Noise maps and action plans represent the main tools in the fight against citizens' exposure to noise, especially that produced by road traffic. The present and the future in smart traffic control is ...represented by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), which however have not yet been sufficiently studied as possible noise-mitigation tools. However, ITS dedicated to traffic control rely on models and input data that are like those required for road traffic noise mapping. The present work developed an instrumentation based on low-cost cameras and a vehicle recognition and counting methodology using modern machine learning techniques, compliant with the requirements of the CNOSSOS-EU noise assessment model. The instrumentation and methodology could be integrated with existing ITS for traffic control in order to design an integrated method, which could also provide updated data over time for noise maps and action plans. The test was carried out as a follow up of the L.I.S.T. Port project, where an ITS was installed for road traffic management in the Italian port city of Piombino. The acoustic efficacy of the installation is evaluated by looking at the difference in the acoustic impact on the population before and after the ITS installation by means of the distribution of noise exposure, the evaluation of G
and G
, and the calculation of the number of highly annoyed and sleep-disturbed citizens. Finally, it is shown how the ITS system represents a valid solution to be integrated with targeted and more specific sound mitigation, such as the laying of low-emission asphalts.
•Development, technological innovations and building physics of natural stone masonry.•Sustainable renovation of stone buildings, preservation of original local landscape.•Survey on the recent ...legislative/technical framework of Italian building technology.•Analysis of structure-borne and air-borne sound insulation of building elements.•Evaluation of energy performance, reduction of energy consumption, thermal comfort.
Natural stone masonry is a building technology largely used all over the world, since the dawn of humankind. At present day stone masonry buildings, beyond being naturally characterized by intrinsic building physics performances, allow to reconsider the use of natural stone masonry (together with new technological supports, components and materials), as a promising “new trend” for both newly developed buildings and renovation of existing buildings, in particular where it is a priority to retrieve the historical identity of the urban landscape.
In this paper, energy performance and structural-acoustic properties of stone masonry buildings, in compliance with seismic safety criteria, are investigated and discussed on the basis of current technical standards and scientific literature. Related performances are evaluated by means of accurate calculation models. The results show that stone masonry buildings can offer often higher performance than those normally attributed to it.
Many improvements have been made in diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the radiological hallmarks of HCC have remained the same for many years. We prospectively evaluated the imaging ...criteria of HCC, early HCC and high-grade dysplastic nodules (HGDNs) in patients under surveillance for chronic liver disease, using gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging.
Our study population included 420 nodules >1 cm in 228 patients. The MRI findings of each nodule were collected in all sequences/phases. The diagnosis of HCC was made according to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) criteria; all atypical nodules were diagnosed using histology.
A classification and regression tree was developed using three MRI findings which were independently significant correlated variables for early HCC/HCC, and the best sequence of their application in a new diagnostic algorithm (hepatobiliary hypointensity, arterial hyperintensity and diffusion restriction) was suggested. This algorithm demonstrated, both in the entire study population and for nodules ≤2 cm, higher sensitivity (96% 95% CI 93.5% to 97.6% and 96.6% 95% CI 93.9% to 98.5%, P<0.001, respectively) and slightly lower specificity (91.8% 95% CI 88.6% to 94.1%, P=0.063, and 92.7% 95% CI 88.9% to 95.4%, P=0.125, respectively) than those of the AASLD criteria. Our new diagnostic algorithm also showed a very high sensitivity (94.7%; 95% CI 92% to 96.6%) and specificity (99.3%; 95% CI 97.7% to 99.8%) in classifying HGDN.
Our new diagnostic algorithm demonstrated significantly higher sensitivity and comparable specificity than those of the AASLD imaging criteria for HCC in patients with cirrhosis evaluated using Gd-EOB-DTPA MRI, even for lesions ≤2 cm. Moreover, this diagnostic algorithm allowed evaluating other lesions which could arise in a cirrhotic liver, such as early HCC and HGDN.
Objectives
To evaluate imaging features of microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developed after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in HCV-related cirrhosis.
Methods
...Retrospective cohort study on 344 consecutive patients with HCV-related cirrhosis treated with DAA and followed for 48–74 weeks. Using established imaging criteria for MVI, HCC features were analysed and compared with those in nodules not occurring after DAA.
Results
After DAA, HCC developed in 29 patients (single nodule, 18 and multinodular, 11). Median interval between therapy end and HCC diagnosis was 82 days (0–318). Forty-one HCC nodules were detected (14 de novo, 27 recurrent): maximum diameter was 10–20 mm in 27, 20–50 mm in 13, and > 50 mm in 1. Imaging features of MVI were present in 29/41 nodules (70.7%, CI: 54–84), even in 17/29 nodules with 10–20 mm diameter (58.6%, CI: 39–76). MVI was present in only 17/51 HCC nodules that occurred before DAA treatment (33.3%, CI: 22–47) (p= 0.0007). MVI did not correlate with history of previous HCC.
Conclusions
HCC occurs rapidly after DAA therapy, and aggressive features of MVI characterise most neoplastic nodules. Close imaging evaluations are needed after DAA in cirrhotic patients.
Key Points
•
In HCV cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma develops soon after direct-acting antiviral therapy.
•
HCC presents imaging features of microvascular invasion, predictive of more aggressive progression.
•
Cirrhotic patients need aggressive and close monitoring after direct-acting antiviral therapy.
Antigenic lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) rely on the non-competitive sandwich format, including a detection (labelled) antibody and a capture antibody immobilised onto the analytical membrane. ...When the same antibody is used for the capture and the detection (single epitope immunoassay), the saturation of analyte epitopes by the probe compromises the capture and lowers the sensitivity. Hence, several factors, including the amount of the probe, the antibody-to-label ratio, and the contact time between the probe and the analyte before reaching the capture antibody, must be adjusted. We explored different designs of experiments (full-factorial, optimal, sub-optimal models) to optimise a multiplex sandwich-type LFIA for the diagnosis and serotyping of two Southern African Territory (SAT) serotypes of the foot-and-mouth disease virus, and to evaluate the reduction of the number of experiments in the development. Both assays employed single epitope sandwich, so most influencing variables on the sensitivity were studied and individuated. We upgraded a previous device increasing the sensitivity by a factor of two and reached the visual limit of detection of 10
3.7
and 10
4.0
(TCID/mL) for SAT 1 and SAT 2, respectively. The positioning of the capture region along the LFIA strip was the most influent variable to increase the detectability. Furthermore, we confirmed that the 13-optimal DoE was the most convenient approach for designing the device.
Graphical abstract
Objectives
To assess the inter-operator concordance and the potential sources of discordance in defining response to sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods
All patients who received ...sorafenib between September 2008 and February 2015 were scrutinised for this retrospective study. Images were evaluated separately by three radiologists with different expertise in liver imaging (operator 1, >10 years; operator 2, 5 years; operator 3, no specific training in liver imaging), according to: response evaluation radiological criteria in solid tumours (RECIST) 1.1, modified RECIST (mRECIST) and response evaluation criteria in cancer of the liver (RECICL).
Results
The overall response concordance between the more expert operators was good, irrespective of the criteria (RECIST 1.1, ĸ = 0.840; mRECIST, ĸ = 0.871; RECICL, ĸ = 0.819). Concordance between the less expert operator and the other colleagues was lower. The most evident discordance was in target lesion response assessment, with expert operators disagreeing mostly on lesion selection and less expert operators on lesion measurement. As a clinical correlate, overall survival was more tightly related with “progressive disease” as assessed by the expert compared to the same assessment performed by operator 3.
Conclusions
Decision on whether a patient is a responder or progressor under sorafenib may vary among different operators, especially in case of a non-specifically trained radiologist. Regardless of the adopted criteria, patients should be evaluated by experienced radiologists to minimise variability in this critical instance.
Key Points
• Inter-operator variability in the assessment of response to sorafenib is poorly known.
• The concordance between operators with expertise in liver imaging was good.
• Target lesions selection was the main source of discordance between expert operators.
• Concordance with non-specifically trained operator was lower, independently from the response criteria.
• The non-specifically trained operator was mainly discordant in measurements of target lesions.
The antimicrobial properties of silver have been known for thousands of years. Recently, silver nanoparticles have gained attention because of their antimicrobial activity which offers the ...possibility of their use for medical and hygiene purposes. Indeed, silver nanoparticles in different formulations and with different shapes and sizes exhibit variable antimicrobial activity. However, the mechanisms of antimicrobial activity of silver ions and silver nanoparticles, and their toxicity to human tissues are not fully characterized. This review evaluates the potential use of silver nanoparticles to control pathogens with emphasis on their action against pathogenic bacteria, their toxicity and possible mechanisms of action.
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an infectious disease affecting bovine with severe symptomatology. The implementation of effective control strategies to prevent infection outbreak requires rapid ...diagnostic tools. Two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), targeting different epitopes of the LSDV structural protein p32, and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used to set up a colorimetric sandwich-type lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). Combinations including one or two mAbs, used either as the capture or detection reagent, were explored to investigate the hook effect due to antigen saturation by the detector antibody. The mAb-AuNP preparations were optimized by a full-factorial design of experiment to achieve maximum sensitivity. Opposite optimal conditions were selected when one Mab was used for capture and detection instead of two mAbs; thus, two rational routes for developing a highly sensitive LFIA according to Mab availability were outlined. The optimal LFIA for LSDV showed a low limit of detection (103.4 TCID50/mL), high inter- and intra-assay repeatability (CV% < 5.3%), and specificity (no cross-reaction towards 12 other viruses was observed), thus proving to be a good candidate as a useful tool for the point-of-need diagnosis of LSD.
Biliary anatomic variations are usually asymptomatic, but they may cause problems in diagnostic investigations and interventional and surgical procedures, increasing both their technical difficulty ...and their postoperative complication rates. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of anatomic variations in the intrahepatic biliary ducts (IHBD) in relation to demographical and clinical characteristics in a large study population requiring magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) for various clinical conditions. The possible association between IHBD and extrahepatic biliary ducts (EHBD) variants was then explored. From January 2017 to May 2019, 1004 patients underwent MRCP. Demographical and clinical data were collected. IHBD and EHBD anatomy were recorded and the EHBD anatomy was classified using both qualitative and quantitative classifications. The presence of a type 3 EHBD variant (an abnormal proximal cystic duct CD insertion) in both qualitative and quantitative classifications and an intrapancreatic CD were associated with the presence of IHBD variants at univariate analysis (p = 0.008, p = 0.019, and p = 0.001, respectively). The presence of a posterior or medial insertion of the CD into the EHBD was a strong predictive factor of the presence of IHBD variants both at uni‐ and multivariate analysis (p = 0.002 and p = 0.003 for posterior insertion and p = 0.002 and p = 0.002 for medial insertion, respectively). The presence of gallstones on MRCP resulted in a strong predictor of the presence of an anatomical variant of the IHBD both at uni‐ and multivariate analysis (p = 0.027 and p = 0.046, respectively). In conclusion, the presence of a type 3 variant of the EHBD, an intrapancreatic CD and, especially, a posterior/medial CD insertion into the EHBD represent predictive factors of the concomitant presence of IHBD variants, thus radiologists must be vigilant when encountering these EHBD configurations and always remember to “look up” at the IHBD. Finally, the presence of an IHBD variant is a strong predictive factor of gallstones.
The presence of the Type 3 variant of extrahepatic bile duct i.e. an abnormal proximal CD insertion, according to both the standard classification (CDDP/EHBD ratio > 66%) and the new classification (CDDP/EHBD ratio >75%), an intrapancreatic CD (i.e. an abnormal low CD insertion) and, especially, a posterior or medial insertion of the CD into the EHBD represent predictive factor for the concomitant presence of IHBD variants, thus radiologists must be vigilant when encountering these anatomical configurations and always remember to “look up” also in the intrahepatic system.
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