Experimental and numerical study of an air lock purging system

High concentrations of H2S in offshore wells represent a major concern for personnel safety: if a significant external H2S contamination occurs, depending on wells and process conditions, it may prove impossible an effective evacuation, and thus Temporary Refuge (TR) provisions must be set-up to provide prompt availability of safe and reliable protection to personnel. Air Locks (ALs) to enter the TR may be necessary to ensure isolation of the safe internal environment when entering into the TR. ALs modelling is essential to verify that sufficient time for entering the TR is available to all personnel in case of accident. Nevertheless, due to the extreme conditions (high toxicity, short characteristic times, high purging air velocity etc.), experimental modeling of the AL can prove difficult and very expensive. Given the importance of ALs efficiency in a real emergency situation, simulation of its performances in realistic condition and optimization of the design of air purges to ensure the required efficiency is a factor of extreme importance for the overall safety of the installation. In this work, the purging efficiency of a typical AL has been analyzed through a combined approach of experimental tests and CFD simulations, to prove the capability of CFD modeling to analyse real AL conditions. A scaled model have been realized and analyzed using CO2 as tracing gas to determine the concentration field; even if the realization constraints above mentioned do not allow for a full scaling of all the involved variables, fluid-dynamic conditions have been set to reproduce real AL purging capabilities as close as possible. Experimental results have been used for a fine tuning and validation of the CFD tool in an operative range close to a real configuration, through the comparison of the obtained flow and concentration fields with those predicted by the CFD simulations of the experimental set-up. Subsequently, the tuned CFD approach has been used to simulate a typical AL and to check its performances

Reforestation as part of an urban eco-horticultural infrastructure

Redevelopment of urban spaces can take different forms and configurations. With this work we propose a project of regeneration of residual green spaces included within an exindustrial area located in the outskirts of Bologna. Three small urban forests have been designed and put into practice, using native and naturalized species, with the specific aim of contributing to the spill-over of beneficial organisms, such as insect predators, parasitoids and pollinators from these areas to cultivated fields. The project, in fact, is part of a complex green infrastructure, a cycle-eco-horticultural corridor, made up also by an orchard of ancient and forgotten varieties, productive fields managed with organic method, semiintensive cultivation of aromatic plants, social gardens and fellow field

Erratum to: Hospitalizations for pertussis in Italy, 1999–2009: analysis of the hospital discharge database

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DNA Damage Response Gene Signature as Potential Treatment Markers for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a rapidly progressive cancer that often develops resistance against DNA damage inducers, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which are still the standard of care regimens for this tumor. Thus, the identification of biomarkers capable of monitoring the clinical progression of OSCC and its responsiveness to therapy is strongly required. To meet this need, here we have employed Whole Genome Sequencing and RNA-seq data from a cohort of 316 patients retrieved from the TCGA Pan-Cancer Atlas to analyze the genomic and transcriptomic status of the DNA damage response (DDR) genes in OSCC. Then, we correlated the transcriptomic data with the clinical parameters of each patient. Finally, we relied on transcriptomic and drug sensitivity data from the CTRP v2 portal, performing Pearson's correlation analysis to identify putative vulnerabilities of OSCC cell lines correlated with DDR gene expression. Our results indicate that several DDR genes show a high frequency of genomic and transcriptomic alterations and that the expression of some of them correlates with OSCC grading and infection by the human papilloma virus. In addition, we have identified a signature of eight DDR genes (namely CCNB1, CCNB2, CDK2, CDK4, CHECK1, E2F1, FANCD2, and PRKDC) that could be predictive for OSCC response to the novel antitumor compounds sorafenib and tipifarnib-P1. Altogether, our data demonstrate that alterations in DDR genes could have an impact on the biology of OSCC. Moreover, here we propose a DDR gene signature whose expression could be predictive of OSCC responsiveness to therapy

Perioperative Minimal Induction Therapy: A Further Step toward More Effective Immunosuppression in Transplantation

Dual induction with low doses of rabbit anti-human thymoglobulin (RATG) and basiliximab effectively and safely prevented allograft rejection in high-risk renal transplant recipients. To assess whether treatment timing affects efficacy and tolerability, in this single-center, matched-cohort study, we compared posttransplant outcomes in 25 patients and 50 gender-, age-, and treatment-matched reference patients induced with the same course of 7 daily RATG infusions (0.5 mg/kg/day) started before or after engraftment, respectively. All subjects received basiliximab (20 mg) before and 4 days after transplantation, withdrew steroids within 6 days after surgery, and were maintained on steroid-free immunosuppression with cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine. Over 12 months after transplant, 1 patient (4%) and 13 reference patients (26%) had acute rejection episodes. One patient and 5 reference-patients required dialysis therapy because of delayed graft function. In all patients circulating CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were fully depleted before engraftment. Both treatments were well tolerated. In kidney transplantation, perioperative RATG infusion enhances the protective effect of low-dose RATG and basiliximab induction against graft rejection and delayed function, possibly because of more effective inhibition of early interactions between circulating T cells and graft antigens

Sero-Epidemiological Study of Bordetella pertussis Infection in the Italian General Population

A multicenter study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of pertussis IgG antibodies (anti-PTx) in the Italian population. Serum samples (4154) collected in the years 2019-2020 from subjects aged 6 to 90 years were tested. The anti-PTx IgG levels were determined by ELISA test. The limit of detection was 5 IU/mL (International Units per milliliter); values >= 40 IU/mL and >= 100 IU/mL indicate an infection that has occurred in recent years and a recent infection (occurred during the last year), respectively. The mean concentration of anti-PTx IgG antibodies in the tested samples was 13 IU/mL; 1.0% of subjects had a titer >= 100 IU/mL, 5.3% a titer between 40 and 100 IU/mL, and 38.9% a titer < 5 IU/mL. The mean antibody concentration was significantly higher in males than in females. The age group 25-39 years had the lowest percentage of negative subjects (36.9%) and the highest prevalence of subjects with antibody titers >= 100 IU/mL (1.3%). In the age group >= 65 years, the prevalence of subjects with titers between 40 and 100 IU/mL (6.7%) and the percentage of negative subjects (44.8%) was higher than in the other age groups. The results highlight the possible role of adolescents and adults in the transmission of B. pertussis

Radioresistance in rhabdomyosarcomas: Much more than a question of dose

Management of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children, frequently accounting the genitourinary tract is complex and requires a multimodal therapy. In particular, as a consequence of the advancement in dose conformity technology, radiation therapy (RT) has now become the standard therapeutic option for patients with RMS. In the clinical practice, dose and timing of RT are adjusted on the basis of patients' risk stratification to reduce late toxicity and side effects on normal tissues. However, despite the substantial improvement in cure rates, local failure and recurrence frequently occur. In this review, we summarize the general principles of the treatment of RMS, focusing on RT, and the main molecular pathways and specific proteins involved into radioresistance in RMS tumors. Specifically, we focused on DNA damage/repair, reactive oxygen species, cancer stem cells, and epigenetic modifications that have been reported in the context of RMS neoplasia in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The precise elucidation of the radioresistance-related molecular mechanisms is of pivotal importance to set up new more effective and tolerable combined therapeutic approaches that can radiosensitize cancer cells to finally ameliorate the overall survival of patients with RMS, especially for the most aggressive subtypes

Costs and effectiveness of influenza vaccination: a systematic review

Background: Seasonal influenza can cause a significant public health burden. Vaccination is proposed as the most effective measure to prevent influenza and related undesired outcomes. Objective: To estimate the efficiency of influenza vaccination. Methods: A literature review of economic evaluations of influenza vaccinations, published over the last 5 years, was performed using MEDLINE (through PubMed), Web of Science and Scopus. Results: 935 papers were identified and 30 were selected, including studies performed in different population subgroups: general population, children, adults, elderly, pregnant women and high risk patients. Twenty-one studies were performed in Europe and in US. The majority of the studies were carried out on elderly patients and children. All except one were cost-effectiveness analyses and reported influenza vaccination as a cost-saving or cost-effective intervention. Conclusions: Vaccination strategies are economically favourable in a range of countries and sub-groups of patients.