231 research outputs found
Direct loss-based seismic design of reinforced concrete frame and wall structures
This paper presents a procedure to design reinforced concrete (RC) buildings to achieve an acceptable target level of earthquake-induced loss (e.g., deaths, dollars, downtime) under a site-specific hazard profile. The procedure is called âdirectâ since the target loss level is specified at the first step of the process, and virtually no iteration is required. The procedure is based on a simplified loss assessment involving a surrogate model for the seismic demand (i.e., probability distribution of peak horizontal deformation given ground-motion intensity) and simplified loss models for direct and indirect losses. For an arbitrarily-selected target loss level and structural geometry, the procedure provides the force-displacement curve of the corresponding equivalent single degree of freedom system. The principles of displacement-based design are adopted to provide member detailings (beams, columns, walls) consistent with such force-displacement curve. The procedure is applied to 16 realistic RC case studies with a lateral resisting system composed of frames in one direction and cantilever walls in the perpendicular one. They show different geometries, hazard profiles, and target values of direct economic expected annual loss. A benchmark loss estimation is obtained using cloud-based non-linear time-history analyses of multi-degree of freedom models. The procedure is conservative since the benchmark loss levels are always smaller than the targets. Such discrepancy is within 10% for 12 out of 32 case studies, between 10% and 20% for 13, between 20% and 31% for the remaining six. Therefore, the proposed procedure is deemed dependable for preliminary design
Up-to-date on erectile dysfunction and treatment
Erection is a haemodynamic event that involves the central nervous system
and local factors and is the recurrent or persistent inability to achieve and or
maintain an erection to allow satisfactory intercourse.
The ED is a disease of great social impact: it is estimated that in Italy, 11-13%
of men, or about 3 million are affected in part by ED.
Main risk factors are: age, education level, anxiety, reactive depression, diabetes,
heart disease, high blood pressure; disorders (hepatic failure, chronic
renal failure, obesity, dyslipidemia); hormonal disorders (hypogonadism, hyperprolactinemia,
hypo/hyperthyroidism); neuropathies (Alzheimerâs disease,
Parkinsonâs disease, degenerative diseases); urologic surgery, colorectal and
vascular.
Regarding therapy first and most important form of treatment for a patient
suffering from erectile dysfunction is to identify and possibly modify or remove
all hazardous conditions for sexual health. First line treatments are selective
inhibitors of 5-phosphodiesterase; second-line treatments essentially include
intracavernous injection of vasoactive substances and third line treatments
include revascularization of the penis and prostesis implants
T1G3 high-risk NMIBC (non-muscle invasive bladder cancer): conservative treatment versus immediate cystectomy
Background The management of stage T1 poorly
differentiated G3 bladder cancer invading the lamina
propria continues to be debated. These tumours are
associated with a high risk of recurrence and
progression; concomitant carcinoma in situ and/or
multifocality are negative prognostic factors. Choosing
between a preserving approach such as transurethral
resection of the bladder (TURB) followed by
maintenance bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and an
invasive approach like cystectomy is critical.
Patients and methods Overall, 80 patients underwent
TURB and RE-TURB followed by intra-vesical
induction treatment with BCG plus maintenance
(Group A) while 72 patients underwent immediate
radical cystectomy with extended lymphadenectomy
(Group B). Patients were divided into 3 subgroups:
uni-focal tumours, multi-focal tumours and carcinoma
in situ associated lesions. In Group A, time to
first recurrence and time to progression were analysed.
A comparison was made between Group A and
Group B regarding progression-free survival, cancerspecific
survival and overall survival with a median
follow-up time of 8.3 years.
Results As far as concerns Group A patients, 42
recurrences (52.5%) were reported in a median time
of 10.4 months (range 3â26) and 25 progressions
(31.2%) in a median time of 25 months (range 3â68).
As far as concerns time to first recurrence and time to
progression, both the KaplanâMeier survival curves
obtained are significant and P values are, respectively,
0.0263 and 0.0011. Comparing Groups A and
B patients, 25 progressions (31.2%) in a median time
of 25 months (range 3â68) and 18 progressions
(25%) in a median time of 25.9 months (range
4â72), respectively, were recorded. Regarding overall
survival, at 10 years, 24 deaths (42.5%) occurred in a
median time of 55.4 months (range 12â94) in Group
A and 42 deaths (58.3%) in a median time of
54.9 months (10â100) in Group B. Cancer-specific
survival was evaluated in Group A with a total of 18
deaths (22.5%) in a median time of 47.5 months
(range 16â78), and in Group B with a total of 16
deaths (22.2%) in a median time of 45.7 months
(range 16â88). The progression-free survival Kaplanâ
Meier curve is not significant, the P value being
0.3801; the overall survival curve is significant with a
P value of 0.0487 while the cancer-specific survival
curve is not significant with a P value of 0.9762.
Discussion In Group A, considering ââtime to first
recurrenceââ, the difference is greater between unifocal
lesions and multifocal or Cis-associated lesions.
Conversely, for ââtime to progressionââ, there is a
greater difference between unifocal and multifocal
tumours and Cis-associated tumours. Looking at
ââprogression-free survivalââ in Group A and Group B
patients, there is no statistically significant difference,
like in cancer-specific survival. A statistically significant
difference was observed in overall survival
being in favour of conservative treatment thus
reflecting that conservative treatment is not burdened
by all the surgical and post-operative complications
of cystectomy.
Conclusions Although NMIBC invading the lamina
propria, stage G3, with or without Cis-associated
lesions are burdened both by a high volume of
recurrences and progressions, cystectomy could be
considered an aggressive approach. New biological
markers are now needed which are able to predict the
behaviour of the cancer and to guide the decisionmaking
process between conservative or aggressive
treatment
Knotless "three-U-stitches" technique for urethrovesical anastomosis during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
We describe a new technique for urethrovesical anastomosis that consists
of placing three âUâ stitches of Monocryl 2-0 to connect the bladder neck and urethral
stump together. The margins are united by a double passage of the suture, without tying
any knots. The sutures are tied on the bladderâs surface using Lapra-Ty clips fixed at a
certain distance from where to two mucosal margins have been joined. We carried out
this technique on 90 patients who underwent laparoscopic extraperitoneal radical prostatectomy.
The good joining of the margins, the absence of knots and the minimum
trauma to the urethral wall together enable to create an anastomosis that is both
âsealedâ and âtension freeâ, allowing a quick âweldingâ of the margins and an early
catheter removal. Regarding urinary continence, 56.6% (51) of patientswere continent at
catheter removal, 87.6% (78) were continent 3 months later and 98.9% (89) were continent
after 6 months. In nine patients (10%), an episode of acute urinary retention
occurred within 24 h after the removal of the catheter. We did not encounter any cases
of vesicourethral anastomosis stenosis
Prospective open-label study on the efficacy and tolerability of a combination of nutritional supplements in primary infertile patients with idiopathic astenoteratozoospermia
Aim of the study: To evaluate with an open-label study the efficacy and safety of a complex
of nutritional supplements with antioxidant activity (L-carnitine, acetyl-L-carnitine,
fructose, citric acid, selenium, coenzyme Q10, zinc, ascorbic acid, cyanocobalamin, folic
acid) in primary infertile patients with idiopathic astenoteratozoospermia.
Methods: The study was conducted in a population of 114 infertile men (96 completed the
study) diagnosed with idiopathic astenoteratozoospermia since at least 18 months.
Patients orally received a formulation (Proxeed - Sigma-Tau) containing L-carnitine 145 mg,
acetyl-L-carnitine 64 mg, fructose 250 mg, citric acid 50 mg, selenium 50 mcg, coenzyme Q10 20
mg, zinc 10 mg, ascorbic acid 90 mg, cyanocobalamin 1.5 mcg, folic acid 200 mcg in combination
once a day for 4 months.
Results: At the end of study, the mean sperm progressive motility showed a statistically significant
increase from 18.3 ± 3.8 to 42.1 ± 5.5. Sixteen patients achieved pregnancy during the study. No
significant improvement were observed for sperm density and rate of morphologically normal
forms. The treatment was well tolerated.
Conclusions: Carnitines in association with others functional substances can improve the most
important parameters of sperm quality
Electrocardiographic RR Interval Dynamic Analysis to Identify Acute Stroke Patients at High Risk for Atrial Fibrillation Episodes During Stroke Unit Admission
Patients at short-term risk of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) often exhibit increased RR interval variability during sinus rhythm. We studied if RR dynamic analysis, applied in the first hours after stroke unit (SU) admission, identified acute ischemic stroke patients at higher risk for subsequent PAF episodes detected within the SU hospitalization. Acute ischemic stroke patients underwent continuous cardiac monitoring (CCM) using standard bedside monitors immediately after SU admission. The CCM tracks from the first 48\ua0h were analyzed using a telemedicine service (SRA clinic, Apoplex Medical, Germany). Based on the RR dynamics, the stroke risk analysis (SRA) algorithm stratified the risk for PAF as follows: low risk for PAF, high risk for PAF, presence of manifest AF. The subsequent presence/absence of PAF during the whole SU hospitalization was ruled out using all available CCMs, standard ECGs, or 24-h Holter ECGs. Two hundred patients (40% females, mean age 71\u2009\ub1\u200916\ua0years) were included. According to the initial SRA analysis, 111 patients (56%) were considered as low risk for PAF, 52 (26%) as high risk while 37 patients (18%) had manifest AF. A low-risk level SRA was associated with a reduced probability for subsequent PAF detection (1/111, 0.9%, 95% CI 0-4.3%) while a high-risk level SRA predicted an increased probability (20/52, 38.5% (95% CI 25-52%). RR dynamic analysis performed in the first hours after ischemic stroke may stratify patients into categories at low or high risk for forthcoming paroxysmal AF episodes detected within the SU hospitalization
Reduced intraoperative bleeding during transurethral resection of the prostate: Evaluation of finasteride, vascular endothelial growth factor, and CD34
Finasteride is an antiandrogen that inhibits 5-α-
reductase, an enzyme that converts testosterone to
dihydrotestosterone. Finasteride significantly reduces
intraoperative bleeding when 10 mg/d is administered
for 60 days before transurethral resection of the prostate.
Our double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled
study evaluated 200 patients with benign prostatic
hyperplasia who underwent transurethral resection of
the prostate. We compared a placebo group (n = 100)
with a group (n = 100) administered 5 mg of finasteride
twice a day for 8 weeks. We intended to demonstrate the
mechanisms and effects of finasteride compared with
those of vascular endothelial growth factor, and to evaluate
CD34, an immunohistochemical marker of blood
vessel density in the prostate. Our results indicated a
lower average microvascular density and vascular endothelial
growth factor index for hypertrophic prostate in
the finasteride group than in the placebo group
Transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) polymorphism and hyperglycemia in an adult Italian population-based cohort.
Very early onset of ATTRE89Q amyloidosis in a homozygous patient
Case Presentarion: Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis is a progressive, fatal disease that generally involves the peripheral nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, and the heart. It is autosomal dominant with different penetrance depending on the mutation and the genetic background. Many other missense mutations of the TTR gene may cause the disease. Being an overall rare disease is very rare to observe the condition of homozygosity. In particular, cases of homozygosity have been described in patients with ATTRV30M and ATTRV122I amyloidosis. In the former, the phenotype does not seem to be aggravated, having an age of onset and disease course that does not appear to differ from those of heterozygotes, while in the latter, the onset appears to be earlier. Conclusion: We report the first case of ATTRE89Q amyloidosis in a patient that was homozygous for the E89Q mutation in the TTR gene. The clinical phenotype resulted in the earlier disease onset reported in this form of amyloidosis, suggesting that the homozygous condition may be prognostically negative
Penile prosthesis implant for erectile dysfunction: A new minimally invasive infrapubic surgical technique
Erectile dysfunction, the most common
male sexual disorder after premature ejaculation,
with its important impact on man and partnerâs sexuality
and quality of life is a persistent inability to obtain and
maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual
performance. Non-surgical treatments with controversial
results are usually applyed before surgical treatment that has
reached high levels of satisfaction.
We describe a new surgical technique to implant three-pieces
penile prosthesis in patients suffering from erectile dysfunction
(ED) not responding to conventional medical therapy or
reporting side effects with such a therapy.
Implantation of an inflatable prosthesis, for treatment of ED,
is a safe and efficacious approach with high satisfaction
reported by patients and partners. Surgical technique should
be minimally invasive and latest technology equipment should
be implanted in order to decrease common complications and
to obtain a better aesthetic result
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