Search results for " Outbreak"

La cultura ci salverà? Processi di touristification a base culturale nel centro storico di Palermo

2023

Negli ultimi tre decenni la cultura ha avuto un ruolo chiave nella costruzione delle politiche urbane, divenendo uno strumento decisivo nella definizione delle strategie di sviluppo economico e nell’accesso alla competizione globale che caratterizzano l’attuale regime di neoliberismo urbano (Miles e Paddison 2005). Anche nel sud Europa la cosiddetta rigenerazione a base culturale ha rappresentato e continua ancora oggi a rappresentare una vera e propria ortodossia urbana, che trova nel turismo tanto una ragione di esistenza quanto un campo di attuazione. In particolare, negli ultimi anni i centri storici di molte città sudeuropee sono stati oggetto di trasformazioni profonde in cui pratiche…

Behind the mask: Rethinking the use of face masks while exercising

2021

there is an ongoing global effort against COVID-19 pan-demic. As vaccination is applied globally (predominantly onat-risk populations), various measures such as temporaryself-quarantine, social distancing, increased hand hygiene,and wearing a face mask (FM) proposed by the World HealthOrganization (WHO) and various governments worldwide arestill in place as primary means of preventing further dissemi-nation. In many instances, wearing a FM became mandatorywhen a person is in a closed space while being accompa-nied by others. Many individuals are therefore apprehensivein terms of maintaining their usual physical activity rout-ines and staying safe in the midst of the outbreak. Asa result, it…

Distinct Clones of Yersinia pestis Caused the Black Death

2010

From AD 1347 to AD 1353, the Black Death killed tens of millions of people in Europe, leaving misery and devastation in its wake, with successive epidemics ravaging the continent until the 18th century. The etiology of this disease has remained highly controversial, ranging from claims based on genetics and the historical descriptions of symptoms that it was caused by Yersinia pestis to conclusions that it must have been caused by other pathogens. It has also been disputed whether plague had the same etiology in northern and southern Europe. Here we identified DNA and protein signatures specific for Y. pestis in human skeletons from mass graves in northern, central and southern Europe that …

Import of norovirus infections in the Netherlands and Ireland following pilgrimages to Lourdes, 2008--preliminary report.

2008

International audience; Between mid-September and 19 October 2008, nine clusters of norovirus infection involving around 90 primary cases and over a hundred secondary cases were identified in patients from the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy and France, linked to pilgrimage to Lourdes, France.

[Norovirus infections: an overview]

2010

National audience; Noroviruses belong to the Caliciviridae family. They are a major cause of sporadic cases and outbreaks of gastroenteritis in all age groups, and are responsible for a considerable disease burden in industrialized countries. Noroviruses are single-stranded RNA viruses, and show great genetic diversity making their detection difficult. Noroviruses can be divided into 5 genogroups, which themselves are subdivided into genotypes. Besides chance mutations that occur during viral replication, the great heterogeneity observed among noroviruses is also due to intra and inter-genotypic recombination events between strains. Some of these new variants or new recombinants are frequen…

Polymers with antiviral properties: A brief review.

2021

Viruses that are pathogenic to humans and livestock pose a serious epidemiological threat and challenge the world's population. The SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic has made the world aware of the scale of the threat. The surfaces of various materials can be a source of viruses that remain temporarily contagious in the environment. Few polymers have antiviral effects that reduce infectivity or the presence of a virus in the human environment. Some of the effects are due to certain physical properties, e.g., high hydrophobicity. Other materials owe their antiviral activity to a modified physicochemical structure favoring the action on specific virus receptors or on their biochemistry. Current re…

MRSA ST22-IVa (EMRSA-15 clone) in Palermo, Italy

2010

Summary: Epidemic spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains carrying the Staphylococcal Chromosomal Cassettes (SCC) mec type IV is being increasingly reported in many geographical areas. A survey to determine the prevalence and characteristics of MRSA SCCmec IV isolates identified in four general hospitals in Palermo, Italy, was carried out. During the period February–June 2009, SCCmec type IVa has been found in 12 out of 94 isolates. Nine isolates from all hospitals and all strains from a NICU outbreak occurring in the same period were attributed with the ST22-IVa (EMRSA-15) clone. In our setting, due to the changing MRSA epidemiology, detection of SCCmec IV coul…

Epidemic dissemination of Salmonella enterica spp. enterica serovar Bovismorbificans in southern Italy in the years 1989-1991.

1994

Epidemic strains of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Bovismorbificans isolated in southern Italy during the years 1989-1991 were submitted to a molecular epidemiological study in comparison with isolates identified in the years 1980-1988 in the same geographic area. Genomic DNA fragments obtained by digestion with BglI or Eco RI hybridized with Escherichia coli rRNA to produce three distinct, but highly related patterns. Ribotype 1, which had never been identified before 1989, was found to characterize most of the strains identified between 1989 and 1991. Such a finding supports the hypothesis of emergence and spread of a new bacterial clone associated with the increased number o…

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and Its Psychobehavioral Consequences

2021

Interpersonal Distance in the SARS-CoV-2 Crisis

2020

Background Mandatory rules for social distancing to curb the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic require individuals to maintain a critical interpersonal distance above 1.5 m. However, this contradicts our natural preference, which is closer to 1 m for non-intimate encounters, for example, when asking a stranger for directions. Objective This review addresses how humans typically regulate interpersonal distances, in order to highlight the challenges of enforcing atypically large interpersonal distances. Method To understand the challenges posed by social distancing requirements, we integrate relevant contributions from visual perception, social perception, and human factors. Results To date, research on pr…