VALUTAZIONE COMPARATIVA SPERIMENTALE DI METODOLOGIE NORMATE PER IL CALCOLO DELLA VITA UTILE DI COMPONENTI EDILIZI

Il presente lavoro è stato orientato verso uno studio sulla durabilità dei componenti edilizi, ciò in considerazione della crescente importanza che essa ha assunto negli ultimi anni divenendo una fase necessaria alla valutazione della durata, nelle fasi di progettazione, per la programmazione gestionale dell’intervento, per la valutazione dei costi relativi al ciclo di vita, consentendo una ottimizzazione delle scelte progettuali dal punto di vista della sostenibilità dell’intervento. Il percorso di ricerca seguito è partito da una valutazione dello stato dell’arte e mediante una valutazione comparativa sperimentale di metodologie normate per il calcolo della vita utile dei componenti edilizi su una serie di edifici campione, si propone di fornire ai progettisti uno strumento di ausilio per il calcolo del ciclo di vita dei componenti edilizi. In ogni caso, saranno doverosamente considerate le indicazioni della normativa mondiale e nazionale quali – in particolare – la ISO 15686 e la UNI 11156, valutando le interrelazioni fra le indicazioni da esse fornite, i data–base disponibili, implementati negli ultimi anni dal CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bȃtiment) e dal Politecnico di Milano partner di ricerca fin dal 2002 nell’ambito della durabilità dei componenti edilizi, e i casi studio di edifici reali. L’attività di ricerca svolta durante questi anni è stata orientata principalmente verso lo studio e l’analisi dei metodi rivolti alla valutazione della vita utile degli edifici e delle parti che lo compongono. In particolare è stato approfondito lo studio dei metodi di previsione della vita utile del componente edilizio intonaco esterno, così da poter condurre un confronto sperimentale, tra i risultati conseguiti con l’applicazione delle metodologie proposte dalle norme ed il comportamento effettivo in servizio. L’applicazione dei metodi per la valutazione della durabilità ed il confronto dei risultati con quelli desunti realmente sul campo ha consentito la raccolta di dati del patrimonio edilizio Napoletano che potrebbero in futuro essere utili ad implementare concretamente i data-base sulla durabilità di componenti edilizi. La sperimentazione è stata basata sullo studio di edifici situati nel Comune di Napoli, appartenenti a due tipologie costruttive diverse ma entrambi rifiniti con intonaco di malta e tinteggiatura: 1. edifici con struttura in muratura di tufo, costruiti tra la fine dell’800 e i primi decenni del 900, 2. edifici con struttura in conglomerato cementizio armato costruiti nel secondo dopoguerra fra gli anni 50 e gli anni 60. Per ogni caso proposto è stata desunta dalla Sezione Anagrafe del Libretto di Manutenzione del fabbricato, la vita utile reale o Real Life Cycle (RLC) ovvero la distanza temporale tra l’ultimo intervento di rifacimento dell’intonaco esterno, fino al momento in cui si è manifestato il livello prestazionale stato 4, al quale corrispondono fessurazioni e/o distacchi in atto che interessano zone limitate comprese tra il 10% - 30%. La RLC è stata quindi comparata sia con l’ Estimated Service Life of a Component (ESLC) ottenuta utilizzando il Metodo Fattoriale proposto dalla norma ISO 15686 che con la Durata più probabile (Dpp), ottenuta utilizzando il Metodo Indiretto per il calcolo della durata sulla base di dati rilevati da edifici campione proposto dalla norma UNI 11156. L’intento è stato quello di potersi rendere conto se ci sono differenze tra i risultati che si conseguono con l’utilizzo delle metodologie proposte dalle norme, rispetto a quanto avviene nella realtà. L’obiettivo è che il lavoro svolto possa offrire ai progettisti che si trovano di fronte alla necessità di dover progettare e dunque prevedere la durabilità dell’intonaco esterno degli edifici, un utile strumento che possa indirizzarli verso l’utilizzo del metodo che consente di ottenere risultati più realistici magari anche mediante l’ausilio di un software realizzato proprio con l’intento di semplificare e velocizzare il processo di calcolo, e che possa dunque fornire degli elementi su cui impostare una corretta selezione dei sistemi costruttivi in relazione alla loro capacità di mantenere nel tempo livelli prestazionali superiori ai determinati standard punto di partenza per definire i programmi temporali di manutenzione

Multi-omics data integration provides insights into the post-harvest biology of a long shelf-life tomato landrace

In this study we investigated the transcriptome and epigenome dynamics of the tomato fruit during post-harvest in a landrace belonging to a group of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) collectively known as "Piennolo del Vesuvio", all characterized by a long shelf-life. Expression of protein-coding genes and microRNAs as well as DNA methylation patterns and histone modifications were analysed in distinct post-harvest phases. Multi-omics data integration contributed to the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying processes leading to long shelf-life. We unveiled global changes in transcriptome and epigenome. DNA methylation increased and the repressive histone mark H3K27me3 was lost as the fruit progressed from red ripe to 150 days post-harvest. Thousands of genes were differentially expressed, about half of which were potentially epi-regulated as they were engaged in at least one epi-mark change in addition to being microRNA targets in ~5% of cases. Down-regulation of the ripening regulator MADS-RIN and of genes involved in ethylene response and cell wall degradation was consistent with the delayed fruit softening. Large-scale epigenome reprogramming that occurred in the fruit during post-harvest likely contributed to delayed fruit senescence

Benralizumab in Patients With Severe Eosinophilic Asthma With and Without Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps: An ANANKE Study post-hoc Analysis

Background: Severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) in the presence of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) indicates the presence of a more extensive eosinophilic inflammation. Post-hoc analyses from a pivotal clinical trial have demonstrated the enhanced efficacy of benralizumab on asthma outcomes in patients with CRSwNP as a comorbidity. Methods: This is a post-hoc analysis from the Italian multi-center observational retrospective ANANKE study. Patients were divided into two groups based on self-reported CRSwNP. Baseline clinical and laboratory features in the 12 months prior to benralizumab prescription were collected. Data of change over time of blood eosinophils, annualized exacerbations rates (AER), asthma control, lung function, oral corticosteroids (OCS) use, and benralizumab discontinuation were collected during the observation period. Results: At baseline, the 110 patients with CRSwNP were less frequently female (50.9% vs 74.2%) and obese (9.1% vs. 22.6%) with higher eosinophils (605 vs. 500 cells/mm3) and OCS use when compared to patients without CRSwNP. Similar reductions of AER were seen (-95.8% vs. -91.5% for any exacerbation and -99.1% vs. -92.2% for severe exacerbations in patients with and without CRSwNP, respectively). During benralizumab treatment, comorbid SEA+CRSwNP was associated with a lower risk of any exacerbation (p = 0.0017) and severe exacerbations (p = 0.025). After a mean +/- SD exposure of 10.3 +/- 5.0 months, half of the SEA+CRSwNP patients eliminated OCS use. No discontinuation for safety reasons was recorded. Conclusions: This study helped to confirm the baseline clinical features that distinguish patients with and without CRSwNP being prescribed benralizumab. Numerically enhanced OCS reduction and lower exacerbation risk were observed in patients with SEA and comorbid CRSwNP treated with benralizumab

ChAracterization of ItaliaN severe uncontrolled Asthmatic patieNts Key features when receiving Benralizumab in a real-life setting: the observational rEtrospective ANANKE study

Background: Data from phase 3 trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of benralizumab in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA). We conducted a real-world study examining the baseline characteristics of a large SEA population treated with benralizumab in clinical practice and assessed therapy effectiveness. Methods: ANANKE is an Italian multi-center, retrospective cohort study including consecutive SEA patients who had started benralizumab therapy ≥ 3 months before enrolment (between December 2019 and July 2020), in a real-world setting. Data collection covered (1) key patient features at baseline, including blood eosinophil count (BEC), number and severity of exacerbations and oral corticosteroid (OCS) use; (2) clinical outcomes during benralizumab therapy. We also conducted two post-hoc analyses in patients grouped by body mass index and allergic status. Analyses were descriptive only. Results: Of 218 patients with SEA enrolled in 21 Centers, 205 were evaluable (mean age, 55.8 ± 13.3 years, 61.5% females). At treatment start, the median BEC was 580 cells/mm3 (interquartile range [IQR]: 400-850); all patients were on high-dose inhaled controller therapy and 25.9% were on chronic OCS (median dose: 10 mg/die prednisone-equivalent [IQR: 5-25]); 92.9% experienced ≥ 1 exacerbation within the past 12 months (annualized exacerbation rate [AER] 4.03) and 40.3% reported ≥ 1 severe exacerbation (AER 1.10). During treatment (median duration: 9.8 months [IQR 6.1-13.9]; ≥ 12 months for 34.2% of patients), complete eosinophil depletion was observed; exacerbation-free patients increased to 81% and only 24.3% reported ≥ 1 severe event. AER decreased markedly to 0.27 for exacerbations of any severity (- 93.3%) and to 0.06 for severe exacerbations (- 94.5%). OCS therapy was interrupted in 43.2% of cases and the dose reduced by 56% (median: 4.4 mg/die prednisone-equivalent [IQR: 0.0-10.0]). Lung function and asthma control also improved. The effectiveness of benralizumab was independent of allergic status and body mass index. Conclusions: We described the set of characteristics of a large cohort of patients with uncontrolled SEA receiving benralizumab in clinical practice, with a dramatic reduction in exacerbations and significant sparing of OCS. These findings support benralizumab as a key phenotype-specific therapeutic strategy that could help physicians in decision-making when prescribing biologics in patients with SEA. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04272463

Benralizumab in Patients With Severe Eosinophilic Asthma With and Without Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps: An ANANKE Study post-hoc Analysis

Background: Severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) in the presence of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) indicates the presence of a more extensive eosinophilic inflammation. Post-hoc analyses from a pivotal clinical trial have demonstrated the enhanced efficacy of benralizumab on asthma outcomes in patients with CRSwNP as a comorbidity. Methods: This is a post-hoc analysis from the Italian multi-center observational retrospective ANANKE study. Patients were divided into two groups based on self-reported CRSwNP. Baseline clinical and laboratory features in the 12 months prior to benralizumab prescription were collected. Data of change over time of blood eosinophils, annualized exacerbations rates (AER), asthma control, lung function, oral corticosteroids (OCS) use, and benralizumab discontinuation were collected during the observation period. Results: At baseline, the 110 patients with CRSwNP were less frequently female (50.9% vs 74.2%) and obese (9.1% vs. 22.6%) with higher eosinophils (605 vs. 500 cells/mm3) and OCS use when compared to patients without CRSwNP. Similar reductions of AER were seen (-95.8% vs. -91.5% for any exacerbation and -99.1% vs. -92.2% for severe exacerbations in patients with and without CRSwNP, respectively). During benralizumab treatment, comorbid SEA+CRSwNP was associated with a lower risk of any exacerbation (p = 0.0017) and severe exacerbations (p = 0.025). After a mean ± SD exposure of 10.3 ± 5.0 months, half of the SEA+CRSwNP patients eliminated OCS use. No discontinuation for safety reasons was recorded. Conclusions: This study helped to confirm the baseline clinical features that distinguish patients with and without CRSwNP being prescribed benralizumab. Numerically enhanced OCS reduction and lower exacerbation risk were observed in patients with SEA and comorbid CRSwNP treated with benralizumab

A longitudinal study on BIO14.6 hamsters with dilated cardiomyopathy: micro-echocardiographic evaluation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In recent years, several new technologies for small-animal imaging have been developed. In particular, the use of ultrasound in animal imaging has focused on the investigation of accessible biological structures such as the heart, of which it provides a morphological and functional assessment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of micro-ultrasonography (μ-US) in a longitudinal study on BIO14.6 cardiomyopathic hamsters treated with gene therapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty hamsters were divided into three groups (n = 10): Group I, untreated BIO 14.6 hamsters; Group II, BIO 14.6 hamsters treated with gene therapy; Group III, untreated wild type (WT) hamsters. All hamsters underwent serial μ-US sessions and were sacrificed at predetermined time points.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>μ-US revealed: in Group I, progressive dilation of the left ventricle with a change in heart morphology from an elliptical to a more spherical shape, altered configuration of the mitral valve and subvalvular apparatus, and severe reduction in ejection fraction; in Group II, mild decrease in contractile function and ejection fraction; in Group III, normal cardiac chamber morphology and function. There was a negative correlation between the percentage of fibrosis observed at histology and the ejection fraction obtained on μ-echocardiography (Spearman r: -0.839; p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although histological examination remains indispensable for a conclusive diagnosis, high-frequency μ-echocardiography, thanks to the high spatial and contrast resolution, can be considered sufficient for monitoring therapeutic efficacy and/or the progression of dilated cardiomyopathy, providing an alternative tool for repeatable and noninvasive evaluation.</p

A rapid analytical method for the determination of 45 elements in extra-virgin olive oils

The accurate determination of trace elements in edible olive oils is still an analytical challenge due to their low concentration levels and the complex matrix of vegetable oils. However, the study of possible chemical contaminants and their levels in edible olive oils is a research priority for preserving the high nutritional value and the high organoleptic quality of these products [1]. Furthermore, the analysis of trace elements plays an important role as a basis for oil adulteration detection and oil quality control. This study evaluates a new method to miniaturize the sample digestion for extra virgin olive oils by inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in order to achieve accurate and reproducible results with low detection limits for the analyzed trace elements. This method has been designed to carry out the sample preparation and instrumental analysis from a single tube to prevent sample loss, minimize contamination and reduce volumes of acid and the required final dilution. To evaluate the best and fastest sample preparation procedure, ultrasonic extraction and wet digestion methods were compared using oil certified reference material with different reagent mixtures, reagent volumes, and times for sample extraction or digestion. The use of 5 mL reagent mixture consisting of 10% (v/v) HNO3 and H2O2, 2:1 (v/v) for sample digestion in a water bath (95 °C, 40 min) was found to produce satisfactory results in all cases as validated from sample recovery experiments over three different extra virgin olive oil samples [2]. This method can be used for applications such as routine analysis with high sample throughput and geographical traceability

An optimized method for sample preparation and elemental analysis of extra-virgin olive oil by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The accurate determination of trace elements in vegetable edible oils is still an analytical challenge, owing to their low concentration levels and the complex matrix of the vegetable oils. The aim of this study was to develop a fast and simple analytical method to quantify 45 elements in small mass samples (0.5 g) of extra virgin olive oils by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. To evaluate the best and fastest sample preparation procedure, ultrasonic extraction and wet digestion methods were compared using oil certified reference material with different reagent mixtures, reagent volumes, and times for sample extraction or digestion. The use of 5 mL reagent mixture F [10% (v/v) HNO3 and H2O2, 2:1 (v/v)] for sample digestion in a water bath (95 ◦C, 40 min) was found to produce satisfactory results in all cases as validated from sample recovery experiments over three different extra virgin olive oil samples