Higher education and research programme on sustainable development in the Mediterranean region (PESME)

Peer Reviewe

Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Healthcare Students and Postgraduates in a Mediterranean Italian Area: What Correlation with Work Exposure?

Background: Tuberculosis screening is part of the standard protocol for evaluating the risk of infection in healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among students attending various healthcare profession degree courses and postgraduate medical courses at the School of Medicine of the University of Palermo, Italy, and assess the possible professional origin of infection. Methods: In total, 2946 students (2082 undergraduates and 864 postgraduates) took part in a screening program for LTBI between January 2014 to April 2019 using the tuberculin skin test (TST). Students with a positive TST result underwent a Quantiferon-TB test (QFT). Results: Among the 2082 undergraduates, 23 (1.1%) had a positiveTST;theresultwasconfirmedwithQFTfor13(0.62%)ofthem. Amongthe864postgraduate students,24(2.78%)hadapositiveTSTandonly18(2.08%)showedapositiveQTF.Latenttuberculosis infectionsweresignificantlymorefrequentamongpostgraduatesthanundergraduates(2.08% > 0.62%, p < 0.0001). There was a higher number of subjects previously vaccinated for TB (18.87% > 0.24%, p < 0.0001), and of vaccinated subjects found positive for TST and QTF (66.67% > 7.69%, p = 0.001) in the postgraduate group. Conclusion: Latent TB is relatively low among medical school students in our geographic area. Nevertheless, this infectious disease must be regarded as a re-emerging biohazard for which preventive strategies are required to limit the risk of infection, especially among exposed workers

Thermo-economic assessment of a olive pomace gasifier for cogeneration applications

A thermo-economic analysis of a combined heat and power (CHP) plant fed by syngas produced through the gasification of dry olive pomace is presented. The plant is composed by a 800 kWtdowndraft gasifier, a gas clean-up system, a 200 kWemicroturbine (MGT) and a heat recovery system to cogenerate hot water. Surplus heat is used to dry olive pomace from 50% to 17% wb moisture content. The plant is modeled in ASPEN Plus. Real data from experimental tests are used to calibrate the gasifier model, while the technical specification and performance of the CHP plant are collected from commercial plants in operation and data from manufacturers. Mass and energy balances are reported throughout the paper. The thermodynamic simulation of the biomass gasifier coupled to the MGT, the thermal and electrical conversion efficiency and temperature of cogenerated heat available are also presented. A thermo-economic assessment is then proposed, to investigate the economic profitability of this small scale CHP plant in the Italian energy policy scenario and considering the subsidies available for renewable electricity in the form of feed-in tariffs. For this purpose, the case study of base load CHP plant operation and heat supplied to different typologies of energy end user is assumed. The results allow quantifying the most influencing economic and technical factors that affect the performance and profitability of such investment and the bottlenecks that should be faced to facilitate a broader implementation of such CHP schemes for on site generation

Modular tool for the simulation of compressor trains for oil and gas applications

AbstractRecently, in the oil and gas extraction and transportation field, much attention has been paid both to increase efficiency and to reduce the environmental impact of the extraction techniques that, by now, consists mainly on Enhanced Oil Recovery processes based on gas or water injection into the reservoirs. Thus, compressor trains are a crucial part of the overall plant, and they require precise performance estimation during the whole oilfield lifespan, when production rates and compression demands significantly change. For this reason, in compression plant design and in-service behavior prediction, modular simulation codes turns out to be the best choice respect to tools for specific plant configuration, since they provide flexibility without losing accuracy.In this paper, a new modular tool for compression plant simulation is described; it is based on a wide database of centrifugal compressors and a library of elementary components that can be freely assembled to build any plant's configuration, regardless of its layout. The code's numerical solver is the implementation of a trust-region Gauss-Newton method, called TRESNEI, which possess a larger convergence region than standard Newton methods.The performance of the code has been tested on two compression train arrangements with both series and parallel-mounted compressors; comparison with the solution of the test cases obtained with a dedicated pre-existing in-house code, shows a good matching between the results. Computational speed and robustness of the new code is also shown

Saggi sull’attività antimicrobica di molecole bioattive in interventi di foderatura di dipinti

In questo studio è stato valutato l’utilizzo di molecole antimicrobiche estratte da organismi marini invertebrati (Anthozoa), al fine di limitare o inibire la crescita microbica su materiali impiegati per il restauro di manufatti storico-artistici. I ceppi batterici e fungini utilizzati nei saggi antimicrobici, sono stati isolati da porzioni di tele, stratificate con colla, impiegate nella foderatura di dipinti. Mediante un approccio integrato che comprende tecniche di microscopia e tecniche molecolari, sono state identificate colonie batteriche appartenenti ai generi Enterobacter e Micrococcus e fungine appartenenti ai generi Aspergillus e Penicillium. L’attività antimicrobica delle molecole (BMA1, BMA2, BMA3) è stata testata sui ceppi microbici identificati, definendo le corrispondenti Concentrazioni Minime Inibenti (MIC) e le Concentrazioni Minime Battericide/Fungicide (MBC/MFC). Inoltre, l’attività antimicrobica è stata testata su provini assemblati ad hoc in laboratorio, realizzati con colla pasta stratificata su due tipi di tela (lino, sintetica), simulando un intervento di foderatura. La presenza delle molecole BMA nella colla pasta ha contrastato la crescita microbica, inibendola completamente per il campione BMA1 e parzialmente in presenza di BMA2 e BMA3. L’utilizzo di queste molecole nel campo della conservazione dei beni culturali, costituisce un importante contributo allo sviluppo di tecnologie innovative, nel rispetto delle procedure del restauro conservativo

A New Frontier of Photocatalysis Employing Micro-Sized TiO2: Air/Water Pollution Abatement and Self-Cleaning/ Antibacterial Applications

This chapter presents the use of a commercial micro-sized TiO2 powder as an alternative to the traditional nano-powders as semiconductors in photocatalytic processes. Results of the photocatalytic efficiency towards the photodegradation of the traditional pollutant molecules both in gas phase (nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)) and in water phase (phenol) are presented and compared to the results obtained with two nano-sized reference powders. Micro-sized TiO2 is also industrially coated at the surfaces of porcelain grés tiles (Active Clean Air and Antibacterial Ceramic™). The possibility to have a photocatalytic material, strongly stuck at the surface of a vitrified tile, increases the use of photocatalysis in real conditions: no problem of filtration of the semiconductor from the liquid medium after use and no risks of leakage of nanoparticles in the atmosphere. Tests were performed using reactors equipped with UV-A lamps and with suitable analytical systems, depending on the final purpose. Characterization data from both powders and coated tiles are put in correlation with the photocatalytic results to understand the semiconductor action during the photocatalytic process. Polluting molecules were chosen in order to cover all the common aspects of environmental pollution: NOx and some VOCs represent the model molecules to test the efficiency of the micro-sized TiO2 (degradation from the pristine molecule to CO2 or inorganic salts) in gas phase. As for the water pollution, phenol was chosen as common pollutant in worldwide rivers. Moreover, tests on self-cleaning and antibacterial properties are also reported. The positive results of micro-sized TiO2 both in powder and coated onto the surface of porcelain grés tiles open the way to new photocatalytic products that do not make use of nanoscale powders avoiding problems to human safety caused by the inherent toxicity of the nanoparticles

Decisional capacity to consent to treatment and research in patients affected by Mild Cognitive Impairment. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACTObjectives:To perform a meta-analysis of clinical studies on the differences in treatment or research decision-making capacity among patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and healthy comparisons (HCs).Design:A systematic search was conducted on Medline/Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. Standardized mean differences and random-effects model were used in all cases.Setting:The United States, France, Japan, and China.Participants:Four hundred and ten patients with MCI, 149 with AD, and 368 HCs were included.Measurements:The studies we included in the analysis assessed decisional capacity to consent by the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MAcCAT-T), MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR), Capacity to Consent to Treatment Instrument (CCTI), and University of California Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC).Results:We identified 109 potentially eligible studies from 1672 records, and 7 papers were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that there was significant impairment in a decision-making capacity in MCI patients compared to the HCs group in terms of Understanding (SMD = −1.04, 95% CI: −1.31 to −0.77, P < 0.001; I2 = 52%, P = 0.07), Appreciation (SMD = −0.51, 95% CI: −0.66 to −0.36, P < 0.001; I2 = 0%, P = 0.97), and Reasoning (SMD = −0.62, 95% CI: −0.77, −0.47, P < 0.001; I2=0%, P =0.46). MCI patients scored significantly higher in Understanding (SMD = 1.50, 95% CI: 0.91, 2.09, P = 0.01, I2 = 78%, P = 0.00001) compared to patients affected by AD.Conclusions:Patients affected by MCI are at higher risk of impaired capacity to consent to treatment and research compared to HCs, despite being at lower risk compared to patients affected by AD. Clinicians and researchers need to carefully evaluate decisional capacity in MCI patients providing informed consent

Intestinal Involvement in Kawasaki Disease

To describe a case of Kawasaki disease with intestinal involvement and to analyze other published reports to define clinical characteristics, diagnostic issues, and therapeutic approaches of gastrointestinal involvement in Kawasaki disease

Role of myristoylation in modulating PCaP1 interaction with calmodulin

Plasma membrane-associated Cation-binding Protein 1 (PCaP1) belongs to the plant-unique DREPP protein family with largely unknown biological functions but ascertained roles in plant development and calcium (Ca2+) signaling. PCaP1 is anchored to the plasma membrane via N-myristoylation and a polybasic cluster, and its N-terminal region can bind Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM). However, the molecular determinants of PCaP1-Ca2+-CaM interaction and the functional impact of myristoylation in the complex formation and Ca2+ sensitivity of CaM remained to be elucidated. Herein, we investigated the direct interaction between Arabidopsis PCaP1 (AtPCaP1) and CaM1 (AtCaM1) using both myristoylated and non-myristoylated peptides corresponding to the N-terminal region of AtPCaP1. ITC analysis showed that AtCaM1 forms a high affinity 1:1 complex with AtPCaP1 peptides and the interaction is strictly Ca2+-dependent. Spectroscopic and kinetic Ca2+ binding studies showed that the myristoylated peptide dramatically increased the Ca2+-binding affinity of AtCaM1 and slowed the Ca2+ dissociation rates from both the C- and N-lobes, thus suggesting that the myristoylation modulates the mechanism of AtPCaP1 recognition by AtCaM1. Furthermore, NMR and CD spectroscopy revealed that the structure of both the N- and C-lobes of Ca2+-AtCaM1 changes markedly in the presence of the myristoylated AtPCaP1 peptide, which assumes a helical structure in the final complex. Overall, our results indicate that AtPCaP1 biological function is strictly related to the presence of multiple ligands, i.e., the myristoyl moiety, Ca2+ ions and AtCaM1 and only a full characterization of their equilibria will allow for a complete molecular understanding of the putative role of PCaP1 as signal protein