Stoke Prevention in Diabetes

Diabetes and ischemic stroke are common disorders that often arise together. Diabetics are at 1.5 to three times the risk of stroke compared with the general population and the associated mortality and morbidity is greater than in those without this underlying condition. Importantly, the relation between disturbed glucose metabolism and cerebrovascular disease is not restricted to acute ischemic stroke. Diabetes is also associated with more insidious ischaemic damage to the brain, mainly manifesting as small-vessel disease and increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. This paper shows the epidemiologic relationships of stroke in type 2 diabetes and suggest that rigorous assessment and treatment of associated risk factors can substantially reduce the risk of stroke in patients with diabetes

Report on Non-fatal events cardio-cerebro-vascular to ten years in a Southern Italy cohort

Background: Data relating to non-fatal cardiovascular events are poor but these data are essential to organize targeted interventions on the territory and to understand their effectiveness. Methods: We calculated the rates of morbidity from cardiovascular events covering the period 1998/99 - 2008/09, in a cohort of 1200 persons (600 men and 600 women) aged 25 to 74 years. Data were standardized using the European standard population. Results: The incidence of events to ten years of nonfatal myocardial infarction was 2,2% in men and of 1,8% in women. PCI interventions to ten year have been 3,3% in men and 3,4% in women, the interventions of aorto-coronary bypass have been 2,4% and 0,5% for men and women respectively. While all major cardiovascular events have been more frequent in men, in women there was a higher incidence of stroke (1,6% vs 0,9%). Conclusion: Although by comparison with other European countries Italy is among the countries considered at low-risk of coronary heart disease, in Campania cardiovascular diseases reach higher rates than the rest of the country. Our results are in keeping with the literature data and confirm that cardiovascular diseases are a major public health problem. Local analysis are useful in providing additional information for planning prevention interventions targeted to its own territory

Sobre la incorporación de las TICs a la práctica experimental en física: preferencias de los alumnos

Fil: Capuano, Vicente. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Bordone, Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Gutierrez, Edgardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Salazar, María J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Este trabajo ofrece el resultado de las preferencias fundamentadas de los alumnos, en relación a realizar una práctica experimental (PE) con equipamiento tradicional o con equipamiento en el que se han incorporado de distintas maneras, las TICs. Se operó con distintas PE, en un curso de Física del ciclo básico universitario, en experimentos asociados al movimiento de un carrito sobre un plano inclinado. Los resultados estarían indicando una clara preferencia por la incorporación de las TICs en las PE, aun cuando en los motivos por los cuales prefieren dichas prácticas, no hay señales de que se hayan considerado características relacionadas con aspectos académicos que subyacen en la misma.https://sites.google.com/site/refxviii/Fil: Capuano, Vicente. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Bordone, Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Gutierrez, Edgardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Salazar, María J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Otras Ciencias Naturales y Exacta

Reflexiones sobre las nuevas tecnologías, la media de los tiempos y las incertezas asociadas

Los conceptos de “incertidumbre”, “precisión” y de “exactitud”, en ingeniería, ciencia, industria y estadística, son relevantes y se transforman en sujeto de investigación cuando se introducen las TICs en los montajes experimentales. En la descripción de los distintos modos de medir las variables espacio-tiempo, creemos que se percibe que, a mayor presencia de TICs, más difícil resulta el proceso de determinar las incertidumbres asociadas a la medición. En este trabajo revisaremos los distintos modos de medir la posición y el tiempo en los laboratorios de enseñanza, para finalmente, proponer un modo de incorporar las TICs con el complemento de instrumental diseñado en los laboratorios, que permita operar con material cotidiano y de bajo costo (celulares) y que recupere aspectos del modo tradicional de medir para que se puedan tener certezas de las incertidumbres.http://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/revistaEF/article/view/9813/10504Fil: Bigliani, Juan. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Capuano, Vicente. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Martín, Javier. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Bordone, Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Ruderman, Anahí. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Otras Ciencias de la Educació

Popliteal Artery Entrapment Syndrome (PAES) and Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI), any association?

Popliteal Artery Entrapment Syndrome (PAES) is an uncommon pathology. Often, it affects young athletic males, with symptoms like calf claudication, weakness, numbness, pain, coldness of the foot, cramps, foot drop and paresthesia. The etiology of this syndrome is related to anatomical variations determining an altered relationship between popliteal artery and the surrounding structures. Based on described anatomical variations, PAES has been classified in several types (type I to V). In other cases, the compression of the popliteal artery may be caused by the hypertrophic gastrocnemius muscle, without anatomical variations, defining a “functional popliteal entrapment” (type VI). [1]. The Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) is the ratio of the systolic blood pressure measured at the ankle to that measured at the brachial artery. It’s a non-invasive measure of peripheral artery disease and can serve as a prognostic marker for cardiovascular events and functional impairment [2]. The ABI score is often pathological in patients affected by PAES. Nevertheless, to define diagnosis and type of PAES are often needed imaging studies and invasive procedures. The aim of the present study is to systematically review the available literature to define if ABI score could be useful to predict a specific type of PAES. Electronic databases have been searched using specific Keywords. Articles have been screened and full-texts of relevant papers have been retrieved. Case reports and case series with indications of symptoms, type of PAES, ABI score have been included. Results about ABI score (dependent variable) have been pooled and compared among types of PAES (independent variable). No statistical significance has been noted (ANOVA: F=1.9, p=0.09). The use of ABI is insufficient to predict the type of PAES and its prognosis. Nevertheless, this non-invasive method could be useful to suspect PAES and as a tool in follow up in these patients

A non-precious metal hydrogen catalyst in a commercial polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyser.

We demonstrate the translation of a low-cost, non-precious metal cobalt phosphide (CoP) catalyst from 1 cm2 lab-scale experiments to a commercial-scale 86 cm2 polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyser. A two-step bulk synthesis was adopted to produce CoP on a high-surface-area carbon support that was readily integrated into an industrial PEM electrolyser fabrication process. The performance of the CoP was compared head to head with a platinum-based PEM under the same operating conditions (400 psi, 50 °C). CoP was found to be active and stable, operating at 1.86 A cm-2 for >1,700 h of continuous hydrogen production while providing substantial material cost savings relative to platinum. This work illustrates a potential pathway for non-precious hydrogen evolution catalysts developed in past decades to translate to commercial applications

COVID-19 Severity in Multiple Sclerosis: Putting Data Into Context

Background and objectives: It is unclear how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the severity of COVID-19. The aim of this study is to compare COVID-19-related outcomes collected in an Italian cohort of patients with MS with the outcomes expected in the age- and sex-matched Italian population. Methods: Hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death after COVID-19 diagnosis of 1,362 patients with MS were compared with the age- and sex-matched Italian population in a retrospective observational case-cohort study with population-based control. The observed vs the expected events were compared in the whole MS cohort and in different subgroups (higher risk: Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score > 3 or at least 1 comorbidity, lower risk: EDSS score ≤ 3 and no comorbidities) by the χ2 test, and the risk excess was quantified by risk ratios (RRs). Results: The risk of severe events was about twice the risk in the age- and sex-matched Italian population: RR = 2.12 for hospitalization (p < 0.001), RR = 2.19 for ICU admission (p < 0.001), and RR = 2.43 for death (p < 0.001). The excess of risk was confined to the higher-risk group (n = 553). In lower-risk patients (n = 809), the rate of events was close to that of the Italian age- and sex-matched population (RR = 1.12 for hospitalization, RR = 1.52 for ICU admission, and RR = 1.19 for death). In the lower-risk group, an increased hospitalization risk was detected in patients on anti-CD20 (RR = 3.03, p = 0.005), whereas a decrease was detected in patients on interferon (0 observed vs 4 expected events, p = 0.04). Discussion: Overall, the MS cohort had a risk of severe events that is twice the risk than the age- and sex-matched Italian population. This excess of risk is mainly explained by the EDSS score and comorbidities, whereas a residual increase of hospitalization risk was observed in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and a decrease in people on interferon

Global variation in diabetes diagnosis and prevalence based on fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon