2,460 research outputs found

    THE MIDDLE TRIASSIC OF THE BREMBANA VALLEY: PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE ESINO PLATFORM (Bergamasc Alps)

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    The stratigraphy and paleogeography of the ladinian Esino Limestone outcropping in Valle Brembana-Valle Parina, have been integrated with the biostratigraphic analysis of cephalopod fauna. A complex internal structure of the upper anisian-ladinian Esino carbonate platform has been identified. Six different lithozones have been recognized, they record the stratigraphic-paleogeographic evolution of the Esino Limestone. This carbonate platform developed through three stages: 1) construction of a lower edifice (Late Anisian-? Early Ladinian) representing the first phase of carbonate piatform diffusion on structural highs, which were already the site of carbonate deposition during the Middle Anisian (peritidal dolomites of the Angolo Limestone); 2) buildup of the carbonate complex (main edifice). In this second phase (Early Ladinian-Late Ladinian p.p.) the most important one, the platform growth took place by prevalent aggradation; 3) development of the upper edifice and progradation of the piatform in the Late Ladinian. In this third phase, inner plarform facies with diagenetic caps at the top of peritidal cycles are common. The buildup developed in the second phase yields bioclastic packstones with ammonoids, gastropods, echinoderms, and bivalves clustered within lithozone 4 and in the proximity of the southern margin of the platform in Val Parina. Studies in progress of ammonoids and gastropods allowed for the recognition of different fossil assemblages which date from Early Ladinian to Late Ladinian. A few problematic ammonoid assemblage of probably Early Ladinian age, has been found in a stratigraphic level above the base of the Esino Limestone

    Usefulness of dobutamine Tc-99m sestamibi-gated single-photon emission computed tomography for prediction of left ventricular ejection fraction outcome after coronary revascularization for ischemic cardiomyopathy.

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    Serum C-reactive protein is associated with earlier mortality across different interstitial lung diseases

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    Background and Objective: The acute-phase protein C-reactive protein (CRP) is known to be associated with poor outcomes in cancer and cardiovascular disease, but there is limited evidence of its prognostic implications in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). We therefore set out to test whether baseline serum CRP levels are associated with mortality in four different ILDs. Methods: In this retrospective study, clinically measured CRP levels, as well as baseline demographics and lung function measures, were collected for ILD patients first presenting to the Royal Brompton Hospital between January 2010 and December 2019. Cox regression analysis was used to determine the relationship with 5-year mortality. Results: Patients included in the study were: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) n = 422, fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP) n = 233, rheumatoid arthritis associated ILD (RA-ILD) n = 111 and Systemic Sclerosis associated ILD (SSc-ILD) n = 86. Patients with a recent history of infection were excluded. Higher CRP levels were associated with shorter 5-year survival in all four disease groups on both univariable analyses, and after adjusting for age, gender, smoking history, immunosuppressive therapy and baseline disease severity (IPF: HR (95% CI): 1.3 (1.1–1.5), p = 0.003, fHP: 1.5 (1.2–1.9), p = 0.001, RA-ILD: 1.4 (1.1–1.84), p = 0.01 and SSc-ILD: 2.7 (1.6–4.5), p < 0.001). Conclusion: Higher CRP levels are independently associated with reduced 5-year survival in IPF, fHP, RA-ILD and SSc-ILD

    Effects of pet exposure in the first year of life on respiratory and allergic symptoms in 7-yr-old children. The SIDRIA-2 study

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    The effects of pet exposure on the development of respiratory symptoms have recently been the matter of vivid discussion. Our objective was to determine the effects of exposure to cat or dog in the first year of life on subsequent respiratory/allergic symptoms in children in a large Italian multicentre study. As part of the SIDRIA-2 Study (Studi Italiani sui Disturbi Respiratori dell'Infanzia e l'Ambiente 2002), the parents of 20016 children (median age 7 yr) provided information on indoor exposures at different times in life and respiratory/allergic symptoms through questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were performed taking into account cat or dog exposure at different times in life and adjusting for the presence of the other pet, mould exposure, gender, age, parental education, maternal smoking during the first year of life, current passive smoking, family history of asthma/rhinitis/eczema and other potential confounders. Neither significant effects of dog exposure in the first year of life nor in other periods were found on respiratory/allergic symptoms after adjusting for the other covariates. Cat exposure in the first year of life was significantly and independently associated with current wheezing [OR (95% CI) 1.88 (1.33-2.68), p < 0.001] and current asthma [1.74 (1.10-2.78), p < 0.05] and border-line associated with current rhinoconjunctivitis [1.43 (0.97-2.11), p = 0.07]. No other effects of cat exposure were found on respiratory/allergic symptoms. Cat, but not dog, exposure in the first year of life is an independent risk factor for current wheezing, current asthma and current rhinoconjunctivitis at the age of 7

    Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy

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    There are no robust data on the real onset of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and spread in the prepandemic period worldwide. We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)–specific antibodies in blood samples of 959 asymptomatic individuals enrolled in a prospective lung cancer screening trial between September 2019 and March 2020 to track the date of onset, frequency, and temporal and geographic variations across the Italian regions. SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific antibodies were detected in 111 of 959 (11.6%) individuals, starting from September 2019 (14%), with a cluster of positive cases (&gt;30%) in the second week of February 2020 and the highest number (53.2%) in Lombardy. This study shows an unexpected very early circulation of SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic individuals in Italy several months before the first patient was identified, and clarifies the onset and spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Finding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in asymptomatic people before the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy may reshape the history of pandemic
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