Background About 15 million people worldwide were affected by the Sars-Cov-2 infection, which already caused 600,000 deaths. This virus is mainly transmitted through exhalations from the airways of infected persons, so that Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems might play a role in increasing or reducing the spreading of the infection in indoor environments. Methods We modelled the role of HVAC systems in the diffusion of the contagion through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of cough at the “Bambino Gesù” Vatican State Children’s Hospital. Both waiting and hospital rooms were modeled as indoor scenarios. A specific Infection-Index (η) parameter was used to estimate the amount of contaminated air inhaled by each person present in the simulated indoor scenarios. The potential role of exhaust air ventilation systems placed above the coughing patient’s mouth was also assessed. Results Our CFD-based simulations of the waiting room show that HVAC air-flow remarkably enhances infected droplets diffusion in the whole indoor environment within 25 seconds from the cough event, despite the observed dilution of saliva particles containing the virus. At the same time also their number is reduced due to removal through the HVAC system or deposition on the surfaces. The proper use of Local Exhaust Ventilation systems (LEV) simulated in the hospital room was associated to a complete reduction of infected droplets spreading from the patient’s mouth in the first 0.5 seconds following the cough event. In the hospital room, the use of LEV system completely reduced the η index computed for the patient hospitalized at the bed next to the spreader, with a decreased possibility of contagion. Conclusions CFD-based simulations for indoor environment can be useful to optimize air conditioning flow and to predict the contagion risk both in hospitals/ambulatories and in other public/private settings.

Bone is a regenerative organ characterized by self-renewal ability. Indeed, it is a very dynamic tissue subjected to continuous remodeling in order to preserve its structure and function. However, in clinical practice, impaired bone healing can be observed in patients and medical intervention is needed to regenerate the tissue via the use of natural bone grafts or synthetic bone grafts. The main elements required for tissue engineering include cells, growth factors and a scaffold material to support them. Three different materials (metals, ceramics, and polymers) can be used to create a scaffold suitable for bone regeneration. Several cell types have been investigated in combination with biomaterials. In this review, we describe the options available for bone regeneration, focusing on tissue engineering strategies based on the use of different biomaterials combined with cells and growth factors.

Face masking proved essential to reduce transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections in indoor environments, but standards and literature do not provide simple quantitative methods for quantifying air leakage at the face seal. This study reports an original method to quantify outward leakage and how wearing style impacts on leaks and filtration efficiency. The amount of air leakage was evaluated on four medical masks and four barrier face coverings, exploiting a theoretical model and an instrumented dummy head in a range of airflows between 30 and 160 L/min. The fraction of air leaking at the face seal of the medical masks and barrier face coverings ranged from 43% to 95% of exhaled air at 30 L/min and reduced to 10–85% at 160 L/min. Filter breathability was the main driver affecting both leak fraction and total filtration efficiency that varied from 5% to 53% and from 15% to 84% at 30 and 160 L/min, respectively. Minor changes were related to wearing style, supporting indications on the correct mask use. The fraction of air leaking from medical masks and barrier face coverings during exhalation is relevant and varies according to design and wearing style. The use of highly breathable filter materials reduces air leaks and improve total filtration efficiency.

Anomalous origin of the pulmonary arteries from the ascending aorta is a rare, but severe clinical entity necessitating a scrupulous evaluation. Either the right or the left pulmonary arteries can arise directly from the ascending aorta while the other pulmonary artery retains its origin from the right ventricular outflow tract. Such a finding can be isolated or can coexist with several congenital heart lesions. Direct intrapericardial aortic origin, however, must be distinguished with origin through a persistently patent arterial duct. In the current era, clinical manifestations usually become evident in the newborn rather than during infancy, as used to be the case. They include respiratory distress or congestive heart failure due to increased pulmonary flow and poor feeding. The rate of survival has now increased due to early diagnosis and prompt surgical repair, should now be expected to be at least 95%. We have treated four neonates with this lesion over the past 7 years, all of whom survived surgical repair. Right ventricular systolic pressure was significantly decreased at follow-up. Our choice of treatment was to translocate the anomalous pulmonary artery in end-to-side fashion to the pulmonary trunk. Our aim in this report is to update an Italian experience in the diagnosis and treatment of anomalous direct origin of one pulmonary artery from the aorta, adding considerations on the lessons learned from our most recent review of the salient literature.

Conjoined twins are rare and pose a challenge to radiologists and surgeons. Craniopagus twins, where conjunction involves the cranium, are especially rare. Even in large pediatric centers, radiologists are unlikely to encounter more than one such event in their medical careers. This rarity makes it daunting to select a CT and MRI protocol for these infants. Using the experience of two tertiary pediatric hospitals with six sets of craniopagus twins, this multidisciplinary and multimodal integrated imaging approach highlights the key questions that need addressing in the decision-making process for possible surgical intervention.

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Bioprinting is an emerging additive manufacturing technique which shows an outstanding potential for shaping customized functional substitutes for tissue engineering. Its introduction into the clinical space in order to replace injured organs could ideally overcome the limitations faced with allografts. Presently, even though there have been years of prolific research in the field, there is a wide gap to bridge in order to bring bioprinting from “bench to bedside”. This is due to the fact that bioprinted designs have not yet reached the complexity required for clinical use, nor have clear GMP (good manufacturing practices) rules or precise regulatory guidelines been established. This review provides an overview of some of the most recent and remarkable achievements for skin, heart, pancreas and cartilage bioprinting breakthroughs while highlighting the critical shortcomings for each tissue type which is keeping this technique from becoming widespread reality.

Background: About 15 million people worldwide were affected by the Sars-Cov-2 infection, which already caused 600,000 deaths. This virus is mainly transmitted through exhalations from the airways of infected persons, so that Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems might play a role in spreading the infection in indoor environments. Methods: We modelled the role of HVAC systems in the diffusion of the contagion through a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of cough at the Vatican State childrens hospital Bambino Gesu. Both waiting rooms and hospital rooms were modeled as indoor scenarios. A specific Infection-Index parameter was used to estimate the amount of contaminated air inhaled by each person present in the simulated indoor scenarios. The potential role of exhaust air ventilation systems placed above the coughing patients mouth was also assessed. Results: Our CFD-based simulations show that HVAC air-flow remarkably enhance infected droplets diffusion in the whole indoor environment within 25 seconds from the cough event, despite the observed dilution of saliva particles containing the virus. In the waiting room simulation, Infection-Index parameter increases the faster the higher the HVAC airflow. Greater flows of air conditioning correspond to greater diffusion of the infected droplets. The proper use of Local Exhaust Ventilation systems (LEV) simulated in the hospital room was associated to a complete reduction of infected droplets spreading from the patient s mouth in the first 0.5 seconds following the cough event. In the hospital room, the use of LEV system completely reduced the index computed for the patient hospitalized at the bed next to the spreader, with a decreased possibility of contagion. Conclusions: CFD-based simulations for indoor environment can be useful to optimize air conditioning flow and to predict the contagion risk both in hospitals/ambulatories and in other public/private settings.