Flow around a cylinder with non-uniform approach velocity numerical techniques of integration: preliminary results

CER68-69GD7.August 1968.Includes bibliographical references

Experimental Crystallization of a High-K Arc Basalt: the Golden Pumice, Stromboli Volcano (Italy)

International audienceThe near-liquidus crystallization of a high-K basalt (PST-9 golden pumice, 49·4 wt % SiO2, 1·85 wt % K2O, 7·96 wt % MgO) from the present-day activity of Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy) has been experimentally investigated between 1050 and 1175°C, at pressures from 50 to 400 MPa, for melt H2O concentrations between 1·2 and 5·5 wt % and {Delta}NNO ranging from –0·07 to +2·32. A drop-quench device was systematically used. AuPd alloys were used as containers in most cases, resulting in an average Fe loss of 13% for the 34 charges studied. Major crystallizing phases include clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase. Fe–Ti oxide was encountered in a few charges. Clinopyroxene is the liquidus phase at 400 MPa down to at least 200 MPa, followed by olivine and plagioclase. The compositions of all major phases and glass vary systematically with the proportion of crystals. Ca in clinopyroxene sensitively depends on the H2O concentration of the coexisting melt, and clinopyroxene Mg-number shows a weak negative correlation with {Delta}NNO. The experimental data allow the liquidus surface of PST-9 to be defined. When used in combination with melt inclusion data, a consistent set of pre-eruptive pressures (100–270 MPa), temperatures (1140–1160°C) and melt H2O concentrations is obtained. Near-liquidus phase equilibria and clinopyroxene Ca contents require melt H2O concentrations <2·7–3·6 and 3 ± 1 wt %, respectively, overlapping with the maximum frequency of glass inclusion data (2·5–2·7 wt % H2O). For olivine to crystallize close to the liquidus, pressures close to 200 MPa are needed. Redox conditions around {Delta}NNO = +0·5 are inferred from clinopyroxene compositions. The determined pre-eruptive parameters refer to the storage region of golden pumice melts, which is located at a depth of around 7·5 km, within the metamorphic arc crust. Golden pumice melts ascending from their storage zone along an adiabat will not experience crystallization on their way to the surface

Clinical Evaluation and Orodental Status in a Group of Elderly Institutionalised Patients

10% of elderly patients are functionally dependents and they therefore need permanent assistance. Orodental alterations may evolve into a pathological state in elderly people, which is increasing in the recent decades. The current study analysed institutionalized patients in the district of Bari (Southern Italy), who have been so far monitored. We assessed 125 elderly institutionalized patients. The assessment has been carried out by an assessment questionnaire aiming at evaluating the patient’s psychophysical health status, objective intraoral test and prosthetic rehabilitations. About 90% of enrolled patients reported a good general health status. The main dental problems are due to the complete lack of specific prevention and treatment programs, together with handicap, presence of systemic diseases and medicines taken. The level of oral hygiene is poor and the conditions of the residual dental elements are precarious because of root caries and periodontal problems. Prostheses are usually old (on average 15) and appear scarcely retentive and unstable. We believe in the need for specific interventions aiming at the various issues emerging from the present study, so as to achieve a smaller prevalence of dental loss, periodontal disease and caries. These relatively simple interventions are now lacking because of the non-demand of treatment from patients and for economical reasons

Mediterranean Diet and Healthy Ageing: A Sicilian Perspective

Traditional Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is a common dietary pattern characterizing a lifestyle and culture proven to contribute to better health and quality of life in Mediterranean countries. By analyzing the diet of centenarians from the Sicani Mountains and eating habits of inhabitants of Palermo, it is reported that a close adherence to MedDiet is observed in the countryside, whereas in big towns this adherence is not so close. This has an effect on the rates of mortality at old age (and reciprocally longevity) that are lower in the countryside than in big towns. Concerning the health effects of the diet, the low content of animal protein and the low glycaemic index of the Sicilian MedDiet might directly modulate the insulin/IGF-1 and the mTOR pathways, known to be involved in ageing and longevity. In particular, the reduction of animal protein intake may significantly reduce serum IGF-1 concentrations and inhibit mTOR activity with a down-regulation of the signal that leads to the activation of FOXO3A and, consequently, to the transcription of homeostatic genes that favour longevity. The down-regulation of both IGF-1 and mTORC1 also induces an anti-inflammatory effect. In addition to the effects on sensing pathways, many single components of MedDiet are known to have positive effects on health, reducing inflammation, optimizing cholesterol and other important risk factors of age-related diseases. However, a key role is played by polyphenols represented in high amount in the Sicilian MedDiet (in particular in extra virgin olive oil) that can work as hormetins that provide an environmental chemical signature regulating stress resistance pathways such as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2

Osteoporosis and ageing affects the migration of stem cells and this is ameliorated by transfection with CXCR4

OBJECTIVES: Cellular movement and relocalisation are important for many physiologic properties. Local mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from injured tissues and circulating MSCs aid in fracture healing. Cytokines and chemokines such as Stromal cell-derived factor 1(SDF-1) and its receptor chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) play important roles in maintaining mobilisation, trafficking and homing of stem cells from bone marrow to the site of injury. We investigated the differences in migration of MSCs from the femurs of young, adult and ovariectomised (OVX) rats and the effect of CXCR4 over-expression on their migration. METHODS: MSCs from young, adult and OVX rats were put in a Boyden chamber to establish their migration towards SDF-1. This was compared with MSCs transfected with CXCR4, as well as MSCs differentiated to osteoblasts. RESULTS: MSCs from OVX rats migrate significantly (p < 0.05) less towards SDF-1 (9%, sd 5%) compared with MSCs from adult (15%, sd 3%) and young rats (25%, sd 4%). Cells transfected with CXCR4 migrated significantly more towards SDF-1 compared with non-transfected cells, irrespective of whether these cells were from OVX (26.5%, sd 4%), young (47%, sd 17%) or adult (21%, sd 4%) rats. Transfected MSCs differentiated to osteoblasts express CXCR4 but do not migrate towards SDF-1. CONCLUSIONS: MSC migration is impaired by age and osteoporosis in rats, and this may be associated with a significant reduction in bone formation in osteoporotic patients. The migration of stem cells can be ameliorated by upregulating CXCR4 levels which could possibly enhance fracture healing in osteoporotic patients

Endothelial function and serum concentration of toxic metals in frequent consumers of fish

BACKGROUND:Endothelial dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Consumption of fish is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk, but there is paucity of data concerning its effect on endothelial function. Furthermore, investigation of the effects of fish consumption on health must take into account the ingestion of contaminants, including transition metals and some metalloids, which may have unfavorable effects on health, including those on the cardiovascular system. We investigated the association between fish consumption, endothelial function (flow mediated dilation of the brachial artery), and serum concentration of some toxic metals in apparently healthy people. METHODS:Twenty-nine high fish consumers (at least 3 portions a week) were compared with 25 low fish consumers (less than 1 portion a week). All participants were free of diabetes, cardiovascular or other systemic diseases. Serum metal (antimonium, arsenic, mercury, lead, cobalt, copper, zinc, selenium, strontium) concentrations were measured in subgroups of 24 high fish consumers and 19 low fish consumers. RESULTS:Both groups exhibited similar habitual dietary patterns, age and anthropometric characteristics. The high fish consumers had higher flow mediated dilation (9.7 ± 1.8 vs. 7.3 ± 1.9%; P<0.001), but also higher serum concentrations of mercury (5.87 ± 2.69 vs. 1.65 ± 1.10 mcg/L; P<0.001) and arsenic (6.04 ± 3.25 vs. 2.30 ± 1.58 mcg/L; P<0.001). The fasting plasma glucose concentrations were significantly correlated with both mercury (r = 0.39; P = 0.01) and arsenic concentrations (r = 0.55; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS:Habitual consumption of high amounts of fish is associated with better endothelial function despite higher serum concentrations of mercury and arsenic

Volatiles and trace element contents in melt inclusions from the zoned Green Tuff ignimbrite (Pantelleria, Sicily): petrological inferences.

The island of Pantelleria is one of the best known localities of bimodal mafic-felsic magmatism (alkali basalt and trachyte-pantellerite). Among the felsic rocks, the coexistence in a single eruption of products of both trachyte and pantellerite compositions is limited to few occurrences, the Green Tuff (GT) ignimbrite being one of these. The GT is compositionally zoned from pantellerite (70.1 wt% SiO2, mol Na+K/Al = 1.86, 1871 ppm Zr) at the base to crystal-rich (\u3e30 vol%) comenditic trachyte (63.4 wt% SiO2, mol Na+K/Al = 1.10, 265 ppm Zr) at the top, although the pantellertic compositions dominate the erupted volume. We present here new data on melt inclusions (MIs) from the pantellerite portions of the GT eruption and, most importantly, from the trachyte member, which have not been studied in-situ by previous work focused on the GT. We document the first occurrence of trachytic melt inclusions in the late-erupted member, whose importance resides in the fact that trachytes were known mostly as crystal-rich lavas or ignimbrites, all variably affected by crystal accumulation. Besides the obvious inferences on the interplay between parental-derivative magmas, this evidence adds also some helpful elements in understanding zoning of silicic and peralkaline (i.e. low-viscosity) magma chambers. Trace elements compositions of MIs reveal that trachyte melts are of two types: (i) a low-Ba, directly descending from basaltic melts by 60-70 % of fractional crystallisation, and (ii) a high-Ba that might be affected by processes of feldspar dissolution and entrainment of the resulting small-scale melts in some MIs. MIs hosted in the deep-seated trachyte body are H2O-poor (≤ 1.2 wt %) with respect to the early erupted (and shallower) pantellerite magma (≤ 4.2 wt %), raising the possibility that either trachyte magma was H2O-undesaturated, or clinopyroxene hosted melt inclusions which suffered consistent H2O loss

Quality of life in fibromyalgia patients with craniomandibular disorders

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a rheumatic disease which affects fibrous tissues and muscles; it is characterized by chronic pain and it is often associated with craniomandibular disorders (CMD). 31 patients were assessed from March 2012 to October 2012 through the administration of specific questionnaires and following neurologic and gnatologic assessment. A relevant corre-lation between FM and CMD emerges from the present study, as 80.6% of our patients report CMD symptoms with high prevalence of myofascial pain (84%). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the patients in the present study did not differ in score of quality of life questionnaires from patients with fibromyalgia. The neuropathic pain diagnostic question-naire (DN4) scores were positively affected by belonging to group II of Research Diagnostic Criteria of Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/ TDM) classification, suggesting the possibility of a neuropathic component in chronic pain in this CMD group, as already speculated in our study on the correlation between burning mouth syndrome and CMD and by other au-thors in studies on chronic low back pain. However, further clinic and instrumental studies are needed in order to test this as-sumption

Ascent of Stromboli yellow pumice magmas : experimental simulation at P<=4 KB.

Stromboli volcano is characterised by a persistent, mildly explosive activity producing a crystal-rich HK- basaltic scoria. The normal activity is periodically interrupted by more energetic explosions during which a crystal-poor HK basaltic pumice is emitted (yellow pumice), often intermingled with the crystal-rich scoria. We experimentally investigated the ascent path of the yellow pumice from the inferred depth of segregation ˜12 km to a very shallow level, where it interacts with the already degassed resident magma

Selective laser sintering of hydroxyapatite reinforced polyethylene composites for bioactive implants and tissue scaffold development

Selective laser sintering (SLS) has been investigated for the production of bioactive implants and tissue scaffolds using composites of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) reinforced with hydroxyapatite (HA) with the aim of achieving the rapid manufacturing of customized implants. Single-layer and multilayer block specimens made of HA-HDPE composites with 30 and 40 vol % HA were sintered successfully using a CO2 laser sintering system. Laser power and scanning speed had a significant effect on the sintering behaviour. The degree of particle fusion and porosity were influenced by the laser processing parameters, hence control can be attained by varying these parameters. Moreover, the SLS processing allowed exposure of HA particles on the surface of the composites and thereby should provide bioactive products. Pores existed in the SLS-fabricated composite parts and at certain processing parameters a significant fraction of the pores were within the optimal sizes for tissue regeneration. The results indicate that the SLS technique has the potential not only to fabricate HA-HDPE composite products but also to produce appropriate features for their application as bioactive implants and tissue scaffolds