4 research outputs found
FIRB "SQUARE" project: nano-structured sensors for the detection of the polluting in engine exhaust gases and for indoor air quality monitoring
The present work is a final dissemination of activities carried out and main results obtained in the national founded project Firb "Square". The project is leaded by Centro Ricerche Fiat and it involves the most qualified national public Research Institutes and Universities active in the fields of nanomaterials synthesis, nanotechnology and gas sensors development
Rapid response to the earthquake emergency of May 2012 in the Po Plain, northern Italy
Rapid-response seismic networks are an important element
in the response to seismic crises. They temporarily improve
the detection performance of permanent monitoring
systems during seismic sequences. The improvement in earthquake
detection and location capabilities can be important for
decision makers to assess the current situation, and can provide
invaluable data for scientific studies related to hazard, tectonics
and earthquake physics. Aftershocks and the clustering
of the locations of seismic events help to characterize the dimensions
of the causative fault. Knowing the number, size and
timing of the aftershocks or the clustering seismic events can
help in the foreseeing of the characteristics of future seismic
sequences in the same tectonic environment.
Instrumental rapid response requires a high degree of
preparedness. A mission in response to a magnitude (ML) 6
event with a rupture length of a few tens of kilometers
might involve the deployment within hours to days of 30-50
seismic stations in the middle of a disaster area of some hundreds
of square kilometers, and the installation of an operational
center to help in the logistics and communications.
When an earthquake strikes in a populated area, which is almost
always the case in Italy, driving the relevant seismic response
is more difficult. Temporary station sites are chosen
such as to optimize the network geometry for earthquake
locations and source study purposes. Stations have to be installed
in quiet, but easily reachable, sites, and for real-time
data transmission, the sites might need to have optical intervisibility.
The operational center can remain in a town if
there is one within the damaged area, and it should coordinate
the actions of the field teams and provide information
to colleagues, the Civil Protection Authorities and the general
public. The emergency system should operate as long
as the seismic rate remains high; the duration of any mission
might also depend on the seismic history of the area involved.
This study describes the seismic response following
the May 20, 2012, ML 5.9 earthquake in northern Italy, which
included rapid deployment of seismological stations in the
field for real-time seismic monitoring purposes, the coordination
of further instrumental set-ups according to the spatial
evolution of the seismic sequence, and data archiving
Candida bloodstream infections in intensive care units: analysis of the extended prevalence of infection in intensive care unit study
Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVES: To provide a global, up-to-date picture of the prevalence, treatment, and outcomes of Candida bloodstream infections in intensive care unit patients and compare Candida with bacterial bloodstream infection. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of the Extended Prevalence of Infection in the ICU Study (EPIC II). Demographic, physiological, infection-related and therapeutic data were collected. Patients were grouped as having Candida, Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and combined Candida/bacterial bloodstream infection. Outcome data were assessed at intensive care unit and hospital discharge. SETTING: EPIC II included 1265 intensive care units in 76 countries. PATIENTS: Patients in participating intensive care units on study day. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 14,414 patients in EPIC II, 99 patients had Candida bloodstream infections for a prevalence of 6.9 per 1000 patients. Sixty-one patients had candidemia alone and 38 patients had combined bloodstream infections. Candida albicans (n = 70) was the predominant species. Primary therapy included monotherapy with fluconazole (n = 39), caspofungin (n = 16), and a polyene-based product (n = 12). Combination therapy was infrequently used (n = 10). Compared with patients with Gram-positive (n = 420) and Gram-negative (n = 264) bloodstream infections, patients with candidemia were more likely to have solid tumors (p < .05) and appeared to have been in an intensive care unit longer (14 days [range, 5-25 days], 8 days [range, 3-20 days], and 10 days [range, 2-23 days], respectively), but this difference was not statistically significant. Severity of illness and organ dysfunction scores were similar between groups. Patients with Candida bloodstream infections, compared with patients with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bloodstream infections, had the greatest crude intensive care unit mortality rates (42.6%, 25.3%, and 29.1%, respectively) and longer intensive care unit lengths of stay (median [interquartile range]) (33 days [18-44], 20 days [9-43], and 21 days [8-46], respectively); however, these differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Candidemia remains a significant problem in intensive care units patients. In the EPIC II population, Candida albicans was the most common organism and fluconazole remained the predominant antifungal agent used. Candida bloodstream infections are associated with high intensive care unit and hospital mortality rates and resource use
Candida bloodstream infections in intensive care units: analysis of the extended prevalence of infection in intensive care unit study
To provide a global, up-to-date picture of the prevalence, treatment, and outcomes of Candida bloodstream infections in intensive care unit patients and compare Candida with bacterial bloodstream infection.
DESIGN:
A retrospective analysis of the Extended Prevalence of Infection in the ICU Study (EPIC II). Demographic, physiological, infection-related and therapeutic data were collected. Patients were grouped as having Candida, Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and combined Candida/bacterial bloodstream infection. Outcome data were assessed at intensive care unit and hospital discharge.
SETTING:
EPIC II included 1265 intensive care units in 76 countries.
PATIENTS:
Patients in participating intensive care units on study day.
INTERVENTIONS:
None.
MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS:
Of the 14,414 patients in EPIC II, 99 patients had Candida bloodstream infections for a prevalence of 6.9 per 1000 patients. Sixty-one patients had candidemia alone and 38 patients had combined bloodstream infections. Candida albicans (n = 70) was the predominant species. Primary therapy included monotherapy with fluconazole (n = 39), caspofungin (n = 16), and a polyene-based product (n = 12). Combination therapy was infrequently used (n = 10). Compared with patients with Gram-positive (n = 420) and Gram-negative (n = 264) bloodstream infections, patients with candidemia were more likely to have solid tumors (p < .05) and appeared to have been in an intensive care unit longer (14 days [range, 5-25 days], 8 days [range, 3-20 days], and 10 days [range, 2-23 days], respectively), but this difference was not statistically significant. Severity of illness and organ dysfunction scores were similar between groups. Patients with Candida bloodstream infections, compared with patients with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bloodstream infections, had the greatest crude intensive care unit mortality rates (42.6%, 25.3%, and 29.1%, respectively) and longer intensive care unit lengths of stay (median [interquartile range]) (33 days [18-44], 20 days [9-43], and 21 days [8-46], respectively); however, these differences were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION:
Candidemia remains a significant problem in intensive care units patients. In the EPIC II population, Candida albicans was the most common organism and fluconazole remained the predominant antifungal agent used. Candida bloodstream infections are associated with high intensive care unit and hospital mortality rates and resource use