Get to know to prevent: the Local Health Authority of Cuneo takes care of visual disability

Visual impairment has an important economic weight on our society; in addition to this considerable cost, loss of vision imposes physical, financial and quality of life limitations. Preventing visual impairment is not only a social duty but also an economically convenient activity for the national health system.

On the basis of this concept, a visual impairment disability campaign was carried out in the ASL CN1 (Southern Piedmont Region) taking into account the guidelines recommended by the WHO (1968 screening guidelines but still applicable) in the most disadvantaged territories of the cross-border and rural area, where people have more difficulties to reach territorial services or hospital.

Patients who tested positive for the screening were taken over by the local network for a second-level visit and subsequent follow-up based on the pathology found. In this frame, visual screening represents a promising health policy as it can identify visual disability at an early stage. Through the health information systems (hospital discharge, access to the emergency department and exemptions for pathology), the geographical distribution and demographic characteristics of the subjects with visual disability were described in the ASL CN1 area. The level of detail has reached granularity at the single municipality and single age level.

For the year 2018 among 416.000 residents in ASL CN1, about 4.000 visual impaired subjects were identified (3.188 on the basis of the presence of an exemption for glaucoma, 542 from hospital discharge and 535 at the emergency department). Assessing mortality in this subgroup, the mean age at death is slightly higher than that of general population (82,42 vs 81,39 years respectively). This can be suggestive of an efficient handling the local population with visual disability. The developed indicators can be extended to other periods and new areas.

Key messages

Visual screening represents a promising health policy as it can identify visual disability. Through the health information systems, the geographical distribution and demographic characteristics of the subjects with visual disability were described.

A diabetes focused inter-sectoral approach to a more equal and healthy living environment in Turin

The purpose of the project is to pilot an innovative intervention aiming to enroll the local actors in the responsibility to reduce inequalities in the epidemic of diabetes in the city. In the next few years, all the actors of the diabetes pathway (mostly the health professionals but also the local non-health actors) should analyse and recalibrate their organization and functioning, revising primary care system in the light of the paradigm of pro-active medicine

At first, a community of practice of health professionals involved in diabetes is being convened with the mandate to revise the process of generation, recognition and treatment of diabetes in order to identify the mechanisms potentially able to create inequalities. At the same time a community of practice of local non-health actors is being convened to react to the analysis of mechanisms of the community of practices of health professionals, with the mandate to interpret the data and enrich the diagnosis on mechanisms, relevance and responsibility. The two communities of practice will elaborate a plan of innovation involving the responsibility of the institutions and actors that are playing a role in the mechanisms generating diabetes inequalities, setting targets, assigning responsibilities, orienting resources. The Turin Longitudinal Study will serve as a tool for monitoring the process and assessing results and impact of this innovation. The expected results concern two types of effects, which are monitored. Firstly, improving the care system and collaboration among different services should have an impact on the accessibility and quality of care. These improvements will be introduced concerning specific problems that emerge from the analysis. Secondly, social capital should increase thus increasing the resources available to people, especially the most fragile and isolated ones. The results of this pilot on diabetes will be replicated for the other chronic diseases of the National Plan for Chronic Disease.

Macroalgal forest vs sea urchin barren: Patterns of macro-zoobenthic diversity in a large-scale Mediterranean study

The study aimed at contributing to the knowledge of alternative stable states by evaluating the differences of mobile and sessile macro-zoobenthic assemblages between sea urchin barrens and macroalgal forests in coastal Mediterranean systems considering a large spatial scale. Six sites (100 s km apart) were selected: Croatia, Montenegro, Sicily (Italy), Sardinia (Italy), Tuscany (Italy), and Balearic Islands (Spain). A total of 531 taxa, 404 mobile and 127 sessile macro-invertebrates were recorded. Overall, 496 and 201 taxa were found in macroalgal forests and in barrens, respectively. The results of this large-scale descriptive study have met the expectation of lower macrofauna complexity and diversity in barrens rather than in macroalgal forests, and have allowed estimating the differences in levels of diversity and the consistency of variability across Mediterranean sites. Some peculiar patterns in barrens, related to both abundance of specific taxa and to high values of beta diversity, have been evidenced.

A nanomechanical model enables comprehensive characterization of biological tissues in ultrasound imaging

Sonography, elastography, sonoelastography are ultrasound imaging techniques commonly used in the clinical practice for the diagnosis of many pathological conditions. These highly reliable, non-invasive methods use high frequency, elastic pressure waves (ultrasounds) to interrogate the internal structure of biological tissues and organs, and the continuum mechanics hypothesis to reconstruct, from the output of the system, the biophysical characteristics of the samples. Nevertheless, continuum mechanics disregards the discrete nature of tissues and organs, resulting in an inability for the model to describe some important tissue biophysical characteristics such as the cell size and their spatial layout. Here, we used the theory of doublet mechanics - a discrete nano-mechanical field theory - to model the propagation of ultrasounds in a multilayered biological tissue. We found that the output of the model exhibits a very high sensitivity to the macro and micro characteristics of the tissue, including cell size. We used results from the model to correlate the internal structure of the samples to the reflection coefficient, i.e. the continuum level response of the system. This model, and its more sophisticated evolutions that will be developed over time, can complement traditional ultrasound imaging, and provide ways to analyze non-invasively living tissues with a resolution inaccessible to conventional techniques of analysis, including positron emission tomography, computer tomography, and magnetic resonance.

Modeling and diagnostics for plasma discharge capillaries

In this paper, we show how plasma discharge capillaries can be numerically modeled as resistors within an RLC-series discharge circuit, allowing for a simple description of these systems, while taking into account heat and radiation losses. An analytic radial model is also provided and compared to the numerical model for plasma discharge capillaries at thermal equilibrium, with corrections due to radiation losses. Finally, diagnostic techniques based on visible spectroscopy of plasma emission lines are discussed both for atomic and molecular gases, comparing experimental results with numerical simulations and theoretical calculations.

Suicide epidemiology in Italy: a population-based study in Piedmont Region

Background

Among the largest Italian Regions, Piedmont (Northern Italy) is the one with the highest rate of suicide. Aim of the study was to describe intentional self-harm related deaths in Piedmont analyzing trends by gender, age, area of residence, socio-economic level.

Methods

Observational mortality study of the resident population in Piedmont from 2003 to 2014. Age-standardized rates of suicide (ICD-10: X60-X84) were estimated, by gender, health district of residence, mountain/level ground, and educational level. Suicide methods and places of occurrence by gender and age were inquired.

Results

In a context of declining injury related mortality, especially for traffic accidents, the regional trend of suicides shows only a slight decrease, becoming the main cause of injury deaths since 2009, equal to 21% of all injury deaths in the studied period. There are no significant trend variations related to the period of economic crisis. The occurrence is higher among men in general and particularly in older people, persons with low educational level and those living in deprived areas. The main suicide method used by women is “jumping from a high place” (36.7%) while the main one for men is “hanging, strangulation and suffocation” (50%). This is globally the most frequent method for all ages. “Self-poisoning” gains importance between 30 and 49 years old. Suicides occur for over half of cases in home.

Conclusions

Suicides are a public health and social concern. Yet despite its extent, this problem is still not adequately considered in public health prevention programs. Social and geographical gradients highlitght the importance to improve mental health service provision in deprived areas and to enhance public social welfare measures. Further contributions to a deeper understanding of the determinants of self-harm behaviour and suicidal risk can be obtained from health information systems, in particular data from Emergency Departments and multiple causes of deaths records.

Key messages

In Italy, suicides are the main cause of injury deaths, without trend variations. Occurrence is higher among men, older people, persons with low educational level and those living in deprived areas.

RT Accidents mortality in Italy: a population-based study in Piedmont on Vulnerable Road Users

Background

Among the largest Italian Regions, Piedmont (Northern Italy) had in 2017 a crude rate of road traffic accidents (RTA) deaths greater than the national average. RTA injuries remain a leading cause of injury deaths in Italy. Among them in both Piedmont and Italy many victims are vulnerable road users (VRU): pedestrians, cyclists and users of motorcycles or motorpeds. The study was aimed to describe their mechanisms of injury.

Methods

Observational study of the resident population in Piedmont from 2003 to 2015. Transportation Injuries (ICD-10: V01-V99) were considered, because of their greater comparability rate in bridge coding studies. A number of 5,185 RTA deaths was observed. Role, type of vehicle of the victim and collision were studied.

Results

Piedmont in 2017 had a RTA mortality rate (6.35 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) greater than Italy (IRR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.00 - 1.29; p < 0.02), 48.4% of the victims were VRU similarly to national data (49.8%). In the period the proportion of VRU on RTA deaths steadily increased from 25.6% in 2003 to 49.1% in 2015, in a significant way (z = 2.79; p = 0.005), because in a context of marked reduction of RTA mortality (-54.5%), the regional trend for VRU shows only a slight decrease (-12,6%). The VRU were: pedestrians (47.0%), motorized two-wheels users (37.4%) and cyclists (15.6%). Among pedestrians 63.9% deaths were caused by collisions with mainly automobiles (82.1%) and heavy vehicles (12.7%). In case of collision the prevalent causes of death were head injuries (41.5%) and multi-trauma (31.8%). Similar patterns were observed for cyclists, while in motorcyclists 56.5% of deaths were due to loss of control or fixed object.

Conclusions

VRU injuries remain a public health and social concern. Yet despite their extent, this problem is still not adequately considered in public health prevention programs. The observed mechanisms of injury evidence the importance to enhance the protection of VRU in road traffic circulation.

Key messages

In Italy, vulnerable road users are becoming a major group among road traffic injury deaths, because they not follow the general trend of large decrease of RTA injuries. Largest VRU group are pedestrians such as cyclists they are hit by cars or heavy vehicles with major trauma, in the motorized two-wheels loss of control and collision with fixed object are important.

458Real world persistence with direct oral anticoagulants in anticoagulation naive patients with atrial fibrillation

Introduction

Anticoagulation therapy is central for the management of stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Persistence with oral anticoagulation is essential to prevent thromboembolic complications.

Purpose

To assess persistence levels of DOACs and look for possible predictors of treatment discontinuity in NVAF patients.

Methods

We performed a population-based retrospective cohort study in the Veneto Region (north-eastern Italy, about 5 million inhabitants) using the regional health system databases. Naïve patients initiating direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for stroke prevention in NVAF from July 2013 to September 2017 were included in the study. Patients were identified using Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) codes, excluding other indications for anticoagulation therapy using ICD-9CM codes. Treatment persistence was defined as the time from initiation to discontinuation of the therapy. Baseline characteristics and comorbidities associated to the persistence of therapy with DOACs were explored by means of Kaplan-Meier curves and assessed through Cox regression.

Results

Overall, 17920 patients initiated anticoagulation with DOACs in the study period. Most patients were older than 74 years old, while gender was almost equally represented. Comorbidities included hypertension (72%), diabetes mellitus (17%), congestive heart failure (9%), previous stroke/TIA (20%), and prior myocardial infarction (2%). After one year, the persistence to anticoagulation treatment was 82.7%, while the persistence to DOAC treatment was 72.9% with about 10% of the discontinuations being due to switch to VKAs. On multivariate analysis, factors negatively affecting persistence were female gender, younger age (<65 years), renal disease and history of bleeding. Conversely, persistence was better in patients with hypertension, previous cerebral ischemic events, and previous acute myocardial infarction.

Persistence to DOAC therapy

Conclusion

This real-world data show that within 12 months, one out of four anticoagulation-naïve patients stop DOACs, while one out of five patients stop anticoagulation. Efforts should be made to correct modifiable predictors and intensify patient education.

Injury rates and economic cycles in the Italian manufacturing sector

Background

There is a procyclical relationship between economic growth and occupational injury rates in the short term. Injury rates rise during periods of economic growth and fall during recessions.

Aims

To estimate injury rates for the manufacturing sector in Italy between 1994 and 2012 and their correlation with major macroeconomic factors and to identify a possible change in the trend of injury rates at the beginning of the 2008 economic crisis.

Methods

Total and annual serious injury rates were calculated for the national sector. We used a linear autoregressive model to assess the relationship between injury rates and unemployment rate/real GDP growth, and a joint-point regression analysis to analyse changes in injury rates over time.

Results

After adjusting for the spontaneous dynamic change in injury rates over time, both total and serious injury rates were negatively associated with unemployment rate, and significantly positively associated with real GDP growth. Manufacturing injury rates dropped after 2008.

Conclusions

Manufacturing injury rates are associated with major macroeconomic factors. Workplace injury rates declined between 1994 and 2012. This downward trend was further accelerated after 2008. The changes in workforce composition before and after 2008 partly explain the procyclical relationship between business conditions and injury rates.

Flow cytometry and micro-Raman spectroscopy: Identification of hemocyte populations in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) from Faro Lake and Tyrrhenian Sea (Sicily, Italy)

Immunological and structural characteristics of hemocyte populations in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Bivalvia: Mytilidae), going from two different Sicilian habitats (Faro Lake and Tyrrhenian sea), was investigated by means of two different techniques (flow cytometric and micro-Raman spectroscopy analyses). For this purpose, three hundred and sixty mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were analyzed during November 2017. They were divided into two equal groups (triplicate sample) on the basis of the site of collection (n = 60 caught in Faro Lake - group A, and n = 60 caught in Tyrrhenian Sea - group B). Some several differences between the species of Faro Lake and Tyrrhenian Sea are observed and ascribed to the disruption of immune parameters induced by the variations of some qualitative water parameters (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonium 10, free chlorine, total chlorine, total phosphate, orthofhosphate) recorded in the two habitats. This study is relevant for monitoring the conditions of the sea and Faro Lake, which is strongly influenced by the currents of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Faro lake is well known for the cultivation of mussels and this is part of a coastal habitat of particular interest, consisted of a peculiar biocenotic complex. Further, for the first time, significant different arrangement in the mussels cell structural organization was evidenced by simply following their highly reproducible Raman biomolecular signatures.

Longitudinal Phase-Space Manipulation with Beam-Driven Plasma Wakefields

The development of compact accelerator facilities providing high-brightness beams is one of the most challenging tasks in the field of next-generation compact and cost affordable particle accelerators, to be used in many fields for industrial, medical, and research applications. The ability to shape the beam longitudinal phase space, in particular, plays a key role in achieving high-peak brightness. Here we present a new approach that allows us to tune the longitudinal phase space of a high-brightness beam by means of plasma wakefields. The electron beam passing through the plasma drives large wakefields that are used to manipulate the time-energy correlation of particles along the beam itself. We experimentally demonstrate that such a solution is highly tunable by simply adjusting the density of the plasma and can be used to imprint or remove any correlation onto the beam. This is a fundamental requirement when dealing with largely time-energy correlated beams coming from future plasma accelerators.

Heavy metals immobilization capability of two iron-based nanoparticles (nZVI and Fe3O4): Soil and freshwater bioassays to assess ecotoxicological impact

The contamination by heavy metals constitutes an environmental problem of great importance in the last decades, and demands of society for clean environments are increasingly evident. To achieve this goal, several strategies have appeared for the in situ remediation of soil contamination caused by heavy metals. This study evaluated two types of iron-based nanoparticles, zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, for the effective immobilization of Furthermore, we conducted a set of ecotoxicological bioassays: Microtox® Test, Caenorhabditis elegans Test, and Phytoplankton Toxicity Tests, on selected soil and aquatic test organisms to both, i) evaluate the potential ecotoxicological risks associated with nanoparticles treatment, and ii) to define sensitive organisms to be used as suitable bioindicators of heavy metals pollution. The application of 5% nZVI significantly reduced the amount of bioavailable heavy metals, which was effective from an ecotoxicity point of view as a reduction of the toxicity of was observed. Among the bioassays used, C. elegans seems the most effective reference organism in detecting changes in the toxicity of and therefore, C. elegans was found to be a sensitive heavy metals pollution bioindicator. When the Combination index (CI) was obtained to determine combined heavy metals interactions, the results indicated that toxicity would be higher than that expected for Pb, Cd and Zn individually considered, due to the proved antagonistic interactions of those toxicants. The obtained results suggested that nZVI nanoparticles are susceptible to be used as a soil remediation strategy for heavy metal pollution, although a short reactive lifespan must be considered, and therefore its effectiveness in long periods remains to be elucidated.

Curcumin potentiates the antitumor activity of Paclitaxel in rat glioma C6 cells

BACKGROUND

Glioma is the most common primary cancer in central nervous system, especially in brain. Paclitaxel (PTX) is a microtubule stabilizing agent with anticancer potential, but its clinical application to brain tumours is limited by drug resistance, side effects, and lower brain penetration.

PURPOSE

Herein we explored the in vitro effects, in glioma C6 cells, of the combination of PTX with curcumin, a natural compound with chemotherapeutic activity, in order to improve cytotoxic effects and overcome PTX limitations.

RESULTS

Our data confirmed PTX antiproliferative activity that was improved by curcumin. These effects were confirmed by clonogenic assay and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. PTX significantly promoted generation of intracellular reactive species (RS), while curcumin did not affect RS production; the combination of the two drugs resulted in a slight but significant increase in RS levels. Furthermore, we found a constitutive activation of NF-κB in C6 cell line that was inhibited by PTX and curcumin. Interestingly, combination of the drugs totally inhibited NF-κB nuclear translocation and reduced IκB phosphorylation. Our results also supported the involvement of p53-p21 axis in the anticancer effects of curcumin and PTX. The combination of the two drugs further increased p53 and p21 levels enhancing the antiproliferative effects. Furthermore, PTX plus curcumin most impressively activated caspase-3, effector of apoptosis pathways, and reduced the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that combination of PTX and curcumin exerts a potentiated anti-glioma efficacy in vitro that may help in reducing dosage and/or minimizing side effects of cytotoxic therapy.

Oral health-related quality of life in children using the child perception questionnaire CPQ11-14: a review

OBJECTIVES

The Child Perceptions Questionnaire 11-14 (CPQ11-14) is the most common and effective indicator of paediatric oral health-related quality of life. The aim of this review was to verify if CPQ11-14 can be considered a valid instrument for assessing the impact of oral health on the quality of life of adolescents for the paediatric population aged between 11 and 14 years old and which dental conditions mainly affect it.

STUDY DESIGN

A literature research from Pubmed Medline database was adopted to identify the eligible studies among the published articles related to CPQ 11-14 using keyword search strategy. From 170 initial articles, a total of 128 articles were included for the full text reading.

RESULTS

Conditions that mainly interest the oral health-related quality of life are untreated dental caries, dental trauma, increased dental protrusion, wearing orthodontic appliances, and severe periodontal disease.

CONCLUSION

CPQ 11-14 seems to be a solid and valid indicator to measure oral health-related quality of life, because it has been widely tested and validated in several states including developed, developing and underdeveloped countries.

Erratum to: Measurement of the W boson polarisation in t t ¯ events from pp collisions at s = 8 TeV in the lepton + jets channel with ATLAS

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-4819-4.].

Search for electroweak production of supersymmetric particles in final states with two or three leptons at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for the electroweak production of charginos, neutralinos and sleptons decaying into final states involving two or three electrons or muons is presented. The analysis is based on 36.1 fb- 1 ofs = 13  TeV proton-proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Several scenarios based on simplified models are considered. These include the associated production of the next-to-lightest neutralino and the lightest chargino, followed by their decays into final states with leptons and the lightest neutralino via either sleptons or Standard Model gauge bosons; direct production of chargino pairs, which in turn decay into leptons and the lightest neutralino via intermediate sleptons; and slepton pair production, where each slepton decays directly into the lightest neutralino and a lepton. No significant deviations from the Standard Model expectation are observed and stringent limits at 95% confidence level are placed on the masses of relevant supersymmetric particles in each of these scenarios. For a massless lightest neutralino, masses up to 580 GeV are excluded for the associated production of the next-to-lightest neutralino and the lightest chargino, assuming gauge-boson mediated decays, whereas for slepton-pair production masses up to 500 GeV are excluded assuming three generations of mass-degenerate sleptons.

Long term effect of air pollution on incident hospital admissions: Results from the Italian Longitudinal Study within LIFE MED HISS project

BACKGROUND

The LIFE MED HISS project aims at setting up a surveillance system on the long term effects of air pollution on health, using data from National Health Interview Surveys and other currently available sources of information in most European countries. Few studies assessed the long term effect of air pollution on hospital admissions in European cohorts.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this paper is to estimate the long term effect of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) on first-ever (incident) cause-specific hospitalizations in Italy.

METHODS

We used data from the Italian Longitudinal Study (ILS), a cohort study based on the 1999-2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), followed up for hospitalization (2001-2008) at individual level. The survey contains information on crucial potential confounders: occupational/educational/marital status, body mass index (BMI), smoking habit and physical activity. Annual mean exposure to PM2.5 and NO₂ was assigned starting from simulated gridded data at spatial resolution of 4 × 4 km² firstly integrated with data from monitoring stations and then up-scaled at municipality level. Statistical analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazard models with robust variance estimator.

RESULTS

For each cause of hospitalization we estimated the hazard ratios (HRs) adjusted for confounders with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) related to a 10 μg/m³ increase in pollutants. For PM2.5 and NO₂, respectively, we found positive associations for circulatory system diseases [1.05(1.03-1.06); 1.05(1.03-1.07)], myocardial infarction [1.15(1.12-1.18); 1.15(1.12-1.18)], lung cancer [1.18(1.10-1.26); 1.20(1.12-1.28)], kidney cancer [1.24(1.11-1.29); 1.20(1.07-1.33)], all cancers (but lung) [1.06(1.04-1.08); 1.06(1.04-1.08)] and Low Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTI) [1.07 (1.04-1.11); 1.05 (1.02-1.08)].

DISCUSSION

Our results add new evidence on the effects of air pollution on first-ever (incident) hospitalizations, both in urban and rural areas. We demonstrated the feasibility of a low-cost monitoring system based on available data.

Performance of missing transverse momentum reconstruction with the ATLAS detector using proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV

The performance of the missing transverse momentum ( E T miss ) reconstruction with the ATLAS detector is evaluated using data collected in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 2015. To reconstruct E T miss , fully calibrated electrons, muons, photons, hadronically decaying τ -leptons , and jets reconstructed from calorimeter energy deposits and charged-particle tracks are used. These are combined with the soft hadronic activity measured by reconstructed charged-particle tracks not associated with the hard objects. Possible double counting of contributions from reconstructed charged-particle tracks from the inner detector, energy deposits in the calorimeter, and reconstructed muons from the muon spectrometer is avoided by applying a signal ambiguity resolution procedure which rejects already used signals when combining the various E T miss contributions. The individual terms as well as the overall reconstructed E T miss are evaluated with various performance metrics for scale (linearity), resolution, and sensitivity to the data-taking conditions. The method developed to determine the systematic uncertainties of the E T miss scale and resolution is discussed. Results are shown based on the full 2015 data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb - 1 .

Focusing of High-Brightness Electron Beams with Active-Plasma Lenses

Plasma-based technology promises a tremendous reduction in size of accelerators used for research, medical, and industrial applications, making it possible to develop tabletop machines accessible for a broader scientific community. By overcoming current limits of conventional accelerators and pushing particles to larger and larger energies, the availability of strong and tunable focusing optics is mandatory also because plasma-accelerated beams usually have large angular divergences. In this regard, active-plasma lenses represent a compact and affordable tool to generate radially symmetric magnetic fields several orders of magnitude larger than conventional quadrupoles and solenoids. However, it has been recently proved that the focusing can be highly nonlinear and induce a dramatic emittance growth. Here, we present experimental results showing how these nonlinearities can be minimized and lensing improved. These achievements represent a major breakthrough toward the miniaturization of next-generation focusing devices.

Measurement of the Soft-Drop Jet Mass in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

Jet substructure observables have significantly extended the search program for physics beyond the standard model at the Large Hadron Collider. The state-of-the-art tools have been motivated by theoretical calculations, but there has never been a direct comparison between data and calculations of jet substructure observables that are accurate beyond leading-logarithm approximation. Such observables are significant not only for probing the collinear regime of QCD that is largely unexplored at a hadron collider, but also for improving the understanding of jet substructure properties that are used in many studies at the Large Hadron Collider. This Letter documents a measurement of the first jet substructure quantity at a hadron collider to be calculated at next-to-next-to-leading-logarithm accuracy. The normalized, differential cross section is measured as a function of log_{10}ρ^{2}, where ρ is the ratio of the soft-drop mass to the ungroomed jet transverse momentum. This quantity is measured in dijet events from 32.9  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV proton-proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector. The data are unfolded to correct for detector effects and compared to precise QCD calculations and leading-logarithm particle-level Monte Carlo simulations.

Non-competitive resource exploitation within mosquito shapes within-host malaria infectivity and virulence

Malaria is a fatal human parasitic disease transmitted by a mosquito vector. Although the evolution of within-host malaria virulence has been the focus of many theoretical and empirical studies, the vector’s contribution to this process is not well understood. Here, we explore how within-vector resource exploitation would impact the evolution of within-host Plasmodium virulence. By combining within-vector dynamics and malaria epidemiology, we develop a mathematical model, which predicts that non-competitive parasitic resource exploitation within-vector restricts within-host parasite virulence. To validate our model, we experimentally manipulate mosquito lipid trafficking and gauge within-vector parasite development and within-host infectivity and virulence. We find that mosquito-derived lipids determine within-host parasite virulence by shaping development (quantity) and metabolic activity (quality) of transmissible sporozoites. Our findings uncover the potential impact of within-vector environment and vector control strategies on the evolution of malaria virulence.

The evolution of within-host malaria virulence has been studied, but the vector’s contribution isn’t well understood. Here, Costa et al. show that non-competitive parasitic resource exploitation within-vector, in particular lipid trafficking, restricts within-host infectivity and virulence of the parasite.

Strategies for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in Urban Areas: The Erice 50 Charter

The Erice 50 Charter titled "Strategies for Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion in Urban Areas" was unanimously approved at the conclusion of the 50th Residential Course "Urban Health. Instruments for promoting health and for assessing hygienic and sanitary conditions in urban areas", held from 29th March to 2nd April 2017 in Erice, at the "Ettore Majorana" Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture and promoted by the International School of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine "G. D'Alessandro" and the Study Group "Building Hygiene" of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health (SItI). At the conclusion of the intense learning experience during the Course, with more than 20 lectures, workshops and long-lasting discussions between Professors and Students, the participants identified the major points connecting urban features and Public Health, claiming the pivotal role of urban planning strategies for the management of Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion activities. The Erice 50 Charter is configured as a Decalogue for Healthy Cities and as a Think Tank for designing effective strategic actions and best practices to develop urban regeneration interventions and improve the urban quality of contemporary cities. The Decalogue is structured into the following key strategic objectives: 1. Promoting urban planning interventions that address citizens towards healthy behaviours; 2. Improving living conditions in the urban context; 3. Building an accessible and inclusive city, with a special focus on the frail population; 4. Encouraging the foundation of resilient urban areas; 5. Supporting the development of new economies and employment through urban renewal interventions; 6. Tackling social inequalities; 7. Improving stakeholders' awareness of the factors affecting Public Health in the cities; 8. Ensuring a participated urban governance; 9. Introducing qualitative and quantitative performance tools, capable of measuring the city's attitude to promote healthy lifestyles and to monitor the population's health status; 10. Encouraging sharing of knowledge and accessibility to informations. Finally, all the participants underlined that a multidisciplinary team, composed of Physicians specialized in Hygiene, Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Technicians as Architects, Urban planners and Engineers, is needed to deepen the research topic of Urban Health.

Measurement of the inclusive and fiducial t t ¯ production cross-sections in the lepton+jets channel in pp collisions at s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and fiducial t t ¯ production cross-sections are measured in the lepton+jets channel using 20.2 fb - 1 of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Major systematic uncertainties due to the modelling of the jet energy scale and b-tagging efficiency are constrained by separating selected events into three disjoint regions. In order to reduce systematic uncertainties in the most important background, the W +\,jets process is modelled using Z + jets events in a data-driven approach. The inclusive t t ¯ cross-section is measured with a precision of 5.7% to beσ inc ( t t ¯ ) = 248.3 ± 0.7 ( stat . ) ± 13.4 ( syst . ) ± 4.7 ( lumi . ) pb , assuming a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV. The result is in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. The cross-section is also measured in a phase space close to that of the selected data. The fiducial cross-section isσ fid ( t t ¯ ) = 48.8 ± 0.1 ( stat . ) ± 2.0 ( syst . ) ± 0.9 ( lumi . ) pb with a precision of 4.5%.

Search for a new heavy gauge-boson resonance decaying into a lepton and missing transverse momentum in 36 fb - 1 of pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

The results of a search for new heavy W ' bosons decaying to an electron or muon and a neutrino using proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy ofs = 13  TeV are presented. The dataset was collected in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb - 1 . As no excess of events above the Standard Model prediction is observed, the results are used to set upper limits on the W ' boson cross-section times branching ratio to an electron or muon and a neutrino as a function of the W ' mass. Assuming a W ' boson with the same couplings as the Standard Model W boson, W ' masses below 5.1 TeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level.

Search for heavy ZZ resonances in the ℓ + ℓ - ℓ + ℓ - and ℓ + ℓ - ν ν ¯ final states using proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for heavy resonances decaying into a pair of Z bosons leading toℓ + ℓ - ℓ + ℓ - andℓ + ℓ - ν ν ¯ final states, where ℓ stands for either an electron or a muon, is presented. The search uses proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13  TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1  fb - 1 collected with the ATLAS detector during 2015 and 2016 at the Large Hadron Collider. Different mass ranges for the hypothetical resonances are considered, depending on the final state and model. The different ranges span between 200 and 2000  GeV . The results are interpreted as upper limits on the production cross section of a spin-0 or spin-2 resonance. The upper limits for the spin-0 resonance are translated to exclusion contours in the context of Type-I and Type-II two-Higgs-doublet models, while those for the spin-2 resonance are used to constrain the Randall-Sundrum model with an extra dimension giving rise to spin-2 graviton excitations.

Phosphorus and metal removal combined with lipid production by the green microalga Desmodesmus sp.: An integrated approach

This work focused on the potential of Desmodesmus sp. to be employed for wastewater bioremediation and biodiesel production. The green microalga was grown in a culture medium with a phosphorus (P) content of 4.55 mg L^-1 simulating an industrial effluent; it was also exposed to a bimetal solution of copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) for 2 days. P removal was between 94 and 100%. After 2 days of exposure to metals, 94% of Cu and 85% of Ni were removed by Desmodesmus sp. Adsorption tests showed that the green microalga was able to remove up to 90% of Cu and 43% of Ni in less than 30 min. The presence of metals decreased the lipid yield, but biodiesel quality from the biomass obtained from metal exposed samples was higher than that grown without metals. This result revealed that this technology could offer a new alternative solution to environmental pollution and carbon-neutral fuel generation.

A search for pair-produced resonances in four-jet final states at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for massive coloured resonances which are pair-produced and decay into two jets is presented. The analysis uses 36.7 fb- 1 of s = 13 TeV pp collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016. No significant deviation from the background prediction is observed. Results are interpreted in a SUSY simplified model where the lightest supersymmetric particle is the top squark, t ~ , which decays promptly into two quarks through R-parity-violating couplings. Top squarks with masses in the range 100 GeV < m t ~ < 410   GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. If the decay is into a b-quark and a light quark, a dedicated selection requiring two b-tags is used to exclude masses in the ranges 100 GeV < m t ~ < 470   GeV and 480 GeV < m t ~ < 610   GeV . Additional limits are set on the pair-production of massive colour-octet resonances.

Search for doubly charged Higgs boson production in multi-lepton final states with the ATLAS detector using proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV

A search for doubly charged Higgs bosons with pairs of prompt, isolated, highly energetic leptons with the same electric charge is presented. The search uses a proton-proton collision data sample at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to 36.1 fb - 1 of integrated luminosity recorded in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. This analysis focuses on the decaysH ± ± → e ± e ± ,H ± ± → e ± μ ± andH ± ± → μ ± μ ± , fitting the dilepton mass spectra in several exclusive signal regions. No significant evidence of a signal is observed and corresponding limits on the production cross-section and consequently a lower limit on m ( H ± ± ) are derived at 95% confidence level. Withℓ ± ℓ ± = e ± e ± / μ ± μ ± / e ± μ ± , the observed lower limit on the mass of a doubly charged Higgs boson only coupling to left-handed leptons varies from 770 to 870 GeV (850 GeV expected) for B ( H ± ± → ℓ ± ℓ ± ) = 100 % and both the expected and observed mass limits are above 450 GeV for B ( H ± ± → ℓ ± ℓ ± ) = 10 % and any combination of partial branching ratios.

Measurement of differential cross-sections of a single top quark produced in association with a W boson at s = 13 TeV with ATLAS

The differential cross-section for the production of a W boson in association with a top quark is measured for several particle-level observables. The measurements are performed using36.1 fb - 1 of pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2015 and 2016. Differential cross-sections are measured in a fiducial phase space defined by the presence of two charged leptons and exactly one jet matched to a b-hadron, and are normalised with the fiducial cross-section. Results are found to be in good agreement with predictions from several Monte Carlo event generators.

Prevalence of and secular trends in diagnosed diabetes in Italy: 1980-2013

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The aim of this research was to examine the prevalence of diabetes in Italy over a 34-year period.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Self-reported diabetes was assessed in eight health interview surveys of representative samples of Italian population aged 20 years and over. Crude and standardised prevalence were calculated by age, sex, educational level and area of residence. Logistic models were fitted to calculate the contribution of age and BMI to the trend in prevalence. In 2013 nearly 3.4 million Italians had a diagnosis of diabetes, more than twice as many as in 1980. The crude prevalence of diabetes in men rose from 3.3% in 1980 to 7.1% in 2013 (+115%), and from 4.7% to 6.8% in women (+45%). The prevalence was almost stable during the eighties, and started to rise from the beginning of the nineties. One third of the increase in men and two thirds in women is due to the ageing of the population, since the age-standardised prevalence increased by 79% in men and 14% in women. The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased less steeply than diabetes, and their contribution to the trend in diabetes is less relevant than age. Prevalence rose more in the elderly, in low-educated men, and in high-educated women.

CONCLUSION

Given that the ageing population plays a considerable role in explaining the trend, and that the number of people in the oldest age groups will continue to grow, the rise in the number of individuals with diabetes will represent a severe challenge for the national health system.

Measurement of quarkonium production in proton-lead and proton-proton collisions at 5.02 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The modification of the production of J / ψ , ψ ( 2 S ) , and Υ ( n S ) ( n = 1 , 2 , 3 ) in p+Pb collisions with respect to their production in pp collisions has been studied. The p+Pb and pp datasets used in this paper correspond to integrated luminosities of 28 nb - 1 and 25 pb - 1 respectively, collected in 2013 and 2015 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC, both at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV. The quarkonium states are reconstructed in the dimuon decay channel. The yields of J / ψ and ψ ( 2 S ) are separated into prompt and non-prompt sources. The measured quarkonium differential cross sections are presented as a function of rapidity and transverse momentum, as is the nuclear modification factor, R p Pb for J / ψ and Υ ( n S ) . No significant modification of the J / ψ production is observed while Υ ( n S ) production is found to be suppressed at low transverse momentum in p+Pb collisions relative to pp collisions. The production of excited charmonium and bottomonium states is found to be suppressed relative to that of the ground states in central p+Pb collisions.

Measurement of τ polarisation in Z / γ ∗ → τ τ decays in proton-proton collisions at s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a measurement of the polarisation of τ leptons produced in Z / γ ∗ → τ τ decays which is performed with a dataset of proton-proton collisions ats = 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb- 1 recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2012. The Z / γ ∗ → τ τ decays are reconstructed from a hadronically decaying τ lepton with a single charged particle in the final state, accompanied by a τ lepton that decays leptonically. The τ polarisation is inferred from the relative fraction of energy carried by charged and neutral hadrons in the hadronic τ decays. The polarisation is measured in a fiducial region that corresponds to the kinematic region accessible to this analysis. The τ polarisation extracted over the full phase space within the Z / γ ∗ mass range of 66 < m Z / γ ∗ < 116 GeV is found to beP τ = - 0.14 ± 0.02 ( stat ) ± 0.04 ( syst ) . It is in agreement with the Standard Model prediction ofP τ = - 0.1517 ± 0.0019 , which is obtained from the ALPGEN event generator interfaced with the PYTHIA 6 parton shower modelling and the TAUOLA τ decay library.