Comportamento meccanico in prove di fatica a caldo di compositi metallici a matrice di lega SP-700 rinforzata con fibre di Carburo di silicio tipo SCS-6

Il presente lavoro descrive le fasi di fabbricazione e di caratterizzazione di campioni di lega composita a matrice di titanio SP-700 e rinforzo costituito da fibre continue di SiC. I campioni fabbricati sono stati caratterizzati in microscopia , prima e dopo la compattazione isostatica a caldo. Il materiale è stato sottoposto a prove di trazione e fatica a temperatura ambiente, 450°C e 600°C. Sono illustrati i risultati delle prove che hanno mostrato una resistenza in trazione di almeno il 20% superiore a quelle della sola matrice. Infine sono state esaminate le superficie le sezioni di frattura delle provette sottoposte a fatica per descrivere le modalità ed i fenomeni agenti durante la deformazione

Thermochemical characterization of polybenzimidazole with and without nano-ZrO2 for ablative materials application

During the ballistic atmospheric re-entry, a space vehicle has to withstand huge thermo-mechanical solicitations because of its high velocity and the friction with the atmosphere. According to the kind of the re-entry mission, the heat fluxes can be very high (in the order of some MW m−2) ;thus, an adequate thermal protection system is mandatory in order to preserve the structure of the vehicle, the payload and, for manned mission, the crew. Carbon phenolic ablators have been chosen for several missions because they are able to dissipate the incident heat flux very efficiently. Phenolic resin presents satisfying performance but also environmental drawbacks. Thus, a more environmental-friendly solution was conceived: a high-performance thermoplastic material, polybenzimidazole (PBI), was employed instead of phenolic resin. In this work PBI-ablative material samples were manufactured with and without the addition of nano-ZrO2 and tested with an oxyacetylene flame. For comparison, some carbon-phenolic ablators with the same density were manufactured and tested too. Thermogravimetric analysis on PBI samples was carried out at different heating rates, and the obtained TG data were elaborated to evaluate the activation energy of PBI and nano-filled PBI. The thermokinetics results for PBI show an improvement in thermal stability due to the addition of nano-ZrO2, while the oxyacetylene flame test enlightens how PBI ablators are able to overcome the carbon phenolic ablators performance, in particular when modified by the addition of nano-ZrO2

Thermal spray coatings for corrosion and wear protection of naval Diesel engines components

Hard chrome plating has been widely used as the standard solution for valves stem, but its limited wear-corrosionresistance and the high toxicity of its galvanic baths suggest to look for suitable alternatives, such as thermalsprayed ceramic-metallic (cermet) and self-fluxing alloys.The present study aims to compare different solutions in terms of corrosion resistance under a selected acidenvironment and of wear resistance both for as-sprayed and post-corrosion samples.Coatings have been deposited by HVOF both on martensitic steel and Ni-based superalloy. A Design of Experimentprocedure has been used for spray parameters optimization, based on porosity and deposition efficiency ofthe coatings. Corrosion tests have shown the effect of porosity of the coatings, while wear tests confirmed thefundamental role of the dispersed hard phases.All the solutions here proposed have shown a significant improvement in terms of corrosion and wear resistancecompared to hard chrome plating

Evolocumab in pediatric heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

BACKGROUND Evolocumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody directed against proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin type 9, is widely used in adult patients to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. Its effects in pediatric patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia are not known. METHODS We conducted a 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of evolocumab in pediatric patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Patients 10 to 17 years of age who had received stable lipid-lowering treatment for at least 4 weeks before screening and who had an LDL cholesterol level of 130 mg per deciliter (3.4 mmol per liter) or more and a triglyceride level of 400 mg per deciliter (4.5 mmol per liter) or less were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive monthly subcutaneous injections of evolocumab (420 mg) or placebo. The primary end point was the percent change in LDL cholesterol level from baseline to week 24; key secondary end points were the mean percent change in LDL cholesterol level from baseline to weeks 22 and 24 and the absolute change in LDL cholesterol level from baseline to week 24. RESULTS A total of 157 patients underwent randomization and received evolocumab (104 patients) or placebo (53 patients). At week 24, the mean percent change from baseline in LDL cholesterol level was −44.5% in the evolocumab group and −6.2% in the placebo group, for a difference of −38.3 percentage points (P<0.001). The absolute change in the LDL cholesterol level was −77.5 mg per deciliter (−2.0 mmol per liter) in the evolocumab group and −9.0 mg per deciliter (−0.2 mmol per liter) in the placebo group, for a difference of −68.6 mg per deciliter (−1.8 mmol per liter) (P<0.001). Results for all secondary lipid variables were significantly better with evolocumab than with placebo. The incidence of adverse events that occurred during the treatment period was similar in the evolocumab and placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS In this trial involving pediatric patients with familial hypercholesterolemia, evolocumab reduced the LDL cholesterol level and other lipid variables

Performance metrics of the scoring system for the diagnosis of the beckwith–wiedemann spectrum (bwsp) and its correlation with cancer development

Different scoring systems for the clinical diagnosis of the Beckwith–Wiedemann spectrum (BWSp) have been developed over time, the most recent being the international consensus score. Here we try to validate and provide data on the performance metrics of these scoring systems of the 2018 international consensus and the previous ones, relating them to BWSp features, molecular tests, and the probability of cancer development in a cohort of 831 patients. The consensus scoring system had the best performance (sensitivity 0.85 and specificity 0.43). In our cohort, the diagnostic yield of tests on blood-extracted DNA was low in patients with a low consensus score (~20% with a score = 2), and the score did not correlate with cancer development. We observed hepatoblastoma (HB) in 4.3% of patients with UPD(11)pat and Wilms tumor in 1.9% of patients with isolated lateralized overgrowth (ILO). We validated the efficacy of the currently used consensus score for BWSp clinical diagnosis. Based on our observation, a first-tier analysis of tissue-extracted DNA in patients with <4 points may be considered. We discourage the use of the consensus score value as an indicator of the probability of cancer development. Moreover, we suggest considering cancer screening for negative patients with ILO (risk ~2%) and HB screening for patients with UPD(11)pat (risk ~4%)

Evaluation of the performance of Dutch Lipid Clinic Network score in an Italian FH population: The LIPIGEN study

Background and aims: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder characterized by high levels of blood cholesterol from birth and premature coronary heart disease. Thus, the identification of FH patients is crucial to prevent or delay the onset of cardiovascular events, and the availability of a tool helping with the diagnosis in the setting of general medicine is essential to improve FH patient identification.Methods: This study evaluated the performance of the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) score in FH patients enrolled in the LIPIGEN study, an Italian integrated network aimed at improving the identification of patients with genetic dyslipidaemias, including FH.Results: The DLCN score was applied on a sample of 1377 adults (mean age 42.9 +/- 14.2 years) with genetic diagnosis of FH, resulting in 28.5% of the sample classified as probable FH and 37.9% as classified definite FH. Among these subjects, 43.4% had at least one missing data out of 8, and about 10.0% had 4 missing data or more. When analyzed based on the type of missing data, a higher percentage of subjects with at least 1 missing data in the clinical history or physical examination was classified as possible FH (DLCN score 3-5). We also found that using real or estimated pre-treatment LDL-C levels may significantly modify the DLCN score.Conclusions: Although the DLCN score is a useful tool for physicians in the diagnosis of FH, it may be limited by the complexity to retrieve all the essential information, suggesting a crucial role of the clinical judgement in the identification of FH subjects