Telemedicine Network in Pediatric Cardiology: The Case of Tuscany Region in Italy

Four years ago, a telemedicine project in diagnosis and care of congenital cardiac malformations was developed in Tuscany interconnecting the Heart Hospital of Gabriele Monasterio Tuscany Foundation (FTGM) in Massa with main clinical centers around the region. Both live and store-and-forward tele-echocardiography were implemented, while the FTGM medical record system was applied for collaborative reporting. Mobile medical-grade carts, equipped with videoconferencing and computer units, were installed at main neonatology/pediatric centers throughout the Tuscany region. Today, 13 hospitals are connected to the network, while the MEYER Pediatric University Hospital (MEYER) in Firenze has recently adhered to the project, as HUB center jointly with FTGM, so enabling H24 telemedicine service in pediatric cardiology throughout the region. So far, more than 200 patients were diagnosed and followed by telemedicine

Actinic Keratoses: A Prospective Pilot Study on a Novel Formulation of 4% 5-Fluorouracil Cream and a Review of Other Current Topical Treatment Options

Background: Actinic keratosis (AK) is one of the most common skin diseases, with a low risk of progression into invasive squamous cell carcinoma. We aim to assess efficacy and safety of a novel formulation of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) 4% with once daily application for the treatment of multiple AKs. Methods: A pilot study was performed on 30 patients with a clinical and dermoscopic diagnosis of multiple AKs, enrolled between September 2021 and May 2022 at the Dermatology Departments of two Italian hospitals. Patients were treated with 5-FU 4% cream once daily for 30 consecutive days. The Actinic Keratosis Area and Severity Index (AKASI) was calculated before starting therapy, and at each follow-up, to assess objective clinical response. Results: The cohort analyzed included 14 (47%) males and 16 (53%) females (mean age: 71 ± 12 years). A significant decrease in AKASI score at both 6 and 12 weeks (p < 0.0001) was observed. Only three patients (10%) discontinued therapy, and 13 patients (43%) did not report any adverse reactions; no unexpected adverse events were observed. Conclusions: In the setting of topical chemotherapy and immunotherapy, the new formulation of 5-FU 4% proved to be a highly effective treatment for AKs and field cancerization

Effectiveness and tolerability of treatment for isolated actinic keratoses: A retrospective comparison between cryotherapy, CO2 laser and 5-fluorouracil 0.5%/salicylic acid 10

Actinic keratoses (AK) have been described as either intraepithelial keratinocytic dysplasia that can evolve into invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or as in situ SCC that can progress into an invasive form. A retrospective study was conducted to compare outcomes of three different topical therapies for patients with single AK (<4): cryotherapy, CO2 laser and 5-fluorouracil 0.5%/salicylic acid 10%. We included 72 patients who presented at the Dermatology Clinic of Maggiore Hospital of Trieste between 1 November 2019 and 31 January 2020 for the treatment of AKs. All treatments led to a significant reduction in the average diameter of AK. Pain felt by patients was significantly lower after 5-FU 0.5%/SA 10%. Side effects appeared similarly distributed among the three groups, with erythema and crusts being the most frequent. Aesthetic outcomes were highest in the 5-FU 5%/SA 10% group, as evaluated by both the patient and the operator. Cryotherapy, CO2 laser and 5-FU 5%/SA 10% were all effective, with no significant efficacy differences among them. Additionally, 5-FU 5%/SA 10% was proved to have the best aesthetic result and to cause the least pain, while necessitating long-term administration. This should be taken into account for patients with low pain tolerance and low treatment adherence. Cryotherapy and CO2 laser have the advantage of requiring a single session, which might be more suitable for uncooperative patients

A Year in the Life of the OpenECG Network

The OpenECG network formed in 2002, is a European initiative with global reach, which aims to lower the barriers for ECG interoperability and make digital ECGs available as part of the integrated electronic health record. Currently, SCP-ECG, the European standard for ECG record communication and storage, has been implemented by some manufacturers. However, these implementations are not consistent with each other, hindering ECG exchange, processing, and serial analysis. Furthermore, the presence of alternative ECG storage formats, proprietary or open, raises issues of harmonization and quality assurance. In the first year of its life, the OpenECG network numbers 105 committed members, while its portal and associated help desk have already provided valuable information and development support to several manufacturers and integrators. Recently, the OpenECG certification service has become available to members who may submit their ECG records for interoperability validation and SCP-ECG conformance testing. Still, only the first step for the OpenECG network has been taken. Future plans involve contributing to the definition of integration profiles for ECG-related examinations and addressing issues related to quality assurance of eHealth services in general

Effective Intense Pulsed Light Protocol in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Acne Vulgaris

no abstract availabl

Current Controversies and Challenges on BRAF V600K-Mutant Cutaneous Melanoma

About 50% of melanomas harbour a BRAF mutation. Of these 50%, 10% have a V600K mutation. Although it is the second most common driver mutation after V600E, no specific studies have been conducted to identify a clinical and therapeutic gold standard for this patient subgroup. We analysed articles, including registrative clinical trials, to identify common clinical and biological traits of the V600K melanoma population, including different adopted therapeutic strategies. Melanoma V600K seems to be more frequent in Caucasian, male and elderly populations with a history of chronic sun damage and exposure. Prognosis is poor and no specific prognostic factor has been identified. Recent findings have underlined how melanoma V600K seems to be less dependent on the ERK/MAPK pathway, with a higher expression of PI3KB and a strong inhibition of multiple antiapoptotic pathways. Both target therapy with BRAF inhibitors + MEK inhibitors and immunotherapy with anti-checkpoint blockades are effective in melanoma V600K, although no sufficient evidence can currently support a formal recommendation for first line treatment choice in IIIC unresectable/IV stage patients. Still, melanoma V600K represents an unmet medical need and a marker of poor prognosis for cutaneous melanoma

Relazione tecnica impatto acustico

La presente relazione tecnica descrive la progettazione di interventi di correzione acustica di alcuni locali del complesso di ricerca INAF OAS situato a Bologna in via Gobetti 101, al fine di verificare se esistono condizioni di rischio lavorativo, e comunque, anche nel caso che non sussistano le condizioni per intervenire con misure di protezione e prevenzione, migliorarne il comfort, favorire la concentrazione e ridurre lo sforzo vocale degli operatori e delle operatrici

Clinical and dermoscopic characteristics of congenital and non-congenital nevus-associated melanomas

No specific features of nevus-associated melanoma (NAM) are currently defined

The Online Observation Quality System for the ASTRI Mini-Array

The ASTRI Mini-Array is an international collaboration led by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), aiming to construct and operate an array of nine Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) to study gamma-ray sources at very high energy (TeV) and to perform stellar intensity interferometry observations. This contribution describes the design and the technologies used by the ASTRI team to implement the Online Observation Quality System (OOQS). The main objective of the OOQS is to perform data quality analyses in real-time during Cherenkov and intensity interferometry observations to provide feedback to both the Central Control System and the Operator. The OOQS performs the analysis of key data quality parameters and can generate alarms to other sub-systems for a fast reaction to solve critical conditions. The results from the data quality analyses are saved into the Quality Archive for further investigations. The Operator can visualise the OOQS results through the Operator Human Machine Interface as soon as they are produced. The main challenge addressed by the OOQS design is to perform online data quality checks on the data streams produced by nine telescopes, acquired by the Array Data Acquisition System and forwarded to the OOQS. In the current OOQS design, the Redis in-memory database manages the data throughput generated by the telescopes, and the Slurm workload scheduler executes in parallel the high number of data quality analyses.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings of the 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2021), Berlin, German

Magazzino 101 Gestione e smaltimento

La gestione di un magazzino efficiente passa attraverso una buona organizzazione e il rispetto delle regole. Trattandosi di ambienti in cui le merci sono costantemente movimentate, spesso con l’ausilio di attrezzature specifiche, il magazzino è soggetto a disordine e sporcizia. Questo, inevitabilmente, si può tradurre in incidenti, che possono rallentare o addirittura arrestare il lavoro. Ordine e pulizia dovrebbero essere mandatori