Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) 2-phenylsuccinate

Succinic acid esters are important compounds that find many applications in various industrial fields. One of the most promising and easy ways of producing these molecules is represented by the bis-alkoxycarbonylation reaction of olefins. In particular, a recently developed catalytic system, consisting of an aryl alfa-diimine/palladium(II) catalyst and p-benzoquinone as an oxidant, has allowed succinates to be obtained in high yields. A similar methodology was applied here for the unprecedented synthesis of the bis(2-hydroxyethyl) 2-phenylsuccinate in 78% isolated yield, starting from the cheap and commercially available compounds styrene and ethylene glycol. To our knowledge, no other examples of bis-alkoxycarbonylations of olefins involving diols have been reported thus far. The obtained product was fully characterized by NMR and ESI-MS analyses

CFD Simulation of Binary Fluidized Mixtures: Effects of Restitution Coefficient and Spatial Discretization Methods

The work focuses on the CFD simulation of fluidized bidisperse solid particles with same density and different size. We successfully predicted the minimum superficial gas velocity required to steadily fluidize the particles by employing a second-order upwind spatial discretization method and a non-ideal value of the restitution coefficient

Editorial: Role of membrane-bound and circulating endoglin in disease

4 p.Peer reviewe

Molecular Mechanisms Mediating Antiangiogenic Action of the Urokinase Receptor-Derived Peptide UPARANT in Human Retinal Endothelial Cells

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Computer-Assessed Preference-Based Quality of Life in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury

Objectives. Our aims were to (1) measure quality of life (QoL) in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients using different methods and analyze differences; (2) enable targeted treatments by identifying variables that affect QoL; and (3) provide decision-makers with useful data for cost-utility analyses in SCI population. Methods. Seventy-one participants were enrolled. The computer-based tool UceWeb was used to elicit QoL in terms of utility coefficients, through the standard gamble, time trade-off, and rating scale methods. The SF36 questionnaire was also administered. Statistical analyses were performed to find predictors of QoL among collected variables. Results. Median values for rating scale, time trade-off, and standard gamble were 0.60, 0.82, and 0.85, respectively. All scales were significantly correlated. Rating scale and SF36 provided similar values, significantly lower than the other methods. Impairment level, male gender, older age, living alone, and higher education were correlated with lower QoL but accounted for only 20% of the variation in utility coefficients. Conclusions. Demographic and clinical variables are useful to predict QoL but do not completely capture utility coefficients variability. Therefore, direct preference-based utility elicitation should be strengthened. Finally, this is the first study providing data that can be used as a reference for cost-utility analyses in the Italian SCI population

Prognostic value of soluble ST2, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin, and NT-proBNP in type 2 diabetes: a 15-year retrospective study

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) present an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease and excess CV-related mortality. Beyond the established role of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cardiac troponins (cTn), other non-cardiac-specific biomarkers are emerging as predictors of CV outcomes in T2DM. Methods: Serum levels of soluble suppression of tumorigenesis 2 (sST2), high-sensitivity (hs)-cTnI, and N-terminal (NT)-proBNP were assessed in 568 patients with T2DM and 115 healthy controls (CTR). Their association with all-cause mortality and the development of diabetic complications was tested in T2DM patients over a median follow-up of 16.8 years using Cox models and logistic regressions. Results: sST2 followed an increasing trend from CTR to uncomplicated T2DM patients (T2DM-NC) to patients with at least one complication (T2DM-C), while hs-cTnI was significantly higher in T2DM-C compared to CTR but not to T2DM-NC. A graded association was found between sST2 (HR 2.76 [95% CI 1.20-6.33] for ≥ 32.0 ng/mL and 2.00 [1.02-3.94] for 16.5-32.0 ng/mL compared to < 16.5 ng/mL, C-statistic = 0.729), NT-proBNP (HR 2.04 [1.90-4.55] for ≥ 337 ng/L and 1.48 [1.05-2.10] for 89-337 ng/L compared to < 89 ng/L, C-statistic = 0.741), and 15-year mortality in T2DM, whereas increased mortality was observed in patients with hs-cTnI ≥ 7.8 ng/L (HR 1.63 [1.01-2.62]). A 'cardiac score' based on the combination of sST2, hs-cTnI, and NT-proBNP was significantly associated with all-cause mortality (HR 1.35 [1.19-1.53], C-statistic = 0.739) and development of CV events. Conclusions: sST2, hs-cTnI, and NT-proBNP are associated with 15-year mortality and onset of CV events in T2DM. The long-term prognostic value of sST2 and its ability to track variables related to insulin resistance and associated metabolic disorders support its implementation into routine clinical practice

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia in North African and sub-Saharan patients

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) or Osler-Weber-Rendu disease is an autosomal-dominant inherited vascular disease, characterised by the presence of mucocutaneous telangiectasia and visceral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Three main causative genes are known: ENG, ACVRL1 and SMAD4. BMP9 has also been shown to be involved in a small number of cases. We report two cases of HHT in North African and sub-Saharan patients