22 research outputs found

    Poorly differentiated carcinoma arising from adenolymphoma of the parotid gland

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    BACKGROUND: There is only one previous case report of a poorly differentiated carcinoma arising from an adenolymphoma of the parotid gland (Warthin's tumour). The absence of clinical symptoms, and the aspecificity of the radiological pattern make the diagnosis very difficult. CASE PRESENTATION: We here report the case of a 73-year-old man with Warthin's tumour who was brought to our attention because of a swelling in the parotid region. CONCLUSIONS: In this case with an atypical clinical presentation, the intra-operative examination of a frozen section of the parotid mass allowed us to diagnose the malignant tumour correctly and consequently undertake its radical excision

    Potential advantages of cell administration on the inflammatory response compared to standard ACE inhibitor treatment in experimental myocardial infarction

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bone Marrow (BM) progenitor cells can target the site of myocardial injury, contributing to tissue repair by neovascolarization and/or by a possible direct paracrine effect on the inflammatory cascade. Angiotensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) are effective in reducing mortality and preventing left ventricular (LV) function deterioration after myocardial infarction.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the short term effects of BM mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) therapy on the pro-inflammatory cytokines (pro-CKs) and on LV remodelling and compared these effects over a standard ACE-I therapy in a rat model of myocardial cryodamage.</p> <p>Forty two adult inbread Fisher-F344 rats were randomized into three groups: untreated (UT; n = 12), pharmacological therapy (ACE-I; n = 14, receiving quinapril), and cellular therapy (BMMNCs; n = 16, receiving BMMNCs infusion). Rats underwent to a standard echocardiogram in the acute setting and 14 days after the damage, before the sacrifice. Pro-CKs analysis (interleukin (IL)1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α was performed (multiplex proteome arrays) on blood samples obtained by direct aorta puncture before the sacrifice; a control group of 6 rats was considered as reference.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Concerning the extension of the infarcted area as well as the LV dimensions, no differences were observed among the animal groups; treated rats had lower left atrial diameters and higher indexes of LV function. Pro-Cks were increased in infarcted-UT rats if compared with controls, and significantly reduced by BMMNCs and ACE-I ; TNFα inversely correlated with LV fractional shortening.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>After myocardial infarction, both BMMNCs and ACE-I reduce the pattern of pro-Ck response, probably contributing to prevent the deterioration of LV function observed in UT rats.</p

    Identification of measures to contain the outbreaks on passenger ships using pedestrian simulations

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    6no: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, since the beginning of 2020, has had a strong effect on many industry sectors including maritime transport. In this context, the passenger transport industry was the most affected and it is still in a very critical situation. Starting from the "No Sail Order" issued in March 2020, cruise companies stopped their operations. Besides the international regulatory bodies issued several guidelines for the prevention and management of pandemics onboard in order to safely resume cruises. The present work addresses this topic, aiming to discuss procedures and best practices to reduce the risk of uncontrolled spreading of SARS-CoV-2 infection on large cruise vessels. Starting from the lessons learned from the representative case of Diamond Princess, here the tools developed in the framework of Industry 4.0 have been used to highlight and handle the criticalities risen on the internal layout of passenger vessels, opening new opportunities to operate existing vessels and improve the design new buildings for outbreaks prevention and control.openopenBraidotti, Luca; Bertagna, Serena; Dodero, Matteo; Piu, Michele; Marinò, Alberto; Bucci, VittorioBraidotti, Luca; Bertagna, Serena; Dodero, Matteo; Piu, Michele; Marinò, Alberto; Bucci, Vittori

    Concept Design Methodology to Enable Naval Smart Grid onboard Electric Ships

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    The design of naval electric ships is a complex task, requiring the combined effort of several experts to provide a feasible, efficient, and effective design. In this regard, modifying an existing \u201cparent\u201d design still seems to be the easiest way to achieve cost reduction, acquisition process anticipation, and reduced technical risks. In last decades, many methods have been proposed to approach new design concepts. In this paper the authors support the use of set-based design (SBD) paradigm, especially at concept design stage, with the aim of identifying the best possible design enabling naval smart grid onboard. A synthesis is made of the primary properties of a number of baseline ships, to ease the metamodeling of ships\u201d attributes. The latter are used to drive a random mathematical design model in a MADM framework. A large set of feasible designs is generated by an adaptive Monte Carlo sampling, followed by identification of the Pareto frontier and selection of the best designs through a rank ordering. In this paper it is shown how the best non-dominated designs can improve performance, while providing a significant advantage compared with the baseline ships in terms of lower onboard occupied volumes and weight. The latter can then be used for installing additional equipment onboard the vessel, like energy storage systems, in order to enable the integration of modern and future electric systems. A preliminary assessment of the achievable energy storage capacity enabled by the SBD approach is also given, to allow evaluating the order of magnitude of the advantages provided by the SBD approach
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