Arrays of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) fabricated in a 150 nm CMOS technology have been exposed to neutrons up to fluences of about <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">4.3 \times ...10^{10}~1 </tex-math></inline-formula> MeV neutron equivalent cm<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">^{-2} </tex-math></inline-formula>, with fluxes around <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">3 \times 10^{6}~1 </tex-math></inline-formula> MeV neutron equivalent cm<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">^{-2}\text{s}^{-1} </tex-math></inline-formula>. Dark count rate (DCR) was monitored during irradiation and for some time, from 5 to 23 min, depending on the irradiation step, at the end of the irradiation interval to investigate the dynamics of defect formation and short-term annealing. Measurements were performed both on single- and on dual-layer devices, where SPAD arrays are face to face bonded and read out in coincidence. A range of different DCR behaviors were detected after single neutron interaction with the device substrate, including in particular partial performance recovery following a logarithmic relaxation process, but also damped oscillation phenomena, sudden step-shaped changes, and the emergence of RTS-like fluctuations, pointing to different defect reordering dynamics.
Main clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection are characterized by fever, dyspnea, and interstitial pneumonia, frequently evolving in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Features of ...coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents some common points with interstitial lung disease (ILD) both idiopathic and related to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), typically characterized by a chronic progression over time and possibly complicated by acute exacerbation (AE). The study of common pathogenetic mechanisms, such as the involvement of toll-like receptor 4, could contribute to the knowledge and treatment of idiopathic and RA-ILD. Moreover, hyperinflammation, mainly characterized by increase of effector T-cells and inflammatory cytokines, and activation of coagulation cascade, observed in COVID-19 related ARDS have been already shown in patients with AE of idiopathic and RA-ILD. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, together with a manual search in COVID-resource centers of the main journals.
Despite the uncertainty about pathogenetic aspects about COVID-19- pneumonia, it could be a possible model for other forms of ILD and AE. The great amount of data from studies on COVID-19 could be helpful in proposing safe therapeutic approaches for RA-ILD, in understanding pathogenesis of usual interstitial pneumonia and to develop new therapeutic strategies for AE.
Single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays fabricated in a 180-nm CMOS technology with a high-voltage option have been exposed to calibrated neutron and X-ray sources to evaluate their radiation ...tolerance. The technology is being investigated in view of the design of low material budget detectors for charged particle tracking based on the coincidence of the signals coming from two or more overlapping layers of SPAD sensors. Each element in the array is a monolithic detector including the processing electronics together with the diode in the same substrate. Different sensor dimensions and structures have been implemented in the test chip to thoroughly explore the technology features. This paper will present and discuss the results from the characterization, in terms of dark count rate, of SPAD arrays irradiated with X-ray doses reaching 1 Mrad(SiO 2 ) and with neutron fluences up to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">10^{11}~1 </tex-math></inline-formula>-MeV neutron equivalent cm<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">^{-2} </tex-math></inline-formula>.
Dark count rate (DCR) increase in CMOS single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) exposed to a nonmonochromatic neutron source is modeled, taking into accountthe source spectrum and the geometry of the ...device under test. Experimental results from the characterization of SPADs fabricated in a 150-nm technology and irradiated with 1-MeV neutron equivalent fluences up to 1011 cm-2 are found to be in good agreement with the theoretically calculated distribution of the nonionizing energy deposited in the device substrate.
Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) fabricated using two different CMOS technologies were exposed to a neutron source up to a maximum fluence of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">3\times ...10^{11}\,\,1 </tex-math></inline-formula>-MeV neutron equivalent cm −2 . Significant changes in the dark count rate (DCR), with a strong dependence on the fluence and the device active area, were detected after irradiation. A model for the probability of DCR degradation, accounting for the source spectrum and the geometry of the device under test (DUT), was proposed and proved to be in good agreement with experimental data. The model may be helpful in performing worst-case analysis of SPAD-based detection systems under neutron irradiation.
Digital ulcers (DU) may develop in half of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients; they are often resistant to treatments. Deep wound debridement is crucial for DU healing, but very difficult to carry out ...without adequate procedural pain management. Here, we report the results of our experience on procedural pain management in scleroderma DU.
The study included 51 DU observed in 32 consecutive SSc patients; procedural pain was treated following a definite schedule: local lidocaine and prilocaine (25 mg of either agent per gram of cream, EMLA 5%) were initially used in all cases, followed by local and oral morphine, according to the severity of pain scored on a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS).
At baseline, higher pain VAS was recorded in more severe (p=0.0001) and/or infected DU (p=0.0001). Good compliance to DU debridement was observed in patients with mild pain (VAS ≤4) treated with only EMLA, and in 5 cases with moderate-severe pain (VAS >4) at baseline. While, the majority of DU with moderate-severe pain (34/39) needed a combined therapy with EMLA and local morphine (8/34) or with EMLA, local and oral morphine (26/34). On the whole, pain management during DU debridement required only EMLA application in 33% of cases, EMLA plus local morphine in 16%, while combined EMLA, local and oral morphine were necessary in 51%, generally with more severe and/or infected lesions.
The present study showed valuable control of procedural pain during DU debridement with sequential, combined analgesic treatment.
Thymus alterations have been related to several autoimmune disorders. In particular, previous studies identified a significant frequency of gland abnormalities by chest high-resolution CT (HRCT) in ...SSc patients. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of radiological thymic alterations and their correlation with clinical and serological features in a large SSc series.
We retrospectively evaluated thymic shape on CT scans of 200 consecutive, unselected SSc patients aged over 30 years The presence of radiological abnormalities, i.e. enlarged gland >13 mm or nodular lesions >7 mm, was correlated with SSc clinico-serological features. Moreover, the patients were also classified using a second thickness cut-off of 7 mm in order to identify incomplete thymic involution.
Twenty-four of 200 (12%) SSc patients presented an abnormal thymus at HRCT, including hyperplasic (19/24) and nodular (5/24) glands. Otherwise, using the cut-off of 7 mm for gland thickness and excluding subjects with nodular thymus, 50/195 (25.6%) patients presented an incomplete thymic involution. Thymic radiological alterations are significantly correlated with younger age and diffuse cutaneous SSc. Moreover, an abnormally enlarged thymus tended to be more common in patients with shorter disease duration.
The present report on a large series of SSc patients further reinforces previous data present in the literature that includes other cohort studies and a number of anecdotal observations. Even though the actual role of thymus radiological abnormalities remains unclear, possible involvement of the gland in the early phase of immune-mediated SSc pathogenesis might be supposed.
Background. The association of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and haematological cancers was reported in a large number of case reports and cohort studies, describing SSc patients with highly heterogeneous ...clinical pictures. Objective. We reviewed the literature to better describe SSc patients with haematological malignancies. Methods. SSc cases complicated by haematological malignancies described in the world literature were collected; other 2 cases referred to our centre were reported. Results. One hundred-thirty SSc subjects were collected from 1954 up to date. The mean age of patients at cancer diagnosis was 56.1 ± 16.7 years; 72% of patients were females. In 60% of cases, the diagnosis of haematological malignancy was described within 5 years of SSc diagnosis. In 7.8% of cases, coexistence of Sjögren’s syndrome or other autoimmune disorders was cited. Sixty-six cases with lymphoma (in the majority of cases B-cell neoplasms), 28 with leukaemia (chronic lymphocytic form in 9), 14 with multiple myeloma plus one solitary IgM plasmocytoma, and 16 with myeloproliferative disorders were found. No specific SSc subsets seem to be related to haematological malignancies. Conclusions. We remarked the importance of clinical work-up in SSc, in order to early diagnose and treat eventual occult haematological malignancies, especially during the first years of the disease.
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