A hazardous gas eruption from two very close shallow boreholes occurred near the Fiumicino International Airport of Roma (Italy) from August to December 2013. The erupted gas was mostly CO2 of deep ...origin and gas output was high and sustained over time reaching values of nearly 20tday−1. After 3months, the gas flux was still above 5tday−1 and was only stopped in December 2013 by long and expensive works of closure of the boreholes. The gas eruption was uncommon as being associated with the building of two mud volcanoes. This style of sustained deep CO2 eruptions contrasts with the more common short-lived eruptions of shallow biogenic methane-dominated gas pockets. In this work, we present the chronology of the event, the results of geological, geochemical, and geophysical monitoring and a numerical modeling. We propose that the August–December 2013 sustained and prolonged event does not relate to the simple degassing of a shallow, isolated pocket of gas. On the contrary, it reflects very specific conditions in a shallow reservoir (hosted in a 10m thick gravel layer at −40m within the Tiber river delta deposits), related to the interplay between the total pressure and the fraction of free CO2 initially present, across very narrow value ranges around 0.59MPa and 0.18, respectively. The coexistence of short-lived and long-lived eruptions from the same reservoir suggest that these conditions are not achieved everywhere in the gas reservoir, despite its homogeneous properties. This consideration implies either a pressure compartmentalization of the reservoir, or the occurrence of a transient, possibly associated with an impulsive release of gas from greater depths. The involvement of deeper and larger gas reservoirs connected along faults is evidenced by geophysical investigations. This conceptual model bears significant implications for gas hazard studies.
•Shallow gas blowouts may trigger deep gas reservoirs.•Formation of mud volcanoes needs a fraction of exsolved gas phase.•Permeable faults drive deep gas uprise.
The COVID-19 pandemic has surprised the entire population. The world has had to face an unprecedented pandemic. Only, Spanish flu had similar disastrous consequences. As a result, drastic measures ...(lockdown) have been adopted worldwide. Healthcare service has been overwhelmed by the extraordinary influx of patients, often requiring high intensity of care. Mortality has been associated with severe comorbidities, including chronic diseases. Patients with frailty were, therefore, the victim of the SARS-COV-2 infection. Allergy and asthma are the most prevalent chronic disorders in children and adolescents, so they need careful attention and, if necessary, an adaptation of their regular treatment plans. Fortunately, at present, young people are less suffering from COVID-19, both as incidence and severity. However, any age, including infancy, could be affected by the pandemic.Based on this background, the Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology has felt it necessary to provide a Consensus Statement. This expert panel consensus document offers a rationale to help guide decision-making in the management of children and adolescents with allergic or immunologic diseases.
Anemia is a common extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with a 6% to 74% prevalence and a negative impact on patient survival and quality of life, although the ...prevalence is apparently declining due to improved disease treatment. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, pathogenesis, and clinical correlates of anemia in Italian patients with IBD.
A multicenter, prospective, observational study, involving 28 Italian gastroenterology centers, was conducted to investigate the epidemiology and consequences of IBD-associated anemia. Clinical and laboratory data of anemic patients were obtained at study enrolment.
Anemia was diagnosed in 737 of 5416 adult IBD outpatients (prevalence 13.6%); females were more commonly affected than males (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.2-1.7) and had more severe anemia. In the majority of cases, anemia was due to iron deficiency (62.5% of cases; 95% CI, 58.3%-66.6%), either isolated or in association with inflammation and/or vitamin deficiencies; anemia of inflammation accounted for only 8.3% of cases. More severe anemia was associated with increasing fatigue and worse quality of life. Only 68.9% of anemic patients with iron deficiency (95% CI, 63.4%-73.8%) and 34.6% of those with vitamin deficiencies (95% CI, 26.2%-44.2%) were properly treated with supplementation therapy.
In Italy, the prevalence of IBD-associated anemia is lower than previously reported. Anemia of IBD is most commonly due to iron deficiency and contributes to fatigue and poor quality of life, but remains untreated in a large proportion of patients with iron and/or vitamin deficiencies. This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02872376.
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