad-hoc for this study) was administered before the first session of an MSUS course held in the PRM Department of Tor Vergata University, Rome. At the end of the course, a repeat questionnaire with eight of the original 15 questions (on awareness) was administered. The survey contained multiple-choice and open-ended questions addressing three main aspects: personal background, MSUS experience, and awareness about MSUS. All of the course participants (17 physiatrists) completed the precourse and postcourse questionnaires. Almost two-thirds of the participants (11/17) reported that they had never received education on MSUS. Overall, the participants rated MSUS as either ‘essential’ (8/16) or ‘useful to some of my practice’ (8/16). All of them stated at both times that physiatrists should perform MSUS themselves and that MSUS education is necessary for physiatrists. Participants’ awareness significantly increased on the indications for MSUS, the advantages and the structures that could be evaluated with it. We draw attention to the fact that PRM physicians are increasingly becoming aware of the need for MSUS in clinical practice. Unfortunately, the two barriers (i.e. lack of education and lack of device) against the use of MSUS by physiatrists still seem to exist. Finally, we acknowledge the paramount role of international collaborative efforts (e.g. EURO-MUSCULUS) to speed up and standardize the education process and the clinical application of MSUS in our field