The forest, the cicadas and the holey fluxes: Periodical cicada impacts on soil respiration depends on tree mycorrhizal type.

The emergence of billions of periodical cicadas affects plant and animal communities profoundly, yet little is known about cicada impacts on soil carbon fluxes. We investigated the effects of Brood X cicadas (Magicicada septendecim, M. cassinii and M.

HONO Measurement by Catalytic Conversion to NO on Nafion Surfaces.

A selective catalytic converter has been developed to quantify nitrous acid (HONO), a photochemical precursor to NO and OH radicals that drives the formation of ozone and other pollutants in the troposphere. The converter is made from a sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymer (Nafion) that was found to convert HONO to NO with unity yield under specific conditions. When coupled to a commercially available NO (=NO + NO) chemiluminescence (CL) analyzer, the system measures HONO with a limit of detection as low as 64 parts-per-trillion (ppt) (1 min average) in addition to NO.

Thromboembolic Complications in COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized in Italian Ordinary Wards: Data from the Multicenter Observational START-COVID Register.

 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection causes acute respiratory insufficiency with severe interstitial pneumonia and extrapulmonary complications; in particular, it may predispose to thromboembolic disease. The reported incidence of thromboembolic complications varies from 5 to 30% of cases.  We conducted a multicenter, Italian, retrospective, observational study on COVID-19 patients admitted to ordinary wards, to describe the clinical characteristics of patients at admission and bleeding and thrombotic events occurring during the hospital stay.

Surface Charge Measurements with Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy Provide Insights into Nitrous Acid Speciation at the Kaolin Mineral-Air Interface.

Unique surface properties of aluminosilicate clay minerals arise from anisotropic distribution of surface charge across their layered structures. Yet, a molecular-level understanding of clay mineral surfaces has been hampered by the lack of analytical techniques capable of measuring surface charges at the nanoscale. This is important for understanding the reactivity, colloidal stability, and ion-exchange capacity properties of clay minerals, which constitute a major fraction of global soils.

Prevalence of exercise-induced oxygen desaturation after recovery from SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and use of lung ultrasound to predict need for pulmonary rehabilitation.

Background: Persistence of breathlessness after recovery from SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia is frequent. Recovery from acute respiratory failure (ARF) is usually determined by normalized arterial blood gases (ABGs), but the prevalence of persistent exercise-induced desaturation (EID) and dyspnea is still unknown.

Methods: We investigated the prevalence of EID in 70 patients with normal arterial oxygen at rest after recovery from ARF due to COVID-19 pneumonia.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Patients Recovering from COVID-19.

Background: In hospitalized patients recovering from the SARS-coronavirus-2 disease 19 (COVID-19), high prevalence of muscle weakness and physical performance impairment has been observed.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation in these subjects in a real-life setting.

Methods: Retrospective data analysis of patients recovering from COVID-19, including those requiring assisted ventilation or oxygen therapy, consecutively admitted to an in-patient pulmonary rehabilitation program between April 1 and August 15, 2020.

Nitrous acid formation on Zea mays leaves by heterogeneous reaction of nitrogen dioxide in the laboratory.

Nitrous acid (HONO) is of considerable interest because it is an important precursor of hydroxyl radicals (OH), a key species in atmospheric chemistry. HONO sources are still not well understood, and air quality models fail to predict OH as well as HONO mixing ratios. As there is little knowledge about the potential contribution of plant surfaces to HONO emission, this laboratory work investigated HONO formation by heterogeneous reaction of NO on Zea mays.

The impact of photocatalytic paint porosity on indoor NOx and HONO levels.

Photocatalytic materials are a potentially effective remediation technology for indoor air purification. In this paper, we assess the impact of photocatalytic paint porosity on the indoor levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and nitrous acid (HONO). We observed that the porosity of photocatalytic paints plays a paramount role in the NO2 removal.

Assessing indoor gas phase oxidation capacity through real-time measurements of HONO and NO in Guangzhou, China.

The hydroxyl radical (OH) is one of the most important oxidants controlling the oxidation capacity of the indoor atmosphere. One of the main OH sources indoors is the photolysis of nitrous acid (HONO). In this study, real-time measurements of HONO, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ozone (O3) in an indoor environment in Guangzhou, China, were performed under two different conditions: (1) in the absence of any human activity and (2) in the presence of cooking.

Unexpectedly High Levels of Organic Compounds Released by Indoor Photocatalytic Paints.

Photocatalytic paints based on titanium dioxide (TiO) nanoparticles represent a promising treatment technology for cleaning the air at our dwellings. A few studies have shown that instead of elimination of harmful indoor air pollutants the production of carbonyl compounds occurs from the photocatalytic paints. Herein, we report unexpectedly high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released upon irradiation of photocatalytic paints which are meant to clean the air at our dwellings.

Microbiological and clinical effects of probiotics and antibiotics on nonsurgical treatment of chronic periodontitis: a randomized placebo- controlled trial with 9-month follow-up.

The aim of this double-blind, placebo-controlled and parallel- arm randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus SP1-containing probiotic sachet and azithromycin tablets as an adjunct to nonsurgical therapy in clinical parameters and in presence and levels of Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. Forty-seven systemically healthy volunteers with chronic periodontitis were recruited and monitored clinically and microbiologically at baseline for 3, 6 and 9 months after therapy. Subgingival plaque samples were collected from four periodontal sites with clinical attachment level ≥1 mm, probing pocket depth ≥4 mm and bleeding on probing, one site in each quadrant.

Development of an analytical methodology for obtaining quantitative mass concentrations from LAAP-ToF-MS measurements.

Laser ablation aerosol particle-time of flight mass spectrometer (LAAP-ToF-MS) measures the size number of particles, and chemical composition of individual particles in real-time. LAAP-ToF-MS measurements of chemical composition are difficult to quantify, mostly because the instrument sensitivities to various chemical species in the multicomponent atmospheric aerosol particles are unknown. In this study, we investigate a field-based approach for quantitative measurements of ammonium, nitrate, sulfate, OC, and EC, in size-segregated atmospheric aerosols, by LAAP-ToF-MS using concurrent measurements from high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS), and multi-angle absorption photometer (MAAP).

Coronary and atrial compression by a giant cardiac hemangioma.

A 57-year-old asymptomatic man showed a round echo-dense mass, partially occupying the left atrium on echocardiography. Magnetic resonance localized the mass in the atrioventricular groove, inside the pericardial space, and showed a large hepatic mass too. Computed tomography revealed significant compression of the left main coronary artery and of the left pulmonary veins outlet.

Formation of indoor nitrous acid (HONO) by light-induced NO2 heterogeneous reactions with white wall paint.

Gaseous nitrogen dioxide (NO2) represents an oxidant that is present in relatively high concentrations in various indoor settings. Remarkably increased NO2 levels up to 1.5 ppm are associated with homes using gas stoves.

Real time 3D echocardiography (RT3D) for assessment of ventricular and vascular function in hypertensive and heart failure patients.

Background: Cardiac and systemic hemodynamics have been historically in the domain of invasive cardiology, but recent advances in real-time 3-Dimensional echocardiography (RT3D echo) provide a reliable measurement of ventricular volumes, allowing to measure a set of hemodynamic parameters previously difficult or impossible to obtain with standard 2D echo.

Aim: To assess the feasibility of a comprehensive hemodynamic study with RT-3D echo.

Methods: We enrolled 136 patients referred for routine echocardiography: 44 normal (N), 57 hypertensive (HYP), and 35 systolic heart failure patients (HF).

Head to head comparison of 2D vs real time 3D dipyridamole stress echocardiography.

Real-time three-dimensional (RT-3D) echocardiography has entered the clinical practice but true incremental value over standard two-dimensional echocardiography (2D) remains uncertain when applied to stress echo. The aim of the present study is to establish the additional value of RT-3D stress echo over standard 2D stress echocardiography. We evaluated 23 consecutive patients (age = 65 +/- 10 years, 16 men) referred for dipyridamole stress echocardiography with Sonos 7500 (Philips Medical Systems, Palo, Alto, CA) equipped with a phased - array 1.

Development of a diabetes care management curriculum in a family practice residency program.

Improving the quality of care for patients with chronic illness has become a high priority. Implementing training programs in disease management (DM) so the next generation of physicians can manage chronic illness more effectively is challenging. Residency training programs have no specific mandate to implement DM training.

[The effects of a dose of epidural clonidine combined with intrathecal morphine for postoperative analgesia].

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a single bolus of epidural (ED) clonidine (C) associated with intrathecal morphine (M) on postoperative analgesia after cesarean section (CS).

Design: Prospective double-blind randomized study.

Setting: Obstetric department.

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia in three children with acute leukaemias treated with cytosine arabinoside and anthracyclines.

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is a clinicopathological entity with well-defined diagnostic criteria, which can be idiopathic or produced by a variety of biological processes. We describe the occurrence of BOOP in three children, one with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and two with acute promyelocytic leukaemia. In the three patients, BOOP developed 10-20 days after a course of therapy with cytosine arabinoside and anthracyclines.

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage for the evaluation of pulmonary infiltrates after BMT in children.

Thirty-one fiberoptic bronchoscopies and BAL performed within 4 days after the appearance of pulmonary infiltrates in 28 children who received BMT were reviewed. A causative agent was identified in 67% of patients with diffuse infiltrates (Cytomegalovirus in 8 cases, Pneumocystis carinii in 4) and in 31% of those with localized infiltrates (Aspergillus in 2, bacteria in 2). No relevant side effect was reported.

[Course and regression of HELLP syndrome].

The authors reported the outcome of a retrospective study of patients with HELLP syndrome to verify whether this pathology is a clinical entity with models of evolution, regression and well defined treatment. A total of 20 individual cases were reported at the Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the G. Gaslini Institute during the period from January 1990 to September 1995.

[Oral pathology in autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). Its prevention and local treatment].

The level of chemo-radiotherapy that patients must undergo in the course of ABMT treatment causes a direct toxic mucous damage and serious medulla aplasia with subsequent neutropenia. Both factors significantly affect the appearance of oral complications. These represent one of the most frequent (congruent to 85%) postoperative problems.