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In this study we have demonstrated that by combining data from several recent controlled human exposure studies it is possible systematically to relate increases in airways resistance to the rate of SO2exposure (Dmin) in the exercising asthmatic. It was determined that the mode of SO2exposure (oral vs. oronasal) greatly influences the degree of response in the asthmatic. Forced oral breathing consistently produces larger percentage increases in SRawper unit increase in SO2exposure rate. We have demonstrated further that while the dose/effect relationship which describes the increases in specific airways resistance ( SRaw) versus exposure rate (Dmin) of SO2is most consistently exponential in character, a linear (more conservative) model also can be used to fit the data. Using both the linear and exponential model, we have constructed a matrix which allows direct estimation of the combined minute ventilation (VE) and SO2concentration (as ppm or μg/L) required to achieve various levels of specific airways resistance increase. In this report this matrix is constructed only on subjects breathing in an unencumbered (oronasal) manner. Future reports will explore these relationships in the asthmatic breathing in an encumbered (oral) manner.

Extensive ambient extraction of several metals from human hair compromises some assumptions concerning the binding of metals to hair and the biochemical process of metal incorporation into hair. Hair metal concentrations can reveal metal intoxications and metal deficiencies. The scalp hair selected for investigation included specimens of different colors from both sexes for various donor ages and from different geographic exposure areas. The hair samples were washed by agitation for 30 min with a 1% solution of sodium lauryl sulfate in a pH 7.2 buffer, rinsed repeatedly with deionized water, and oven-dried at 110°C before 2-g portions were taken for extraction and digestion. Extraction involved agitation of the washed hair samples for 21 hr with 40 ml of 1% nitric acid at room temperature (23°C). The extracted hair was digested in order to quantitate the amount of metal that was not extracted. Metal measurements were made by conventional flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Potential interferences were investigated. Extraction varied between 82 and 100% for Na, Mg, K, Ca, Mn, Zn, Cd, and Pb. Removal of Fe, Ni, and Cu was 33-54%. Anatomical location, binding chemistry, biochemical incorporation, and mass screening are discussed.

In this study the authors have demonstrated that by combining data from several recent controlled human exposure studies it is possible systematically to relate increases in airways resistance to the rate of SO sub(2) exposure (D sub(min)) in the exercising asthmatic. It was determined that the mode of SO sub(2) exposure (oral vs. oronasal) greatly influences the degree of response in the asthmatic. Using both the linear and exponential model, the authors have constructed a matrix which allows direct estimation of the combined minute ventilaton ( super(.)V) sub(E)) and SO sub(2) concentration (as ppm or mu g/L) required to achieve various levels of specific airways resistance increase.

RadioLab is an Italian project, addressed to school-age people, and designed for the dissemination of scientific culture on the theme of environmental radioactivity, with particular regards to the importance of knowledge of radon gas exposure. The project is a nationwide initiative promoted by the National Institute of Nuclear Physics- INFN. First tool used by the project, and of immediate impact to assess the public awareness on radon, is the administration of the survey “do you know the radon gas?”. In the survey, together with the knowledge of radon and of its sources, information on personal, cultural and territorial details regarding the interviewees are also taken. Reasonably, the survey invests not only young people, but also their relatives, school workers and, gradually, the public. The survey is administrated during exhibitions or outreach events devoted to schools, but also open to the public. The survey is in dual form: printed and online. The online mode clearly leads RadioLab project even outside the school environment. Based on the results of the survey, several statistical analyses have been performed and many conclusions are drawn about the knowledge of the population on the radon risk. The RadioLab benefit and the requirement to carry on the project goals, spreading awareness of environmental radioactivity from radon, emerge. The dataset involves all twenty Italian regions and consists of 28,612 entries covering the 5-year period 2018–2022.

This work describes the different attempts and the consequent results derived from the integration of an HBIM model into an already structured spatial database (DB) and its 3D visualisation in a GIS project.This study is connected to the European ResCult (Increasing Resilience of Cultural Heritage) project where a DB for multiscale analyses was defined. To test the methodology proposed, the case study of Santa Maria dei Miracoli church in Venice was chosen since it represents a complex architectural heritage piece in a risk zone, it has been subject to a vast restoration intervention in the recent past but a digital documentation and model concerning it was missing.The 3D model of the church was structured in Revit as a HBIM, with the association of different kind of information and data related to the architectural elements by means of ‘shared parameters’ and ‘system families’. This procedure allows to reach an even higher Level of Detail (LOD4), but lead to some issues related to the semantic and software interoperability. To solve these problems the existing DB for the resilience of cultural heritage was extended adding a new entity representing the architectural elements designed in the BIM project.The aim of the test is to understand how the data and attributes inserted in the HBIM are converted and handled when dealing with a GIS DB, stepping from the IFC to the CityGML standard, through the FME software.

B cell depleting therapies permit immunosuppressive drug withdrawal and maintain remission in patients with frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome (FRNS) or steroid–dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS), but lack of biomarkers for treatment failure. Post-depletion immune cell reconstitution may identify relapsing patients, but previous characterizations suffered from methodological limitations of flow cytometry. Time-of-flight mass cytometry (CyTOF) is a comprehensive analytic modality that simultaneously quantifies over 40 cellular markers. Herein, we report CyTOF-enabled immune cell comparisons over a 12-month period from 30 children with SDNS receiving B cell depleting therapy who either relapsed (n = 17) or remained stable (n = 13). Anti-CD20 treatment depleted all B cells subsets and CD20 depleting agent choice (rituximab vs ofatumumab) did not affect B cell subset recovery. Despite equal total numbers of B cells, 5 subsets of B cells were significantly higher in relapsing individuals; all identified subsets of B cells were class-switched. T cell subsets (including T follicular helper cells and regulatory T cells) and other major immune compartments were largely unaffected by B cell depletion, and similar between relapsing and stable children. In conclusion, CyTOF analysis of immune cells from anti-CD20 antibody treated patients identifies class-switched B cells as the main subset whose expansion associates with disease relapse. Our findings set the basis for future studies exploring how identified subsets can be used to monitor treatment response and improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease.

Many maternal immune cells populate the decidua, which is the mucosal lining of the uterus transformed during pregnancy. Here, abundant natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages help the uterine vasculature adapt to fetal demands for gas and nutrients, thereby supporting fetal growth. Fetal trophoblast cells budding off the forming placenta and invading deep into maternal tissues come into contact with these and other immune cells. Besides their homeostatic functions, decidual NK cells can respond to pathogens during infection, but in doing so, they may become conflicted between destroying the invader and sustaining fetoplacental growth. We review how maternal NK cells balance their double duty both in the local microenvironment of the uterus and systemically, during toxoplasmosis, influenza, cytomegalovirus, malaria and other infections that threat pregnancy. We also discuss recent developments in the understanding of NK-cell responses to SARS-Cov-2 infection and the possible dangers of COVID-19 during pregnancy.

Background Vitamin D status may influence heart failure (HF) patient outcomes by affecting b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and enhancing cardiac contractility. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with morbidity and mortality in HF patients. The objective of this study was to determine if vitamin D3 at a comparatively high dose would replete 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) stores, improve BNP, PTH, cardiopulmonary function, reduce inflammatory markers, and improve quality of life (QOL) in HF patients. Methods This was a 6 month, parallel group, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single clinic center, randomized trial of supplemental vitamin D3 using a dose of 10,000 IU daily or placebo in 40 vitamin D deficient or insufficient (25(OH)D level ≤ 32 ng/ml) patients with stable New York Heart Association Class II-III HF in a specialty cardiology clinic. All variables were measured at baseline and 6 months. Values between the two treatment groups were assessed using Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney Test. Univariate analysis of covariance was conducted to adjust for variance in baseline 25(OH)D. Results All results were adjusted for baseline 25(OH)D. The change in BNP from baseline was ∆ +30 ± 950 pg/ml for treatment vs. placebo ∆ +400 ± 1900 pg/ml, p  = 0.003. 25(OH)D serum levels rose by 49 ± 32 ng/ml in the treatment group vs 4 ± 10 ng/ml in the placebo group, p  < 0.001. PTH and exercise chronotropic response index improved in the treatment group vs placebo group, respectively, but both were attenuated by adjustment ((∆-20 ± 20 pg/ml vs ∆ + 7 ± 53 pg/ml respectively ( p  = 0.01, adjusted p  = 0.07)) and (∆ + 0.13 ± 0.26 vs. ∆-0.03 ± 02.9 respectively, p  < 0.01, adjusted p  = 0.17)). Other measured cardiopulmonary parameters remained unchanged. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) remained unchanged for women, but improved for men (∆-2 ± 4 treatment versus ∆2 ± 5 mg/L placebo, p  = 0.05). QOL scores, including composite overall and clinical summary scores significantly improved in treatment compared to placebo (∆ + 10 ± 15 versus −6 ± 15, p  < 0.01 and ∆ + 8 ± 14 versus −8 ± 18, p  = 0.01, respectively). Conclusions Repletion of 25(OH)D may improve QOL in HF patients and may help to normalize BNP, PTH, and hsCRP. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, Trial Registration Number: NCT01636570 , First registered 3 July 2012.