Characterisation of the correlations between oxidative potential and in vitro biological effects of PM at three sites in the central Mediterranean.

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is one of the major risks for global health. The exact mechanisms of toxicity are still not completely understood leading to contrasting results when different toxicity metrics are compared. In this work, PM was collected at three sites for the determination of acellular oxidative potential (OP), intracellular oxidative stress (OSGC), cytotoxicity (MTT assay), and genotoxicity (Comet assay).

Concentration and size distribution of atmospheric particles in southern Italy during COVID-19 lockdown period.

Many countries imposed lockdown (LD) to limit the spread of COVID-19, which led to a reduction in the emission of anthropogenic atmospheric pollutants. Several studies have investigated the effects of LD on air quality, mostly in urban settings and criteria pollutants. However, less information is available on background sites, and virtually no information is available on particle number size distribution (PNSD).

Physiologic Range of Myocardial Mechano-Energetic Efficiency among Healthy Subjects: Impact of Gender and Age.

Background: Myocardial mechano-energetic efficiency (MEE) is the capability of the left ventricle (LV) to convert the chemical energy obtained from the cardiac oxidative metabolism into mechanical work. The aim of present study was to establish normal non-invasive MEE and MEEi reference values.

Methods: In total, 1168 healthy subjects underwent physical examinations, clinical assessment, and standardized transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) examination.

A review on measurements of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in air in outdoor and indoor environments: Implication for airborne transmission.

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been object of debate in the scientific community since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. This mechanism of transmission could arise from virus-laden aerosol released by infected individuals and it is influenced by several factors. Among these, the concentration and size distribution of virus-laden particles play an important role.

Airborne concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor community environments in Italy.

COVID-19 pandemic raised a debate regarding the role of airborne transmission. Information regarding virus-laden aerosol concentrations is still scarce in community indoors and what are the risks for general public and the efficiency of restriction policies. This work investigates, for the first time in Italy, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in air samples collected in different community indoors (one train station, two food markets, one canteen, one shopping centre, one hair salon, and one pharmacy) in three Italian cities: metropolitan city of Venice (NE of Italy), Bologna (central Italy), and Lecce (SE of Italy).

Characterization of airborne particulate fractions from the port city of Rijeka, Croatia.

The aim of this work was characterization of airborne particulates in the port city of Rijeka in order to evaluate impact of ship emissions on air quality. Samples of airborne particulates were collected with a ten stages cascade impactor during two campaigns: autumn and spring. A total of 16 weekly samples were analyzed on mass concentration, ions, metals and carbonaceous species (EC, OC, WSOC).

On the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in outdoor air and the interaction with pre-existing atmospheric particles.

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 by contact (direct or indirect) is widely accepted, but the relative importance of airborne transmission is still controversial. Probability of outdoor airborne transmission depends on several parameters, still rather uncertain: virus-laden aerosol concentrations, viability and lifetime, minimum dose necessary to transmit the disease. In this work, an estimate of outdoor concentrations in northern Italy (region Lombardia) was performed using a simple box model approach, based on an estimate of respiratory emissions, with a specific focus for the cities of Milan and Bergamo (Italy).

Size-resolved particle emission factors of vehicular traffic derived from urban eddy covariance measurements.

Road traffic is one of the major sources of atmospheric particles in urban areas. Modelling the contribution of this source to urban pollution requires reliable estimates of emission factors possibly resolved in size. In this work, size-resolved particle emission factors (EFs) of the mixed vehicle fleet were measured in the urban area of Lecce (south-eastern Italy).

Right Ventricular Functional Reserve in Early-Stage Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: An Exercise Two-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Doppler Echocardiography Study.

Background: The most important determinant of long-term survival in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is the right ventricular (RV) adaptation to the increased pulmonary vascular resistance. Our aim was to explore RV contractile reserve during stress echocardiography in early-stage IPF.

Methods: Fifty early-stage patients with IPF and 50 healthy control patients underwent rest and stress echocardiography, including RV two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.

Reference Ranges and Physiologic Variations of Left ' Ratio in Healthy Adults: Clinical and Echocardiographic Correlates.

Background: Transthoracic Doppler echocardiographic examination is commonly performed to define the diastolic ventricular function since it is widely available, noninvasive, and inexpensive with respect to other diagnostic imaging modalities. However, data regarding age- and gender-matched reference values are scanty and sometimes conflicting. This study aims to explore the physiologic variations of left ventricular (LV) ' ratio as assessed in a large cohort of healthy adults and to investigate clinical and echocardiographic correlates.

Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound: Incremental Diagnostic Role in Cryptogenic Stroke Part II.

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography is a noninvasive ultrasound study, which has been extensively applied in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Its main use in current clinical practice is the research for "Paradoxical Embolism," due to migration of thromboembolic material from systemic venous circulation to the left cardiac chambers and arterial circulation through cardiopulmonary shunts such as patent foramen ovale which represents an important cause of cryptogenic stroke, especially in patients under 55 years of age. In this review, we shall describe the incremental diagnostic role in cryptogenic stroke for this imaging modality.

Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound: Physical Principles and Principal Applications in Neurocritical Care Unit.

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography is a noninvasive ultrasound study, which has been extensively applied on both outpatient and inpatient settings. It involves the use of a low-frequency (≤2 MHz) transducer, placed on the scalp, to insonate the basal cerebral arteries through relatively thin bone windows and to measure the cerebral blood flow velocity and its alteration in many different conditions. In neurointensive care setting, TCD is useful for both adults and children for day-to-day bedside assessment of critical conditions including vasospasm in subarachnoid hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, acute ischemic stroke, and brain stem death.

Patient selection for transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A combined clinical and multimodality imaging approach.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been validated as a new therapy for patients affected by severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who are not eligible for surgical intervention because of major contraindication or high operative risk. Patient selection for TAVR should be based not only on accurate assessment of aortic stenosis morphology, but also on several clinical and functional data. Multi-Imaging modalities should be preferred for assessing the anatomy and the dimensions of the aortic valve and annulus before TAVR.

Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography: From methodology to major clinical applications.

Non-invasive Doppler ultrasonographic study of cerebral arteries [transcranial Doppler (TCD)] has been extensively applied on both outpatient and inpatient settings. It is performed placing a low-frequency (≤ 2 MHz) transducer on the scalp of the patient over specific acoustic windows, in order to visualize the intracranial arterial vessels and to evaluate the cerebral blood flow velocity and its alteration in many different conditions. Nowadays the most widespread indication for TCD in outpatient setting is the research of right to left shunting, responsable of so called "paradoxical embolism", most often due to patency of foramen ovale which is responsable of the majority of cryptogenic strokes occuring in patients younger than 55 years old.

Application of PMF and CMB receptor models for the evaluation of the contribution of a large coal-fired power plant to PM10 concentrations.

The evaluation of the contribution of coal-fired thermo-electrical power plants to particulate matter (PM) is important for environmental management, for evaluation of health risks, and for its potential influence on climate. The application of receptor models, based on chemical composition of PM, is not straightforward because the chemical profile of this source is loaded with Si and Al and it is collinear with the profile of crustal particles. In this work, a new methodology, based on Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor model and Si/Al diagnostic ratio, specifically developed to discriminate the coal-fired power plant contribution from the crustal contribution is discussed.

Acute and Chronic Effects of Noninvasive Ventilation on Left and Right Myocardial Function in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Speckle Tracking Echocardiographic Study.

Background: In patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), repetitive hypoxia due to sleep-induced apnea adversely affects the interaction between myocardial oxygen demand and supply, resulting in the development of subclinical cardiac dysfunction. The purpose of the study was to analyze the different involvement of left and right heart myocardial function in patients with OSAS treated with noninvasive ventilation (NIV).

Methods: Conventional Doppler echocardiography, Doppler myocardial imaging (DMI), and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) of left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) longitudinal and right atrial (RA) deformation were performed in 55 patients with OSAS undergoing NIV (M/F 38/17; mean age 67.

Inflammation and cardiovascular disease: from pathogenesis to therapeutic target.

Atherosclerosis represents the most common pathological substrate of coronary heart disease (CHD), and the characterization of the disease as a chronic low-grade inflammatory condition is now largely accepted. A number of mediators of inflammation have been widely studied, both as surrogate biomarkers and as causal agents, in the pathophysiological network of atherogenesis and plaque vulnerability. The epidemiological observation that biomarkers of inflammation are associated with clinical cardiovascular risk supports the theory that targeted anti-inflammatory treatment appears to be a promising strategy in reducing residual cardiovascular risk on the background of traditional medical therapy.