The new particle formation due to the use of cleaning products containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor environments is well documented in the scientific literature. Indeed, the physical‐chemical process occurring in particle nucleation due to VOC‐ozone reactions was deepened as well as the effect of the main influencing parameters (ie, temperature, ozone). Nonetheless, proper quantification of the emission under actual meteo‐climatic conditions and ozone concentrations is not available. To this end, in the present paper the emission factors of newly generated ultrafine particles due to the use of different floor cleaning products under actual temperature and relative humidity conditions and ozone concentrations typical of the summer periods were evaluated. Tests in a chamber and in an actual indoor environment were performed measuring continuously particle number concentrations and size distributions during cleaning activities. The tests revealed that a significant particle emission in the nucleation mode was present for half of the products under investigation with emission factors up to 1.1 × 1011 part./m2 (8.8 × 1010 part./mLproduct), then leading to an overall particle emission comparable to other well‐known indoor sources when cleaning wide surfaces.

Background Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) could provide a lot of information of renal blood flow. Renal blood flow is an excellent marker of inflammatory and fibrotic processes in the kidney such as glomerulonephritis. Therefore, in patients with these diseases, renal CEUS can be both a prognostic marker and an index of response to therapy. Currently in the literature there are preliminary studies showing the role of CEUS in terms of histology and outcome in the evaluation of patients with glomerulonephritis. In this pilot study we used perfusion CEUS parameters (WiR and WoR; WiAUC and WoAUC) as possible markers of renal microvascular damage. We compared the perfusion parameters with the clinical and histological findings of our patients. Method Eighteen patients with clinical and laboratory signs of glomerulonephritis were enrolled. All patients underwent ultrasound-assisted renal biopsy and B-mode ultrasound examination, color Doppler ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Time Intensity (TI) curves were obtained from renal CEUS. TI curves and several quantitative perfusion parameters were defined using VueBox® Quantitation Software. Results From April to October 2022, 18 patients (12 men and 6 women) with clinical and laboratory suspicion of glomerular disease were enrolled. Median age was 48.05 years, all patients underwent renal biopsy and contrast-enhanced ultrasound at basal condition. Table 1 shows patients characteristics. CKD patients were stratified into two groups according to their eGFR: group I (eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, n. = 4) and group II (eGFR ≥ 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, n. = 3). Moreover, we divided patients into two groups based on the presence of nephrotic-range proteinuria (≥ 3.5 g/24h). At this time, seven patient data are suitable for analysis. The small sample size at present does not allow for statistical significance. However, in our study, the persistence of contrast agent signal during the wash-out phase was differed markedly in correlation with the degree of CKD. In particular, we observed a slower wash-in phase in the presence of vascular hyalinosis (Fig. 1). Conclusion Our experience seems to confirm that CEUS parameters can be excellent indicators both in terms of patient disease outcomes and histological data. CEUS can effectively and quantitatively demonstrate renal microvascular perfusion in patients with glomerulonephritis. Future goal is that CEUS could also be a prognostic and follow-up marker after renal biopsy in patients with glomerulonephritis.

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