On the multi-domain impacts of coupling mechanical ventilation to radiant systems in residential buildings

In the current context of joint efforts towards the decarbonisation of buildings, integrating occupants' comfort and health with latest technological advancements for energy efficiency is at the center of the latest development of research, policies and professional practice. Radiant systems are encountering great success since the low-thickness systems can also be used in renovation projects for both heating and cooling, while guaranteeing optimal comfort. However, dehumidification is often required for optimal radiant cooling operation with no condensation risks, and the great potential of mechanical ventilation systems to optimally address the needs for dehumidification, air renewal, health and energy efficiency appears to be far from its full exploitation in the post-COVID-19 era. The present paper aims at providing a quantification of the energy and financial impacts of the implementation of a controlled mechanical ventilation system (CMV) coupled to a radiant system in a typical residential case study building in Italy. The results show that the sole CMV may decrease primary energy demand and energy costs by more than 30% and contribute to an increase in the smart readiness of the building by 8%, but further incentive policies must be developed to cover the still high investment and maintenance cost

On the Interaction between 1D Materials and Living Cells

One-dimensional (1D) materials allow for cutting-edge applications in biology, such as single-cell bioelectronics investigations, stimulation of the cellular membrane or the cytosol, cellular capture, tissue regeneration, antibacterial action, traction force investigation, and cellular lysis among others. The extraordinary development of this research field in the last ten years has been promoted by the possibility to engineer new classes of biointerfaces that integrate 1D materials as tools to trigger reconfigurable stimuli/probes at the sub-cellular resolution, mimicking the in vivo protein fibres organization of the extracellular matrix. After a brief overview of the theoretical models relevant for a quantitative description of the 1D material/cell interface, this work offers an unprecedented review of 1D nano- and microscale materials (inorganic, organic, biomolecular) explored so far in this vibrant research field, highlighting their emerging biological applications. The correlation between each 1D material chemistry and the resulting biological response is investigated, allowing to emphasize the advantages and the issues that each class presents. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives are discussed

The occurrence of diseases and related factors in a center for asylum seekers in italy

Introduction. Italy is the main recipient of asylum seekers in the European region, and Sicily is their first point of arrival. This geographical position creates a large job for Health Authorities to identify and deal with the health of immigrants. This study evaluates the prevalence of disease among asylum seekers, assessing which are associated factors. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyse demographic and clinical data in an Acceptance Centres for Asylum Seekers from February 2012 to May 2013. All variables that were found to be significant on unvariable analysis for the most frequent pathologies were included in a multivariable logistic regression model. Results. Post-traumatic stress disorders with 17.4% and major depression with 7.3% were the most frequent diseases. The factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorders among asylum seekers were: major depression diagnosis (OR=2.91, p=0.004),Pakistan as a country of origin (OR=3.88, p<0.001), the largest number of medical visits (OR=1.02, p=0.033) and refugee status (OR=1.97, p=0.036). The variables linked with the diagnosis of major depression from the multivariable analysis were: suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders (OR=3.83, p<0.001), Pakistan as a country of origin (OR=3.45, p=0.004) and the highest number of visits to psychologist (OR=1.15, p<0.001). Conclusions.The mental wellbeing of asylum seekers needs special attention, and interventions should be done to prevent the consolidation of psychiatric morbidity. A short psychological screening after the arrival might prove helpful here. Moreover, carefully designed longitudinal studies should be carried out when political recommendations try to change the organization of psychological and healthcare services

Risk assessment in ginecology and obstetrics in Sicily: an approach based on Wolff's Criteria

Objectives To apply Wolff’s Criteria to hospital discharge records (HDR) in order to detect adverse events worthy of further study. Methods Gynecology and Obstetrics Units of three Sicilian hospitals were considered and HDR regarding ordinary and day hospital admissions in 2008 were collected. A matched case-control study was designed, by random selection of 10 controls at maximum for each case. Matching was performed on the variables age and speciality of admission (gynecology or obstetrics). Results Out of a total of 7011 HDR examined, 114 cases were identified with Wolff’s Criteria. Multivariate analysis confirmed a statistically significant association with the origin of admission, diagnosis at the acceptance and length of stay: there was a decreased risk of Wolff’s event in patients having urgent admission compared to elective (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = [0.28-0.78]), an increased risk in patients reporting tumor (OR = 5:41, 95 % CI [1.89-15.47]) and other causes (OR = 2.16, 95% CI [1.10-4.24]) compared to delivery diagnosis at acceptance and in patients whose length of stay was more than 6 days (OR = 23.17, 95% CI = [12.56-42.7]) compared to less or equal than 3 days Conclusion Wolff’s Criteria can be applied for the analysis of clinical risk in hospitals with different structural characteristics, on condition that the HDR database is complete and good quality

Improved Photocatalytic Activity of Polysiloxane TiO2 Composites by Thermally Induced Nanoparticle Bulk Clustering and Dye Adsorption

Fine control of nanoparticle clustering within polymeric matrices can be tuned to enhance the physicochemical properties of the resulting composites, which are governed by the interplay of nanoparticle surface segregation and bulk clustering. To this aim, out-of-equilibrium strategies can be leveraged to program the multiscale organization of such systems. Here, we present experimental results indicating that bulk assembly of highly photoactive clusters of titanium dioxide nanoparticles within an in situ synthesized polysiloxane matrix can be thermally tuned. Remarkably, the controlled nanoparticle clustering results in improved degradation photocatalytic performances of the material under 1 sun toward methylene blue. The resulting coatings, in particular the 35 wt % TiO2-loaded composites, show a photocatalytic degradation of about 80%, which was comparable to the equivalent amount of bare TiO2 and two-fold higher with respect to the corresponding composites not subjected to thermal treatment. These findings highlight the role of thermally induced bulk clustering in enhancing photoactive nanoparticle/polymer composite properties

A Community-Based Social Networking Intervention to Increase Walking in Dog Owners

Roughly 40% of U.S. households own a dog and while dog ownership is associated with greater engagement in physical activity, up to 60% of dog owners do not achieve the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity. The present study aims to develop and test a dog walking intervention addressing individual, interpersonal, and community factors. The study represents collaboration between UMass Medical School, UMass Lowell and their community partners, Common Pathways and the Greater Lowell Health Alliance. The developmental phase uses a community-based participatory research approach by creating community advisory boards and conducting focus groups with residents to ensure community perspectives are represented throughout intervention development. Information gathered from the developmental phase will inform the intervention. The intervention phase will determine the feasibility and efficacy of a multi-component dog walking intervention using a group randomized controlled trial. The intervention uses a social networking website, newsletters, pedometers, neighborhood walks, and community events to educate owners on the benefits of walking, create a supportive environment, and increase the “dog friendliness” of a community. Communities in Worcester and Lowell will be randomized to the intervention or control condition. Outcome measures include pedometer steps, time spent walking the dog, social support for exercise, and sense of community. This study is one of the first studies to test whether increasing dog walking in dog owners can increase owner physical activity via a social networking website. If successful, we will assess the extent to which the community can sustain the intervention

Evaluating Deep Learning-based Melanoma Classification using Immunohistochemistry and Routine Histology: A Three Center Study

Pathologists routinely use immunohistochemical (IHC)-stained tissue slides against MelanA in addition to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides to improve their accuracy in diagnosing melanomas. The use of diagnostic Deep Learning (DL)-based support systems for automated examination of tissue morphology and cellular composition has been well studied in standard H&E-stained tissue slides. In contrast, there are few studies that analyze IHC slides using DL. Therefore, we investigated the separate and joint performance of ResNets trained on MelanA and corresponding H&E-stained slides. The MelanA classifier achieved an area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) of 0.82 and 0.74 on out of distribution (OOD)-datasets, similar to the H&E-based benchmark classification of 0.81 and 0.75, respectively. A combined classifier using MelanA and H&E achieved AUROCs of 0.85 and 0.81 on the OOD datasets. DL MelanA-based assistance systems show the same performance as the benchmark H&E classification and may be improved by multi stain classification to assist pathologists in their clinical routine

Integrated analytical approach in veal calvesadministered the anabolic androgenic steroidsboldenone and boldione: urine and plasma kineticprofile and changes in plasma protein expression

Surveillance of illegal use of steroids hormones in cattle breeding is a key issue to preserve human health. To this purpose, an integrated approach has been developed for the analysis of plasma and urine from calves treated orally with a single dose of a combination of the androgenic steroids boldenone and boldione. A quantitative estimation of steroid hormones was obtained by LC-APCI-QMS/ MS analysis of plasma and urine samples obtained at various times up to 36 and 24 h after treatment, respectively. These experiments demonstrated that boldione was never found, while boldenone a- and b-epimers were detected in plasma and urine only within 2 and 24 h after drug administration, respectively. Parallel proteomic analysis of plasma samples was obtained by combined 2-DE,MALDI-TOF-MS and mLC-ESI-IT-MS/MS procedures. A specific protein, poorly represented in normal plasmasamples collected before treatment,was found upregulated even 36 h after hormone treatment.Extensivemassmapping experiments proved this component as an N-terminal truncated form of apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), a protein involved in cholesterol transport. The expression profile of ApoA1 analysed byWestern blot analysis confirmed a significant and time dependent increase of thisApoA1 fragment. Then, provided that further experiments performed with a growth-promoting schedule will confirm these preliminary findings, truncated ApoA1 may be proposed as a candidate biomarker for steroid boldenone and possibly other anabolic androgens misuse in cattle veal calves, when no traces of hormones are detectable in plasma or urine

The status of cryptococcosis in Latin America

Cryptococcosis is a life-threatening fungal infection caused by the encapsulated yeasts Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii, acquired from the environment. In Latin America, as occurring worldwide, C. neoformans causes more than 90% of the cases of cryptococcosis, affecting predominantly patients with HIV, while C. gattii generally affects otherwise healthy individuals. In this region, cryptococcal meningitis is the most common presentation, with amphotericin B and fluconazole being the antifungal drugs of choice. Avian droppings are the predominant environmental reservoir of C. neoformans, while C. gattii is associated with several arboreal species. Importantly, C. gattii has a high prevalence in Latin America and has been proposed to be the likely origin of some C. gattii populations in North America. Thus, in the recent years, significant progress has been made with the study of the basic biology and laboratory identification of cryptococcal strains, in understanding their ecology, population genetics, host-pathogen interactions, and the clinical epidemiology of this important mycosis in Latin America.Fil: Firacative, Carolina. University of Sydney; AustraliaFil: Lizarazo, Jairo. Universidad de Pamplona; EspañaFil: Illnait Zaragozí, María Teresa. Tropical Medicine Institute Pedro Kourí; CubaFil: Castañeda, Maria Elizabeth. Instituto Nacional de Salud; Colombia. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Arechavala, Alicia. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas "Dr. Francisco Javier Muñiz"; Argentina. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Córdoba, Susana Beatríz. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; Brasil. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; ArgentinaFil: Mazza, Mariana. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; Argentina. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Taverna, Constanza Giselle. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; Argentina. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Isla, Guillermina. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; Brasil. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; ArgentinaFil: Chiapello, Laura Silvina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Vergara, Mario León Silva. Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro; Brasil. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Melhem, Marcia S. C.. Governo do Estado de São Paulo. Secretaria da Saúde. Instituto Adolfo Lutz; Brasil. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Szeszs, Maria Walderez. Governo do Estado de São Paulo. Secretaria da Saúde. Instituto Adolfo Lutz; Brasil. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Martins, Marilena dos Anjos. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; Brasil. Governo do Estado de São Paulo. Secretaria da Saúde. Instituto Adolfo Lutz; BrasilFil: Bonfietti, Lucas Xavier. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; Brasil. Governo do Estado de São Paulo. Secretaria da Saúde. Instituto Adolfo Lutz; BrasilFil: Oliveira, Rogério Antonio de. Governo do Estado de São Paulo. Secretaria da Saúde. Instituto Adolfo Lutz; Brasil. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Oliveira, Lidiane de. Governo do Estado de São Paulo. Secretaria da Saúde. Instituto Adolfo Lutz; Brasil. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Santos, Dayane Christine Silva. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; Brasil. Governo do Estado de São Paulo. Secretaria da Saúde. Instituto Adolfo Lutz; BrasilFil: Lazera, Marcia S.. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; Brasil. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Wanke, Bodo. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Díaz, María Cristina. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; Brasil. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Escandón, Patricia. Instituto Nacional de Salud; Colombia. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Noguera, María Clara. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; Brasil. Universidad Metropolitana; ColombiaFil: Andreu, Carlos Manuel Fernández. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Castril­Lón, Laura. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Bustamante, Beatriz. Hospital Cayetano Heredia. Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt; Perú. Hospital Cayetano Heredia; Perú. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Dolande, Maribel. Universidad Central de Venezuela; Venezuela. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; BrasilFil: Ferrara, Giussepe. Universidad Central de Venezuela; Venezuela. Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group; Brasi

Reshaping ophthalmology training after COVID-19 pandemic

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on practical activities and didactic teaching of residents and fellows. This survey aimed to propose long-term changes for ophthalmology training based on the changes experienced by trainees and their perception of new training opportunities. Methods An online survey was distributed to ophthalmology trainees in multiple countries. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Results A total of 504 analyzable responses were collected from 32 different countries. The current impact of COVID-19 pandemic was described as "severe" by most trainees (55.2%); however, the future perspective was more optimistic as demonstrated by the greater number of responses reporting a presumed "moderate" (37.3%), "mild" (14.1%) or "slight" (4.2%) long-term impact. The vast majority of trainees reported a decrease >= 50% of clinical activity (76.4%) and >75% of surgical activity (74.6%). Although an initial gap in didactic teaching has been experienced by many (55.4%), regular web-based teaching was reportedly attended by 67.7% of the respondents. A strong agreement was found regarding the worthwhile role of web-based case-presentations in clinical training (91.7%), web-based discussion of edited surgical videos (85.7%) and simulation-based practice (86.9%) in surgical training. Conclusions This survey, focusing on trainees' perspective, strongly reinforces the need to promptly include new technology-based training tools, such as web-based teaching, virtual surgical simulators, and telementoring, in long-term reorganisation of ophthalmology training to ensure its continuity and effectiveness, which would remain available even in the face of another unpredictable crisis within the health system