A Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception Study on Flu and COVID-19 Vaccination during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multicentric Italian Survey Insights

In January 2020, Chinese health authorities identified a novel coronavirus strain never before isolated in humans. It quickly spread across the world, and was eventually declared a pandemic, leading to about 310 million confirmed cases and to 5,497,113 deaths (data as of 11 January 2022). Influenza viruses affect millions of people during cold seasons, with high impacts, in terms of mortality and morbidity. Patients with comorbidities are at a higher risk of acquiring severe problems due to COVID-19 and the flu-infections that could impact their underlying clinical conditions. In the present study, knowledge, attitudes, and opinions of the general population regarding COVID-19 and influenza immunization were evaluated. A multicenter, web-based, cross-sectional study was conducted between 10 February and 12 July 2020, during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections among the general population in Italy. A sample of 4116 questionnaires was collected at the end of the study period. Overall, 17.5% of respondents stated that it was unlikely that they would accept a future COVID-19 vaccine (n = 720). Reasons behind vaccine refusal/indecision were mainly a lack of trust in the vaccine (41.1%), the fear of side effects (23.4%), or a lack of perception of susceptibility to the disease (17.1%). More than 50% (53.8%; n = 2214) of the sample participants were willing to receive flu vaccinations in the forthcoming vaccination campaign, but only 28.2% of cases had received it at least once in the previous five seasons. A higher knowledge score about SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and at least one flu vaccination during previous influenza seasons were significantly associated with the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza. The continuous study of factors, determining vaccination acceptance and hesitancy, is fundamental in the current context, in regard to improve vaccination confidence and adherence rates against vaccine preventable diseases

Dupilumab in the treatment of severe uncontrolled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP): A multicentric observational Phase IV real-life study (DUPIREAL)

Background Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is associated with significant morbidity and reduced health-related quality of life. Findings from clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of dupilumab in CRSwNP, although real-world evidence is still limited. Methods This Phase IV real-life, observational, multicenter study assessed the effectiveness and safety of dupilumab in patients with severe uncontrolled CRSwNP (n = 648) over the first year of treatment. We collected data at baseline and after 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of follow-up. We focused on nasal polyps score (NPS), symptoms, and olfactory function. We stratified outcomes by comorbidities, previous surgery, and adherence to intranasal corticosteroids, and examined the success rates based on current guidelines, as well as potential predictors of response at each timepoint. Results We observed a significant decrease in NPS from a median value of 6 (IQR 5–6) at baseline to 1.0 (IQR 0.0–2.0) at 12 months (p < .001), and a significant decrease in Sino-Nasal Outcomes Test-22 (SNOT-22) from a median score of 58 (IQR 49–70) at baseline to 11 (IQR 6–21; p < .001) at 12 months. Sniffin' Sticks scores showed a significant increase over 12 months (p < .001) compared to baseline. The results were unaffected by concomitant diseases, number of previous surgeries, and adherence to topical steroids, except for minor differences in rapidity of action. An excellent-moderate response was observed in 96.9% of patients at 12 months based on EPOS 2020 criteria. Conclusions Our findings from this large-scale real-life study support the effectiveness of dupilumab as an add-on therapy in patients with severe uncontrolled CRSwNP in reducing polyp size and improving the quality of life, severity of symptoms, nasal congestion, and smell

Selective Crystal Growth and Structural, Optical, and Electronic Studies of Mn₃Ta₂O₈

Mn3Ta2O8, a stable targeted material with an unusual and complex cation topology in the complicated Mn-Ta-O phase space, has been grown as a ≈3-cm-long single crystal via the optical floating-zone technique. Single-crystal absorbance studies determine the band gap as 1.89 eV, which agrees with the value obtained from density functional theory electronic-band-structure calculations. The valence band consists of the hybridized Mn d-O p states, whereas the bottom of the conduction band is formed by the Ta d states. Furthermore, out of the three crystallographically distinct Mn atoms that are four-, seven-, or eight-coordinate, only the former two contribute their states near the top of the valence band and hence govern the electronic transitions across the band gap. (Graph Presented)

Left Atrial Strain Imaging by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography: The Supportive Diagnostic Value in Cardiac Amyloidosis and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Background: Left atrial (LA) function is crucial for assessing left ventricular filling in various cardiovascular conditions. Cardiac Amyloidosis (CA) is characterized by atrial myopathy and LA function impairment, with diastolic dysfunction up to restrictive filling pattern, leading to progressive heart failure and arrhythmias. This study evaluates LA function and deformation using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in patients with CA compared to a cohort of patients with sarcomeric Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) and a control group. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational study (from January 2019 to December 2022) including a total of 100 patients: 33 with ATTR-CA, 34 with HCMs, and 33 controls. Clinical evaluation, electrocardiograms, and transthoracic echocardiography were performed. Echocardiogram images were analyzed in post-processing using EchoPac software for LA strain quantification, including LA-reservoir, LA-conduit, and LA-contraction strain. Results: The CA group exhibited significantly impaired LA function compared to HCMs and control groups, with LA-reservoir median values of −9%, LA-conduit −6.7%, and LA-contraction −3%; this impairment was consistent even in the CA subgroup with preserved ejection fraction. LA strain parameters correlated with LV mass index, LA volume index, E/e’, and LV-global longitudinal strain and were found to be associated with atrial fibrillation and exertional dyspnea. Conclusions: LA function assessed by STE is significantly impaired in CA patients compared to HCMs patients and healthy controls. These findings highlight the potential supportive role of STE in the early detection and management of the disease

Prediction and Synthesis of Strain Tolerant RbCuTe Crystals Based on Rotation of One-Dimensional Nano Ribbons within a Three-Dimensional Inorganic Network

A unique possibility for a simple strain tolerant inorganic solid is envisioned whereby a set of isolated, one-dimensional (1D) nano objects are embedded in an elastically soft three-dimensional (3D) atomic matrix thus forming an interdimensional hybrid structure (IDHS). We predict theoretically that the concerted rotation of 1D nano objects could allow such IDHSs to tolerate large strain values with impunity. Searching theoretically among the 1:1:1 ABX compounds of I-I-VI composition, we identified, via first-principles thermodynamic theory, RbCuTe, which is a previously unreported but now predicted-to-be-stable compound in the MgSrSi-type structure, in space group <i>Pnma</i>. The predicted structure of RbCuTe consists of ribbons of copper and telluride atoms placed antipolar to one another throughout the lattice with rubidium atoms acting as a matrix. A novel synthetic adaptation utilizing liquid rubidium and vacuum annealing of the mixed elemental reagents in fused silica tubes as well as <i>in situ</i> (performed at the Advanced Photon Source) and <i>ex situ</i> structure determination confirmed the stability and predicted structure of RbCuTe. First-principles calculations then showed that the application of up to ∼30% uniaxial strain on the ground-state structure result in a buildup of internal stress not exceeding 0.5 GPa. The increase in total energy is 15-fold smaller than what is obtained for the same RbCuTe material but in structures having a contiguous set of 3D chemical bonds spanning the entire crystal. Furthermore, electronic structure calculations revealed that the HOMO is a 1D energy band localized on the CuTe ribbons and that the 1D insulating band structure is also resilient to such large strains. This combined theory and experiment study reveals a new type of strain tolerant inorganic material

Legislative Documents

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Air-Stable Direct Bandgap Perovskite Semiconductors: All-Inorganic Tin-Based Heteroleptic Halides A_<i>x</i>SnCl_<i>y</i>I_<i>z</i> (A = Cs, Rb)

Semiconducting halide perovskites are a class of materials with exciting photoelectronic properties. Compared to the widely studied hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites, the all-inorganic derivatives are less well understood even as they promise high inherent stability. Currently, such materials are limited due to the fact that there is a very narrow choice of inorganic cations that can stabilize the desirable perovskite structure. Herein we report on the synthesis and characterization of novel all-inorganic tin-based perovskites and perovskitoids that can be stabilized by the heteroleptic coordination of chloride and iodide anions, Cs₂SnCl₂I₂ (<b>1</b>) and Cs_2.38Rb_1.62Sn₃Cl₈I₂ (<b>2</b>), consist of two-dimensional (2D) layers of [SnCl₄I₂]^4– octahedra with different connectivity modes. Compound <b>1</b> is an <i>n</i> = 1 Ruddlesden–Popper type perovskite adopting the tetragonal archetype structure (<i>I</i>4/<i>mmm</i> space group; a = 5.5905(3) Å, c = 18.8982(13) Å), while compound <b>2</b> crystallizes as an orthorhombic modification (<i>Cmcm</i> space group; a = 5.6730(11) Å, b = 25.973(5) Å, c = 16.587(3) Å) with corrugated layers. The crystal chemistry changes drastically when Cs⁺ is replaced by the smaller Rb⁺ cation which leads to the isolation of the low dimensional compounds Rb₃SnCl₃I₂ (<b>3a</b>), Rb₃SnCl_2.33I_2.67 (<b>3b</b>) and Rb₇Sn_4.25Cl₁₂I_3.5 (<b>4</b>), thus illustrating the importance of the A-cation size in the formation of perovskites. The 2D perovskites show wide band gaps and relatively large resistivities, associated with their chemical stability against the oxidation of Sn²⁺. The chemical stability is coupled with remarkable electronic properties that derive from the perovskite structure. DFT calculations suggest that both compounds are direct band gap semiconductors with large bandwidths, consistently with the experimentally determined band gaps of <i>E</i>_g = 2.62 and 2.81 eV for <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>, respectively. The combination of stability and favorable electronic structure in heteroleptic-halide perovskites presents a new direction toward the realization of functional devices made exclusively from inorganic perovskites