An Improved Method Based on Bluetooth Low-Energy Fingerprinting for the Implementation of PEPS System

In the automotive field, the introduction of keyless access systems is revolutionizing car entry techniques currently dominated by a physical key. In this context, this paper investigates the possible use of smartphones to create a PEPS (Passive Entry Passive Start) system using the BLE (Bluetooth Low-Energy) Fingerprinting technique that allows, along with a connection to a low-cost BLE micro-controllers network, determining the driver’s position, either inside or outside the vehicle. Several issues have been taken into account to assure the reliability of the proposal; in particular, (i) spatial orientation of each microcontroller-based BLE node which ensures the best performance at 180° and 90° referred to as the BLE scanner and the advertiser, respectively; (ii) data filtering techniques based on Kalman Filter; and (iii) definition of new network topology, resulting from the merger of two standard network topologies. Particular attention has been paid to the selection of the appropriate measurement method capable of assuring the most reliable positioning results by means of the adoption of only six embedded BLE devices. This way, the global accuracy of the system reaches 98.5%, while minimum and maximum accuracy values relative to the individual zones equal, respectively, to 97.3% and 99.4% have been observed, thus confirming the capability of the proposed method of recognizing whether the driver is inside or outside the vehicle

A Glucuronic Acid-Palmitoylethanolamide Conjugate (GLUPEA) Is an Innovative Drug Delivery System and a Potential Bioregulator

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endogenous anti-inflammatory lipid mediator and a widely used nutraceutical. In this study, we designed, realized, and tested a drug-carrier conjugate between PEA (the active drug) and glucuronic acid (the carrier). The conjugate, named GLUPEA, was characterized for its capability of increasing PEA levels and exerting anti-inflammatory activity both in vitro and in vivo. GLUPEA treatment, compared to the same concentration of PEA, resulted in higher cellular amounts of PEA and the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), and increased 2-AG-induced transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channel desensitization to capsaicin. GLUPEA inhibited pro-inflammatory monocyte chemoattractant protein 2 (MCP-2) release from stimulated keratinocytes, and it was almost as efficacious as ultra-micronized PEA at reducing colitis in dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS)-injected mice when using the same dose. GLUPEA is a novel pro-drug able to efficiently mimic the anti-inflammatory and endocannabinoid enhancing actions of PEA

TCT-506 Predictors Of Carotid Clamping Intolerance During Carotid Artery Stenting With Proximal Embolic Protection Device. Results From An Italian Registry.

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Clinical characteristics and outcomes of inpatients with neurologic disease and COVID-19 in Brescia, Lombardy, Italy

Objective: To report clinical and laboratory characteristics, as well as treatment and clinical outcomes of patients admitted for neurologic diseases with and without COVID-19. Methods: In this retrospective, single center cohort study, we included all adult inpatients with confirmed COVID-19, admitted to a Neuro-COVID Unit from February 21, 2020, who had been discharged or died by April 5, 2020. Demographic, clinical, treatment, and laboratory data were extracted from medical records and compared (FDR-corrected) to those of neurologic patients without COVID-19 admitted in the same period. Results: One hundred seventy-three patients were included in this study, of whom 56 were positive for COVID-19 while 117 were negative for COVID-19. Patients with COVID-19 were older (77.0, IQR 67.0-83.8 vs 70.1, IQR 52.9-78.6, p = 0.006), had a different distribution regarding admission diagnoses, including cerebrovascular disorders (n = 43, 76.8% vs n = 68, 58.1%), and had a higher quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score on admission (0.5, IQR 0.4-0.6 vs 0.9, IQR 0.7-1.1, p = 0.006). In-hospital mortality rates (n = 21, 37.5% vs n = 5, 4.3%, p < 0.001) and incident delirium (n = 15, 26.8% vs n = 9, 7.7%, p = 0.003) were significantly higher in the COVID-19 group. COVID-19 and non-COVID patients with stroke had similar baseline characteristics but patients with COVID-19 had higher modified Rankin scale scores at discharge (5.0, IQR 2.0-6.0 vs 2.0, IQR 1.0-3.0, p < 0.001), with a significantly lower number of patients with a good outcome (n = 11, 25.6% vs n = 48, 70.6%, p < 0.001). In patients with COVID-19, multivariable regressions showed increasing odds of in-hospital death associated with higher qSOFA scores (OR 4.47, 95% CI 1.21-16.5; p = 0.025), lower platelet count (0.98, 0.97-0.99; p = 0.005) and higher lactate dehydrogenase (1.01, 1.00-1.03; p = 0.009) on admission. Conclusions: COVID-19 patients admitted with neurologic disease, including stroke, have a significantly higher in-hospital mortality, incident delirium and higher disability than patients without COVID-19

From Rome to Paris: a Call for Strong and Urgent Climate Action

A high-level, international Symposium was held in Rome on 27-29 May to review the realities and risks of climate change, to identify weaknesses in the current negotiating process, to propose policies and measures for rapid and effective climate action and to underline the risks and costs of further delay. The intent is to broaden support for a strong international agreement at the crucial UN Conference on climate, COP 21, which takes place in Paris in November. The Symposium was held on the initiative of President Mikhail Gorbachev, with support of the Italiani Foundation, the European Space Agency and the New Policy Forum. A representative of the Pontifical Council on Justice and Peace attended

LIVER BIOPSY: IMPORTANCE OF SPECIMEN SIZE IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND STAGING OF CHRONIC VIRAL HEPATITIS

Liver biopsy is the gold standard method for the grading and staging of chronic viral hepatitis, but optimal biopsy specimen size remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of liver specimen (number of portal tracts) and to evaluate the impact of the number of portal tracts in the staging of chronic hepatitis. Material and Methods: 468 liver biopsies from consecutive patients with hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus infection from 2009 to 2010 were evaluated. Results: The length of fragment was less than 10 mm in 43 cases (9.3%), between 10 and 14 mm in 114 (24.3%), and ≥ 15 mm in 311 (64.4%); of these, in 39 (8.3%) cases were ≥ 20 mm. The mean representation of portal tracts was 17.6 ± 2.1 (5-40); in specimens ≥ 15 mm the mean portal tract was 13.5 ± 4.7 and in cases ≤ 15 mm was 11.4 ± 5.0 (p = 0.002). Cases with less than 11 portal tracts were associated with F3, and cases with 11 or more portal tracts with F2 (p = 0.001). Conclusion: this study demonstrated the good quality of liver biopsy and a relationship between the macroscopic size of the fragment and the number of portal tracts

Boceprevir or telaprevir in hepatitis C virus chronic infection: The Italian real life experience

AIM: To check the safety and efficacy of boceprevir/ telaprevir with peginterferon/ribavirin for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 in the real-world settings. METHODS: This study was a non-randomized, observational, prospective, multicenter. This study involved 47 centers in Italy. A database was prepared for the homogenous collection of the data, was used by all of the centers for data collection, and was updated continuously. All of the patients enrolled in this study were older than 18 years of age and were diagnosed with chronic infection due to HCV genotype 1. The HCV RNA testing was performed using COBAS-TaqMan2.0 (Roche, LLQ 25 IU/mL). RESULTS: All consecutively treated patients were included. Forty-seven centers enrolled 834 patients as follows: Male 64%; median age 57 (range 18-78), of whom 18.3% were over 65; mean body mass index 25.6 (range 16-39); genotype 1b (79.4%); diagnosis of cirrhosis (38.2%); and fibrosis F3/4 (71.2%). The following drugs were used: Telaprevir (66.2%) and PEG-IFN-alpha2a (67.6%). Patients were naïve (24.4%), relapsers (30.5%), partial responders (14.8%) and null responders (30.3%). Overall, adverse events (AEs) occurred in 617 patients (73.9%) during the treatment. Anemia was the most frequent AE (52.9% of cases), especially in cirrhotic. The therapy was stopped for 14.6% of the patients because of adverse events or virological failure (15%). Sustained virological response was achieved in 62.7% of the cases, but was 43.8% in cirrhotic patients over 65 years of age. CONCLUSION: In everyday practice, triple therapy is safe but has moderate efficacy, especially for patients over 65 years of age, with advanced fibrosis, nonresponders to peginterferon + ribavirin

COVID-19 impact on consecutive neurological patients admitted to the emergency department

[no abstract available