Associations between mortality from COVID-19 in two Italian regions and outdoor air pollution as assessed through tropospheric nitrogen dioxide

After the appearance of COVID-19 in China last December 2019, Italy was the first European country to be severely affected by the outbreak. The first diagnosis in Italy was on February 20, 2020, followed by the establishment of a light and a tight lockdown on February 23 and on March 8, 2020, respectively. The virus spread rapidly, particularly in the North of the country in the ‘Padan Plain’ area, known as one of the most polluted regions in Europe. Air pollution has been recently hypothesized to enhance the clinical severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, acting through adverse effects on immunity, induction of respiratory and other chronic disease, upregulation of viral receptor ACE-2, and possible pathogen transportation as a virus carrier. We investigated the association between air pollution and subsequent COVID-19 mortality rates within two Italian regions (Veneto and Emilia-Romagna). We estimated ground-level nitrogen dioxide through its tropospheric levels using data available from the Sentinel-5P satellites of the European Space Agency Copernicus Earth Observation Programme before the lockdown. We then examined COVID-19 mortality rates in relation to the nitrogen dioxide levels at three 14-day lag points after the lockdown, namely March 8, 22 and April 5, 2020. Using a multivariable negative binomial regression model, we found an association between nitrogen dioxide and COVID-19 mortality. Although ecological data provide only weak evidence, these findings indicate an association between air pollution levels and COVID-19 severity

Comparison of HPV-positive triage strategies combining extended genotyping with cytology or p16/ki67 dual staining in the Italian NTCC2 study

Background Each high-risk HPV genotype has different oncogenic potential, and the risk of CIN3+ varies according to genotype. We evaluated the performance of different strategies of HPV-positivity triage combining cytology, p16/ki67 dual staining (DS), and extended genotyping. Methods Samples from 3180 consecutive women from the NTCC2 study (NCT01837693) positive for HPV DNA at primary screening, were retrospectively analyzed by the BD Onclarity HPV Assay, which allows extended genotyping. Genotypes were divided into three groups based on the risk of CIN3+. HPV DNA-positive women were followed up for 24 months or to clearance. Findings Combining the three groups of genotypes with cytology or DS results we identify a group of women who need immediate colposcopy (PPV for CIN3+ from 7.8 to 20.1%), a group that can be referred to 1-year HPV retesting (PPV in those HPV-positive at retesting from 2.2 to 3.8), and a group with a very low 24-month CIN3+ risk, i.e. 0.4%, composed by women cytology or DS negative and positive for HPV 56/59/66 or 35/39/68 or negative with the Onclarity test, who can be referred to 3-year retesting. Interpretation Among the baseline HPV DNA positive/cytology or DS negative women, the extended genotyping allows to stratify for risk of CIN3+, and to identify a group of women with a risk of CIN3+ so low in the next 24 months that they could be referred to a new screening round after 3 years

NEW YORK-CHICAGO. La Lezione americana

DAUR QUADERNI \ue8 una nuova collana di pubblicazioni monografiche che il Dipartimento di Architettura, Urbanistica e Rilevamento dell'Universit\ue0 di Padova ha scelto di proporre, in primis, ai propri studenti, per una maggiore sensibilizzazione e partecipazione al lavoro di ricerca che si svolge presso la struttura. Il primo numero della collana \ue8 dedicato in particolare a Wright e Mies Van de Rohe

Daur Pavillon

Il Quaderno raccoglie gli esiti di tre mostre realizzate nel Daur Pavillon, struttura pensata e realizzata da docenti e studenti del DAUR dell'Universit\ue0 di Padova. Il padiglione \ue8 rimasto in piedi per quattro mesi, diventando lo spazio di accoglienza per esposizioni a rotazione dei materiali realizzati degli studenti in ambito didattico: esercitazioni, ricerche in corso, tesi di laurea o semplicemente progetti sviluppati in aula. Il fine \ue8 stato quello di presentare al mondo universitario e alla citt\ue0 i differenti approcci metodologici adottati all'interno dei diversi insegnamenti, le potenzialit\ue0 e i prodotti dei percorsi formativi prevalentemente del Corso di Laurea in Ingegneria Edile- Architettura. Un susseguirsi di iniziative hanno trovato ospitalit\ue0 in questi ambienti ( ricordiamo tra tutte, la mostra dei progetti realizzati dall'Ateneo di Padova), rendendo questi spazi permeabili alle nuove idee e, contestualmente, stimolando la creativit\ue0 degli studenti verso future politiche manifestazioni

Progetto di struttura dedicata al trasferimento della conoscenza scientifica DOMUS ASTRONOMIAE. Osservatorio Astrofisico di Asiago

Progetto preliminare e definitiv