A Smart Home Network for Proactive Users

According to the European Strategy Energy Technology (SET) Plan, the resident-user engagement into thenational energy strategy is pivotal, as reported by the Challenge 1st: “Active consumer is at the centre of the energy system”. The Italian Ministry of Economic Development and ENEA have entered into a Program Agreement for the execution of the research and development lines of General Interest for the NationalElectricity System. In particular, as part of the “Development of an integrated model of the Urban Smart District” project. An experimental demonstration of a Smart Home network is being carried out in the Centocelle district of Rome and called “Smart Home Centocelle”. The project was developed in an informal settlement, which shares a common background with likewise urban settings, such as a lack of public transportation convenience or enjoyable public spaces and average quality housing, whereas people who adhered to the project have a medium-high education level and proved to be sensitive to alternative and more sustainable energy sources. Our research has examined the deployment progress made so far, gathering and analysing all the information to assess how the project applications could affect various quality-of-life dimensions: safety, health, environmental quality and personal comfort perception, social connectedness and the cost of living, above all

Children with special health care needs attending emergency department in Italy: analysis of 3479 cases

Background: Although children with special health care needs (CSHCN) represent a minority of the population, they go through more hospitalizations, more admissions to the Emergency Department (ED), and receive a major number of medical prescriptions, in comparison to general pediatric population. Objectives of the study were to determine the reasons for admission to the ED in Italian CSHCN, and to describe the association between patient's demographic data, clinical history, and health services requirements. Methods: Ad hoc web site was created to collect retrospective data of 3479 visits of CSHCN to the ED in 58 Italian Hospitals. Results: Seventy-two percent of patients admitted to ED were affected by a previously defined medical condition. Most of the ED admissions were children with syndromic conditions (54%). 44.2% of the ED admissions were registered during the night-time and/or at the weekends. The hospitalization rate was of 45.6% among patients admitted to the ED. The most common reason for admission to the ED was the presence of respiratory symptoms (26.6%), followed by gastrointestinal problems (21.3%) and neurological disorders (18.2%). 51.4% of the access were classified as 'urgent', with a red/yellow triage code. Considering the type of ED, 61.9% of the visits were conducted at the Pediatric EDs (PedEDs), 33.5% at the Functional EDs (FunEDs) and 4.6% at the Dedicated EDs (DedEDs). Patients with more complex clinical presentation were more likely to be evaluated at the PedEDs. CSHCN underwent to a higher number of medical procedures at the PedEDs, more in comparison to other EDs. Children with medical devices were directed to a PedED quite exclusively when in need for medical attention. Subjects under multiple anti-epileptic drug therapy attended to PedEDs or FunEDs generally. Patients affected by metabolic diseases were more likely to look for medical attention at FunEDs. Syndromic patients mostly required medical attention at the DedEDs. Conclusions: Access of CSHCN to an ED is not infrequent. For this reason, it is fundamental for pediatricians working in any kind of ED to increase their general knowledge about CHSCN and to gain expertise in the management of such patients and their related medical complexity

Chlorella vulgaris in a heterotrophic bioprocess : study of the lipid bioaccessibility and oxidative stability

Microalgal biomass is an emerging source of several health-related compounds, including polyunsaturated fatty acids. Herein, Chlorella vulgaris was cultivated heterotrophically in a 16-L stirred tank bioreactor. The lipid oxidative stability and lipid bioaccessibility of the biomass harvested during the exponential and stationary phases were evaluated. The biomass harvested during the stationary phase showed lower lipid oxidation than that harvested during the exponential phase, likely due to the higher content of antioxidants in the former. In both biomasses, the hexanal and propanal profiles showed only moderate increase over 12 weeks of storage at 40 °C, indicating good oxidative stability. Lipid bioaccessibility measured in an infant in vitro model was 0.66% ± 0.16% and 2.41% ± 0.61% for the biomass harvested during the exponential and late stationary phases, respectively. This study indicates that C. vulgaris biomass can be considered as a stable and nutritious (optimal ω3:ω6 profile) source of essential fatty acids. Our results suggested that regarding lipid stability and bioaccessibility, harvesting during stationary phase could be preferred choice. In general, treatment of the biomass to increase lipid bioaccessibility should be investigated

Autoantibodies to the GM2-1 islet ganglioside and to GAD-65 at type 1 diabetes onset

The GM2-1 islet ganglioside has been sequenced, found to be a novel ganglioside structure with a sialic acid moiety in the terminal position and two residues of non-acetylated galactosamine and also shown to be a target of autoantibodies in a subset of ICA(+) relatives of type 1 diabetic patients who subsequently progressed to the overt disease. In the present study we determined whether antibodies to GM2-1 or to other pancreatic gangliosides (a) are also expressed at disease onset and (b) are correlated with other diabetes-associated autoantibodies. Pancreatic gangliosides were extracted from human pancreas and purified by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Anti-ganglioside autoantibodies were determined using an indirect immunoperoxidase technique performed directly on TLC plates in the following groups of patients: (a) newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic subjects before insulin therapy (n=45); all were tested for GAD65 autoantibodies in a fluid-phase RIA using S-35-methionine-labelled recombinant human GAD65. Of these patients, 24 were also tested for insulin autoantibodies (IAA) by a competitive fluid phase radioimmunoassay and 21 were tested for GAD67 reactivity. (b) Forty-two age-and sex-matched normal control subjects. Autoantibodies to GM2-1, but not to other pancreatic gangliosides (GM3, GD3, GD1a), were expressed in 31 of 45 new-onset type 1 diabetic subjects and in one of 42 normal controls (P<0.01), while anti-GAD65, IAA and anti-GAD67 were found in 31 of 45, 12 of 24 and three of 21 patients respectively, but not in the control group of subjects. Interestingly, occurrence of GM2-1 autoantibodies was significantly correlated (P<0.005) with positivity for GAD65 autoantibodies, but not for IAA or GAD67 autoantibodies. It is of note that both GAD and gangliosides are mainly expressed in islets and in neuronal tissues and, therefore, type 1 diabetes may be regarded as a neuroendocrine autoimmune disease. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited

A novel strategy to simultaneously enhance bioaccessible lipids and antioxidants in hetero/mixotrophic Chlorella vulgaris as functional ingredient

Microalgae are a promising source of polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as bioactive antioxidant compounds such as carotenoids, phenolics and tocopherols. However, the accumulation of these biomolecules is often promoted by conflicting growth conditions. In this study, a phased bioprocessing strategy was developed to simultaneously enhance the lipid and antioxidant amounts by tailoring nitrogen content in the cultivation medium and applying light stress. This approach increased the overall contents of total fatty acids, carotenoids, phenolics, and α-tocopherol in Chlorella vulgaris by 2.2-, 2.2-, 1.5-, and 2.1-fold, respectively. Additionally, the bioaccessibility of the lipids and bioactives from the obtained biomasses improved after pulsed electric field (5 μs, 20 kV cm−1, 31.8 kJ kg−1sus) treatment (up to +12%) and high-pressure homogenization (100 MPa, 5-6 passes) (+41-76%). This work represents a step towards the generation of more efficient algae biorefineries, thus expanding the alternative resources available for essential nutrients.ISSN:1873-2976ISSN:0960-852

Chlorella vulgaris in a heterotrophic bioprocess: study of the lipid bioaccessibility and oxidative stability

Microalgal biomass is an emerging source of several health-related compounds, including polyunsaturated fatty acids. Herein, Chlorella vulgaris was cultivated heterotrophically in a 16-L stirred tank bioreactor. The lipid oxidative stability and lipid bioaccessibility of the biomass harvested during the exponential and stationary phases were evaluated. The biomass harvested during the stationary phase showed lower lipid oxidation than that harvested during the exponential phase, likely due to the higher content of antioxidants in the former. In both biomasses, the hexanal and propanal profiles showed only moderate increase over 12 weeks of storage at 40 °C, indicating good oxidative stability. Lipid bioaccessibility measured in an infant in vitro model was 0.66% ± 0.16% and 2.41% ± 0.61% for the biomass harvested during the exponential and late stationary phases, respectively. This study indicates that C. vulgaris biomass can be considered as a stable and nutritious (optimal ω3:ω6 profile) source of essential fatty acids. Our results suggested that regarding lipid stability and bioaccessibility, harvesting during stationary phase could be preferred choice. In general, treatment of the biomass to increase lipid bioaccessibility should be investigated.ISSN:2211-926

Progression of renal damage in glycogen storage disease type I is associated to hyperlipidemia: a multicenter prospective Italian study

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors decrease glomerular hyperfiltration but not microalbuminuria and proteinuria in glycogen storage disease type I. In the current study, we demonstrated that severe hyperlipidemia is associated with ACE-inhibitor ineffectiveness. We underline the importance of adequate metabolic control in glycogen storage disease type I. A combination therapy with ACE-inhibitors and lipid lowering drugs might be considered