The novel Mechanical Ventilator Milano for the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper presents the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), a novel intensive therapy mechanical ventilator designed for rapid, large-scale, low-cost production for the COVID-19 pandemic. Free of moving mechanical parts and requiring only a source of compressed oxygen and medical air to operate, the MVM is designed to support the long-term invasive ventilation often required for COVID-19 patients and operates in pressure-regulated ventilation modes, which minimize the risk of furthering lung trauma. The MVM was extensively tested against ISO standards in the laboratory using a breathing simulator, with good agreement between input and measured breathing parameters and performing correctly in response to fault conditions and stability tests.

Cardiovascular risk factors in severe chronic renal failure: the role of dietary treatment.

Background: Lipoprotein abnormalities and increased oxidized LDL (OxLDL) are often observed in uremia and are reported to play a central role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Vegan diet, known for its better lipoprotein profile and antioxidant vitamins content, could protect against CVD. Aim of this study was to investigate the influence of vegan diet supplemented with essential amino acids (EAA) and ketoanalogues (VSD) on both traditional and non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF).

Autoantibodies against oxidized LDL in chronic renal failure: role of renal function, diet, and lipids.

Lipid peroxidation (LP) has recently been suggested to trigger the atherosclerotic process as well as to worsen the progression of renal disease. Autoantibodies against oxidized low-density lipoproteins (Ox-LDLAb) were considered to provide a sensitive marker to detect LDL oxidation in vivo. To date few studies have been reported on Ox-LDLAb levels in patients with different degrees of renal failure.

Total antioxidant capacity (TAC): is it an effective method to evaluate the oxidative stress in uraemia?

Lipoprotein abnormalities are common in uraemia and are considered important factors for development of atherosclerosis and progression of renal disease. Reduction of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidation (LP) probably play a major role in both processes. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of renal function, dietary manipulation and lipids on TAC of uraemic patients with different chronic renal failure (CRF).

Lp(a) levels: effects of progressive chronic renal failure and dietary manipulation.

Patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Elevated lipoprotein(a) (LP(a)) levels have been shown to be an important risk factor for CVD. This study examined Lp(a) changes during the progression of renal disease in patients following different dietary regimens.

Lipoprotein abnormalities in chronic renal failure and dialysis patients.

Lipoprotein abnormalities are common in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) on either dialysis or conservative therapy. In order to investigate the changes in lipid and apolipoprotein pattern from early CRF to dialysis treatment, plasma lipids with apoproteins AI, B, E, CII, CIII, CII/CIII ratio, E/CIII ratio, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and insulin levels were examined in 72 patients with different degrees of CRF and 31 patients on hemodialysis (HD), and compared the values of 28 controls. A significant decrease in the Apo CII/CIII ratio was the earliest lipoprotein abnormality to occur in CRF.

Hyperparathyroidism: is it really the major factor affecting glucose tolerance in uremia?

The effects of secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPTH) on immunoreactive insulin (IRI) release and glucose (G) tolerance were studied in two groups of dialysis patients with normal (NPTH, n = 9) or elevated PTH levels (HPTH, n = 8), 27 +/- 24 and 660 +/- 440 pg/ml, respectively. The patients received an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) using 0.33 g/kg of glucose solution.

Comparative activities of pefloxacin and ciprofloxacin in the treatment of chronic respiratory tract infections.

To determine the efficacy in vivo of pefloxacin and ciprofloxacin in the treatment of acute infectious bronchopneumopathies, 90 patients, suffering from acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and with no known allergies to quinolones, were admitted to the study. Patients were randomly divided into three groups of 30; the first group was dosed with pefloxacin 800 mg i.v.

Lipids and apolipoproteins change during the progression of chronic renal failure.

Uremic hyperlipidemia was recently suggested to contribute to progression of chronic renal failure (CRF). To investigate the relationship between lipoprotein abnormalities and decline of renal function, plasma lipids with apoproteins A1, B, E, CII, CIII, CII/CIII and E/CIII ratios, parathyroid hormone (PTH), insulin and glucose levels were examined in 72 patients with different degrees of CRF and compared to 28 patients of a reference group. A significant decrease of CII/CIII ratio was already evident below a Ccr of 60 ml/min, while increased apo-CIII and triglycerides (TG) with reduced HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels occurred below a Ccr of 30 ml/min.

[Therapeutic effectiveness of bamifylline in elderly patients with COPD].

We studied the clinical and instrumental modifications of 20 patients (mean age: 67.95 +/- 1.23 years; 13 males, 7 females) suffering from COPD (less than 65% theoretical FEV1), during treatment with bamiphylline.

[Pulmonary tuberculosis in an immigrant population: the epidemiological aspects and clinical picture].

The number of extra European subjects coming to our country, in the last twenty years, is increased. This fact has contributed to enlarge the number of new cases of tuberculosis. In the present work we analyzed 54 extra European and 116 Italian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis observed in the last six years in our institute.

Are lipid abnormalities reliable cardiovascular risk factors in dialysis patients?

Patients on chronic hemodialysis often present both hyperlipidemia and a high incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Uremic hyperlipidemia has usually been regarded as one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in these patients. In order to study whether the "uremia-induced" lipid abnormalities are actually associated with evidence of uremic CVD, and consequently may be considered reliable CVRF, 123 patients on chronic dialysis were reviewed for the presence of CVD and, at the same time, examined for their lipoprotein pattern and other clinical and biochemical variables.

Leukocytes, eosinophils and complement function during hemodialysis with polysulphone and polymethylmethacrylate membranes: comparison with cuprophan and polyacrylonitrile.

The biocompatibility of the two new dialysis membranes, polysulphone (PS) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), was evaluated versus cuprophan (CUP) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) by studying the in vivo effects of the four different membranes on leukocyte counts, eosinophil levels and complement function both in the presence and absence of dialysis fluid. Complement function was also examined in vitro by studying the generation of chemotactic factors, whole complement activity and C3d serum conversion. Passive absorption of complement fractions by membranes has completed in vitro studies.

Renal involvement in IgD myeloma.

Nine patients affected from IgD myeloma were studied retrospectively in order to elucidate the incidence and peculiar traits of related nephropathy. Eight patients developed chronic renal failure, and as many as 5 were already suffering from renal failure since first admission to the hospital. In 3 cases acute renal failure was the major presenting symptom of the disease.

Biofiltration in elderly uremic patients.

We treated five elderly patients with conventional hemodialysis (CH) or biofiltration (BF) to establish whether their dialytic tolerance was better. For three patients treatment time was reduced from twelve to nine hours a week; for the other two, treatment time remained unchanged (10.5-12 h/week) because of their high interdialytic weight gain.

The value of ultrasound as a screening procedure for urological disorders in renal failure.

Renal ultrasound was evaluated as a screening procedure for urological conditions (hydronephrosis or space-occupying lesions) in 175 patients (316 kidneys) with renal failure. The final diagnosis of renal disease was based on excretory urography, ascending or translumbar pyelography, open surgical findings, clinical and laboratory test results or renal biopsies. Ultrasonic images suggestive of renal disease requiring surgery were obtained in 83 kidneys and subsequently confirmed in 67.

Chronic hemodynamic effects of propranolol treatment in dialysis-refractory hypertension.

The hemodynamic mechanism of the hypotensive effect of propranolol was studied by quantitative radiocardiography in 8 patients with dialysis-resistant hypertension. Propranolol treatment brought about a decrease in mean arterial pressure and peripheral vascular resistances. The cardiac index was slightly reduced only in the early stage of the treatment.