2,547 research outputs found
An estimate of attributable cases of alzheimer disease and vascular dementia due to modifiable risk factors. the impact of primary prevention in europe and in italy
Background:
Up to 53.7% of all cases of dementia are assumed to be due to Alzheimer disease (AD), while 15.8% are considered to be due to vascular dementia (VaD). In Europe, about 3 million cases of AD could be due to 7 potentially modifiable risk factors: diabetes, midlife hypertension and/or obesity, physical inactivity, depression, smoking, and low educational level.
Aims:
To estimate the number of VaD cases in Europe and the number of AD and VaD cases in Italy attributable to these 7 potentially modifiable risk factors.
Methods:
Assuming the nonindependence of the 7 risk factors, the adjusted combined population attributable risk (PAR) was estimated for AD and VaD.
Results:
In Europe, adjusted combined PAR was 31.4% for AD and 37.8% for VaD. The total number of attributable cases was 3,033,000 for AD and 873,000 for VaD. In Italy, assuming a 20% reduction of the prevalence of each risk factor, adjusted combined PAR decreased from 45.2 to 38.9% for AD and from 53.1 to 46.6% for VaD, implying a 6.4 and 6.5% reduction in the prevalence of AD and VaD, respectively.
Conclusion:
A relevant reduction of AD and VaD cases in Europe and Italy could be obtained through primary prevention
Improving the Sustainability of Dairy Slurry by A Commercial Additive Treatment
Ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from livestock farms contribute to negative environmental impacts such as acidification and climate change. A significant part of these emissions is produced from the decomposition of slurry in livestock facilities, during storage and treatment phases. This research aimed at evaluating the eectiveness of the additive \u201cSOP LAGOON\u201d (made of agricultural gypsum processed with proprietary technology) on (i) NH3 and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, (ii) slurry properties and N loss. Moreover, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied to assess the potential environmental impact associated with stored slurry treated with the additive. Six barrels were filled with 65 L of cattle slurry, of which three were used as a control while the additive was used in the other three. The results indicated that the use of the additive led to a reduction of total nitrogen, nitrates, and GHG emissions. LCA confirmed the higher environmental sustainability of the scenario with the additive for some environmental impact categories among which climate change. In conclusion, the additive has beneficial eects on both emissions and the environment, and the nitrogen present in the treated slurry could partially displace a mineral fertilizer, which can be considered an environmental credit
Successful intravenous immunoglobulin treatment for steroid-resistant eosinophilic enteritis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare condition of unknown etiology characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the bowel. Corticosteroids are the mainstay of EG therapy. Although rare, steroid-resistant EG could be a life-threatening condition with tissue destructive evolution. Associations of eosinophilic gastroenteritis with systemic lupus erythematosus have rarely been reported. In this report we describe a case of successful IVIG treatment in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and steroid-refractory eosinophilic gastroenteritis
Enhanced inverse bremsstrahlung heating rates in a strong laser field
Test particle studies of electron scattering on ions, in an oscillatory
electromagnetic field have shown that standard theoretical assumptions of small
angle collisions and phase independent orbits are incorrect for electron
trajectories with drift velocities smaller than quiver velocity amplitude. This
leads to significant enhancement of the electron energy gain and the inverse
bremsstrahlung heating rate in strong laser fields. Nonlinear processes such as
Coulomb focusing and correlated collisions of electrons being brought back to
the same ion by the oscillatory field are responsible for large angle, head-on
scattering processes. The statistical importance of these trajectories has been
examined for mono-energetic beam-like, Maxwellian and highly anisotropic
electron distribution functions. A new scaling of the inverse bremsstrahlung
heating rate with drift velocity and laser intensity is discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure
Multidisciplinary Investigations at Panarea (Aeolian Islands) after the Exhalative Crisis of 2002
Panarea and surrounding Islets form a volcanic edifice, that is part of the Eastern
sector of the Aeolian Arc, Southern Tyrrhenian Sea. It is now considered inactive,
since last documented activity is 20 Ka old. However, on 2002-11-03, gas started
to flow violently from the seafloor in an area E of the Island, mainly along NE and
NW structural lineaments, and lasting up to 2003-2004 with a consistent flux, orders
of magnitude larger that ’steady-state’ fumarolic activity documented there in
historical times. On the same period a strong effusive activity of Stromboli (10 NM
to NNE) was present. Since then, several investigations have been conducted at sea
and on land, with the aim of focusing on the problem of effusive activity at sea,
mainly in the light of volcanic surveillance and risk. Among these investigations,
some of which have been repeated over years, we present and discuss some data and
results from: (a)visual inspection and sampling by divers and ROV, (b)GPS networks
and mapping by multibeam and LIDAR, (c) oceanographical measurements by current
meters and CTD, and water flux and dynamics measurements, (d)magnetic and
gravimetric surveys, (e) multichannel reflection Seismic with OBS and land station
networks. Data were used for compilation of high resolution bathymetric, magnetic
and gravimetric maps, including the emerged and submerged portions of the edifice
Third-hand smoke exposure and health hazards in children
Smoking still represents a huge public health problem. Millions of children suffer the detrimental effects of passive smoking. An increasing number of countries have recently issued laws to regulate smoking in public places. Instead, homes remain a site where children are dangerously exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The combination of tobacco smoke pollutants which remain in an indoor environment, the so-called 'third-hand smoke' (THS), represent a new concept in the field of tobacco control. THS consists of pollutants that remain on surfaces and in dust after tobacco has been smoked, are re-emitted into the gas-phase, or react with other compounds in the environment to form secondary pollutants. Indoor surfaces can represent a hidden reservoir of THS constituents that could be re-emitted long after the cessation of active smoking. Human exposure to THS pollutants has not yet been thoroughly studied. Infants and children are more prone to the risks related to THS exposure than adults because they typically spend more time indoors and have age-specific behaviours that may expose them to potential health hazards from THS. Further investigations are warranted to study the health effects of THS relevant to different exposure pathways and profiles. It would also be very important to evaluate how THS may affect the lung development through the in utero exposure during the pre-natal life. We aimed at reviewing recent findings published about THS, with special reference to the effects on children's healt
On the relationships between tectonics and volcanism in the offshore Capo Vaticano, SE Tyrrhenian Sea, during the Plio-Pleistocene
High-resolution bathymetry and a grid of single-channel reflection seismic profiles (Sparker and Chirp) were recently
recorded in a sector of the upper slope of Capo Vaticano (CV) promontory (Tyrrhenian coast, W Calabria) where
forward and inverse modeling of previously acquired aeromagnetic data highlight the presence of a WNW©\ESE
elongated, 20 km long and 3¨C5 km wide, magnetized body extending from sea floor to about 3 km below sea level.
Magnetic properties of this body are consistent with those of the medium to highly evolved volcanic rocks of the
Aeolian Arc (De Ritis et al., 2010).
Forthwith offshore promontory, the bathymetry highlights a complex-shape seamount that develops along a WNW
direction, orthogonally interrupted by NE-trending ridges (Loreto et al., 2013), the largest of which shows major- and
minor-axes of ca. 11 and 2 km, respectively. Summit elevation is ca. 70 m. Several vented fluids points were imaged on
top of the seamount by chirp profiles. The largest of which rises from seafloor up to 6/7 m within water column,
assuming the acoustic water velocity of 1500 m/s.
Two faults systems associated with extensional faults are mainly observed on seismic profiles. High-angle NW-trending
normal faults, SW-dipping, formed along the continental slope connecting the south-west continental shelf of the CV
promontory to the Gioia Tauro basin (Pepe et al., 2013). These faults generally have small displacements, up to 40 m,
and are sealed by Pleistocene deposits. A NE-trending normal fault, SE-dipping, is also observed on both chirp and
sparker profiles. Its length is estimate to be more than 30 km, partially borders the NE-trending ridge intersecting the
NW-trending fault. Landward, another NE-trending normal fault affects Pliocene and lower Pleistocene, and is sealed
by upper Pleistocene.
The described new geophysical data lead to a re-examination of the magnetic anomaly field interpretation. In fact, the
revealed NE-trending ridge encounters the CV NW-SE ridge just where the peak value of the Reduced-to-the-Pole
magnetic anomaly lies. Therefore, the inherent source body is emplaced where the maximum fracturing occurs. This
suggests highly magnetized material crystallized in a vertical conduit that fed a volcanic system, likely fault-controlled,
surrounded by the almost not magnetized rocks of the Gioia and the Paola sedimentary basins and of the Arco Calabro
Peloritano units
Molecular anatomy of the human glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase core promoter
The gene encoding glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), which plays a pivotal role in cell defense against oxidative stress, is ubiquitously expressed at widely different levels in various tissues; moreover, G6PD expression is regulated by a number of stimuli. In this study we have analyzed the molecular anatomy of the G6PD core promoter. Our results indicate that the G6PD promoter is more complex than previously assumed; G6PD expression is under the control of several elements that are all required for correct promoter functioning and, furthermore, a still unidentified mammalian specific factor is needed. Copyright (C) 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societies
- …