Chest Ultrasound Helps to Diagnose Pulmonary Consolidations in Pediatric Patients

The diagnosis of pneumonia in pediatric patients relies on physical examination, blood tests, and chest X-rays. Physical examination, blood tests, and chest X-rays have a low accuracy, that is even greater in the critically ill. These limitations along with the risk of ionizing radiations, mandate the search for a safe diagnostic tool for patients with suspected pneumonia. Ultrasound (US) imaging offers several advantages over traditional radiographic techniques: it is non-invasive, painless, and involves minimal contact. In case of pulmonary parenchymal lesions, US is useful for differentiating pulmonary consolidation or atelectasis from lung masses and pleural lesions. Detection of air or fluid bronchograms at US and of pulmonary vessels with color flow imaging, is essential for the differential diagnosis of parenchymal consolidations. Furthermore US has a role in the evaluation of mediastinal masses and characterization of pleural fluid collection. Chest US is an ideal modality for serial examinations in rapidly evolving disease processes

Out-of-equilibrium finite-size scaling in generalized Kibble-Zurek protocols crossing quantum phase transitions in the presence of symmetry-breaking perturbations

We study the effects of symmetry-breaking perturbations in the out-of-equilibrium quantum dynamics of many-body systems slowly driven across a continuous quantum transition (CQT) by a time-dependent symmetry-preserving parameter. For this purpose, we analize the out-of-equilibrium dynamics arising from generalized Kibble-Zurek (KZ) protocols, within a dynamic renormalization-group framework allowing for finite-size systems. We show that the time dependence of generic observables develops an out-of-equilibrium finite-size scaling (FSS) behavior, arising from the interplay between the time scale $t_s$ of the parameter variations in the KZ protocol, the size $L$ of the system, and the strength $h$ of the symmetry-breaking perturbation, in the limit of large $t_s$ and $L$. Moreover, scaling arguments based on the first-order adiabatic approximation of slow variations in quantum systems allow us to characterize the approach to the adiabatic regimes for some limits of the model parameters (for example when we take $t_s\to \infty$ before $L\to\infty$), predicting asymptotic power-law suppressions of the nonadiabatic behaviors in the adiabatic limits. This out-of-equilibrium FSS is supported by numerical analyses for the paradigmatic quantum Ising chain along generalized KZ protocols, with a time-dependent transverse field crossing its CQT, in the presence of a static longitudinal field breaking its $Z_2$ symmetry.Comment: 13 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2205.08333, some results are adde

Case study on economic return on investments for safety and emergency lighting in road tunnels

While planning a double-hole road tunnel with a length higher than one km, it is important to pay attention to the safety factor if an accident occurs. If there is a power outage, in order to avoid critical situations that could jeopardize the safety of the people present (facilitating the stream coming out from the tunnel and the arrival of the emergency personnel), it is really important to guarantee uninterrupted lighting of roadways, mandatory emergency lay-bys, and ways of escape. Uninterrupted service of the lighting systems supply must be guaranteed, in accordance with the current regulations, through the exertion of UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and power units. During tunnel construction, such devices represent a cost that must be amortized. In this case study, which takes into consideration a section of a road tunnel characterized by emergency lay-bys and ways of escape, emergency and security lighting were planned and installation and management costs were evaluated. The goal of this research was the creation of a cash flow thanks to the energy generated by photovoltaic panels, in a way that the service life of the system (25 years) coincided with the amortization of the costs of the backup electrical equipment installation (complying with the regulations). The possibility of over-dimensioning the UPS and providing it with a proper photovoltaic panel surface (235 kWp) to generate and exchange electric energy with the grid was taken into consideration

A methodological comparison between energy and environmental performance evaluation

The European Union is working on strategies in order to increase the energy efficiency of buildings. A useful solution is to identify the energy performance of buildings through the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), as it provides information for the comparison of buildings with different architectural typology, shape, design technology and geographic location. However, this tool does not assess the real energy consumption of the building and does not always take into account its impact on the environment. In this work, two different types of analysis were carried out: one based only on the energy efficiency and the other one based on the environmental impact. Those analyses were applied on a standard building, set in three different Italian locations, with the purpose of obtaining cross-related information. After the evaluation of the results, interventions on some parameters (walls insulation, windows frame, filler gas in the insulated glazing) have been identified in order to improve the energy behavior of the building with an acceptable environmental impact. The aim of this paper is to propose a methodology that integrates the EPC with green building rating systems, leading to a more conscious choice of retrofit interventions as a compromise between energy performances and environmental impact

Analysing and Visualizing Tweets for U.S. President Popularity

In our society we are continually invested by a stream of information (opinions, preferences, comments, etc.). This shows how Twitter users react to news or events that they attend or take part in real time and with interest. In this context it becomes essential to have the appropriate tools in order to be able to analyze and extract data and information hidden in their large number of tweets. Social networks are a source of information with no rivals in terms of amount and variety of information that can be extracted from them. We propose an approach to analyze, with the help of automated tools, comments and opinions taken from social media in a real time environment. We developed a software system in R based on the Bayesian approach for text categorization. We aim of identifying sentiments expressed by the tweets posted on the Twitter social platform. The analysis of sentiment spread on social networks allows to identify the free thoughts, expressed authentically. In particular, we analyze the sentiments related to U.S President popularity by also visualizing tweets on a map. This allows to make an additional analysis of the real time reactions of people by associating the reaction of the single person who posted the tweet to his real time position in Unites States. In particular, we provide a visualization based on the geographical analysis of the sentiments of the users who posted the tweets

Survival analysis using the Covid-death mean-imputation (CoDMI) algorithm: a first clinical application in radiation oncology

Background/Aim: To report long-term survival results after trimodal approach for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) in the Covid-19 era. We herein illustrate a clinical application of Covid-death mean-imputation (CoDMI) algorithm in LARC patients with Covid-19 infection. Patients and Methods: We analyzed 94 patients treated for primary LARC. Overall survival was calculated in months from diagnosis to first event (last follow-up/death). Because Covid-19 death events potentially bias survival estimation, to eliminate skewed data due to Covid-19 death events, the observed lifetime of Covid-19 cases was replaced by its corresponding expected lifetime in absence of the Covid-19 event using the CoDMI algorithm. Patients who died of Covid-19 (DoC) are mean-imputed by the Kaplan-Meier estimator. Under this approach, the observed lifetime of each DoC patient is considered as an "incomplete data" and is extended by an additional expected lifetime computed using the classical Kaplan-Meier model. Results: Sixteen patients were dead of disease (DoD), 1 patient was DoC and 77 cases were censored (Cen). The DoC patient died of Covid-19 52 months after diagnosis. The CoDMI algorithm computed the expected future lifetime provided by the Kaplan-Meier estimator applied to the no-DoC observations as well as to the DoC data itself. Given the DoC event at 52 months, the CoDMI algorithm estimated that this patient would have died after 79.5 months of follow-up. Conclusion: The CoDMI algorithm leads to "unbiased" probability of overall survival in LARC patients with Covid-19 infection, compared to that provided by a naive application of Kaplan-Meier approach. This allows for a proper interpretation/use of Covid-19 events in survival analysis. A user-friendly version of CoDMI is freely available at https://github.com/alef-innovation/codmi

Chlamydia psittaci in ocular adnexa MALT lymphoma: a possible role in lymphomagenesis and a different geographical distribution

Ocular adnexa MALT-lymphomas represent approximatively 5-15% of all extranodal lymphomas. Almost 75% of OAMLs are localized in orbital fat, while 25% of cases involves conjunctive. MALT-lymphomas often recognize specific environmental factors responsible of lymphoma development and progression. In particular as Helicobacter pylori in gastric MALT lymphomas, other bacterial infections have been recognized related to MALT lymphomas in specific site. Recently Chlamydia psittaci has been identified in Ocular Adnexa MALT lymphomas, with variable frequence dependently from geographic areas. Thus bacterial infection is responsible of clonal selection on induced MALT with subsequent lymphoma development. Moreover Chlamydia psittaci could promote chromosomal aberration either through genetic instability as a consequence of induced proliferation and probably through DNA oxidative damage. The most common translocation described in MALT lymphomas affects NF-kB pathway with a substantial antiapoptotic effect. Several therapeutic approaches are now available, but the use of antibiotic-therapy in specific cases, although with conflicting results, could improve the treatment of ocular adnexa MALT lymphomas. In this review we analyse the most relevant features of Ocular adnexa MALT lymphomas, underlining specific biological characteristics mainly related to the potential role of Chlamydia psittaci in lymphomagenesis

Induction chemotherapy followed by neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery in locally advanced rectal cancer: preliminary results of a phase II study

PURPOSE: To report preliminary results of induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and surgery in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is the preliminary evaluation of a phase II study. Patients with histologically proven rectal adenocarcinoma, stage II-III disease, who met the inclusion criteria, received induction FOLFOXIRI (5-FU, leucovorin, oxaliplatin and irinotecan) regimen in combination with targeted agents followed by CRT and surgery. Analysis of the first 8 patients was required to confirm the treatment feasibility before the accrual of 20 additional patients. RESULTS: The first 8 patients were evaluated. The median follow-up time was 23 months. There were no treatment-related deaths. Trimodality strategy was well tolerated with high compliance and a good level of toxicity. There were no evidence of febrile neutropenia and any grade 4 adverse events were recorded. Three patients had pathologic complete response (pCR) and 1 patient had a nearly pCR (ypT1 ypN0). CONCLUSION: Preliminary results are encouraging. FOLFOXIRI regimen plus targeted agents followed by CRT and surgery seems a safe approach. Longer follow-up and higher number of patients are mandatory to confirm such findings