44 research outputs found
[Air and biomonitoring of occupational exposure to anesthetic gases in the health care workers of a large hospital in Milan]
No full textIn this study exposure to anesthetic gases in health care workers of a hospital of Milan was investigated. The evaluation focused on the period 2007-2010 and was performed by environmental monitoring (20 operating rooms and 54 samples) and biological monitoring (180 workers and 242 urine samples). Mean airborne exposure was 3:15 and 0.34 ppm for nitrogen protoxide (N2O) and sevorane; in end-of-exposure urine samples the concentration of N2O and hexafluoroisopropanol, metabolite of sevorane, were 4.85 mg/L and 0.21 mg/L, with 80 and 21% of values below the quantification limit. Sevorane monitoring exceeded or equaled the environmental limit value of 0.5 ppm and the biological exposure index in 17 and 11% of measures. There were no observed exceedances of the limit for N2O. The anesthetist and scrub nurse were tasks with greater exposure. There was a significant correlation between airborne halogenated gases and urinary hexafluoroisopropanol. The results of this study indicates that further efforts are needed to improve the hygienic conditions in the investigated hospital
Super-spherical core-shell nanoparticles: Nanostructured materials enabling applications in the visible regime
No full textGain-assisted plasmonic metamaterials: mimicking nature to go across scales
No full textNature as a source of inspiration for designing and fabricating nanostructured materials with unconventional properties is an unparalleled driving force of this work leading to low-loss metamaterials. Here, we report about a multipronged approach to create optical metamaterials based on plasmonic nanostructures, hierarchical organization and interplay between plasmon elements and excitonic molecules. This work is focused on strategies and approaches to produce gain to metamaterials across scales with the aim of realizing low-loss optical materials and unlocking their unconvetional electromagnetic properties. Finally, we describe how a biomimetic approach based on gain-functionalized bionanoparticle can be harnessed for diagnostics and theranostics
Tracing the dispersal route of the invasive Japanese beetle Popillia japonica
Get PDFThe Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, is a highly polyphagous Scarabaeidae native to Japan that colonized North America and Azores in the last century and has recently invaded Italy and Switzerland. Considering its economic impact on the horticulture and turfgrass industries, this species was ranked within the EU priority pests list in 2019. According to the EU Convention on Biological Diversity, the identification of invasion routes is a pivotal aspect in an effective management program aimed at controlling invasive alien species. To reconstruct the source of introductions of this pest, we investigated the genetic variability of P. japonica in its native and invaded areas worldwide by analyzing 9 microsatellite loci and two mitochondrial genes, COX I and CytB. In its native area, P. japonica is structured into two populations: one in the southern and another in the northern-central region of Japan. A limited area within central Japan was identified as the putative source of the North American outbreak. Moreover, the ABC inference and phylogeographic reconstruction suggest that two European populations originated from two independent introductions. The Azores Islands outbreak occurred approximately 50 years ago and originated from the southeastern region of North America (For simplicity, in this paper North America refers to Canada and the USA), while the second introduction, more recently, occurred in Italy and Switzerland and originated from northeastern region of North America
Neonatal Skin Disorders
No full textBy the end of pregnancy, fetal skin anatomy and composition are similar to those of adults. By 22–24 weeks all anatomical elements are present, while functional and biochemical maturity takes several years to achieve (Table 148.1). There are structural differences between the skin of the preterm neonate, term neonate and adult that have significant physiological and clinical consequences
ERYTHROPLASIA OF QUEYRAT IN IN A HIV-POSITIVE MALESUCCESSFULLY TREATED WITH IMIQUIMOD 5% CREAM
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First assessment of entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes in hot springs in central Italy with the first record of Pristionchus uniformis for the country
Get PDFGeothermal soils in Central Italy are characterized by high temperatures (up to 60°C), low pH values, and sparse vegetation. The biodiversity of entomopathogenic soil fungi and nematodes has never been assessed in these areas. Soil samples (N = 12) separated from each other by at least 100 meters were collected in the areas of Le Biancane Natural Park (Grosseto) and Sasso Pisano (Pisa). The Galleria bait method was used to assess the presence of entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes. A total of nine species of fungi and one nematode were isolated and molecularly identified. All these species came from samples collected in the immediate surroundings of geothermal spring, apart from one Beauveria pseudobassiana collected at about 16 meters from the nearest spring. Moreover, Pristionchus uniformis previously reported only from North America and few European countries is recorded for the first time in Italy
First report of Rhabditis (Rhabditella) axei with the invasive palm borer Paysandisia archon
Get PDFRhabditis (Rhabditella) axei is a free-living, pseudoparasitic, necromenic, and parasitic nematode, depending on the host. This species feeds mainly on bacteria present in decaying organic matter, soil, and other substrates; however, in its parasitic form, it can colonize some species of snails. Moreover, the presence of R. axei has also been detected in birds and mammals, including humans. In 2021-2023, during monitoring of the palm borer Paysandisia archon in Central Italy, R. axei emerged from dead larvae of this alien invasive moth and was extracted from palm fibres of Trachycarpus fortunei in three independent sites. The nematode was identified by morphological and morphometric analyses. Molecular analyses using SSU and LSU gene fragments were used to confirm the identification and to perform Bayesian reconstruction of the phylogeny. Each sampling site showed a unique haplotype. Concerning the pathogenicity of this nematode against insects, the test performed on Galleria mellonella larvae did not show any entomopathogenic effect. This is the first time that R. axei was found associated with P. archon, and this recurrent association was discussed
Magneto-optics in type-II hyperbolic metamaterial nanoantennas
No full textWe study magneto-optical circular dichroism in type-II hyperbolic nanoantennas. Experiments and numerical simulations reveal a broadband response, which we ascribe to the excitation of electric and magnetic dipole modes coupled to an external magnetic field
