Does one size fit all? An update on chronic ventilatory support in different respiratory illnesses

Home noninvasive ventilation (HNIV) improves outcomes in different disease categories. In this article, we discuss indications for when and how to initiate HNIV in COPD, obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) and neuromuscular disorders (NMD). While in COPD, significant diurnal hypercapnia and high-intensity HNIV are essential ingredients for success, in NMD and OHS, early respiratory changes are best detected during sleep through oxy-capnography associated (or not) with respiratory polygraphy. In COPD and OHS, it is crucial to consider the coexistence of obstructive sleep apnoea because treatment with continuous positive airway pressure may be the simplest and most effective treatment that should be proposed even in hypercapnic patients as first-line therapy. In NMD, the need for continuous HNIV and eventual switching to tracheostomy ventilation makes this group’s management more challenging. Achieving successful HNIV by improving quality of sleep, quality of life and keeping a good adherence to the therapy is a challenge, above all in COPD patients. In OHS patients, on top of HNIV, initiation of other interventions such as weight loss management is crucial. More resources should be invested in improving all these aspects. Telemonitoring represents a promising method to improve titration and follow-up of HNIV

Analysis of the integration of the three-way catalyst thermal management in the on-line supervisory control strategy of a gasoline full hybrid vehicle

Full hybrid electric vehicles have proven to be a midterm viable solution to fulfil stricter regulations, such as those regarding carbon dioxide abatement. Although fuel economy directly benefits from hybridization, the use of the electric machine for propulsion may hinder an appropriate warming of the aftertreatment system, whose temperature is directly related to the emissions conversion efficiency. The present work evaluates the efficacy of a supervisory energy management strategy based on Equivalent Minimization Consumption Strategy (ECMS) which incorporates a temperature-based control for the thermal management of the Three-Way Catalyst (TWC). The impact of using only the midspan temperature of TWC is compared against the case where temperature at three different sampling points along the TWC length are used. Moreover, a penalty term based on TWC temperature has been introduced in the cost functional of the ECMS to allow the control of the TWC temperature operating window. In fact, beyond a certain threshold, the increase of the engine load, requested to speed up TWC warming, does not translate into a better catalyst efficiency, because the TWC gets close to its highest conversion rate. A gasoline P2 parallel full hybrid powertrain has been considered as test case. Results show that the effects of the different calibrations strategies are negligible on the TWC thermal management, as they do not provide any improvements in the fuel economy nor in the emissions abatement of the hybrid powertrain. This effect can be explained by the fact that the charge sustaining condition has a greater weight on the energy management strategy than the effects deriving from the addition of the soft constraints to control the TWC thermal management. These results hence encourage the use of simple setups to deal with the control of the TWC in supervisory control strategies for full hybrid electric vehicle

Light inhibition of nitrification in sea-surface films

Nitrifying bacteria (ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizers) were isolated from sea-surface films collected in the Gulf of California. Laboratory studies indicate substrate oxidation by these isolates is inhibited by light. Ammonia-oxidizers showed lower nitrifying activity and a longer lag time when held in an 8-hr light:16-hr dark regime compared to those held completely in the dark, and nitrite-oxidizers showed nitrifying activity only when held in the dark. Tracer studies using 15N-ammonia corroborate that little or no nitrification occurs in the surface films of subtropical seas

Diagnostic and prognostic role of liquid biopsy in non-small cell lung cancer: evaluation of circulating biomarkers

Lung cancer is still one of the main causes of cancer-related death, together with prostate and colorectal cancers in males and breast and colorectal cancers in females. The prognosis for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is strictly dependent on feasibility of a complete surgical resection of the tumor at diagnosis. Since surgery is indicated only in early stages tumors, it is necessary to anticipate the timing of diagnosis in clinical practice. In the diagnostic and therapeutic pathway for NSCLC, sampling of neoplastic tissue is usually obtained using invasive methods that are not free from disadvantages and complications. A valid alternative to the standard biopsy is the liquid biopsy (LB), that is, the analysis of samples from peripheral blood, urine, and other biological fluids, with a simple and non-invasive collection. In particular, it is possible to detect in the blood different tumor derivatives, such as cell-free DNA (cfDNA) with its subtype circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), cell-free RNA (cfRNA), and circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Plasma-based testing seems to have several advantages over tumor tissue biopsy; firstly, it reduces medical costs, risk of complications related to invasive procedures, and turnaround times; moreover, the analysis of genes alteration, such as EGFR, ALK, ROS1, and BRAF is faster and safer with this method, compared to tissue biopsy. Despite all these advantages, the evidences in literatures indicate that assays performed on liquid biopsies have a low sensitivity, making them unsuitable for screening in lung cancer at the current state. This is caused by lack of standardization in sampling and preparation of specimen and by the low concentration of biomarkers in the bloodstream. Instead, routinely use of LB should be preferred in revaluation of patients with advanced NSCLC resistant to chemotherapy, due to onset of new mutations

Mixed Land Use as an Intrinsic Feature of Sprawl: A Short-Term Analysis of Settlement Growth and Population Distribution Using European Urban Atlas

This study investigates the land-use/population mix over time as the base to derive an indicator of urban sprawl. Land-use individual patches (provided by Urban Atlas, hereafter UA, with a detailed spatial geometry at 1:10,000 scale) were associated with the total (resident) population based on official statistics (census enumeration districts and other public data sources), providing a comprehensive mapping of the spatial distribution of population density by land-use class in a representative case study for the Mediterranean region (metropolitan Athens, Greece). Data analysis adopted a mix of statistical techniques, such as descriptive statistics, non-parametric curve interpolation (smoothing splines), and exploratory multivariate statistics, namely hierarchical clustering, non-metric multi-dimensional scaling and confirmative factor analysis. The results of this study indicate a non-linear gradient of density decline from downtown (dominated by compact settlements) to peripheral locations (dominated by natural land). Population density in agricultural land was locally high and increasing over time; this result suggests how mixed land use may be the base of intense sprawl in large metropolitan regions. The methodology implemented in this study can be generalized over the whole sample of European cities included in Urban Atlas, providing a semi-automatic assessment of exurban development and population re-distribution over larger metropolitan regions

Altered expression of cytokines in mice infected intranasally with two syncytial variants of Herpes simplex virus type 1

Immune evasion strategies are important for the onset and the maintenance of viral infections. Many viruses have evolved mechanisms to counteract or suppress the host immune response. We have previously characterized two syncytial (syn) variants of Herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) strain F, syn14-1 and syn17-2, obtained by selective pressure with a natural carrageenan. These variants showed a differential pathology in vaginal and respiratory mucosa infection in comparison with parental strain. In this paper, we evaluated the modulation of immune response in respiratory mucosa by these HSV-1 variants. We observed altered levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Interleukin-6 in lungs of animals infected with the syn14-1 and syn17-2 variants compared with the parental strain. Also, we detected differences in the recruitment of immune cells to the lung in syn variants infected mice. Both variants exhibit one point mutation in the sequence of the gene of glycoprotein D detected in the ectodomain of syn14-1 and the cytoplasmic tail of syn17-2. Results obtained in the present study contribute to the characterization of HSV-1 syn variants and the participation of the cellular inflammatory response in viral pathogenesis.Fil: Artuso, María Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Linero, Florencia Natalia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gazzaniga, Silvina Noemí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Scolaro, Luis Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pujol, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Wainstok, Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

Psychometric properties and diagnostic accuracy of the short form of the geriatric anxiety scale (GAS-10)

Background: Anxious symptoms have a negative impact on different aspects of the elderly\u2019s quality of life, ranging from the adoption of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours to an increased functional impairment and a greater physical disability. Different brief assessment instruments have been developed as efficacy measures of geriatric anxiety in order to overcome psychometric weaknesses of its long form. Among these, the 10-item Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS-10) showed strong psychometric properties in community-dwelling samples. However, its diagnostic accuracy is still unexplored, as well as its discriminative power in clinical samples. Methods: In the present study, we explored the psychometric performance of the GAS-10 in the elderly through Item Response Theory in a sample of 1200 Italian community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly adults (53.8% males, mean age = 65.21 \ub1 9.19 years). Concurrent validity, as well as diagnostic accuracy, was examined in a non-clinical sample (N = 229; 46.72% males) and clinical sample composed of 35 elderly outpatients (74.28% females) with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Results: The GAS-10 displayed good internal construct validity, with unidimensional structure and no local dependency, good accuracy, and no signs of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) or measurement bias due to gender, but negligible due to the age. Differences in concurrent validity and diagnostic accuracy among the long form version of the GAS and the GAS-10 were not found significant. The GAS-10 may be more useful than the longer versions in many clinical and research applications, when time constraints or fatigue are issues. Conclusion: Using the ROC curve, the GAS-10 showed good discriminant validity in categorizing outpatients with GAD disorder, and high anxiety symptoms as measured by the GAS-SF cut-off. The stable cut-off point provided could enhance the clinical usefulness of the GAS-10, which seems to be a promising valid and reliable tool for maximize diagnostic accuracy of geriatric anxiety symptoms

Development, Characterization, and In Vitro Evaluation of Tamoxifen Microemulsions

Microemulsions (MEs) were designed by an innovative rational development, characterized, and used to load up to 20 mM of Tamoxifen citrate (TMX). They were made with acceptable and well-characterized excipients for all the routes of administration. Some of their properties, such as nanometric mean size and long stability shelf life, make them interesting drug delivery systems. The results obtained after the in vitro inhibition of estradiol-induced proliferation in MCF-7 breast cancer cells demonstrated a significant effect in cell growth. A decreasing of at least 90% in viable cells was shown after the incubation with MEs containing 20 mM of TMX. Besides, two compositions which loaded 10 mM of drug showed a cytotoxic effect higher than 70%. These results encourage the evaluation of alternative protocols for this drug administration, not only for estrogen receptor (ER) positive tumors, but also for ER negative

Thermodynamic properties of extremely diluted symmetric Q-Ising neural networks

Using the replica-symmetric mean-field theory approach the thermodynamic and retrieval properties of extremely diluted {\it symmetric} $Q$-Ising neural networks are studied. In particular, capacity-gain parameter and capacity-temperature phase diagrams are derived for $Q=3, 4$ and $Q=\infty$. The zero-temperature results are compared with those obtained from a study of the dynamics of the model. Furthermore, the de Almeida-Thouless line is determined. Where appropriate, the difference with other $Q$-Ising architectures is outlined.Comment: 16 pages Latex including 6 eps-figures. Corrections, also in most of the figures have been mad

A comparative study on trichoderma harzianum and a combination of candida/bacillus as tools for the bioremediation of table olive processing water

A comparative study was performed on Trichoderma harzianum and a combination of Candida boidinii/Bacillus pumilus to reduce the polluting effect of TOPW (Table Olive Processing Water) from the Spanish style. A 2k fractional design was used to study the effect of pH (6–11 for the fungus and 6–9 for Candida/Bacillus), temperature (10–35◦C) and duration (7–14 days for Candida/Bacillus and 14–21 days for T. harzianum), and the effect on phenol reduction, COD and color was evaluated. The experiments were also performed on diluted TOPW (dilution ratio 1:1). Generally, Trichoderma removed higher amounts of phenols and reduced COD more than the combination Candida/Bacillus, thus confirming the higher efficiency of filamentous fungi reported in the literature. The dilution of TOPW had an effect only on COD reduction; however, the effect was mild, at least for T. harzianum (4%), while yield increase was 9% for Bacillus/Candida. pH acted in a different way on phenol removal and COD reduction; an increase of pH caused a reduction of efficiency for COD, while the effect was positive for phenols