Hacia una efectiva reparación del daño ambiental: ¿precisión realista o perfeccionismo idealista?

En este artículo se exponen algunas de las cuestiones más álgidas en torno de la determinación precisa de aquellos elementos que comprende la noción de ambiente, así como de los límites que separan lo que es una simple afectación ambiental de un daño grave que conlleve consecuencias jurídicas o responsabilidades en los casos de daños provocados. Se concluye con la convicción de que no existe una normatividad legal que señale claramente a los encargados ni las acciones dirigidas a una reparación efectiva del medio ambiente en estos casos ni en aquellos de desastres naturales.Palabras clave: daño ambiental, desastre natural, riesgo ambiental

Applications of Intermittent Pneumatic Compression for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Purposes

Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC) technique is prescribed for several treatments, as the management of venous leg ulcers or the prevention of deep vein thrombosis. Commercial devices do not enable the full customization of the compressive patterns due to design specifications and low dynamics. However, IPC can be implemented in a wide scenario of clinical protocols, and not only as a therapeutic tool. In this paper, the results of the research on IPC devices conducted at the Politecnico di Torino (Turin, Italy) are presented. In particular, applications regarding the treatment of the end-diastolic volume (EDV) reduction, the investigation of vascular phenomena as hyperemia, and the assessment of venous pulse wave velocity (vPWV) are discussed. The outcomes of the research demonstrate that IPC technology can lead to the creation of widely used diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative devices

Congenital Self-Healing Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis: A Rare Presentation of Blueberry Muffin Baby “Spectrum”

A case of congenital self-healing Langerhans cell histiocytosis (CSHLCH), also known as Hashimoto-Pritzker disease, is reported. The newborn presented as blueberry muffin baby at birth, showing numerous non-blanching blue-purplish and dark-red papular, nodular lesions without documented infections and systemic involvement. Histopathological and immunohistochemical findings were suggestive for Langerhans cell histiocytosis. During the first 12 weeks of life, the cutaneous lesions progressively and spontaneously regressed with some atrophic scars. One-year follow-up is negative for relapse of cutaneous lesions or systemic involvement, confirming the diagnosis of CSHLCH

Apparato per la misurazione della velocità di un'onda pressoria propagantesi nel distretto venoso di un individuo e procedimento corrispondente

Management of the fluid therapy is a daily clinical issue and a debated subject on specialized scientific journals. The identification of non invasive indexes of volume status and/or of venous blood pressure, is of great interest for their potential support in the decision making about fluid administration. This novel device allows a non-invasive and operator-independent assessment of the velocity of a pulse wave travelling in a limb vein. The venous pulse wave velocity (vPWV) is directly related to the vessel stiffness that, in turn, is influenced by changes in blood volume and in venous blood pressure. The device is composed by 1) a pneumatic system (an inflatable cuff wrapped around the limb extremity), used to generate the pulse wave, and 2) a Doppler Ultrasound system, used to detect the propagation of the pulse wave at a more proximal site along the limb. Thanks to the interconnection between these two systems (most ultrasound devices grant this possibility) it is possible to estimate the pulse wave transit time directly on the screen and calculate the vPWV, after measuring the travelled distance (e.g., the limb length)

Hacia una efectiva reparación del daño ambiental: ¿precisión realista o perfeccionismo idealista?

En este artículo se exponen algunas de las cuestiones más álgidas en torno de la determinación precisa de aquellos elementos que comprende la noción de ambiente, así como de los límites que separan lo que es una simple afectación ambiental de un daño grave que conlleve consecuencias jurídicas o responsabilidades en los casos de daños provocados. Se concluye con la convicción de que no existe una normatividad legal que señale claramente a los encargados ni las acciones dirigidas a una reparación efectiva del medio ambiente en estos casos ni en aquellos de desastres naturales.Palabras clave: daño ambiental, desastre natural, riesgo ambiental

Objective Assessment of Venous Pulse Wave Velocity in Healthy Humans

Central venous pressure and volume status are relevant parameters for characterization of a patient's hemodynamic condition; however, their invasive assessment is affected by various risks while non-invasive approaches provide limited and subjective indications. Here we explore the possibility of assessing venous pulse wave velocity (vPWV), a potential indicator of venous pressure changes. In eight healthy patients, pressure pulses were generated artificially in the leg veins by rapid compression of the foot, and their propagation was detected at the level of the superficial femoral vein with Doppler ultrasound. Changes in leg venous pressure were obtained by raising the trunk from the initial supine position by 30° and 60°. vPWV increased from 1.78 ± 0.06 m/s (supine) to 2.26 ± 0.19 m/s (60°) (p < 0.01) and exhibited an overall linear relationship with venous pressure. These results indicate that vPWV can be easily assessed, and is a non-invasive indicator of venous pressure changes

Influence of stress on wild Marsican brown bear chemical immobilization.

Capture of wild bears with leg holding snares causes fear, anxiety, excitement, muscular activity and resistance to holding which in turn elicit in an acute stress response: neuro-hormonal responses are then activated, but these may interfere with anaesthetics efficacy and safety. Hormonal and physiological parameters have been used to evaluate stress level in bears after chemical immobilization; to our knowledge however, behavioral indicators prior to drug injection have never been used to evaluate it. The aim of this study was to evaluate if stress induced using Aldrich snare\u2019s restraint influenced anesthetics requirements for chemical immobilization and physiological parameters. Data sheets collected during 43 adult Marsican brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) captures (27 males and 16 females) in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (Italy) were reviewed. Before chemical immobilization, a stress score (0 - 4) was assigned to each bear by an experienced veterinarian (LG) based on the behavioral reactions to leg-holding snare entrapment. A medetomidine-ketamine combination was administered intramuscularly by remote injection: supplemental doses were injected until a safe approach to the animal was possible. Dose used, induction time (time from injection to recumbency), approach time (time from injection to safe handling) and physiological parameters collected within 15 \ub1 5 minutes of chemical immobilization were analyzed by Spearmann correlation test. Stress score showed a positive correlation with the total dose of medetomidine (r=0.0030) and ketamine used (r=0.0008): more stressed bears required greater dosages then less stressed animals. Stress score positively correlated with rectal temperature (r=0.015) and heart rate (r=0.044). Time to approach was correlated to stress only in female, not in male bears. Other slight differences were observed between male and female bears. This is the first study evaluating the level of stress induced by physical restraint in Marsican brown bears and it showed that stress influenced not only physiological parameters but also anaesthetics needs, thus the anaesthetic protocol should be tailored to the bear\u2019s stress state

Hyperplasia and metaplasia of ovarian surface epithelium in women with endometrial carcinoma. Suggestion for a hormonal influence in ovarian carcinogenesis.

Surface ovarian epithelium and that of related inclusion cysts were comparatively studied in two groups of patients: one group of 50 non-pregnant women without myometrial, endometrial, or cervical hyperplasia and/or neoplasia; a second group of 50 women surgically treated for endometrial cancer and without evidence of ovarian pathology. Papillomatosis, hyperplasia and tubaric, squamoid, endometrioid and mucinous metaplasia were more frequently present in ovarian surface epithelium or in related inclusion cysts in patients with endometrial carcinoma. These findings may be correlated with a hormonal oncogenic stimulus involved in the genesis of endometrial cancer and suggests a new "hormonal" hypothesis in the pathogenesis of common epithelial tumors of the ovary

Management of chemical immobilization of brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park on 235 cases from 1990 to 2013.

235 chemical immobilizations, 44 on captive and wild brown bears (Ursus arctos, n=5) and 171 on Marsican brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus, n=44) were recorded. Age and body weight (mean \ub1 standard deviation) of captured animals was 9.81\ub16.28 years and 149.25\ub162.29 kg and 9.68\ub16.15 years and 147.54\ub160.71 kg in brown bear and Marsican brown bears respectively. The following anesthetic combinations were injected intramuscular by a remote equipment: medetomidine 0.05-0.09 mg/kg and ketamine 3-7 mg/kg (group MK: n=209); xylazine 7-13 mg/kg and ketamine 3-8 mg/kg (group XK: n=17); tiletamine-zolazepam 4-8 mg/kg (group TZ: n=9). In MK and XK groups, atipamezol was administered at the end of the procedure. Bears were darted after physical restraint (Aldrich snares or tube trap) or in free ranging situations. Complete anesthetic record, including heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), rectal body temperature (T) and saturimetry (SpO2), and biometric data form were filled in. The first physiologic parameters were recorded within 20 minutes from darting, as soon as adequate depth of anesthesia allowed safe handling of the animal, and were compared between groups with ANOVA test. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Anaesthesia induction time was similar between groups and ranged from 7 to 11minutes. HR was similar in groups MK and XK but higher in TZ group; HR was higher in wild than captive bears. RR was similar between groups. Recovery time was shorter in MK and XK than TZ group. Peri-operative complications were reported in 16/235 immobilizations and included vomiting and respiratory complications: 7,1%, 5% and 0% of complications were reported in group MK, XK and TZ respectively. All recoveries were uneventful. Knowledge of the target species biology, trained personnel, deep knowledge of advantages and disadvantages anesthetic drugs is mandatory during wildlife chemical immobilization