Spontaneous galvanic displacement of Pt nanostructures on nickel foam: Synthesis, characterization and use for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract In this paper we propose the use of spontaneous galvanic displacement as a promising solution to produce nickel foam electrodes functionalized with interconnected platinum nanoparticles. Scanning Electron Microscopy analyses, coupled with X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy show that, under proper conditions, we can overcome the limits of other deposition techniques, achieving a uniform Pt coverage throughout the 3D structure of the Ni foam. We show that such a condition, not deeply investigated in previous literature, turns out to be crucial for the long term stability of the electrodes under constant current stress. The amount of Pt on the Ni foam has been experimentally evaluated, obtaining optimal results with 0.015 mg cm−2 of noble metal in a 0.16 cm thick electrode. Such a low amount corresponds to a Ni foam cost increase of less than 0.1%

Molecular evidence of Leishmania infantum in Ixodes ricinus ticks from dogs and cats, in Italy.

Leishmaniosis, caused by Leishmania infantum, is an endemic zoonosis in the Mediterranean basin. To date, phlebotomine sand flies are the only accepted biological vectors of Leishmania parasites to dogs and humans. The absence of the primary vector in autochthonous Leishmania outbreaks suggests a possible role of fleas or ticks as alternative vectors. In this study, 119 ticks were collected between August 2007-June 2008 and between March 2010-October 2010 from various animal species and humans living in Italian areas where canine leishmaniosis is endemic (i.e. rural areas of the North) and were tested for the presence of L. infantum DNA. Nine (7.5%) out of 119 ticks resulted PCR positive. All ticks were morphologically identified as Ixodes ricinus ticks, 3 from 1 cat, 6 from 4 dogs. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of L. infantum DNA in ticks from cat, suggesting that the debate about the epidemiological role of ticks in canine leishmaniosis might be extended to feline leishmaniosis

E-PTFE (Gore-Tex) implant with or without low-dosage mitomycin-C as an adjuvant in penetrating glaucoma surgery: 2 year randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: To test the expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) as a new adjuvant in trabeculectomy. Methods: Consecutive glaucoma surgical inpatients were observed at the Department of Ophthalmology of Palermo University. Sixty patients (60 eyes)were randomly assigned to undergo trabeculectomy (T), trabeculectomy with mitomycin-C (TMMC), with ePTFE (TG) or with mitomycin-C and ePTFE (TGMMC). Postoperative visits were scheduled at 24 hr, 7 days, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. Complete success and qualified success were assessed at two target intraocular pressure (IOP) levels – £21 and £17 mmHg – by Kaplan–Meier curves. Results: The postoperative IOP reduction was significant (P < 0.01) at the endpoint in all groups, with a mean IOP of 16.9 (±2.9), 16.2 (±2.7), 15.3 (±3.4) and 15.2 (±4.3) mmHg in T, TMMC, TG and TGMMC eyes, respectively. No intergroup difference was found at either IOP targets. The Kaplan–Meier curves relating to either the £21 mmHg or the £17 mmHg target IOP did not show significant intergroup differences for complete and qualified success rate. When ePTFE was used, a trend favouring the medium-term survival rate was noted. No adverse reaction to the ePTFE was present, and no membrane extrusion or conjuctival erosion were noted in any cases. Hypotony was significantly more frequent (P = 0.035) in groups without ePTFE. Moreover, the late MMC-related complications were more frequent when MMC was applied. Conclusion: Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene implant in trabeculectomy is well tolerated and could act as a filtration modulating device. Therefore, it is useful in reducing early hypotony-related complications and contributes to attaining medium-term IOP control that is comparable to the low-dosage MMC

FLARES: an aging aware algorithm to autonomously adapt the error correction capability in NAND Flash memories

With the advent of solid-state storage systems, NAND flash memories are becoming a key storage technology. However, they suffer from serious reliability and endurance issues during the operating lifetime that can be handled by the use of appropriate error correction codes (ECC) in order to reconstruct the information when needed.. Adaptable ECCs may provide the flexibility to avoid worst-case reliability design thus leading to improved performance. However, a way to control such adaptable ECCs strength is required. This paper proposes FLARES, an algorithm able to adapt the ECC correction capability of each page of a flash based on a flash RBER prediction model and on a measurement of the number of errors detected in a given time window. FLARES has been fully implemented within the YAFFS 2 filesystem under the Linux operating system. This allowed us to perform an extensive set of simulations on a set of standard benchmarks that highlighted the benefit of FLARES on the overall storage subsystem performance

Colistin Resistance Genes in Broiler Chickens in Tunisia

Simple Summary The extensive use of colistin in livestock is recognized as the main cause of the emergence of colistin resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. This phenomenon represents a public health concern, as colistin is one of the last-resort antibiotics against multidrug-resistant deadly infections in human medicine. In the present survey, DNA extracted from cloacal swabs from 195 broiler chickens in Tunisia was tested by PCR for the ten mobilized colistin resistance (mcr) genes known so far. Of the 195 animals tested, 81 (41.5%) were mcr-1 positive. These results confirm the urgent nature of antimicrobial resistance in the Tunisian poultry sector and suggest the need for cautious use of colistin in the veterinary field. Colistin is a polymyxin antibiotic that has been used in veterinary medicine for decades, as a treatment for enterobacterial digestive infections as well as a prophylactic treatment and growth promoter in livestock animals, leading to the emergence and spread of colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and to a great public health concern, considering that colistin is one of the last-resort antibiotics against multidrug-resistant deadly infections in clinical practice. Previous studies performed on livestock animals in Tunisia using culture-dependent methods highlighted the presence of colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In the present survey, DNA extracted from cloacal swabs from 195 broiler chickens from six farms in Tunisia was tested via molecular methods for the ten mobilized colistin resistance (mcr) genes known so far. Of the 195 animals tested, 81 (41.5%) were mcr-1 positive. All the farms tested were positive, with a prevalence ranging from 13% to 93%. These results confirm the spread of colistin resistance in livestock animals in Tunisia and suggest that the investigation of antibiotic resistance genes by culture-independent methods could be a useful means of conducting epidemiological studies on the spread of antimicrobial resistance

The role of the emergency department in the management of acute heart failure: an international perspective on education and research

Emergency departments are a major entry point for the initial management of acute heart failure (AHF) patients throughout the world. The initial diagnosis, management and disposition - the decision to admit or discharge - of AHF patients in the emergency department has significant downstream implications. Misdiagnosis, under or overtreatment, or inappropriate admission may place patients at increased risk for adverse events, and add costs to the healthcare system. Despite the critical importance of initial management, data are sparse regarding the impact of early AHF treatment delivered in the emergency department compared to inpatient or chronic heart failure management. Unfortunately, outcomes remain poor, with nearly a third of patients dying or re-hospitalised within 3 months post-discharge. In the absence of robust research evidence, consensus is an important source of guidance for AHF care. Thus, we convened an international group of practising emergency physicians, cardiologists and advanced practice nurses with the following goals to improve outcomes for AHF patients who present to the emergency department or other acute care setting through: (a) a better understanding of the pathophysiology, presentation and management of the initial phase of AHF care; (b) improving initial management by addressing knowledge gaps between best practices and current practice through education and research; and (c) to establish a framework for future emergency department-based international education and research

Prognostic and Functional Significant of Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) in Breast Cancer Unveiled by Multi-Omics Approaches

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a well-characterized molecular chaperones protein family, classified into six major families, according to their molecular size. A wide range of tumors have been shown to express atypical levels of one or more HSPs, suggesting that they could be used as biomarkers. However, the collective role and the possible coordination of HSP members, as well as the prognostic significance and the functional implications of their deregulated expression in breast cancer (BC) are poorly investigated. Here, we used a systematic multi-omics approach to assess the HSPs expression, the prognostic value, and the underlying mechanisms of tumorigenesis in BC. By using data mining, we showed that several HSPs were deregulated in BC and significantly correlated with a poor or good prognosis. Functional network analysis of HSPs co-expressed genes and miRNAs highlighted their regulatory effects on several biological pathways involved in cancer progression. In particular, these pathways concerned cell cycle and DNA replication for the HSPs co-expressed genes, and miRNAs up-regulated in poor prognosis and Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (ETM), as well as receptors-mediated signaling for the HSPs co-expressed genes upregulated in good prognosis. Furthermore, the proteomic expression of HSPs in a large sample-set of breast cancer tissues revealed much more complexity in their roles in BC and showed that their expression is quite variable among patients and confined into different cellular compartments. In conclusion, integrative analysis of multi-omics data revealed the distinct impact of several HSPs members in BC progression and indicate that collectively they could be useful as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for BC management

Optical coherence tomography angiography findings in Huntington’s disease

Objectives: To evaluate the retinal and choriocapillaris vascular networks in macular region and the central choroidal thickness (CCT) in patients affected by Huntington disease (HD), using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain OCT (EDI SD-OCT). Methods: We assessed the vessel density (VD) in superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choriocapillaris (CC) using OCTA, while CCT was measured by EDI SD-OCT. Results: Sixteen HD patients (32 eyes) and thirteen healthy controls (26 eyes) were enrolled in this prospective study. No significant difference in retinal and choriocapillaris VD was found between HD patients and controls while CCT turned to be thinner in patients respect to controls. There were no significant relationships between OCTA findings and neurological parameters. Conclusion: The changes in choroidal structure provide useful information regarding the possible neurovascular involvement in the physiopathology of HD. Choroidal vascular network could be a useful parameter to evaluate the vascular impairment that occurs in this neurodegenerative disease