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In the ongoing battle against infectious diseases, innovative nanotextured antipathogenic coatings provide promising avenues for preventing pathogens from spreading. Understanding their interactions at the micro/nanoscale is crucial for improving their design and efficacy. This work proposes a model for the interaction between pathogens and nanotextured antipathogenic coated surfaces. For this purpose, the forces and deformations experienced by pathogens upon contact with nanotextured surfaces are studied. To achieve this goal, a computational model based on the molecular dynamics software ESPResSo and, particularly, the Object-In-Fluid implementation, has been developed, extending the previous works of I. Jančigova et al. and G. Lazzini et al. More specifically, a Staphylococcus Aureus bacterium is modelled as an elastic cell represented by a triangular mesh and immersed in a computational Lattice-Boltzmann fluid. The size, shape and elastic properties of the pathogen cell are tuned, emulating those of Staphylococcus Aureus. A poly(methyl methacrylate) substrate laser-sintered with Ag nanoparticles is modelled with a triangular mesh, and the interactions between the cell and the substrate are introduced through a Lennard-Jones potential. The simulations performed reveal the influence of surface geometry and dispersion in the coated substrate, providing critical insights into designing more effective antibacterial surfaces that inhibit pathogen proliferation.

Photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) is a new advanced imaging technique that is going to transform the standard clinical use of computed tomography (CT) imaging. Photon-counting detectors resolve the number of photons and the incident X-ray energy spectrum into multiple energy bins. Compared with conventional CT technology, PCCT offers the advantages of improved spatial and contrast resolution, reduction of image noise and artifacts, reduced radiation exposure, and multi-energy/multi-parametric imaging based on the atomic properties of tissues, with the consequent possibility to use different contrast agents and improve quantitative imaging. This narrative review first briefly describes the technical principles and the benefits of photon-counting CT and then provides a synthetic outline of the current literature on its use for vascular imaging.

We assessed whether high triglycerides (TG) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, expressed by an increased TG/HDL-C ratio, predict coronary atherosclerotic disease (CAD) outcomes in patients with stable angina. We studied 355 patients (60 ± 9 years, 211 males) with stable angina who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA), were managed clinically and followed for 4.5 ± 0.9 years. The primary composite outcome was all-cause mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction. At baseline, the proportion of males, patients with metabolic syndrome, diabetes and obstructive CAD increased across TG/HDL-C ratio quartiles, together with markers of insulin resistance, hepatic and adipose tissue dysfunction and myocardial damage, with no difference in total cholesterol or LDL-C. At follow-up, the global CTA risk score (HR 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.09, P  = 0.001) and the IV quartile of the TG/HDL-C ratio (HR 2.85, 95% CI 1.30–6.26, P  < 0.01) were the only independent predictors of the primary outcome. The TG/HDL-C ratio and the CTA risk score progressed over time despite increased use of lipid-lowering drugs and reduction in LDL-C. In patients with stable angina, high TG and low HDL-C levels are associated with CAD related outcomes independently of LDL-C and treatments. Trial registration. EVINCI study: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00979199, registered September 17, 2009; SMARTool study: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04448691, registered June 26, 2020.

Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) performed on traditional single-photon emission computed-tomography cameras has been shown to have a sub-optimal accuracy in detecting multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). Six-hundred and ninety-five patients were submitted to MPI on a novel cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) camera and coronary angiography. A coronary stenosis >70% was considered obstructive. In every patient, the summed stress score (SSS) was computed. Moreover, the regional stress scores were also calculated for every coronary territory. Four-hundred and forty-one patients had obstructive CAD in one (28%), two (19%), or three (17%) vessels. At per-patient analysis, the SSS showed a significant accuracy in detecting obstructive CAD (AUC 0.87, P < .001). Specifically, its accuracy was maintained also in patients with double (AUC 0.83; P < .001) or triple-vessels disease (AUC 0.79, P < .001), where CZT was able to correctly identify CAD extent in 64% of patients. On a per-vessel basis, CZT confirmed its high accuracy in detecting obstructive CAD (AUC 0.88, P < .001), independently from the involved coronary vessel. MPI performed on a CZT camera is highly accurate in detecting obstructive CAD, independently from the coronary artery involved and the overall disease burden.

Photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) is an emerging technology that can potentially transform clinical CT imaging. After a brief description of the PCCT technology, this review summarizes its main advantages over conventional CT: improved spatial resolution, improved signal and contrast behavior, reduced electronic noise and artifacts, decreased radiation dose, and multi-energy capability with improved material discrimination. Moreover, by providing an overview of the existing literature, this review highlights how the PCCT benefits have been harnessed to enhance and broaden the diagnostic capabilities of CT for cardiovascular applications, including the detection of coronary artery calcifications, evaluation of coronary plaque extent and composition, evaluation of coronary stents, and assessment of myocardial tissue characteristics and perfusion.

Greenways, territorial fragilities, and landscape are distinct themes. This is evident from the comparison of projects for the five coastal greenways already implemented in Italy on abandoned railway tracks. The aim is to overcome this separation by envisioning the greenway as an environmental infrastructure that serves as a catalyst for a broader territorial project, as achieved by San Rafael, Melbourne, and Enschede. The perspective is to utilise rain gardens, bioswales, and stormwater tree trenches to transform the greenway into a permeable body where existing and planned vegetation provides opportunities to rethink open space in terms of ecosystem services. This new design concept is also beneficial for the fourteen greenways scheduled for future implementation.

The photon-counting detector (PCD) is a new computed tomography detector technology (photon-counting computed tomography, PCCT) that provides substantial benefits for cardiac and coronary artery imaging. Compared with conventional CT, PCCT has multi-energy capability, increased spatial resolution and soft tissue contrast with near-null electronic noise, reduced radiation exposure, and optimization of the use of contrast agents. This new technology promises to overcome several limitations of traditional cardiac and coronary CT angiography (CCT/CCTA) including reduction in blooming artifacts in heavy calcified coronary plaques or beam-hardening artifacts in patients with coronary stents, and a more precise assessment of the degree of stenosis and plaque characteristic thanks to its better spatial resolution. Another potential application of PCCT is the use of a double-contrast agent to characterize myocardial tissue. In this current overview of the existing PCCT literature, we describe the strengths, limitations, recent applications, and promising developments of employing PCCT technology in CCT.

The left atrial appendage (LAA) is a complex cardiovascular structure which can yield to thrombi formation in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). The study of LAA fluid dynamics together with morphological features should be investigated in order to evaluate the possible connection of geometrical and hemodynamics indices with the stroke risk. To reach this goal, we conducted a morphological analysis of four different LAA shapes considering their variation during the cardiac cycle and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations in AF conditions were carried out. The analysis of main geometrical LAA parameters showed a huger ostium and a reduced motility for the cauliflower and cactus shapes, as well as a lower velocity values from the CFD analysis. Such findings are in line with literature and highlight the importance of coupling dynamics imaging data with CFD calculations for providing information not available at clinical level.

The latest technological advancements in CT enable the exploration of unprecedented limits of spatial resolution in in vivo imaging. Nowadays, ultra-high-resolution imaging is available by using CT with detector elements at or smaller than 0.25 mm along the z -axis, like those used on photon-counting CT (PCCT) scanners. However, spatial resolution represents a complex criterion of imaging performance affected not only by detector elements, but also by other complex variables that can interact with each other. Knowledge of these variables and the metrics to evaluate spatial resolution is key to performing accurate cardiothoracic examinations with optimized CT protocols, which can eventually reduce acquisition times and radiation doses. This opens to a sustainable cardiothoracic radiology that permits accurate cardiac CT evaluations also in patients previously excluded, due to high calcium score, metallic stents or obesity, and allows to reduce radiation doses to never-seen levels. In this article, we review the technical advancements that allowed such an increase in spatial resolution in PCCT, along with all technical determinants of spatial resolution, the metrics to evaluate it, the clinical impact of UHR at PCCT and its challenges on cardiothoracic imaging. Relevance statement Knowledge of the ultra-high spatial resolution capabilities of new photon-counting CT technology is key to its best uses — performing accurate diagnostic examinations at unmatched low radiation doses and scanning patients previously excluded from cardiac CT examinations. Key Points Photon-counting CT scanners enable radiologists to evaluate cardiothoracic examinations with an exceptional spatial resolution, along with spectral information and dose reduction. The ultra-high spatial resolution in cardiovascular imaging enables accurate assessment in patients previously excluded, such as obese, those with extensive calcifications or metallic stents. Ultra-high spatial resolution empowers the visualization and follow-up of focal and diffuse lung diseases at unmatched accuracy and low radiation doses. Graphical Abstract

Background During the COVID-19 emergency, IRST IRCCS, an Italian cancer research institute and promoter of no profit clinical studies, adapted its activities and procedures as per European and national guidelines to maintain a high standard of clinical trials, uphold participant safety and guarantee the robustness and reliability of the data collected. This study presents the measures adopted by our institute with the aim of providing information that could be useful to other academic centers promoting clinical trials during the pandemic. Main text After an in-depth analysis of European and Italian guidelines and consultation and analysis of publications regarding the actions implemented by international no profit clinical trial promoters during the emergency, we monitored the way in which the institute managed clinical trials, verifying compliance with regulatory guidelines and clinical procedures, and evaluating screening and recruitment trends in studies. During the pandemic, our center activated a new clinical trial for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. A number of procedural changes in clinical trials were also authorized through notified amendments, in accordance with Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) guidelines. Patient screening and enrolment was not interrupted in any site participating in multicenter interventional clinical trials on drugs. The institute provided clear indications about essential procedures to be followed, identifying those that could be postponed or carried out by telephone/teleconference. All external sites were monitored remotely, avoiding on-site visits. Although home-working was encouraged, the presence of staff in the central office was also guaranteed to ensure the continuity of promoter activities. Conclusions Some measures adopted by IRST could also be effective outside of the COVID-19 period, e.g. numerous activities relating to clinical trial management could be performed on a home-working basis, using suitable digital technologies. In the future, electronic medical records and shared guidelines will be essential for the correct identification and management of trial risks, including the protection of the rights and privacy of subjects taking part. Promoter supervision could be increased by implementing centralized monitoring tools to guarantee data quality. Closer collaboration between promoters and local study staff is needed to optimize trial management.