Does homeownership partly explain low participation in supplementary pension schemes?

We used nine waves of the Bank of Italy’s Survey on Household income and Wealth (1995- 2012) to investigate a possible trade-off between homeownership and individual participation in a supplementary pension scheme. Italy lends itself to this type of investigation because the Italian public pension system has been heavily reformed in the period, providing in principle incentives for participation, and the homeownership rate is very high. The impact of homeownership is captured in two ways: by a dummy for being homeowner and by an index defined as the share of housing wealth over total wealth. Our results show that indeed, after controlling for a vast array of socio-economic characteristics and allowing for unobserved individual heterogeneity, both measures of homeownership are negatively associated with participation in supplementary pension schemes and that such an effect does not disappear even after the 2007 reform

Impact of COVID-19 and post-infectious course on the olfactory function: "Restitutio ad integrum" or permanent deficit?

The experience of our center with patients who, after having overcome the SARS-CoV19 infection, manifested olfactory disorders includes 1952 patients who were evaluated, according to the protocol established in multidisciplinary agreement with internal medicine and infectious disease specialists, through ENT physical examinatio, questionnaires, olfactometry and gustometry (before and after treatment). Our goal was to evaluate: the prevalence of smell and taste disorders in patients affected by SARSCoV19, the resolution of the mentioned disorder based on the treatment protocols and eventually a possible correlation with patients not affected by the SARS-CoV19 infection. Our evaluation method included: Chemosensory Complaint Score, three VAS scales for olfactory and gustatory dysfunction and nasal obstruction symptoms, full ENT evaluation (rhinoscopy, oropharyngoscopy, evaluation of larynx and tympanic membranes). In the context of the DH PostCovid, an olfactory deficit was observed in 24.3% of cases; the questionnaire submitted to the patients during the acute phase of the infection tended to overestimate the incidence of the symptoms, but this data is likely related to the psychological impact of the disease itself during the early stages of the pandemic. In a period ranging from 2 to 9 months (M 5.5 months), we found a subjective and olfactometrically detected recovery of the olfactory function in almost all patients (98.6%); in only one case the recovery was obtained 13 months after the first evaluation. Among these patients, 65% of them regained the olfactory function during the first 3 months of therapy. Our therapy protocol consisted of: either topical use of glyceritic acid plus mannitol for topical use in case of inflamed nasal mucosa or crosslinked ialuronic acid for topical use in case of atrophic rhinitis together with citicoline 1000mg per os and olfactory rehabilitation. Once having obtained these data, and keeping in mind that the therapy was personalized and modulated on the basis of the conditions found at the physical evaluation for each patient (presence or absence of significant nasal dryness, allergic rhinitis, etc.), and although the "unpredictability" of this pandemic imposes a certain caution on us, we can affirm that it is not frequent, in our series of cases, the persistence of the olfactory deficit in patients with previous SARS-CoV19 infection and that indeed the restitutio ad integrum is the most frequent of the eventualities

Multidisciplinary management of anemia behind epistaxis in HHT

HHT affects one in 5000 people and occurs in all the ethnic groups and areas. It is also known as the Rendu-Osler-Weber disease and it is an inherited autosomal dominant genetic disorder, characterized by vascular abnormalities. Epistaxis, specifically recurrent and spontaneous nosebleeds, has been assessed as one of the most common, if not the most common clinical manifestation in HHT patients. The burden related to this manifestation has both psychological and physical consequences, especially since the treatment options follow a ladder that might bring to surgery and more invasive therapies. The EQ-VAS questionnaire allows us to adequately assess and classify HHT patients based on the intensity and type of epistaxis-related symptoms. This same questionnaire, which is submitted to patients during each evaluation for the benefit of anamnestic supplementation, includes both a question about the presence or absence of anemia and one about whether a red cell transfusion has been performed in the past months or since the last outpatient visit. As a matter of fact, chronic nosebleed, although mild to moderate, can lead to anemia within months or years and, in general, to a poor quality of life. Patients who have to undergo iron supplementation treatments often face the almost inevitable side effects that this therapy entails (diarrhea, constipation, nausea, persistent metallic taste, abdominal pain, etc.). Although numerous treatment options are available for patients with epistaxis phenotype, from topical to surgical, we believe, based on the successes achieved in the follow up of HHT patients at our center, that a multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to identify the patients who can benefit most from each treatment

Dosimetric verification of vmat dose distribution with DELTA4 Phantom

Radiation Oncology, has changed a great deal, undergoing an innovation and technical development; there has been an evolution from conformal radiotherapy techniques (3D-CRT), through advanced modalities like intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and next volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). VMAT technique requires a dedicated QA (Quality Assurance) procedure for dosimetric verification of a planned dose distribution to check for the agreement between a dose distribution calculated by the Treatment Planning System (TPS) and the corresponding measured dose distribution. Since November 2010, in Radiation Therapy Department of “V. Fazzi” hospital in Lecce (Italy), 257 patients were treated with VMAT and the corresponding dose distribution were verified with the Delta4 diode array phantom. Parameters used in the comparison between calculated e measured dose are the dose agreement (DA), the distance to agreement (DTA) and the -index. The phantom measurements closely match the planned dose distributions in high and low dose-gradient region

Atomistic modelling studies of fluorite- and perovskite-based oxide materials

Fast oxide-ion and proton conductors are the subject of considerable research due to their technological applications in sensors, ceramic membranes and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). This thesis describes the use of computer modelling techniques to study point defects, dopants and clustering effects in fluorite-and perovskitetype ion conductors with potential SOFC applications. Bi2O3 related phases are being developed with the objective of high oxide-ion conductivities at lower operating temperatures than 1000°C, as in current generation SOFC electrolytes. Doped Bi2O3 phases have shown promise as materials capable of accomplishing this goal. First, the Y-doped phase, Bi3YO6, has been investigated including the ordering of intrinsic vacancies. The defect and dopant characteristics of Bi3YO6 have been examined and show that a highly mobile oxygen sub-lattice exists in this material. A preliminary structural modelling study of a new Re-doped Bi2O3 phase was also undertaken. A comprehensive investigation of the proton-conducting perovskites BaZrO3, BaPrO3 and BaThO3 is then presented. Our results suggest that intrinsic atomic disorder in BaZrO3 and BaThO3 is unlikely, but reduction of Pr4+ in BaPrO3 is favourable. The water incorporation energy is found to be less exothermic for BaZrO3 than for BaPrO3 and BaThO3, but in all cases the results suggest that the proton concentration would decrease with increasing temperature, in accord with experimental data. The high binding energies for all the dopant-OH pair clusters in BaPrO3 and BaThO3 suggest strong proton trapping effects. Finally, a study of multiferroic BiFeO3 is presented, in which the defect, dopant and migration properties of this highly topical phase are investigated. The reduction process involving the formation of oxygen vacancies and Fe2+ is the most favourable redox process. In addition, the results suggest that oxide-ion migration is anisotropic within this system.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Association of Hepatitis C Virus—Specific CD8+ T Cells with Viral Clearance in Acute Hepatitis C

CD8+ T lymphocytes play a major role in antiviral immune defense. Their significance for acute hepatitis C is unclear. Our aim was to correlate the CD8+ T cell response with the outcome of infection. Eighteen patients with acute hepatitis C and 19 normal donors were studied. Hepatitis C virus (HCV)—specific CD8+ T cells were identified in the enzyme-linked immunospot assay by their interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production after specific stimulation. The highest numbers of IFN-γ—producing HCV-specific CD8+ T cells were found in patients with acute hepatitis C and a self-limited course of disease during the first 6 months after onset of disease, but these numbers dropped thereafter to undetectable levels. The differences in responsiveness between patients with self-limited disease versus patients with a chronic course were statistically significant (P < .001). Our data show that the number of IFN—γ-producing HCV-specific CD8+ T cells during the first 6 months after onset of disease is associated with eradication of the HCV infectio

SARS-CoV-2 serological profile in healthcare professionals of a Southern Italy hospital

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the first coronavirus that has caused a pandemic. Assessing the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare worker groups offers a unique opportunity to study the correlation between seroconversion and immunization because of their occupational exposure and a higher risk of contagion. The study enrolled 3242 asymptomatic employees of “Policlinico Riuniti”, Foggia. After the first screening, we collected sequential serum samples for up to 23 weeks from the same subjects. In order to perform a longitudinal follow-up study and get information about the titration of IgG levels, we analyzed data from subjects (33) with at least two consecutive serological IgG—positive tests; 62 (1.9%; 95% CI: 1.4–2.3) tested positive for at least one anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody. The seroprevalence was lower in the high-risk group 1.4% (6/428; 95% CI: 0.5–2.6) vs. the intermediate-risk group 2.0% (55/2736; 95% CI: 1.5–2.5). Overall, within eight weeks, we detected a mean reduction of –17% in IgG levels. Our data suggest a reduction of about 9.27 AU/mL every week (R2 = 0.35, p = 0.0003). This study revealed the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among Foggia’s hospital healthcare staff (1.9%). Moreover, the IgG level reduction suggests that the serological response fades fast in asymptomatic infections

L’evoluzione tecnologica in Radioterapia: modulazione volumetrica del fascio ed Adaptavtive Radiation Therapy

Le innovazioni in radioterapia sono volte all’aumento del gradiente di dose tra neoplasia e tessuto sano attraverso un miglioramento sia dell’erogazione del fascio sia del controllo dell’errore. La più importante novità nel delivering è la modulazione volumetrica della intensità del fascio. La novità nel controllo dell’errore è rappresentata dalla Adaptative Radiation Therapy (ART), che prevede l’adattamento della distribuzione di dose ad un target mobile o deformabile, seguendo il movimento d’organo (IGRT) e la deformazione e cambio di volume di tumore e degli organi a rischio. La posizione iniziale del target viene riprodotta attraverso il movimento del lettino, il movimento elettronico del fascio, il movimento del braccio dell’acceleratore e la modifica dell’apertura del collimatore. La ART off line individua e corregge errori sistematici che possono avere origine in diverse fasi del processo e si propagano fino alla fine dello stesso, presentandosi in modo identico e ricorrente in ciascuna frazione attraverso il monitoraggio (IGRT) del posizionamento del paziente durante le prime frazioni, allo scopo di adattare i margini di trattamento e/o i piani di trattamento per le restanti sedutesu base individuale. La ART on line corregge errori random (di “esecuzione”), che possono variare di giorno in giorno, poiché si possono presentare in modo diverso per ciascuna frazione del trattamento, attraverso il monitoraggio (IGRT) del posizionamento del paziente durante tutte le frazioni per la misura e la correzione giornaliera degli errori di setup del paziente

Association of Hepatitis C Virus—Specific CD8+ T Cells with Viral Clearance in Acute Hepatitis C

CD8+ T lymphocytes play a major role in antiviral immune defense. Their significance for acute hepatitis C is unclear. Our aim was to correlate the CD8+ T cell response with the outcome of infection. Eighteen patients with acute hepatitis C and 19 normal donors were studied. Hepatitis C virus (HCV)—specific CD8+ T cells were identified in the enzyme-linked immunospot assay by their interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production after specific stimulation. The highest numbers of IFN-γ—producing HCV-specific CD8+ T cells were found in patients with acute hepatitis C and a self-limited course of disease during the first 6 months after onset of disease, but these numbers dropped thereafter to undetectable levels. The differences in responsiveness between patients with self-limited disease versus patients with a chronic course were statistically significant (P < .001). Our data show that the number of IFN—γ-producing HCV-specific CD8+ T cells during the first 6 months after onset of disease is associated with eradication of the HCV infection