Modification of blood pressure in postmenopausal women: role of hormone replacement therapy

The rate of hypertension increases after menopause. Whether estrogen and progesterone deficiency associated with menopause play a role in determining a worst blood pressure (BP) control is still controversial. Also, studies dealing with the administration of estrogens or hormone therapy (HT) have reported conflicting evidence. In general it seems that, despite some negative data on subgroups of later postmenopausal women obtained with oral estrogens, in particular conjugated equine estrogens (CEE), most of the data indicate neutral or beneficial effects of estrogen or HT administration on BP control of both normotensive and hypertensive women. Data obtained with ambulatory BP monitoring and with transdermal estrogens are more convincing and concordant in defining positive effect on BP control of both normotensive and hypertensive postmenopausal women. Overall progestin adjunct does not hamper the effect of estrogens. Among progestins, drospirenone, a spironolactone-derived molecule, appears to be the molecule with the best antihypertensive properties

SUI LOGONIMI DELLA RICEZIONE IN LATINO: IL CASO DI COMPREHENDO, AUDIO E LEGO

The research focuses on three Latin terms, comprehend\u14d, audi\u14d and leg\u14d, analysed in their etymological and semantic features in order to place them in the classifications of logonimic lexemes developed since the coining of the metalinguistic term logonimo by Domenico Silvestri. These terms have been selected on the basis of their common characteristic of naming different stages of the linguistic reception and because this side of the linguistic communication has been investigated to a reduced extent, which is also motivated by the poorness in the number of lexemes about the linguistic reception. Moreover, this choice ensures the possibility of verifying the similarities and differences between these terms and the logonyms of linguistic production. After a first overview of the researches on the words concerning the \u201cspeaking\u201d with the aim of identifying the main traits of logonyms, three chapters are dedicated to comprehend\u14d, audi\u14d and leg\u14d presenting for each term an etymological analysis and a thorough semantic investigation based on their textual evidences. From the attestations of the terms it emerges that all these logonyms have some features in common, such as their polisemic character, in which the logonimic meaning arises from a broadening of the primary sense due to a metaphoric extension. Furthermore, they seem to be properly described through the classification elaborated by Silvestri. In particular, they are all part of the same category of logonyms, relazionali-introversi, and are to be located in the cognitive area of selection and combination. Finally, an enquiry about the relationship between logonymy and metaphor is conducted, confirming the close link among the two phenomena, observed also in the logonyms of linguistic production

Efficacy, safety, and patient acceptability of thecombined chlormadinone acetate-ethinylestradioloral contraceptive

Since their introduction in 1959, development of hormonal contraceptives has beenongoing, with the ultimate aim of creating not only an effective and safe contraceptive method,but also a drug able to meet the need for treatment of other conditions, such as acne, seborrhea,and hirsutism, with few or no side effects. With this objective, a new progestin, chlormadinoneacetate (CMA), has been developed as a derivative of progesterone for contraception.Thisnew molecule has been introduced in combination with ethinylestradiol (EE) 30 μg as a safecontraceptivewith antiandrogenic properties. Many clinical studies have investigated this neworal combination and found it to be safe, with a Pearl Index similar to that of other combinedhormonal contraceptives. CMA, because of its antiandrogenic properties, has been also consideredeffective for resolution of acne, seborrhea, and hirsutism. The data show it to be asafe molecule in terms of glucose and lipid metabolism. No major weight changes have beenlinked with its use, and it seems to be the only progestin able to reduce fat mass during use.The CMA-EE combination is well tolerated and acceptable to women. Adverse events relatedto its use are similar to those reported with other third-generation contraceptives.We canconclude that CMA-EE is an effective, safe, and well tolerated antiandrogenichormonalcontraceptive

Synthesis of vertically-aligned GaAs nanowires on GaAs/(111)Si heterosubstrates by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy

We report on the Au-catalysed synthesis of GaAs nanowires on hetero-structured GaAs/(111)Si substrates by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy. It is demonstrated that the deposition of a 40-50 nm thin GaAs epilayer onto Si guarantees a high percentage of straight and vertically-aligned GaAs nanowires. GaAs epilayers were grown at 400 °C and subsequently annealed at 700 °C. Growth experiments performed on 4°-miscut and exactly-oriented (111)Si substrates show that a higher yield (close to 90%) of vertical nanowires is obtained using miscut substrates, an effect ascribed to the smoother surface morphology of GaAs epilayers on these substrates. Comparison between the cross-sectional shape of nanowires grown on GaAs/(111)Si heterosubstrates and those on (111)A-GaAs and (111)B-GaAs substrates demonstrates that both GaAs epilayers and over-grown nanowires are (111)B-oriented

Assessment of a desiccant cooling system in a traditional and innovative nanofluid HVAC system

The topic of energy saving is a constant in everyday life, and it is widespread all over the world. Space heating using solar panels is the most used renewable source of energy, but the application of solar energy for cooling the fluids used for refrigeration is growing very fast. Among the techniques used for refrigeration, this work focused on Desiccant Cooling. In particular, with the use of dynamic simulation software, it was possible to study the heat supplied and the energy consumption of a Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of a university building and to compare consumption with those of a Desiccant Cooling system applied to the same building. Four different cases were simulated: two related to the HVAC system, one of which operates with water and glycol and the other one with nanofluid, and the other ones to the Desiccant Cooling system with both types of fluids mentioned above. Keeping the same energy demand of the building in all the simulations, it was found that in summer the Desiccant Cooling system had higher performance than the traditional HVAC system and that the use of the nanofluid in both types of conditioning systems further increased the performance of 21%. Simulations were carried out using TRNSYS software

Prevalence of menstrual pain in young women: what is dysmenorrhea

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the frequency of dysmenorrhea, as identified by different definitions, in a population of young women, and to investigate factors associated with this complaint.Materials and methods: A final group of 408 young women completed a self-assessment questionnaire. This was a cross-sectional analytical study.Results: Menstrual pain was reported by 84.1% of women, with 43.1% reporting that pain occurred during every period, and 41% reporting that pain occurred during some periods. Women with menstrual pain had an earlier menarche (P = 0.0002) and a longer menstrual flow (P = 0.006), and this group was characterized as having a higher prevalence of smokers (P = 0.031) and a lower prevalence of hormonal contraception users (P = 0.015). Pain intensity was correlated (r = 0.302, P < 0.0001) positively with menstrual flow length (CR = 0.336), history of abortions (CR = 3.640), and gynecological pathologies (CR = 0.948), and negatively with age at menarche (CR = \u20130.225), use of hormonal contraception (CR = \u20130.787), and history of gynecological surgery (CR = \u20132.115). Considering the parameters of menstrual pain, a need for medication, and inability to function normally (absenteeism from study or social activities) alone or together, the prevalence of dysmenorrhea is 84.1% when considering only menstrual pain, 55.2% when considering the association between menstrual pain and need for medication, 31.9% when considering the association between menstrual pain and absenteeism, and 25.3% when considering the association between menstrual pain, need for medication, and absenteeism (P < 0.0001). The probability of having more severe dysmenorrhea is directly related to pain intensity as measured by a visual analog scale, but does not coincide with it.Conclusion: Menstrual pain is a very common problem, but the need for medication and the inability to function normally occurs less frequently. Nevertheless, at least one in four women experiences distressing menstrual pain characterized by a need for medication and absenteeism from study or social activitie

Ground state of excitons and charged excitons in a quantum well

A variational calculation of the ground state of a neutral exciton and of positively and negatively charged excitons (trions) in single quantum well is presented. We study the dependance of the correlation energy and of the binding energy on the well width and on the hole mass. Our results are are compared with previous theoretical results and with avalaible experimental data.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures presented to OECS

Efficacy, safety, and patient acceptability of thecombined chlormadinone acetate-ethinylestradioloral contraceptive

Since their introduction in 1959, development of hormonal contraceptives has beenongoing, with the ultimate aim of creating not only an effective and safe contraceptive method,but also a drug able to meet the need for treatment of other conditions, such as acne, seborrhea,and hirsutism, with few or no side effects. With this objective, a new progestin, chlormadinoneacetate (CMA), has been developed as a derivative of progesterone for contraception.Thisnew molecule has been introduced in combination with ethinylestradiol (EE) 30 \u3bcg as a safecontraceptivewith antiandrogenic properties. Many clinical studies have investigated this neworal combination and found it to be safe, with a Pearl Index similar to that of other combinedhormonal contraceptives. CMA, because of its antiandrogenic properties, has been also consideredeffective for resolution of acne, seborrhea, and hirsutism. The data show it to be asafe molecule in terms of glucose and lipid metabolism. No major weight changes have beenlinked with its use, and it seems to be the only progestin able to reduce fat mass during use.The CMA-EE combination is well tolerated and acceptable to women. Adverse events relatedto its use are similar to those reported with other third-generation contraceptives.We canconclude that CMA-EE is an effective, safe, and well tolerated antiandrogenichormonalcontraceptive

Development of L-Lysine-Loaded PLGA Microparticles as a Controlled Release System for Angiogenesis Enhancement

Vascularization is a highly conserved and considerably complex and precise process that is finely driven by endogenous regulatory processes at the tissue and systemic levels. However, it can reveal itself to be slow and inadequate for tissue repair and regeneration consequent to severe lesions/damages. Several biomaterial-based strategies were developed to support and enhance vasculogenesis by supplying pro-angiogenic agents. Several approaches were adopted to develop effective drug delivery systems for the controlled release of a huge variety of compounds. In this work, a microparticulate system was chosen to be loaded with the essential amino acid L-lysine, a molecule that has recently gained interest due to its involvement in pro-angiogenic, pro-regenerative, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid), the most widely used FDA-approved biodegradable synthetic polymer for the development of drug delivery systems, was chosen due to its versatility and ability to promote neovascularization and wound healing. This study dealt with the development and the effectiveness evaluation of a PLGA-based microparticulate system for the controlled release of L-lysine. Therefore, in order to maximize L-lysine encapsulation efficiency and tune its release kinetics, the microparticle synthesis protocol was optimized by varying some processing parameters. All developed formulations were characterized from a morphological and physicochemical point of view. The optimized formulation was further characterized via the evaluation of its preliminary biological efficacy in vitro. The cellular and molecular studies revealed that the L-lysine-loaded PLGA microparticles were non-toxic, biocompatible, and supported cell proliferation and angiogenesis well by stimulating the expression of pro-angiogenic genes such as metalloproteinase-9, focal adhesion kinases, and different growth factors. Thus, this work showed the potential of delivering L-lysine encapsulated in PLGA microparticles as a cost-effective promoter system for angiogenesis enhancement and rapid healing

energy retrofit and environmental sustainability improvement of a historical farmhouse in southern italy

Abstract This paper proposes an integrated rehabilitation project of an abandoned farmhouse in a rural area in Southern Italy. The building underwent a functional recovery to become a tourist accommodation. The use of natural materials can reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints considering environmental sustainability aspects. A proper selection of interventions targeted for the specific warm climate has led to benefits for heating, cooling and lighting in the interior spaces. The project also includes the integration of hydraulic facilities and landscaping, such as planting hedges, green barriers and native trees