Search

On 9 May 2007 a prominence eruption occurred at the West limb. Remarkably, the event was observed by the STEREO/EUVI telescopes and by the HINODE/EIS and SOHO/UVCS spectrometers. We present results from all these instruments. High-cadence (~37 s) data from STEREO/EUVI A and B in the He II λ304 line were used to study the 3-D shape and expansion of the prominence. The high spatial resolution EUVI images (~1.5"/pixel) have been used to infer via triangulation the 3-D shape and orientation of the prominence 12 min after the eruption onset. At this time the prominence has mainly the shape of a "hook" highly inclined southward, has an average thickness of 0.068 R⊙, a length of 0.43 R⊙ and lies, in first approximation, on a plane. Hence, the prominence is mainly a 2-D structure and there is no evidence for a twisted flux rope configuration. HINODE/EIS was scanning with the 2" slit the region where the filament erupted. The EIS spectra show during the eruption remarkable non-thermal broadening (up to ~100 km s−1) in the region crossed by the filament in spectral lines emitted at different temperatures, possibly with differences among lines from higher Fe ionization stages. The CME was also observed by the SOHO/UVCS instrument: the spectrograph slit was centered at 1.7 R⊙, at a latitude of 5° SW and recorded a sudden increase in the O VI λλ1032–1037 and Si XII λ520 spectral line intensities, representative of the CME front transit.

Introduction: This study investigates the association between parental attitudes towards mandatory and recommended vaccines in the National Immunization Plan (NIP) of Italy and their acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5-11 years., Methods: Using data from approximately 42,000 children in Southern Italy, parental attitudes towards previous vaccinations were examined. Mandatory and recommended vaccinations were considered for the analysis, with the first shot of each schedule being considered relevant, regardless of when it was administered or whether the recommended number of doses was administered. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze associations between the covariates of age, sex, adherence to mandatory vaccinations, number of recommended vaccinations, and COVID-19 vaccination., Results: The COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate was 50.7% in our sample. We revealed a strong association between parental attitudes towards previous vaccinations and the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. Mandatory vaccinations under the NIP showed the highest acceptance rates, and among non-mandatory vaccines, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine had the highest acceptance rate, potentially due to its co-administration with the hexavalent vaccine. The study identified a trend of lower COVID-19 vaccine coverage in younger children., Conclusions: The study underscores the importance of co-administration approaches and well-planned vaccination schedules in enhancing vaccine coverage. It suggests that integrating newer vaccines, like the COVID-19 vaccine, into established vaccination schedules could potentially increase acceptance and coverage. The findings highlight the urgency of addressing vaccine hesitancy, particularly in the pediatric population, to ensure high vaccination coverage and effective disease control. Further research is needed to explore the potential strategies to increase vaccine acceptance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Luigi De Angelis reports a relationship with Moderna Inc that includes: travel reimbursement. Alberto Fedele reports a relationship with Seqirus Vaccines Ltd that includes: board membership. Francesco Baglivo reports a relationship with Moderna Inc that includes: travel reimbursement. Francesco Baglivo reports a relationship with AstraZeneca that includes: educational grant. Caterina Rizzo reports a relationship with Seqirus Vaccines Ltd that includes: board membership. Caterina Rizzo reports a relationship with MSD that includes: board membership. Caterina Rizzo reports a relationship with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) that includes: board membership. Caterina Rizzo reports a relationship with Sanofi that includes: board membership. Caterina Rizzo reports a relationship with AstraZeneca that includes: board membership., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier India Pvt Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

As the COVID19 pandemic progresses, there is an increasing need to evaluate the performance of vaccine strategies. This study investigated the vaccine schedule performance of heterologous vaccination compared to homologous vaccination in preventing Omicron SARS-CoV2 infection in the adult population. This retrospective cohort study utilized data from the Infections Regional Information System and the Apulia Regional Vaccine Registry to identify individuals who received a booster dose of one of 14 different COVID19 vaccination schedules between September 2021 and August 2022 in the province of Lecce, Southern Italy. The standardized cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV2 infection after the booster dose was assessed and the risk of infection between subgroups of heterologous and homologous vaccination schedules was compared using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test. A total of 469,069 subjects were included in the study. The standardized incidence of SARS-CoV2 infection varied greatly among different vaccine schedules, with the highest and lowest being AZ-AZ-BNT (34.7 %) and MOD-MOD-BNT (18.9 %), respectively, and some heterologous schedules performing better than homologous ones. The risk of SARS-CoV2 infection was significantly lower in individuals who received specific heterologous vaccination schedules compared to homologous vaccination schedules, the best performing being MOD-MOD-BNT with a common odd ratio of 0.661 (IC. 95 % [0.620-0.704]). This study provides evidence that heterologous vaccination schedules may be more effective in preventing Omicron SARS-CoV2 infection compared to homologous vaccination schedules, highlighting how the vaccine product, rather than the platform, is involved in the different protection provided by heterologous vaccination., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Luigi De Angelis, Francesco Baglivo, Mariano Magrì, Martina Minelli, Valerio Aprile, Raffaele Stifini and Pier Luigi Lopalco have no conflict of interest to declare. Caterina Rizzo participated in Advisory Board and Expert scientific discussion for Seqirus, MSD, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Sanofi and Astrazeneca. Alberto Fedele participated in Advisory Board and Expert scientific discussion for Seqirus., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the results of a prospective randomised trial comparing cephalic vein cut-down (CCD) versus percutaneous subclavian vein puncture with the Seldinger technique (PSP) in the implantation of subcutaneous permanent central venous access devices (SPCVAD) in order to better define the safer technique in outpatient surgery. Fifty patients were randomly divided into two groups: CCD--17 males, 8 females (age range: 35-75 years; mean: 60 years); PSP--17 males, 8 females (age range: 17-75 years; mean: 63 years). The two groups were compared in terms of implant morbidity, technical failure, operative time, patient acceptance, and healthcare costs. Data were analysed statistically using the chi-square test (P < 0.05 was considered significant) and Student's t-test. Technical failure occurred in 2 PSP patients (8%) and in 4 CCD patients (16%) (P = 0.663; chi 2 = 0.189). Mean operative time was 40 min in PSP (range: 35-70 min) and 50 in CCD (range: 35-60 min) (p = 0.108, T = -1.64). Patients were requested to define the pain experiences as a result of the operation as mild, moderate or severe: 23 PSP patients reported mild to moderate pain (92% of cases), and 2 patients severe pain (8%). The same figures were obtained in the CCD group, i.e. 23 (92%) and 2 (8%) patients, respectively (P = 0.377; chi 2 = 0.781). In our institute both types of implant cost $1260; in the case of PSP there is an additional cost of $120 for postoperative chest x-rays, making a total cost of $1380 per implant. The data of this randomised trial show that the implantation of a totally implantable vascular access device is a surgical procedure with a limited rate of morbidity in both cephalic vein cut-down and subclavian vein percutaneous puncture, with no statistically significant difference between the two in terms of associated morbidity, technical failure, operative time and patient acceptance.

Bacterial infections of the respiratory tract account for a large proportion of total medical consultations in general practice. In recent years, antibiotic resistance has increased alarmingly in a number of bacterial species that are common causes of these infections. The aim of this observational study was to determine the antibiotic resistance of microbial agents isolated from patients with acute or acutely exacerbated respiratory infections. Subjects recruited as potential sources of bacteria were either outpatients seen in a number of specialized clinics and hospital practices, or hospitalized patients. Overall, 648 consecutive patients (67% male, mean age 48.1+/-27.0 years) with infection of the upper or lower respiratory tract were observed during a 13-month period. A total of 551 pathogenic microbial strains were isolated and tested for their in vitro susceptibility to piperacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam, ceftazidime, and ceftriaxone. Among all isolates, the four most frequent pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (132 isolates, 24%), Streptococcus pyogenes (99 isolates, 18%), Staphylococcus aureus (93 isolates, 17%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (46 isolates, 8%). The susceptibility of gram-positive isolates ranged from 97.5% to 95.1%, and no remarkable difference was found in the antibacterial activity of tested b-lactam antibiotics. The susceptibility of gram-negative isolates to piperacillin and piperacillin/tazobactam was also similar: 96.5% and 97.1%, respectively. In contrast, differences were found between piperacillin (or piperacillin/tazobactam) and either ceftazidime (p=0.003) or ceftriaxone (p<0.0003) in gram-negative isolates. We conclude that, despite the extensive use of beta-lactam antibiotics (piperacillin, ceftazidime, and ceftriaxone) in medical practice during the past three decades, the susceptibility of the most common pathogens involved in the etiology of upper and lower respiratory tract infections to these antibiotics is still high. In particular, bacterial resistance developed by gram-positive organisms against piperacillin is negligible and not alarming.