189 research outputs found
An unusual outbreak of nontuberculous mycobacteria in hospital respiratory wards: Association with nontuberculous mycobacterial colonization of hospital water supply network
AbstractThe incidence and prevalence of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection is increasing worldwide arousing concerns that NTM infection may become a serious health challenge. We recently observed a significant increase of NTM-positive sputa samples from patients referred to respiratory disease wards of a large tertiary hospital in Rome. A survey to identify possible NTM contamination revealed a massive presence of NTM in the hospital water supply network. After decontamination procedures, NTM presence dropped both in water pipelines and sputa samples. We believe that this observation should encourage water network surveys for NTM contamination and prompt decontamination procedures should be considered to reduce this potential source of infection
GOODS-Herschel: Separating High Redshift active galactic Nuclei and star forming galaxies Using Infrared Color Diagnostics
We have compiled a large sample of 151 high redshift (z=0.5-4) galaxies
selected at 24 microns (S24>100 uJy) in the GOODS-N and ECDFS fields for which
we have deep Spitzer IRS spectroscopy, allowing us to decompose the
mid-infrared spectrum into contributions from star formation and activity in
the galactic nuclei. In addition, we have a wealth of photometric data from
Spitzer IRAC/MIPS and Herschel PACS/SPIRE. We explore how effective different
infrared color combinations are at separating our mid-IR spectroscopically
determined active galactic nuclei from our star forming galaxies. We look in
depth at existing IRAC color diagnostics, and we explore new color-color
diagnostics combining mid-IR, far-IR, and near-IR photometry, since these
combinations provide the most detail about the shape of a source's IR spectrum.
An added benefit of using a color that combines far-IR and mid-IR photometry is
that it is indicative of the power source driving the IR luminosity. For our
data set, the optimal color selections are S250/S24 vs. S8.0/S3.6 and S100/S24
vs. S8.0/S3.6; both diagnostics have ~10% contamination rate in the regions
occupied primarily by star forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei,
respectively. Based on the low contamination rate, these two new IR color-color
diagnostics are ideal for estimating both the mid-IR power source of a galaxy
when spectroscopy is unavailable and the dominant power source contributing to
the IR luminosity. In the absence of far-IR data, we present color diagnostics
using the WISE mid-IR bands which can efficiently select out high z (z~2) star
forming galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 13 pages, 8 figure
Cigarette tar yield and risk of upper digestive tract cancers: case-control studies from Italy and Switzerland
BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking is one of the main risk factors for oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers in developed countries. Information on the role of the tar yield of cigarettes in upper digestive tract carcinogenesis is sparse and needs to be updated because the tar yield of cigarettes has steadily decreased over the last few decades. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analysed two case-control studies, from Italy and Switzerland, conducted between 1992 and 1999, involving 749 cases of oral and pharyngeal cancer and 1770 controls, and 395 cases of squamous-cell oesophageal carcinoma and 1066 matched controls. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by unconditional multiple logistic regression models, including terms for age, sex, study centre, education and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Based on the brand of cigarettes smoked for the longest time, the multivariate ORs for current smokers compared with never smokers were 6.1 for <20 mg and 9.8 for >or=20 mg tar for oral and pharyngeal neoplasms, and 4.8 and 5.4 for oesophageal cancer, respectively. For the cigarette brand smoked in the previous six months, the ORs for >or=10 mg compared with <10 mg were 1.9 for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx and 1.8 for oesophageal cancer, after allowance for number of cigarettes and duration of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirms the direct relationship between the tar yield of cigarettes and upper digestive tract neoplasms, and provides innovative information on lower tar cigarettes, which imply reduced risks compared with higher tar ones. However, significant excess risks were observed even in the lower tar category, thus giving unequivocal indications for stopping smoking as a priority for prevention of upper digestive tract neoplasms. [authors]]]>
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Indacaterol and glycopyrronium versus indacaterol on body plethysmography measurements in COPD-a randomised controlled study.
info:doi:10.1186/s12931-016-0498-1
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1186/s12931-016-0498-1
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/28077140
Salomon, J.
Stolz, D.
Domenighetti, G.
Frey, J.G.
Turk, A.J.
Azzola, A.
Sigrist, T.
Fitting, J.W.
Schmidt, U.
Geiser, T.
Wild, C.
Kostikas, K.
Clemens, A.
Brutsche, M.
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
article
2017-01-11
Respiratory research, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 13
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1465-993X
urn:issn:1465-9921
<![CDATA[Dual bronchodilator therapy is recommended for symptomatic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There are limited data on effects of a combination of two long-acting bronchodilators on lung function including body plethysmography.
This multicentre, randomised, double-blind, single-dose, cross-over, placebo-controlled study evaluated efficacy and safety of the free combination of indacaterol maleate (IND) and glycopyrronium bromide (GLY) versus IND alone on spirometric and body plethysmography parameters, including inspiratory capacity (IC), forced expiratory volume in 1Â s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), total lung capacity (TLC) and airway resistance (Raw) in moderate-to-severe COPD patients.
Seventy-eight patients with FEV1 % pred. (meanâ±âSD) 56â±â13% were randomised. The combination of INDâ+âGLY versus IND presented a numerically higher peak-IC (Îâ=â0.076 L, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.010 - 0.161 L; pâ=â0.083), with a statistically significant difference in mean IC over 4 h (Îâ=â0.054 L, 95%CI 0.022 - 0.086 L; pâ=â0.001). FEV1, FVC and Raw, but not TLC, were consistently significantly improved by INDâ+âGLY compared to IND alone. Safety profiles of both treatments were comparable.
The free combination of INDâ+âGLY improved lung function parameters as evaluated by spirometry and body plethysmography, with a similar safety profile compared to IND alone.
NCT01699685
Body mass index rather than the phenotype impacts precocious ultrasound cardiovascular risk markers in polycystic ovary syndrome
Objective
Research into cardiovascular disease (CV) prevention has demonstrated a variety of ultrasound (US) markers predicting risk in the general population but which have been scarcely used for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Obesity is a major factor contributing to CV disease in the general population, and it is highly prevalent in PCOS. However, it is still unclear how much risk is attributable to hyperandrogenism. This study evaluates the most promising US CV risk markers in PCOS and compares them between different PCOS phenotypes and BMI values.
Design
Women fulfilling the Rotterdam criteria for PCOS were recruited from our outpatient clinic for this cross-sectional study.
Methods
Participants (n\u2009=\u2009102) aged 38.9 \ub1 7.4 years were stratified into the four PCOS phenotypes and the three BMI classes (normal-weight, overweight, obese). They were assessed for clinical and biochemical parameters together with the following US markers: coronary intima-media thickness (cIMT), flow-mediated vascular dilation (FMD), nitroglycerine-induced dilation (NTG), and epicardial fat thickness (EFT).
Results
There was no statistical difference among the four phenotypes in terms of cIMT, FMD, NTG or EFT, however all the US parameters except NTG showed significant differences among the three BMI classes. Adjusting for confounding factors in multiple regression analyses, EFT retained the greatest direct correlation with BMI and cIMT remained directly correlated but to a lesser degree.
Conclusions
This study showed that obesity rather than the hyperandrogenic phenotype negatively impacts precocious US CV risk markers in PCOS. In addition, EFT showed the strongest association with BMI, highlighting its potential for estimating CV risk in PCOS
Paestum dietary habits during the Imperial period: archaeological records and stable isotope measurement
In historical contexts, analyses of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes can be useful to answer different question on dietary behavior and to crosscheck information, drawn from texts and classical archaeological investigations. In this study the Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) facility installed at the IRMS-SUN Laboratory of the Second University of Naples is presented. Moreover, results coming from application of stable isotope analyses to bone collagen extracted from human remains of the necropolis of "Porta Sirena" in Paestum will be discussed. Finally, a combined analyses of archaeological and historical record and stable isotope measurements permits to expand our knowledge on diet in Roman Paestum.</p
Evidence for a wide range of UV obscuration in z ~ 2 dusty galaxies from the GOODS-Herschel survey
Dusty galaxies at z ~ 2 span a wide range of relative brightness between
rest-frame mid-infrared (8um) and ultraviolet wavelengths. We attempt to
determine the physical mechanism responsible for this diversity. Dust-obscured
galaxies (DOGs), which have rest-frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratios > 1000,
might be abnormally bright in the mid-IR, perhaps due to prominent AGN and/or
PAH emission, or abnormally faint in the UV. We use far-infrared data from the
GOODS-Herschel survey to show that most DOGs with 10^12 L_Sun < L_IR < 10^13
L_Sun are not abnormally bright in the mid-IR when compared to other dusty
galaxies with similar IR (8--1000um) luminosities. We observe a relation
between the median IR to UV luminosity ratios and the median UV continuum
power-law indices for these galaxies, and we find that only 24% have specific
star formation rates which indicate the dominance of compact star-forming
regions. This circumstantial evidence supports the idea that the UV- and
IR-emitting regions in these galaxies are spatially coincident, which implies a
connection between the abnormal UV faintness of DOGs and dust obscuration. We
conclude that the range in rest-frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratios spanned
by dusty galaxies at z ~ 2 is due to differing amounts of UV obscuration. Of
galaxies with these IR luminosities, DOGs are the most obscured. We attribute
differences in UV obscuration to either: 1) differences in the degree of
alignment between the spatial distributions of dust and massive stars, or 2)
differences in the total dust content.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by Ap
What Is the Optimal Duration of Adjuvant Mitotane Therapy in Adrenocortical Carcinoma? An Unanswered Question
A relevant issue on the treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) concerns the optimal duration of adjuvant mitotane treatment. We tried to address this question, assessing whether a correlation exists between the duration of adjuvant mitotane treatment and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients with ACC. We conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis on 154 ACC patients treated for â„12 months with adjuvant mitotane after radical surgery and who were free of disease at the mitotane stop. During a median follow-up of 38 months, 19 patients (12.3%) experienced recurrence. We calculated the RFS after mitotane (RFSAM), from the landmark time-point of mitotane discontinuation, to overcome immortal time bias. We found a wide variability in the duration of adjuvant mitotane treatment among different centers and also among patients cared for at the same center, reflecting heterogeneous practice. We did not find any survival advantage in patients treated for longer than 24 months. Moreover, the relationship between treatment duration and the frequency of ACC recurrence was not linear after stratifying our patients in tertiles of length of adjuvant treatment. In conclusion, the present findings do not support the concept that extending adjuvant mitotane treatment over two years is beneficial for ACC patients with low to moderate risk of recurrence
A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Investigate Use-Related Biogenic Residues on Palaeolithic Ground Stone Tools
Longitudinal study on low-dose aspirin versus placebo administration in silent brain infarcts: the silence study
Background. We investigated low-dose aspirin (ASA) efficacy and safety in subjects with silent brain infarcts (SBIs) in preventing new cerebrovascular (CVD) events as well as cognitive impairment. Methods. We included subjects aged â„45 years, with at least one SBI and no previous CVD. Subjects were followed up to 4 years assessing CVD and SBI incidence as primary endpoint and as secondary endpoints: (a) cardiovascular and adverse events and (b) cognitive impairment. Results. Thirty-six subjects received ASA while 47 were untreated. Primary endpoint occurred in 9 controls (19.1%) versus 2 (5.6%) in the ASA group (p=0.10). Secondary endpoints did not differ in the two groups. Only baseline leukoaraiosis predicts primary [OR 5.4 (95%CI 1.3-22.9, p=0.022)] and secondary endpoint-A [3.2 (95%CI 1.1-9.6, p=0.040)] occurrence. Conclusions. These data show an increase of new CVD events in the untreated group. Despite the study limitations, SBI seems to be a negative prognostic factor and ASA preventive treatment might improve SBI prognosis. EU Clinical trial is registered with EudraCT Number: 2005-000996-16; Sponsor Protocol Number: 694/30.06.04
The lack of star formation gradients in galaxy groups up to z~1.6
In the local Universe, galaxy properties show a strong dependence on
environment. In cluster cores, early type galaxies dominate, whereas
star-forming galaxies are more and more common in the outskirts. At higher
redshifts and in somewhat less dense environments (e.g. galaxy groups), the
situation is less clear. One open issue is that of whether and how the star
formation rate (SFR) of galaxies in groups depends on the distance from the
centre of mass. To shed light on this topic, we have built a sample of X-ray
selected galaxy groups at 0<z<1.6 in various blank fields (ECDFS, COSMOS,
GOODS). We use a sample of spectroscopically confirmed group members with
stellar mass M >10^10.3 M_sun in order to have a high spectroscopic
completeness. As we use only spectroscopic redshifts, our results are not
affected by uncertainties due to projection effects. We use several SFR
indicators to link the star formation (SF) activity to the galaxy environment.
Taking advantage of the extremely deep mid-infrared Spitzer MIPS and
far-infrared Herschel PACS observations, we have an accurate, broad-band
measure of the SFR for the bulk of the star-forming galaxies. We use
multi-wavelength SED fitting techniques to estimate the stellar masses of all
objects and the SFR of the MIPS and PACS undetected galaxies. We analyse the
dependence of the SF activity, stellar mass and specific SFR on the
group-centric distance, up to z~1.6, for the first time. We do not find any
correlation between the mean SFR and group-centric distance at any redshift. We
do not observe any strong mass segregation either, in agreement with
predictions from simulations. Our results suggest that either groups have a
much smaller spread in accretion times with respect to the clusters and that
the relaxation time is longer than the group crossing time.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
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