Influence of Carding and Pressing on Hygrothermal Properties and Fire Reaction of Hemp Fiber Nonwoven Mats

This article depicts the effect of carding and pressing on hygrothermal properties of hemp fibers nonwoven mats, trying to understand if their implementation can improve their behavior when employed as insulation materials in buildings. Hemp fibers belonging to Cannabis Sativa species and coming from local area (Apulia - Italy) were examined, then samples of carded and pressed hemp fibers nonwoven mats were prepared. According to European standards, the thermal conductivity, the vapor permeability and the fire reaction of hemp fibers samples were measured. Results were compared to each other and with those of a commercial nonwoven mat made with hemp (90 wt. %) and synthetic fibers (10 wt. %), used as reference. We observed that carded and pressed hemp fibers were characterized by a lower thermal conductivity when compared to unprocessed hemp fibers, likely because the removing of wood elements. On the other hand, not processed hemp fibers show higher breathability when compared to carded and pressed ones, as well as with respect to the commercial nonwoven mat. Moreover, it was proved that the absence of synthetic commingled fibers in hemp fibers allows a better behavior in fire reaction. At last, the improvement in terms of insulation properties of a hollow brick when filled with hemp fibers was verified, by comparing the thermal conductivities of an empty and a filled hollow brick; as expected, the filled hollow brick shows a lower thermal conductivity, underlining the effectiveness of hemp fibers as insulation material

Renal function impairment predicts mortality in patients with chronic heart failure treated with resynchronization therapy

Background: The use of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter- defibrillator (ICD) for advanced heart failure (HF) is increasing. Renal dysfunction is a common condition in HF which is associated with a worse survival. The study aims at identifying in patients with advanced HF treated with CRT the effect of baseline glomerular filtration rate (GFR), GFR improvement and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) change, after 6-months of CRT implant, on survival. Methods: The study population consisted of 375 advanced HF patients who received a CRT between 1999 and 2009, of these 277 received also an ICD implant. Clinical characteristics (New York Heart Association [NYHA] functional class, ischemic vs. non-ischemic etiology, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, hypertension, LVEF, QRS duration and GFR were recorded. The use of common used drugs was evaluated. Cox proportional hazards analysis was calculated in order to evaluate variables associated to mortality. Results: During a median follow-up of 43.0 months, 93 (24.8%) patients died. Patients deceased during the study had at baseline higher NYHA class and lower LVEF and GFR. In Cox regression analysis, GFR predicts long-term mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.983; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.969–0.998; p = 0.023) independently from the effect of others covariates. In addition, a positive GFR improvement 6 months after CRT implant is significantly associated with a lower hazard of mortality (for each 10 mL/min of GFR improvement HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.75–0.99; p = 0.038). Conclusions: GFR is a significant predictor of mortality in advanced HF patients who received CRT. A GFR improvement 6 months after CRT implant is significantly associated with a lower hazard of mortality.

Operative management of acute abdomen after bariatric surgery in the emergency setting: the OBA guidelines

Background: Patients presenting with acute abdominal pain that occurs after months or years following bariatric surgery may present for assessment and management in the local emergency units. Due to the large variety of surgical bariatric techniques, emergency surgeons have to be aware of the main functional outcomes and long-term surgical complications following the most performed bariatric surgical procedures. The purpose of these evidence-based guidelines is to present a consensus position from members of the WSES in collaboration with IFSO bariatric experienced surgeons, on the management of acute abdomen after bariatric surgery focusing on long-term complications in patients who have undergone laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Method: A working group of experienced general, acute care, and bariatric surgeons was created to carry out a systematic review of the literature following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) and to answer the PICO questions formulated after the Operative management in bariatric acute abdomen survey. The literature search was limited to late/long-term complications following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Conclusions: The acute abdomen after bariatric surgery is a common cause of admission in emergency departments. Knowledge of the most common late/long-term complications (> 4 weeks after surgical procedure) following sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and their anatomy leads to a focused management in the emergency setting with good outcomes and decreased morbidity and mortality rates. A close collaboration between emergency surgeons, radiologists, endoscopists, and anesthesiologists is mandatory in the management of this group of patients in the emergency setting

A Review of Non-Invasive Techniques to Detect and Predict Localised Muscle Fatigue

Muscle fatigue is an established area of research and various types of muscle fatigue have been investigated in order to fully understand the condition. This paper gives an overview of the various non-invasive techniques available for use in automated fatigue detection, such as mechanomyography, electromyography, near-infrared spectroscopy and ultrasound for both isometric and non-isometric contractions. Various signal analysis methods are compared by illustrating their applicability in real-time settings. This paper will be of interest to researchers who wish to select the most appropriate methodology for research on muscle fatigue detection or prediction, or for the development of devices that can be used in, e.g., sports scenarios to improve performance or prevent injury. To date, research on localised muscle fatigue focuses mainly on the clinical side. There is very little research carried out on the implementation of detecting/predicting fatigue using an autonomous system, although recent research on automating the process of localised muscle fatigue detection/prediction shows promising results

Induzione del differenziamento osteoblastico in cellule di osteosarcoma umano MG63 mediante acido ascorbico

L\u2019acido ascorbico (AsA) \ue8 un importante co-fattore nell\u2019idrossilazione dei residui di prolina e lisina del collagene ed \ue8 necessario per il differenziamento di numerosi tipi cellulari, tra cui gli osteoblasti. Le MG-63 sono una linea cellulare di osteosarcoma (OSC) utilizzate per lo studio del differenziamento osteoblastico. Esse sono osteoblasti atipici esprimendo bassi livelli di alcuni fattori di trascrizione (Runx-2, Bone morphogenetic protein 2-Bmp-2) e proteine (fosfatasi alcalina-ALP, osteocalcina-OC, collagene tipo I-Col1A1) osteoblasto-specifiche e possedendo una bassa capacit\ue0 di ossificazione. Alcuni studi indicano che AsA aumenta l\u2019attivit\ue0 dell\u2019ALP nelle OSC, ma il suo ruolo nel differenziamento cellulare non \ue8 ancora chiaro. Lo scopo del nostro lavoro \ue8 di studiare il suo effetto sulle MG-63. Le cellule sono state trattate con diverse concentrazioni di AsA (0, 63, 125, 250 mcM). Dopo 4 giorni abbiamo eseguito lo studio della proliferazione cellulare (XTT), dell\u2019espressione genica (RT-PCR) e proteica (immunoblotting) e di immunocitochimica. L\u2019Alizarin red assay, che rileva i nuclei di calcificazione, \ue8 stato eseguito dopo 6 giorni, la valutazione dell\u2019ALP ogni 2 giorni per 10 giorni. I nostri dati hanno evidenziato, nelle cellule trattate, una lieve riduzione della proliferazione cellulare. Contemporaneamente l\u2019analisi dell\u2019espressione genica ha rilevato, nelle cellule trattate, un incremento di Runx-2 ed Ostepontina, nessuna variazione dell\u2019Osteonectina, una riduzione di Col1A1. Il dato \ue8 stato confermato sia attraverso l\u2019immunocitochimica, con l\u2019incremento della percentuale di cellule positive per Runx-2, Bmp-2 ed Osteocalcina, sia attraverso immunoblotting con l\u2019aumento delle Bmp-2. La valutazione citochimica dell\u2019ALP ha evidenziato un progressivo incremento della colorazione per l\u2019ALP con l\u2019aumentare dei giorni di esposizione al farmaco, mentre l\u2019Alizarin red assay ha confermato la presenza di nuclei di ossificazione nelle cellule trattate. I nostri dati mostrano per la prima volta l\u2019induzione, mediata dall\u2019AsA, di fattori di trascrizione precoci osteoblasto-specifici nelle OSC, contribuendo a chiarire quale possa essere l\u2019effetto dell\u2019AsA nel corso del differenziamento osteoblastico. Inoltre, fornisce importanti indicazioni sul comportamento delle OSC, rivelando come il blocco dell\u2019espressione di fattori di trascrizione sia un co-fattore nella tumorogenenesi e nel mantenimento di un basso grado di differenziamento. Infine, il condizionamento delle MG-63 mediante acido ascorbico permette di ricreare un modello cellulare pi\uf9 osteoblasto-simile rispetto alla linea cellulare originale.Ascorbic acid (AsA) is an important co-factor for the hydroxylation of proline and lysine residues in collagen and it is necessary for the differentiation of many cellular types, included osteoblasts. MG-63 is an osteoblast-like osteosarcoma lineage (OSC) often used for the study of osteoblast differentiation, but it is an atypical model since a low expression of some osteoblast specific transcription factors (Runx-2, Bone morphogenetic protein-Bmp-2) and proteins (bone alkaline phosphatase-BALP, osteocalcin-OC, type I collagen-Col1A1) and a low calcium deposition capability are observed. Some studies indicates that AsA increases BALP activity in OSC but its role in the differentiation process is not completely clear. The aim of our work is to study the effect of AsA in MG-63. Cells were treated with different AsA concentration (0,63, 125, 250 mcM) for 4 days. Then, we performed a proliferation assay (XTT), gene expression (RT-PCR) and protein (immunoblotting) analysis and immunocytochemistry evaluation. Alizaryn red assay for calcium deposition was performed after 6 days, and BALP colorimetric assessment every 2 days for 10 days. Our results showed a slight reduction of cell proliferation. At the same time, we observed an increased gene expression of Runx-2 and Osteopontin, no variation of Osteonectin, a reduction of Col1A1. These results were confirmed by the increased percentage of positive cells for Runx-2, Bmp2 and OC in immunocytochemistry, and by the increased Bmp-2 expression in immunoblotting analysis. The number of BALP positive cells increased progressively according with the duration of the treatment and Alizaryn red assay confirmed calcium deposition after therapy. These data, for the first time, show that AsA increases early osteoblastic specific transcription factors in OSC and they contribute to clarify a possible mechanism used by AsA to induce osteoblast differentiation. They give us also important information about OSC, in particular they confirm the crucial role of some transcription factors in tumorogenesis and in differentiation process. Finally, we could suggest that MG-63 are more osteoblast-like then original lineage after AsA treatment

Hobbes and the 'Liberties' of Subjects

The workshop aims at exploring different ways of approaching Hobbesian thought – far from the standard absolutist interpretation –, in its moral, political and historical sides. In particular, it tries to elucidate those topics concerning the liberties granted to citizens within the civil state by «the silence of the law», i.e. «in those things which in regulating their actions, the sovereign hath praetermitted», or by the unalienable right to safe one’s own life. This general theme is inspired by chapter XXI of the Leviathan, ‘On the Liberty of Subjects’ (in the singular); using liberties, in the plural, we can investigate those spaces of liberty left to individual judgment and traceable in Hobbes’s thought. There is a flourishing literature which aims at exploring the seeds of a ‘proto-liberal’ conception in Hobbes’s moral and political theory. Thus, far from reading Hobbes only as a monolithic theorist of absolutism, the workshop aims at shedding light on those ‘hidden’ sides of Hobbes, which leave room for the possibility of a ‘proto-liberal’ interpretation

Runx-2 gene expression is associated with age-related changes of bone mineral density in the healthy young-adult population

Bone mineral density (BMD) and peak bone mass (PBM) are important determinants of skeletal resistance. The development of bone densitometry improved the possibility of studying BMD and the influence of genetic and environmental factors on bone. Heredity factors are important for BMD, and Runx-2 is accepted as a regulator of osteoblasts and bone formation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the behavior of Runx-2 during skeletal maturity in the healthy young-adult population. We analyzed spine and hip BMD in 153 volunteers, 98 women and 55 men, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. In a subgroup of these volunteers, a sample of peripheral blood was taken to perform gene expression analysis of Runx-2 both in peripheral mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs; 28 subjects) and in peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs; 140 subjects). In our work BMD was comparable in both genders after puberty, then became higher in men than women during the third and fourth decades. PBM was achieved in the third decade in women and in the fourth in men. More interestingly, Runx-2 gene expression highly correlated with BMD in both genders. MSCs and PBMCs showed the same gene expression profile of Runx-2. In conclusion, PBM is reached earlier in females, BMD becomes higher in males later in life, and BMD and PBM are strictly associated with Runx-2. In addition, PBMC should be considered an important source for gene expression analysis in bone diseases

Telomerase mRNA detection in serum of patients with prostate cancer.

Telomerase functions as a reverse transcriptase enzyme in the process of telomere synthesis and telomerase activity have been detectedin a large part of neoplastic tissues, whereas in normal somatic cells they were low or undetectable. The aim of this study was to investigatethe telomerase mRNA detection in the serum of patients with a prostate tumor by using real-time reverse transcription PCR. The results werecompared with biological samples obtained by age-matched normal donors and by patients with cardiovascular or metabolic diseases. Ourdata demonstrated that telomerase mRNA is detectable in the serum of patients with prostate cancer whereas it is not amplifiable in normaldonors. This marker, assayed with the molecular method of quantitative PCR in serum, may be useful for diagnosing and monitoring prostatecancer patients