The present work, based on the results found in the literature, yields a consistent model of SARS-CoV-2 survival on surfaces as environmental conditions, such as temperature and relative humidity, change simultaneously. The Enthalpy method, which has recently been successfully proposed to investigate the viability of airborne viruses using a holistic approach, is found to allow us to take a reasoned reading of the data available on surfaces in the literature. This leads us to identify the domain of conditions of lowest SARS-CoV-2 viability, in a specific enthalpy range between 50 and 60 kJ/Kg.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an autosomal dominant disorder that associates with nucleotide sequence variants in genes encoding sarcomere related proteins, and is recognized as the most common heritable cardiac diseases. Clinically, HCM can be extremely variable and this makes the diagnosis difficult until the development of serious or fatal events. Nevertheless, the main hallmark of HCM is represented by left ventricle hypertrophy that can be occasionally associated to cardiac arrhythmias, chest pain, diastolic dysfunction, obstruction of left ventricular outflow tract.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
December 2020
Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several studies have examined the possibility of correlating the virulence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, to the climatic conditions of the involved sites; however, inconclusive results have been generally obtained. Although neither air temperature nor humidity can be independently correlated with virus viability, a strong relationship between SARS-CoV-2 virulence and the specific enthalpy of moist air appears to exist, as confirmed by extensive data analysis. Given this framework, the present study involves a detailed investigation based on the first 20-30 days of the epidemic before public health interventions in 30 selected Italian provinces with rather different climates, here assumed as being representative of what happened in the country from North to South, of the relationship between COVID-19 distributions and the climatic conditions recorded at each site before the pandemic outbreak.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
August 2020
In the CoViD-19 pandemic, the precautionary approach suggests that all possible measures should be established and implemented to avoid contagion, including through aerosols. For indoor spaces, the virulence of SARS-CoV-2 could be mitigated not only via air changes, but also by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems maintaining thermodynamic conditions possibly adverse to the virus. However, data available in literature on virus survival were never treated aiming to this.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cardiac function critically depends on an adequate myocardial oxygenation and on a correct coronary blood flow. Endothelial, hormonal and extravascular factors work together generating a fine balance between oxygen supply and oxygen utilization through the coronary circulation. Among the regulatory factors that contribute to the coronary tone, increasing attention is paid to the cardiac endocrines, such as chromogranin A, a prohormone for many biologically active peptides, including vasostatin and catestatin.
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