Contribution of green roofs to energy savings in building renovations

[EN] Reversing the consequences of climate change and achieving more resilient societies involves reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption, especially in sectors as important as construction. Green roofs, due to their particularities, imply a series of benefits, among which energy saving stands out. This implies a reduction in the consumption of resources and in CO2 emissions, more evident in the case of the refurbishment of buildings. A comparison is proposed between the energy savings obtained by renovating only the roof and renovating the entire thermal envelope. This is done with three roof construction systems (including two green roofs) and in 6 Spanish cities that represent different climatic zones. The novelties provided by this research are based on the comparison of both renovation cases to obtain the influence of the roof with respect to the thermal improvement of the envelope. The energy savings obtained by renovating the roof are very similar in all cities, but after renovating the entire envelope, the savings increase as the climate gets colder.Determining themost influential variables in these savings, as well as the influence of the roof, allows choosing the most appropriate construction techniques to optimize the energy renovation of existing buildings.Fundingforopenaccesscharge:CRUE-UniversitatPolitècnicadeValència.Garcia-Borràs, J.; Lerma Elvira, C.; Mas Tomas, MDLA.; Vercher Sanchis, J.; Gil Benso, E. (2022). Contribution of green roofs to energy savings in building renovations. Energy for Sustainable Development. 71:212-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2022.09.0202122217

Peritumoral immune infiltrates in primary tumours are not associated with the presence of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study

Background. The axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) in breast cancer patients are the body regions to where tumoral cells most often first disseminate. The tumour immune response is important for breast cancer patient outcome, and some studies have evaluated its involvement in ALN metastasis development. Most studies have focused on the intratumoral immune response, but very few have evaluated the peritumoral immune response. The aim of the present article is to evaluate the immune infiltrates of the peritumoral area and their association with the presence of ALN metastases. Methods. The concentration of 11 immune markers in the peritumoral areas was studied in 149 patients diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma of no special type (half of whom had ALN metastasis at diagnosis) using tissue microarrays, immunohistochemistry and digital image analysis procedures. The differences in the concentration of the immune response of peritumoral areas between patients diagnosed with and without metastasis in their ALNs were evaluated. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to identify the clinical-pathological variables and the peritumoral immune markers independently associated with having or not having ALN metastases at diagnosis. Results. No statistically significant differences were found in the concentrations of the 11 immune markers between patients diagnosed with or without ALN metastases. Patients with metastases in their ALNs had a higher histological grade, more lymphovascular and perineural invasion and larger-diameter tumours. The multivariate analysis, after validation by bootstrap simulation, revealed that only tumour diameter (OR = 1.04; 95% CI [1.00-1.07]; p = 0.026), lymphovascular invasion (OR = 25.42; 95% CI [9.57-67.55]; p<0.001) and histological grades 2 (OR = 3.84; 95% CI [1.11-13.28]; p = 0.033) and 3 (OR = 5.18; 95% CI [1.40-19.17]; p = 0.014) were associated with the presence of ALN metastases at diagnosis. This study is one of the first to study the association of the peritumoral immune response with ALN metastasis. We did not find any association of peritumoral immune infiltrates with the presence of ALN metastasis. Nevertheless, this does not rule out the possibility that other peritumoral immune populations are associated with ALN metastasis. This matter needs to be examined in greater depth, broadening the types of peritumoral immune cells studied, and including new peritumoral areas, such as the germinal centres of the peritumoral tertiary lymphoid structures found in extensively infiltrated neoplastic lesions

First-line treatment in lymphomatoid papulosis: a retrospective multicentre study

Background: Data regarding response to treatment in lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) are scarce. Aim: To assess the daily clinical practice approach to LyP and the response to first-line treatments. Methods: This was a retrospective study enrolling 252 patients with LyP. Results: Topical steroids, methotrexate and phototherapy were the most common first-line treatments, prescribed for 35%, 20% and 14% of the patients, respectively. Complete response (CR) was achieved in 48% of treated patients. Eczematous lesions significantly increased relative risk (RR) of not achieving CR (RR = 1.76; 95% CI 1.16-2.11). Overall median time to CR was 10 months (95% CI 6-13 months), and 78% of complete responders showed cutaneous relapse; both results were similar for all treatment groups (P > 0.05). Overall estimated median disease-free survival (DFS) was 11 months (95% CI 9-13 months) but DFS for patients treated with phototherapy was 23 months (95% CI 10-36 months; P < 0.03). Having the Type A LyP variant (RR = 2.04; 95% CI 0.96-4.30) and receiving a first-line treatment other than phototherapy (RR = 5.33; 95% CI 0.84-33.89) were significantly associated with cutaneous early relapse. Of the 252 patients, 31 (13%) had associated mycosis fungoides unrelated to therapeutic approach, type of LyP or T-cell receptor clonality. Conclusions: Current epidemiological, clinical and pathological data support previous results. Topical steroids, phototherapy and methotrexate are the most frequently prescribed first-line treatments. Although CR and cutaneous relapse rates do not differ between them, phototherapy achieves a longer DFS. Presence of Type A LyP and use of topical steroid or methotrexate were associated with an increased risk of early relapse

estudos artísticos

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Irrigation proposals for improving the energy performance of green roofs in Mediterranean climate

[EN] The evapotranspiration and cooling energy saving potential of green roofs is very great in the Mediterranean climate, due to high levels of solar radiation. However, the low rainfall limits these losses. The main goal of this research is to determine the energy savings achieved by increasing water availability by installing an irrigation system. It is proposed the computer simulation of a building renovated with three construction systems, according to real scaled models. Irrigation proposals are studied from two perspectives: (1) different irrigation rates for each green roof system and (2) different irrigation schedules. From the perspective of irrigation rates (1) it is observed that increased water input in extensive green roofs does not lead to increased evapotranspiration heat losses due to their limited water storage capacity. In extensive green roofs, increasing the water supply above the storage capacity implies increasing water outflow, but not heat losses. In relation to the irrigation schedules (2) the models with daily annual irrigation achieve very limited total savings, less than 1% compared to self-sustaining models. However, a daily irrigation system only during cooling periods achieves greater total savings, between 1% and 2% compared to self-sustaining models. The system is optimised by increasing energy savings and reducing water consumption. On green roofs in the Mediterranean climate, the increase in available water does not necessarily imply an increase in total energy savings. In these cases, it is essential to find a balance between limiting water consumption and reducing energy consumption.This research has been carried out within the project entitled "Hydrothermal study of green roofs. Analysis and design recommen-dations for greater efficiency" (PAID-01-19-10) , financed by public call by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Garcia-Borràs, J.; Lerma Elvira, C.; Mas Tomas, MDLA.; Vercher Sanchis, J.; Gil Benso, E. (2023). Irrigation proposals for improving the energy performance of green roofs in Mediterranean climate. Journal of Building Engineering. 75:1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2023.1070641157

Energy Efficiency Evaluation of Green Roofs as an Intervention Strategy in Residential Buildings in the Field of Spanish Climate

[EN] The use of green roofs entails environmental, economic and social benefits as sustainable tools of architecture. They present proven benefits in the path towards carbon neutrality and the reduction of the consumption of energy resources, especially in the field of renovation and improvement of the thermal envelope. In Spain, the current climate crisis also implies a problem of water stress, so it is necessary to analyse in more detail the behaviour of self-sustaining green roofs in the different climatic and rainfall zones into which the territory is divided. Evapotranspiration is the main mechanism of heat dissipation in green roofs, but in this study, it is observed that in the case of self-sustaining roofs with limited water content, the greatest losses through evapotranspiration occur in climates with high temperatures and solar radiation, above cities with higher rainfall and colder climates. On the contrary, the greatest energy savings are obtained in this type of cold climate. Evapotranspiration in self-sustaining roofs is not the most determining factor for achieving energy savings. The design of the roof, the geometry and orientation of the building, as well as the cooling energy consumption, play a more determining role.Garcia-Borràs, J.; Lerma Elvira, C.; Mas Tomas, MDLA.; Vercher Sanchis, J.; Gil Benso, E. (2022). Energy Efficiency Evaluation of Green Roofs as an Intervention Strategy in Residential Buildings in the Field of Spanish Climate. Buildings. 12(7):1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings1207095911712

Evaluation of Hygrothermal Behaviour in Heritage Buildings through Sensors, CFD Modelling and IRT

[EN] Architectural heritage, building materials and interior space are highly susceptible to temperature and relative humidity. A better knowledge of the hygrothermal dynamics inside buildings allows an adequate conservation of heritage. This work compares three non-destructive techniques (NDT), such as temperature and relative humidity sensors, finite element simulations (CFD) and thermographic pictures (IRT). The work has made it possible to carry out an assessment of the risk of condensation over a year and to identify affected periods and areas of the building. Sensors and IRT pictures provide real data to validate CFD simulations, facilitating a global analysis of the building. The results provided reflect a great concordance between the NDTs used.Lerma Elvira, C.; Garcia-Borràs, J.; Mas Tomas, MDLA.; Torner, ME.; Vercher Sanchis, J.; Gil Benso, E. (2021). Evaluation of Hygrothermal Behaviour in Heritage Buildings through Sensors, CFD Modelling and IRT. Sensors. 21(2):1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21020566S11921

Variants in <i>KMT2A</i> in Three Individuals with Previous Suspicion of 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

The condition known as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (MIM #188400) is a rare disease with a highly variable clinical presentation including more than 180 features; specific guidelines for screening individuals have been used to support clinical suspicion before confirmatory tests by Brazil’s Craniofacial Project. Of the 2568 patients listed in the Brazilian Database on Craniofacial Anomalies, 43 individuals negative for the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome were further investigated through whole-exome sequencing. Three patients (6.7%) presented with heterozygous pathogenic variants in the KMT2A gene, including a novel variant (c.6158+1del) and two that had been previously reported (c.173dup and c.3241C>T); reverse phenotyping concluded that all three patients presented features of Wiedemann–Steiner syndrome, such as neurodevelopmental disorders and dysmorphic facial features (n = 3), hyperactivity and anxiety (n = 2), thick eyebrows and lower-limb hypertrichosis (n = 2), congenital heart disease (n = 1), short stature (n = 1), and velopharyngeal insufficiency (n = 2). Overlapping features between 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and Wiedemann–Steiner syndrome comprised neuropsychiatric disorders and dysmorphic characteristics involving the eyes and nose region; velopharyngeal insufficiency was seen in two patients and is an unreported finding in WDSTS. Therefore, we suggest that both conditions should be included in each other’s differential diagnoses