An Integrated Multi-Sensor System for Remote Bee Health Monitoring

Over 75% of the world's food crops depends on pollination and in particular by the inestimable value of the service provided by bees. Besides, the bee colony health is a good indicator of the quality of the environment and it is strongly affected by many aspects such as beekeepers' management practices, policies adopted for cropping and land use. However, the climate change, the intensive agriculture, pesticides, biodiversity loss, Varroa mites and pollution are the leading cause of bees death world wide. The role of beekeepers is of extremely importance to mitigate this damage. Apiaries are usually located in remote environment an require frequent visit by the beekeepers. Indeed, the beekeeping sector lacks of suitable tools for risk assessment and decision making that can be used by stakeholders. Smart monitoring systems assessing the health of the colony and the honey production would be beneficial for such community. In this work, we present a prototype of an embedded multi-sensor system for beehive monitoring with the aim of providing a simple solution to beekeepers. Indeed, the proposed system do not require modification of the beehive and it is compact enough to be simply inserted in the brood box. It measures the vital parameters of the beehive, such as temperature, weight, humidity and CO2 concentration. It exploits the low power communication protocol LoRaWAN for the data transmission. The collected data are made available to the beekeeper through a web application. We show the effectiveness of such compact, non-invasive embedded system with its installation in an apiary

Long-term Monitoring of Irrelevant Speech Noise in Open-plan Offices with and without Lighting Feedback to the Occupants

Irrelevant speech noise is one of the main sources of noise that negatively affect health, well-being, comfort and performance in densely occupied environments. The use of devices that provide lighting feedback based on noise levels generated by occupants could promote occupants change in their behaviour and therefore an improvement of acoustic conditions. In the present work, a long-term monitoring campaign was performed with the S3EM (Speech and Sound SEMaphore) device, that monitors noise levels and visualises their variation through an integrated coloured lighting feedback (i.e., red, yellow and green) based on the results of an advanced algorithm. Six S3EM devices were used in two Intesa Sanpaolo headquarters offices in Milan (Italy) for a total of 4 weeks. In the first and fourth weeks the lighting feedback was off, in the second and third weeks it was on. This procedure allows to evaluate the lighting feedback effect on occupants. Before the in-field campaign, the S3EM devices were calibrated and the correct settings involved in the algorithm were defined for their optimization to the sonic environment profile. The S3EM monitoring was integrated with the ethnographic observation method to describe interactions of occupants with the task, the work environment and with the S3EM

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Elevated Antithyroid Peroxidase and Antinuclear Autoantibody Titers in Ménière’s Disease Patients: More than a Chance Association?

&lt;i&gt;Objective/Hypothesis: &lt;/i&gt;The aim of this prospective study is to evaluate the possible association between Ménière’s disease (MD) and autoantibodies. &lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt; Fifty-five patients with definite MD (51 unilateral and 4 bilateral) were matched with 55 patients with unilateral vestibular paresis without cochlear involvement and 55 healthy subjects. Blood samples were collected from all study subjects for the determination of serum TSH, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, anti-TSH receptor antibody, antithyroperoxidase antibody, antithyroglobulin antibody and of antibodies to non-organ-specific antigens, namely antinuclear antibodies, antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens and antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies. &lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt; Thirty-three subjects (60%) of the MD group had 1 or more elevated serum autoantibody levels, both organ and non-organ specific; 16 patients (29.1%) with unilateral vestibular paresis had 1 or more elevated serum autoantibody levels, while 13 healthy subjects (23.6%) had 1 or more elevated serum autoantibody levels. &lt;i&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/i&gt; Based on our data we speculate that there is a more than a chance association between MD and ‘autoimmunity’, thus suggesting a hypothetical role of the immune system in MD pathogenesis. In other words, a pathogenetic role of an ‘immune dysregulation’ in MD patients can be hypothesized.</jats:p

MONITORAGGIO DEL RUMORE ANTROPICO IN UFFICI OPEN-SPACE CON E SENZA SEGNALE LUMINOSO PER INCORAGGIARE IL COMPORTAMENTO PROATTIVO DEGLI UTENTI

Il rumore antropico è una delle principali fonti di disturbo in uffici open-space. Sei dispositivi, che monitorano il rumore e forniscono un segnale luminoso quando i livelli sonori superano opportune soglie, sono stati utilizzati in due uffici open-space per valutare la tendenza degli occupanti a ridurre il livello di voce se avvisati dal segnale luminoso. L’osservazione etnografica è stata utilizzata per descrivere le interazioni degli utenti con l’ambiente e i dispositivi. Una riduzione di livello è stata registrata nell’ufficio dove l’attività non prevedeva call in remoto in via quasi esclusiva

The italian MSUS study group recommendations for the format and content of the report and documentation in musculoskeletal ultrasonography in rheumatology

Objective. The objective of this study was to draw up a set of recommendations for the format and content of the musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSUS) report in rheumatology.Methods. A panel of rheumatologists, members of the MSUS Study Group of the Italian Society of Rheumatology, met in order to identify the main discrepancies in the MSUS report. A set of 15 recommendations was then defined, aimed at resolving the main discrepancies. They consisted of information about the motivations for the MSUS examination, the equipment, the US modalities and scanning technique, a list of the examined structures and findings, the scoring/grading systems, the number of images and main findings to include and conclusions. Subsequently a Delphi-based procedure was started in order to obtain agreement on a core set of recommendations. Consensus for each recommendation was considered achieved when the percentage of agreement was >75%.Results. Three complete rounds were performed. The response rate was 85.2% for the first round, 78.3% for the second and 88.9% for the third. Finally, consensus was obtained for 14 of 15 statements. These 14 statements represent the recommendations of the group for the format and content of the report and documentation in MSUS in rheumatology.Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, our group has produced the first recommendations for the format and content of the report and documentation in MSUS in rheumatology. The report is an integral part of the MSUS examination and its use in a homogeneous form can help in the correct interpretation of the findings. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in children : an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study

Introduction Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, there is a lack of data available about SSI in children worldwide, especially from low-income and middle-income countries. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of SSI in children and associations between SSI and morbidity across human development settings. Methods A multicentre, international, prospective, validated cohort study of children aged under 16 years undergoing clean-contaminated, contaminated or dirty gastrointestinal surgery. Any hospital in the world providing paediatric surgery was eligible to contribute data between January and July 2016. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI by 30 days. Relationships between explanatory variables and SSI were examined using multilevel logistic regression. Countries were stratified into high development, middle development and low development groups using the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Results Of 1159 children across 181 hospitals in 51 countries, 523 (45 center dot 1%) children were from high HDI, 397 (34 center dot 2%) from middle HDI and 239 (20 center dot 6%) from low HDI countries. The 30-day SSI rate was 6.3% (33/523) in high HDI, 12 center dot 8% (51/397) in middle HDI and 24 center dot 7% (59/239) in low HDI countries. SSI was associated with higher incidence of 30-day mortality, intervention, organ-space infection and other HAIs, with the highest rates seen in low HDI countries. Median length of stay in patients who had an SSI was longer (7.0 days), compared with 3.0 days in patients who did not have an SSI. Use of laparoscopy was associated with significantly lower SSI rates, even after accounting for HDI. Conclusion The odds of SSI in children is nearly four times greater in low HDI compared with high HDI countries. Policies to reduce SSI should be prioritised as part of the wider global agenda.Peer reviewe