727 research outputs found
Analytical continuum mechanics \`a la Hamilton-Piola: least action principle for second gradient continua and capillary fluids
In this paper a stationary action principle is proven to hold for capillary
fluids, i.e. fluids for which the deformation energy has the form suggested,
starting from molecular arguments, for instance by Cahn and Hilliard. Remark
that these fluids are sometimes also called Korteweg-de Vries or Cahn-Allen. In
general continua whose deformation energy depend on the second gradient of
placement are called second gradient (or Piola-Toupin or Mindlin or
Green-Rivlin or Germain or second gradient) continua. In the present paper, a
material description for second gradient continua is formulated. A Lagrangian
action is introduced in both material and spatial description and the
corresponding Euler-Lagrange bulk and boundary conditions are found. These
conditions are formulated in terms of an objective deformation energy volume
density in two cases: when this energy is assumed to depend on either C and
grad C or on C^-1 and grad C^-1 ; where C is the Cauchy-Green deformation
tensor. When particularized to energies which characterize fluid materials, the
capillary fluid evolution conditions (see e.g. Casal or Seppecher for an
alternative deduction based on thermodynamic arguments) are recovered. A
version of Bernoulli law valid for capillary fluids is found and, in the
Appendix B, useful kinematic formulas for the present variational formulation
are proposed. Historical comments about Gabrio Piola's contribution to
continuum analytical mechanics are also presented. In this context the reader
is also referred to Capecchi and Ruta.Comment: 52 page
Task-shifting of HIV/AIDS services down the professional ladder: Current status in Ethiopia and lessons from other African countries
This review tried to bring to light success stories and challenges of other African countries on the same topic as lesson for current endeavors in Ethiopia where the process of implementation of task shifting is in its early stage. It concluded that task shifting can help improve access, coverage and quality of HIV/AIDS related services only if other human resource, financial, health care quality issues and the need for ongoing evaluation and research are addressed
Glycemic Control Improvement in Italian Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Followed Through Telemedicine During Lockdown Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Background/Objective: To minimize the wide spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Italy was placed in an almost complete lockdown state that forced people to \u201cstay at home\u201d. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of lockdown on glycemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) followed through telemedicine. Subjects/Methods: This observational study involved patients with T1D using the real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) Dexcom G6\uae. Ambulatory glucose profile data from the 3-months before schools closure (November 26, 2019\u2013February 23, 2020; T0) and from the 3-months of consecutive lockdown (February 24\u2013May 18, 2020; T1) were compared. Results: Sixty-two children and adolescents (11.1 \ub1 4.37 years, 50% males) with T1D (median time disease 3.67 years) were enrolled in the study. Insulin total daily dose was unchanged, while time spent on physical activities was decreased (p<0.0001). Despite the lack of statistical significance, median value of the glucose management indicator decreased from 7.4% to 7.25%. Glucose standard deviation (p<0.0001) and coefficient of variation (p=0.001) improved across the study. Median time in range increased from 60.5% to 63.5% (p=0.008), time above range decreased from 37.3% to 34.1% (p=0.048), and time below range decreased from 1.85% to 1.45% (p=0.001). Conclusions: Overall, in our children and adolescents with T1D glycemic control improved during lockdown. Despite patients were confined to their homes and limited to exercise, our data suggest that the use of real-time CGM, the continuous parental management, and the telemedicine can display beneficial effects on T1D care
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is the most common chronic metabolic disease in children and
adolescents. The etiology of T1D is not fully understood but it seems multifactorial. The genetic
background determines the predisposition to develop T1D, while the autoimmune process against
-cells seems to be also determined by environmental triggers, such as endocrine disrupting chemicals
(EDCs). Environmental EDCs may act throughout dierent temporal windows as single chemical
agent or as chemical mixtures. They could aect the development and the function of the immune
system or of the beta-cells function, promoting autoimmunity and increasing the susceptibility to
autoimmune attack. Human studies evaluating the potential role of exposure to EDCs on the
pathogenesis of T1D are few and demonstrated contradictory results. The aim of this narrative review
is to summarize experimental and epidemiological studies on the potential role of exposure to EDCs in
the development of T1D.We highlight what we know by animals about EDCs\u2019 eects on mechanisms
leading to T1D development and progression. Studies evaluating the EDC levels in patients with T1D
were also reported. Moreover, we discussed why further studies are needed and how they should be
designed to better understand the causal mechanisms and the next prevention interventions
Left atrial trajectory impairment in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy disclosed by geometric morphometrics and parallel transport
The analysis of full Left Atrium (LA) deformation and whole LA deformational trajectory in time has been poorly investigated and, to the best of our knowledge, seldom discussed in patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Therefore, we considered 22 patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) and 46 healthy subjects, investigated them by three-dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography, and studied the derived landmark clouds via Geometric Morphometrics with Parallel Transport. Trajectory shape and trajectory size were different in Controls versus HCM and their classification powers had high AUC (Area Under the Receiving Operator Characteristic Curve) and accuracy. The two trajectories were much different at the transition between LA conduit and booster pump functions. Full shape and deformation analyses with trajectory analysis enabled a straightforward perception of pathophysiological consequences of HCM condition on LA functioning. It might be worthwhile to apply these techniques to look for novel pathophysiological approaches that may better define atrio-ventricular interaction
Moral Distress in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit : an Italian Study
Introduction: There is paucity of data within the Italian context regarding moral distress in intensive pediatric settings. The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency, intensity, and level of moral distress experienced by nurses working in a sample of pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in eight PICUs from five northern Italian regions in a convenience sample of 136 nurses. Moral distress was evaluated using the modified Italian version of the Moral Distress Scale Neonatal-Pediatric Version (MDSNPV). Each item was scored in terms of frequency and intensity on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 to 4. The total frequency and intensity scores for all the 21 clinical items were comprised between 0 and 84. For each item, the level of moral distress was derived by multiplying the frequency score by the intensity score and quantified with a score ranging from 0 to 16. The total score of the moral distress level for the 21 items ranged from 0 to 336. Results: The mean total scores for the frequency, intensity and level of moral distress were 24.1 \ub1 10.4, 36.2 \ub1 18.6, and 57.7 \ub1 37.1, respectively. The clinical situations identified as the major causes of moral distress among nurses in the present study involved end-of-life care and resuscitation. At multivariate logistic regression analysis, number of deaths occurring in PICUs, having children and intention to leave work due to moral distress resulted to be independently associated with a higher total moral distress level. Conclusions: The results of the present study contribute to the understanding of moral distress experience in acute pediatric care settings, including the clinical situations associated with a higher moral distress level, and highlight the importance of sharing thoughts, feelings and information within the multidisciplinary health care professional team for effective shared decision making, particularly in situations involving end-of-life care and resuscitation
Occupational exposure to formaldehyde and risk of non hodgkin lymphoma: A meta-Analysis
Background: Formaldehyde, a widely used chemical, is considered a human carcinogen. We report the results of a meta-Analyses of studies on the relationship between occupational exposure to formaldehyde and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-Analysis according to international guidelines and we identified 12 reports of occupational populations exposed to formaldehyde. We evaluated inter-study heterogeneity and we applied a random effects model. We conducted a cumulative meta-Analysis and a meta-Analysis according to estimated average exposure of each study population. Results: The meta-Analysis resulted in a summary relative risk (RR) for NHL of 0.93 (95% confidence interval 0.83-1.04). The cumulative meta-Analysis suggests that higher RRs were detected in studies published before 1986, while studies available after 1986 did not show an association. No differences were found between different levels of occupational exposure. Conclusions Notwithstanding some limitations, the results of this meta-Analysis do not support the hypothesis of an association between occupational exposure to formaldehyde and risk of NHL
2q37 deletions in patients with an albright hereditary osteodystrophy phenotype and PTH resistance
Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare endocrine disorder derived from the defective activation of the cAMP pathway by the parathyroid hormone secondary to GNAS molecular defects. PHP subtypes are defined by the presence/absence of specific clinical/biochemical features. PHP1A is characterized by resistance to multiple hormones with features of Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO), while pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (PPHP) is characterized by AHO in the absence of PTH resistance. Small subsets of PHP and PPHP patients without known molecular defects have been re-diagnosed as being affected by the brachydactyly-mental retardation syndrome (BDMR), also known as the AHO-like syndrome. This study aimed to analyse 24 PHP1A and 51 PPHP patients without a molecular diagnosis for the presence of BDMR-associated 2q37 deletions to improve the differential diagnosis and to identify features that might help to avoid a misdiagnosis. Molecular investigations identified 4 deletions in 4 unrelated patients. The affected patients showed a combination of the most pathognomonic AHO features. Of note, 3 of the patients also displayed mild PTH resistance, and none of the patients developed ectopic ossifications. Our work confirmed the rarity of the misdiagnosis of BDMR in PHP patients through the identification of 4 patients bearing a 2q37 deletion in a cohort of 73 PHP patients (5.3%). Three patients with the deletion presented a PHP1A phenotype in the absence of any BDMR-specific findings. Further studies on larger case series are needed to elucidate the overlap between these clinical entities and to allow the early identification of patients
Calcium to Phosphorous (Ca/P) Ratio as an accurate index for the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and hypoparathyroidism (HYPOPT)
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