251 research outputs found
LA DONNA E LA SUA IDENTITA' : FRASEOLOGIA CONTRASTIVA ITALIANO - TEDESCO SULL'ESEMPIO DI MODI DIRE E PROVERBI SULLA DONNA
L'elaborato si concentra sui fraseologismi, ovvero proverbi, modi di dire e citazioni, che abbiano al loro centro la "donna".
La prima parte è un'analisi sociologica del ruolo della donna, la seconda è un'analisi tecnica dei freseologismi. La terza parte è costituita da un corpus di fraseologismi in lingua tedesca, dei quali è stata effettuata la traduzione, seguita da da una valutazione linguistica. Da ciò è emersa una visione generale della donna a livello linguistico e sociale
Biorelevant release testing of biodegradable microspheres intended for intra-articular administration
Characterization of controlled release formulations used for intra-articular (IA) drug administration is challenging. Bio-relevant synovial fluids (BSF), containing physiologically relevant amounts of hyaluronic acid, phospholipids and proteins, were recently proposed to simulate healthy and osteoarthritic conditions. This work aims to evaluate the performance of different controlled release formulations of methylprednisolone (MP) for IA administration, under healthy and disease states simulated conditions. Microspheres differed in grade of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) and in the theoretical drug content (i.e. 23 or 30% w/w). Their performance was compared with the commercially available suspension of MP acetate (MPA). Under osteoarthritic state simulated condition, proteins increased the MPA release and reduced the MPA hydrolysis rate, over 48\u202fh. Regarding microspheres, the release patterns over 40 days were significantly influenced by the composition of BSF. The pattern of the release mechanism and the amount released was affected by the presence of proteins. Protein concentration affected the release and the concentration used is critical, particularly given the relevance of the concentrations to target patient populations, i.e. patients with osteoarthritis
Torre Alfina Deep Geothermal Reservoir
The Castel Giorgio-Torre Alfina (CG-TA, central Italy) is a geothermal
reservoir whose fluids are hosted in a carbonate formation at temperatures
ranging between 120°C and 210°C. Data from deep wells suggest the existence of
convective flow. We present the 3D numerical model of the CG-TA to simulate
the undisturbed natural geothermal field and investigate the impacts of the
exploitation process. The open source finite-element code OpenGeoSys is
applied to solve the coupled systems of partial differential equations. The
commercial software FEFLOW® is also used as additional numerical constraint.
Calculated pressure and temperature have been calibrated against data from
geothermal wells. The flow field displays multicellular convective patterns
that cover the entire geothermal reservoir. The resulting thermal plumes
protrude vertically over 3 km at Darcy velocity of about  m/s. The analysis of
the exploitation process demonstrated the sustainability of a geothermal
doublet for the development of a 5 MW pilot plant. The buoyant circulation
within the geothermal system allows the reservoir to sustain a 50-year
production at a flow rate of 1050 t/h. The distance of 2 km, between the
production and reinjection wells, is sufficient to prevent any thermal
breakthrough within the estimated operational lifetime. OGS and FELFOW results
are qualitatively very similar with differences in peak velocities and
temperatures. The case study provides valuable guidelines for future
exploitation of the CG-TA deep geothermal reservoir
Molecular etiopathogenesis of limb girdle muscular and congenital muscular dystrophies: boundaries and contiguities
Abstract The muscular dystrophies are a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness. These disorders present a large clinical variability regarding age of onset, patterns of skeletal muscle involvement, heart damage, rate of progression and mode of inheritance. Difficulties in classification are often caused by the relatively common sporadic occurrence of autosomal recessive forms as well as by intrafamilial clinical variability. Furthermore recent discoveries, particularly regarding the proteins linking the sarcolemma to components of the extracellular matrix, have restricted the gap existing between limb girdle (LGMD) and congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD). Therefore a renewed definition of boundaries between these two groups is required. Molecular genetic studies have demonstrated different causative mutations in the genes encoding a disparate collection of proteins involved in all aspects of muscle cell biology. These novel skeletal muscle genes encode highly diverse proteins with different localization within or at the surface of the skeletal muscle fibre, such as the sarcolemmal muscle membrane (dystrophin, sarcoglycans, dysferlin, caveolin-3), the extracellular matrix (a2 laminin, collagen VI), the sarcomere (telethonin, myotilin, titin, nebulin and ZASP), the muscle cytosol (calpain-3, TRIM32), the nucleus (emerin, lamin A/C) and the glycosilation pathway enzymes (fukutin and fukutin related proteins). The accumulating knowledge about the role of these different proteins in muscle pathology has led to a profound change in the original phenotype-based classification and shed new light on the molecular pathogenesis of these disorders.
Chlamydia trachomatis versus common uropathogens as a cause of chronic bacterial prostatitis: Is there any difference? Results of a prospective parallel-cohort study
Purpose: The role of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection in chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) is well known. What is unclear is whether there are any differences in the course or clinical outcome of the disease when the cause is CT or other uropathogens. Materials and Methods: A series of 311 patients affected by CBP due to CT (cohort A) was compared with a group of 524 patients affected by CBP caused by common uropathogen bacteria (cohort B). All participants completed the following questionnaires: National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index, International Prostate Symptom Score, International Index of Erectile Function-15 erectile function domain (IIEF-15-EFD), Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), and the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey. All patients were followed with clinical and microbiological evaluations. Results: After a mean follow-up time of 42.3 months, the number of symptomatic episodes was significantly higher in patients in cohort A than in cohort B (4.1±1.1 vs. 2.8±0.8, p<0.001), and the mean time to first symptomatic recurrence was shorter in cohort A than in cohort B (3.3±2.3 months vs. 5.7±1.9 months, p<0.001). Moreover, scores on the SF-36 tool were significantly lower in cohort A (96.5±1.0 vs. 99.7±1.9, p<0.001) at the first symptomatic recurrence. Cohort A also showed significantly lower scores on the IIEF-15-EFD and PEDT questionnaires at the end of the follow-up period (26.8±2.9 vs. 27.3±3.3, p=0.02 and 11.5±2.3 vs. 4.5±2.8, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Patients affected by CBP due to CT infection have a higher number of symptomatic recurrences with a more severe impact on quality of life
Tyr78Phe Transthyretin Mutation with Predominant Motor Neuropathy as the Initial Presentation
Transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis, the most frequent form of hereditary amyloidosis, is caused by dominant mutations in the TTR gene. More than 100 mutations have been identified. Clinical manifestations of TTR amyloidosis are usually induced by extracellular amyloid deposition in several organs. The major neurological manifestation is motor-sensory neuropathy associated with dysautonomic impairment. Here, we describe a 63-year-old man who came to our institution due to a suspected motor neuron disease. During a 4-year follow-up period, he underwent extensive clinical examination, electromyographic studies, sural nerve biopsy and TTR gene analysis by direct sequencing. Despite the predominant motor involvement, the detailed clinical examination also showed some mild sensory and dysautonomic signs. In addition, his clinical and family history included multiorgan disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as conditions with cardiac, renal, eye, and hepatic involvement. The sural nerve biopsy disclosed amyloid deposition, and the sequence analysis of the TTR gene detected a heterozygous Tyr78Phe substitution. The TTR gene variant found in our patient had only been described once so far, in a French man of Italian origin presenting with late-onset peripheral neuropathy and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The predominant motor involvement presented by our patient is an uncommon occurrence and demonstrates the clinical heterogeneity of TTR amyloidosis
Clinical and trichoscopic graded live visual scale for androgenetic alopecia
Introduction: Currently, the mostly used classifications of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), only provide a macroscopic and subjective description of this disorder, without evaluating trichoscopic features.
Objective: The aim of this study is to elaborate a graded live visual AGA severity scale including macroscopic and microscopic (trichoscopic) pictures, and to determine the most frequent trichoscopic characteristics associated to each grade.
Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on 122 patients (50 females and 72 males) affected by AGA. Macroscopic and trichoscopic photographs were taken at standardized scalp points.
Results: Each picture was ranked from AGA stage I to VII, according to Hamilton scale for men and Savin scale for women, and the most representative images of each severity degree were collected to produce a graded live visual scale. In males, two live visual scales, one for the anterior and one for posterior region of the scalp were created. In females, only one scale of the anterior region was realized. For each stage of severity, the corresponding trichoscopic parameters were statistically analyzed.
Conclusions: We realized new macroscopic and trichoscopic graded live visual scales for male and female patients affected by AGA, which could help physicians in giving an objective evaluation of the disease and in better managing it
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