(Re)thinking the city of proximity for Salutogenic purposes.

As centres of population and human activities, nowadays urban environments are simultaneously the main cause of and solution to a growing number of health-related challenges. In this setting, COVID-19 pandemic has helped reiterate this and serves as a wake-up call and an opportunity to rethink the way we approach cities. Aim of this paper is to research what today seems the most promising urban model for long-term individual and global resilience: the ‘‘city of proximity’’, namely about inclusive walkable and cycling environments where people can access all basic destinations within reason- able times and distances from home. Therefore, urban proximity dimension, methodological approach and urban features and functions become the main subject of a quanti- qualitative matrix of comparison of five international case studies centred on the topic, by which it is possible to set out general criteria for such model, along with a methodology to measure all cities in its respect. As a result, residential density, functional mix, pedestrian surface, cycle routes, public transport stops, green areas, schools, cultural facilities, sport facilities, retail services and urban gardens make up the fix components of a comprehensive set of 11+n urban features, whose occurrence is investigated through GIS-based analysis within designated distance ranges, creating a comprehensive assessment framework that is adjustable to all urban contexts worldwide. In the end, the application of such framework to the city of Milan finally helps to validate its effectiveness in providing a picture of city-wide accessibility to proximity services, and in highlighting the value of integrated analysis in view of shaping public policies and informed planning choices which put health and sustainability at the centre

Cost of care and antibiotic prescribing attitudes for community-acquired complicated intra-abdominal infections in Italy: a retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs) are a common cause of morbidity worldwide, and in spite of improvements in patient care, therapeutic failure still occurs, impacting in-hospital resource consumption. This study aimed to assess the costs associated with the treatment of community-acquired cIAIs, from the Italian National Health Service perspective. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the charts of patients who were discharged from four Italian university hospitals between January 1 and December 31, 2009 with a primary diagnosis of community-acquired cIAIs. Patient characteristics, diagnosis, surgical procedure, antibiotic therapy, and length of hospital stay were all recorded and the cost of total hospital care was estimated. Costs were calculated in Euros at 2009 values. RESULTS: The records of 260 patients (mean age 48.9 years; 57% males) were analyzed. The average cost of care for a patient hospitalized due to cIAI was €4385 (95% CI 3650–5120), with an average daily cost of €419 (95% CI 378–440). Antibiotic therapy represented just under half (44.3%) of hospitalization costs. The strongest predictor of the increase in hospital costs was clinical failure: patients who clinically failed received an average of 8.2 additional days of antibiotic therapy and spent 11 more days in hospital compared with patients who responded to first-line therapy (both p < 0.05 vs. patients who were successfully treated). Furthermore, they incurred €5592 in additional hospitalization costs (2.88 times the cost associated with clinical success) with 53% (€2973) of the additional costs attributable to antibiotic therapy. Overall, antibiotic appropriateness rate was 78.8% (n = 205), and was significantly higher in patients receiving combination therapy compared with those treated with monotherapy (97.3% vs. 64.6%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that hospitals need to be aware of the clinical and economic consequences of antibiotic therapy of cIAIs and to reduce overall resource use and costs by improving the rate of success with appropriate initial empiric therapy

Effects of the equilibrium atmosphere on Taleggio cheese storage in micro perforated packaging

Taleggio is an Italian smear-ripened cheese, whose complex microbiota demands the optimisation of the packaging system to avoid excessive changes during storage. Metabolic processes of the cheese rind microbiota can be usefully exploited in equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP) by balancing microbiota respiration and film permeation. Here, we present the application of three different micro perforated EMAPs as models for smear-ripened cheese compared to two control packaging configurations. Analyses of the main microbial groups, headspace gas, textural profile, and sensory properties were performed to find the best packaging for storage. Results showed that two of the alternative micro perforated packaging systems were able to control the excessive changes during storage, thus limiting fungal overgrowth and allowing the typical development of smear microbiota with minor changes to hardness and cohesiveness. Finally, the sensory evaluation positively favoured one of the alternatively packed cheeses based on its compactness, typical dairy traits, and minor off-flavours. These findings showed that EMAP can be a valid alternative solution to control the storage of Taleggio cheese. Further studies could be conducted to evaluate this system on other smear cheeses

Economic impact of remote monitoring on ordinary follow-up of implantable cardioverter defibrillators as compared with conventional in-hospital visits: a single-center prospective and randomized study

Few data are available on actual follow-up costs of remote monitoring (RM) of implantable defibrillators (ICD). Our study aimed at assessing current direct costs of 1-year ICD follow-up based on RM compared with conventional quarterly in-hospital follow-ups. Methods and results Patients (N=233) with indications for ICD were consecutively recruited and randomized at implant to be followed up for 1 year with standard quarterly inhospital visits or by RM with one in-hospital visit at 12 months, unless additional in-hospital visits were required due to specific patient conditions or RM alarms. Costs were calculated distinguishing between provider and patient costs, excluding RM device and service cost. The frequency of scheduled in-hospital visits was lower in the RM group than in the control arm. Follow-up required 47 min per patient/year in the RM arm versus 86 min in the control arm (p=0.03) for involved physicians, generating cost estimates for the provider of USD 45 and USD 83 per patient/- year, respectively. Costs for nurses were comparable. Overall, the costs associated with RM and standard follow-up were USD 103±27 and 154±21 per patient/year, respectively (p=0.01). RM was cost-saving for the patients: USD 97±121 per patient/year in the RM group versus 287± 160 per patient/year (p=0.0001). Conclusion The time spent by the hospital staff was significantly reduced in the RM group. If the costs for the device and service are not charged to patients or the provider, patients could save about USD 190 per patient/year while the hospital could save USD 51 per patient/year

Nuovi dati sui Gastrotrichi marini della Sicilia

I gastrotrichi marini popolano quasi esclusivamente le sabbie costiere, soprattutto dell’infralitorale superiore. Le specie conosciute sono circa 520, delle quali 163 rinvenute anche in Italia. Per la Sicilia sono segnalate una quarantina di specie, molte raccolte negli anni ‘90. Nel settembre 2022 abbiamo intrapreso nuove indagini, focalizzandoci sulla costa del canale di Sicilia e sul golfo di Mondello. Sono state investigate dieci località prelevando in ciascuna 1-2 litri di sedimento. L’analisi tassonomica è stata condotta nel laboratorio da campo creato a Sciacca. Gli animali sono stati estratti mediante narcotizzazione/decantazione e i gastrotrichi rinvenuti montati su vetrino e studiati a fresco utilizzando microscopia Nomarski. Nel complesso sono state rinvenute oltre 40 specie con una media di 11 ± 6,8 specie per località. La gastrotricofauna, divisa più o meno equamente tra l’ordine Macrodasyida e Chaetonotida, è stata documentata con oltre 2500 fotografie. La Località Le Solette (Menfi, AG) è risultata la più ricca con ben 22 specie, seguita da Mondello (PA) con 19. Valori di ricchezza specifica che figurano tra i più elevanti in assoluto, e che sono da mettere in relazione con il tipo di substrato di queste località: sabbia pulita a granulometria media-fine, la più idonea alla vita di questi micrometazoi. Complessivamente, la fauna documentata nel 2022 risulta costituita per la maggior parte da specie già note per la Sicilia, ma non mancano le novità, sia a livello regionale (e.g., Mesodasys littoralis Remane, 1951, Tetranchyroderma antenniphora Hummon &amp; Todaro, 2010, T. polyprobolostomum Hummon, Todaro, Balsamo &amp; Tongiorgi, 1996, Halichaetonotus margaretae Hummon, Balsamo &amp; Todaro, 1992, Heteroxenotrichula subterranea (Remane, 1934), Xenotrichula punctata Wilke, 1954) sia in senso assoluto. Gli esemplari dei generi Dolychodasys Gagne, 1977 e Lepidodasys Remane, 1926 da noi rinvenuti apparterrebbero infatti a specie nuove per la scienza. La conferma verrà dalle analisi molecolari ancora in corso. I risultati ottenuti indicano che le conoscenze sulla fauna a gastrotrichi della Sicilia non sono complete e invogliano a proseguire le indagini lungo altri tratti costieri

Comparative analysis of fatty acid profile in three eutardigrade species

Tardigrades colonize a wide range of habitats in which they can be predators, prey or primary consumers in food webs. Most species are herbivorous, feeding on cell fluid of algae and mosses, while others feed on bacteria, or prey on micrometazoans. Despite the wide range of food sources, details on food preference and on consequent lipid composition of tardigrade species are in practice unknown. Aiming to fill the gap of knowledge, we investigated the fatty acid composition of three eutardigrade species, since fatty acids are the main component of lipids and they play an important role in the function of cell membranes and in the physiological responses of organisms. The species, differing in colonized habitat and probably in diet, were: Acutuncus antarcticus (Hypsibiidae), a freshwater Antarctic species cultured using Chlorococcum sp. as food source, and the moss-dwelling species Macrobiotus macrocalix and Richtersius coronifer (Macrobiotidae). For each species, lipids were extracted from ten replicates of 150-250 animals with chloroform/methanol and the total extracts were used to obtain the fatty acid metylesters that were injected into a gas chromatograph. In all species, the same 21 fatty acids belonging to saturated, monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) groups were identified. In A. antarcticus the most represented fatty acids were: palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1n-9), and myristic (C14:0) acids; saturated fatty acids (56.6%) were the most abundant with respect to MUFA (22.3%) and PUFA (21.1%). In M. macrocalix the most represented were: oleic (C18:1n-9), palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), and linoleic (C18:2n-6) acids; the saturated fatty acids (38.4%), MUFA (28.8%) and PUFA (32.8%) were uniformly distributed. In R. coronifer, alpha-linolenic (C18:3n-3), palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), and arachidonic (C20:4n-6) acids are the most represented; the percentage of PUFA (52.8%) was higher than that of MUFA (8.2%) and saturated fatty acids (38.9%). These data indicate clear differences in the fatty acid composition and amount among species. The fatty acid profiles reflect the food source and can be used as indicator to assess the feeding diet of tardigrades. Interestingly, species inhabiting the same substrate and eating the same food (moss cell content) use/transform the fatty acids in different way indicating different biochemical needs

A conscious rethink : Why is brain tissue commonly preserved in the archaeological record? Commentary on: Petrone P, Pucci P, Niola M, et al. Heat-induced brain vitrification from the Vesuvius eruption in C.E. 79. N Engl J Med 2020;382:383-4. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1909867

Brain tissue is ubiquitous in the archaeological record. Multiple, independent studies report the finding of black, resinous or shiny brain tissue, and Petrone et al. [2020 “Heat-induced Brain Vitrification from the Vesuvius Eruption in C.E. 79.” N Engl J Med. 382: 383–384; doi:10.1056/NEJMc1909867] raise the intriguing prospect of a role for vitrification in the preservation of ancient biomolecules. However, Petrone et al. (2020) have not made their raw data available, and no detailed laboratory or analytical methodology is offered. Issues of contamination and misinterpretation hampered a decade of research in biomolecular archaeology, such that addressing these sources of bias and facilitating validation of specious findings has become both routine and of paramount importance in the discipline. We argue that the evidence they present does not support their conclusion of heat-induced vitrification of human brain tissue, and that future studies should share palaeoproteomic data in an open access repository to facilitate comparative analysis of the recovery of ancient proteins and patterns of their degradation

A BeppoSAX Observation of KS 1731-260 in its Quiescent State: Constraints on the NS Magnetic Field

We report here the results of a 90 ks BeppoSAX observation of the low mass X-ray binary and atoll source KS 1731-260 during a quiescent phase. From this observation we derive a source X-ray luminosity of \sim 10^{33} ergs/s (for a source distance of 7 kpc). If the neutron star is spinning at a period of a few milliseconds, as inferred from the nearly-coherent oscillations observed during type-I X-ray bursts, the quiescent X-ray luminosity constrains the neutron star magnetic field strength to less than \sim 10^9 G. If the quiescent emission originates from the release of thermal energy accumulated through deep crust heating in the previous accretion phase, then the measured quiescent luminosity requires a neutron star mass of more than 1.7 M_\odot or a very long outbust recurrence time (\sim 10^3 yr). The former possibility would be in agreement with the expectation of the recycling scenario, namely that the neutron star has accreted a significant amount of mass, enough to spin it up to millisecond periods.Comment: 14 pages, including 1 figure. Submitted to Ap

Study of Inclusive J/psi Production in Two-Photon Collisions at LEP II with the DELPHI Detector

Inclusive J/psi production in photon-photon collisions has been observed at LEP II beam energies. A clear signal from the reaction gamma gamma -> J/psi+X is seen. The number of observed N(J/psi -> mu+mu-) events is 36 +/- 7 for an integrated luminosity of 617 pb^{-1}, yielding a cross-section of sigma(J/psi+X) = 45 +/- 9 (stat) +/- 17 (syst) pb. Based on a study of the event shapes of different types of gamma gamma processes in the PYTHIA program, we conclude that (74 +/- 22)% of the observed J/psi events are due to `resolved' photons, the dominant contribution of which is most probably due to the gluon content of the photon.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, Accepted by Phys. Lett.