LA MEMORIA A BREVE TERMINE NELLA SORDITÀ: UNA RIDEFINIZIONE DELLO SPAN DI MEMORIA?

Il tema della Memoria a Breve Termine nella sordità è stato affrontato in letteratura scientifica da numerosi autori, i quali hanno proposto alcune ipotesi talvolta in contrasto tra loro. Argomento importante all'interno di questo ambito di studio è  il ruolo della modalità di elaborazione delle informazioni implicata nei processi cognitivi che sottostanno la memoria, in particolare nella Memoria a Breve Termine (MBT) e nella Memoria di Lavoro (Working Memory). Alcune recenti ricerche su popolazione segnante, sorda e udente, hanno riscontrato una riduzione dello span di MBT da 7+/-2, misura standardizzata dello span, a 4+/-1 items. Queste evidenze cliniche hanno portato a discutere i dati emersi in termini di necessità di ridefinizione dell'ampiezza dello span di MBT anche per la popolazione udente non segnante

Study on ammonia transport and separation in Aquivion® perfluoro sulfonated acid membranes

The present study reports the results of a series of sorption and permeation tests of pure ammonia as well as nitrogen and hydrogen carried out on Aquivion C87-05 (short-side chain perfluoro sulfonic acid ionomer). Such material is indeed of interest for possible applications in sustainable processes for ammonia production, either as base material for polymer electrolyte membranes in low-temperature electrochemical ammonia synthesis or as a membrane for effective product separation. NH3, N2, and H2 permeation tests are performed at different temperatures (20, 35, and 50 ◦C) and both in dry and humid conditions (R.H. up to 80%), aiming to assess the influence of these parameters on the resulting permeabilities, while ammonia sorption is inspected at the same temperatures, and pressures up to near saturation conditions. Pure ammonia permeability reached outstanding values around 7000 Barrer in dry Aquivion membranes, revealing an increasing trend with upstream pressure, while it decreased with temperature. The same behavior is recorded for NH3 solubility, indicating that sorption drives the ammonia transport through the membrane. The obtained separation performances are found to be significantly better than those of other polymeric membranes proposed for the same separations, as compared to a permeability-selectivity plot

Traditional knowledge on ethno-veterinary and fodder plants in South Angola: an ethnobotanic field survey in Mopane woodlands in Bibala, Namibe province

Livestock is a critical resource to improve income and household livelihoods in many rural areas. To date, very few studies have investigated farmers’ local knowledge on plants used in managing animal health and welfare in Angolan Mopane woodland. This is a very dry ecosystem where animal husbandry (mostly cattle and goats breeding) is highly widespread and is often the main form of subsidence, greatly contributing to local communities food security, especially in periods of resources shortage. An ethnobotanical research project was carried out in Bibala (Namibe province – Angola) in 2010 – 2012, in order to collect information on different traditional uses of plants, involving an interviewed sample of 66 informants. Fifty-eight of them (87.9%) listed a total of 39 species used as ethno-veterinary and/or fodder plants. Ten ethno-veterinary species (28 citations) were reported by 20 informants as used to treat diseases commonly affecting animals in the studied area, namely respiratory tract problems (Laphangium luteoalbum, Gyrocarpus americanus, Craibia brevicaudata subsp. baptistarum, Lepisanthes senegalensis, Ptaeroxylon obliquum, Ximenia americana) and skin diseases and wounds (Aloe littoralis, Blepharis sp., Ficus thonningii), or acting as a general tonic (Faidherbia albida). Thirty-four plants (235 citations) were cited by 58 informants as fodder. In this category of use, the most cited species were Terminalia prunioides (30 citations), Faidherbia albida (28 citations) and Spirostachys africana (21 citations). Our study shows that communities living in South Angola Mopane woodlands still retain a valuable traditional knowledge about plants used to maintain animal health and welfare. This body of knowledge and related skills can play a crucial role in the resilience of livestock systems facing present environmental and socioeconomic changes

Modello di stima dei costi sanitari e della capacity delle terapie intensive in Italia nel trattamento di pazienti affetti da COVID-19: valutazione dell’impatto di remdesivir

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which is a human coronavirus responsible for a pandemic. Direct interventions, i.e. physical distancing and use of protective devices, can prevent or limit contagions, however, it is also required to evaluate the optimization of limited resources, such as the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). For this purpose, it is relevant to estimate the impact of therapeutic solutions that reduce the probability that the patient transits to ICU in symptomatic subjects and in need of hospitalization. The therapeutic solutions allow a more rapid recovery of the patient and save scarce resources that can be used in the treatment of other patients. Methods: A forecasting model is designed to estimate the impact of one therapeutic solution, i.e. the antiretroviral Remdesivir, on both the capacity of intensive care and the healthcare costs for hospitals when managing the current emergency. A base case is presented as well as a best and a worst case scenario deriving from the sensitivity analyses. Results: The introduction of Remdesivir in patients receiving low-flow oxygen therapy with the purpose of reducing ICU accesses and deaths leads to 431 million euros cost savings and avoids 17,150 hospitalizations in intensive care and 6,923 deaths. In the best case, 294 million euros savings are estimated, whilst in the worst case the model estimates a saving of 512 million euros. Conclusions: Remdesivir has the potential to reduce the negative effects of the Coronavirus disease, improving patient conditions and reducing death tolls, and can also save scarce healthcare resources during this pandemic, resulting in a shorter hospital stay and fewer ICU admissions

Model for estimating the impact of healthcare costs in non-hospitalized Covid-19 patients treated with remdesivir

Objectives: In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak caused significant negative changes worldwide. Important investments were suddenly needed in the economic, social, and healthcare fields. This analysis sets out to show the economic impact of the administration of remdesivir in ambulatory patients, who are affected by Covid-19, at high risk for severe progression, and eligible for the antiviral treatment. Methods: The budget impact analysis is based on the assumptions already presented in a study published in 2020 by the same Authors. The analysis was updated with a new simulation of the pandemic curve which included the vaccination plan. Data were collected from official Italian sources and from the academic literature. The Italian National Health Service (NHS) perspective was used in the analysis. Remdesivir treatment was compared in terms of economic costs with the Standard of Care over a period of 20 weeks. Such timeframe was chosen because of the uncertainty of the pandemic evolution and considering that this is the time of a complete pandemic curve. A comparison with other therapeutic solutions was not performed in this analysis as the relative costs were not available at the time of the study. Results: The model estimates that, in 20 weeks, 8,002,015 subjects are infected by Covid-19, with a 0.8% hospitalization rate. Among hospitalized patients, 19.6% could be eligible for remdesivir treatment, for a total number of 3,619 patients, with a 12% market share. Conclusion: The analysis shows that remdesivir therapy is dominant and its use could determine a reduction in hospitalizations and transfers to intensive care units compared to the Standard of Care, with a potential saving of € 50.8 million and a decrease of the number of Covid-19-related deaths between 600 and 1,100

Silicon Photonics Chip for Inter-modal Four Wave Mixing on a Broad Wavelength Range

We design, fabricate and test an integrated silicon photonics chip for inter-modal four wave mixing, whose phase-matching relays on the modal dispersions of different waveguide modes. This phase-matching technique allows for tunable and broadband wavelength conversion and generation. We demonstrate that idler and signal photons can be generated with 800 nm spectral distance in between. We measure several inter-modal combinations, with up to the third order mode involvement. We demonstrate a maximum conversion efficiency of -12.4 dB from 1468.5 nm to 1641.1 nm with a bandwidth of 11 nm. We also prove the high and broadband tunability of the generated signal by scanning the pump wavelength when the signal wavelength is fixed. All these features make the inter-modal four wave mixing a viable solution for all optical processing in the near as well as in the mid infrared and for quantum applications

Novel antiviral activity of PAD inhibitors against human beta-coronaviruses HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2

The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, along with the likelihood that new coronavirus strains will appear in the nearby future, highlights the urgent need to develop new effective antiviral agents. In this scenario, emerging host-targeting antivirals (HTAs), which act on host-cell factors essential for viral replication, are a promising class of antiviral compounds. Here we show that a new class of HTAs targeting peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs), a family of calcium-dependent enzymes catalyzing protein citrullination, is endowed with a potent inhibitory activity against human beta-coronaviruses (HCoVs). Specifically, we show that infection of human fetal lung fibroblasts with HCoV-OC43 leads to enhanced protein citrullination through transcriptional activation of PAD4, and that inhibition of PAD4-mediated citrullination with either of the two pan-PAD inhibitors Cl-A and BB-Cl or the PAD4-specific inhibitor GSK199 curbs HCoV-OC43 replication. Furthermore, we show that either Cl-A or BB-Cl treatment of African green monkey kidney Vero-E6 cells, a widely used cell system to study beta-CoV replication, potently suppresses HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 replication. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential efficacy of PAD inhibitors, in suppressing HCoV infection, which may provide the rationale for the repurposing of this class of inhibitors for the treatment of COVID-19 patients

Intra-and extra-hospitalization monitoring of vital signs. Two sides of the same coin. Perspectives from Lims and Greenline study operators

Background: In recent years, due to the epidemiological transition, the burden of very complex patients in hospital wards has increased. Telemedicine usage appears to be a potential high-impact factor in helping with patient management, allowing hospital personnel to assess conditions in out-of-hospital scenarios. Methods: To investigate the management of chronic patients during both hospitalization for disease and discharge, randomized studies (LIMS and Greenline-HT) are ongoing in the Internal Medicine Unit at ASL Roma 6 Castelli Hospital. The study endpoints are clinical outcomes (from a patient’s perspective). In this perspective paper, the main findings of these studies, from the operators’ point of view, are reported. Operator opinions were collected from structured and unstructured surveys conducted among the staff involved, and their main themes are reported in a narrative manner. Results: Telemonitoring appears to be linked to a reduction in side-events and side-effects, which represent some of most commons risk factors for re-hospitalization and for delayed discharge during hospitalization. The main perceived advantages are increased patient safety and the quick response in case of emergency. The main disadvantages are believed to be related to low patient compliance and an infrastructural lack of optimization. Conclusions: The evidence of wireless monitoring studies, combined with the analysis of activity data, suggests the need for a model of patient management that envisages an increase in the territory of structures capable of offering patients subacute care (the possibility of antibiotic treatments, blood transfusions, infusion support, and pain therapy) for the timely management of chronic patients in the terminal phase, for which treatment in acute wards must be guaranteed only for a limited time for the management of the acute phase of their diseases