Objective Measurement of the Visual Aspect of Dry Sausage Slices by Image Analysis

The visual aspect of food is a problem very often neglected for different reasons; one being the difficulty of modelling vision. However, it has been shown that , on simple synthetic images, automatic sorting in the same manner as human vision is possible. Distribution heterogeneity of spots within an image is one important parameter for its characterization. A new algorithm was tested over simple numerical pictures that gave good agreement with visual appreciation. Images of twenty dry sausage slices were analyzed and different factors corresponding to aspect structure were calculated. Principal component analyst:s based on these factors all owed discrimination between the different types of sausage. The results obtained when studying the meat part of the slices were well correlated with the visual aspect

Nuclear astrophysics: the unfinished quest for the origin of the elements

Half a century has passed since the foundation of nuclear astrophysics. Since then, this discipline has reached its maturity. Today, nuclear astrophysics constitutes a multidisciplinary crucible of knowledge that combines the achievements in theoretical astrophysics, observational astronomy, cosmochemistry and nuclear physics. New tools and developments have revolutionized our understanding of the origin of the elements: supercomputers have provided astrophysicists with the required computational capabilities to study the evolution of stars in a multidimensional framework; the emergence of high-energy astrophysics with space-borne observatories has opened new windows to observe the Universe, from a novel panchromatic perspective; cosmochemists have isolated tiny pieces of stardust embedded in primitive meteorites, giving clues on the processes operating in stars as well as on the way matter condenses to form solids; and nuclear physicists have measured reactions near stellar energies, through the combined efforts using stable and radioactive ion beam facilities. This review provides comprehensive insight into the nuclear history of the Universe and related topics: starting from the Big Bang, when the ashes from the primordial explosion were transformed to hydrogen, helium, and few trace elements, to the rich variety of nucleosynthesis mechanisms and sites in the Universe. Particular attention is paid to the hydrostatic processes governing the evolution of low-mass stars, red giants and asymptotic giant-branch stars, as well as to the explosive nucleosynthesis occurring in core-collapse and thermonuclear supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, classical novae, X-ray bursts, superbursts, and stellar mergers.Comment: Invited Review. Accepted for publication in "Reports on Progress in Physics" (version with low-resolution figures

Natural flavonoids as potential multifunctional agents in prevention of diabetic cataract

Cataract is one of the earliest secondary complications of diabetes mellitus. The lens is a closed system with limited capability to repair or regenerate itself. Current evidence supports the view that cataractogenesis is a multifactorial process. Mechanisms related to glucose toxicity, namely oxidative stress, processes of non-enzymatic glycation and enhanced polyol pathway significantly contribute to the development of eye lens opacity under conditions of diabetes. There is an urgent need for inexpensive, non-surgical approaches to the treatment of cataract. Recently, considerable attention has been devoted to the search for phytochemical therapeutics. Several pharmacological actions of natural flavonoids may operate in the prevention of cataract since flavonoids are capable of affecting multiple mechanisms or etiological factors responsible for the development of diabetic cataract. In the present paper, natural flavonoids are reviewed as potential agents that could reduce the risk of cataract formation via affecting multiple pathways pertinent to eye lens opacification. In addition, the bioavailability of flavonoids for the lens is considered

Homeostatic regulation of the endoneurial microenvironment during development, aging and in response to trauma, disease and toxic insult

The endoneurial microenvironment, delimited by the endothelium of endoneurial vessels and a multi-layered ensheathing perineurium, is a specialized milieu intérieur within which axons, associated Schwann cells and other resident cells of peripheral nerves function. The endothelium and perineurium restricts as well as regulates exchange of material between the endoneurial microenvironment and the surrounding extracellular space and thus is more appropriately described as a blood–nerve interface (BNI) rather than a blood–nerve barrier (BNB). Input to and output from the endoneurial microenvironment occurs via blood–nerve exchange and convective endoneurial fluid flow driven by a proximo-distal hydrostatic pressure gradient. The independent regulation of the endothelial and perineurial components of the BNI during development, aging and in response to trauma is consistent with homeostatic regulation of the endoneurial microenvironment. Pathophysiological alterations of the endoneurium in experimental allergic neuritis (EAN), and diabetic and lead neuropathy are considered to be perturbations of endoneurial homeostasis. The interactions of Schwann cells, axons, macrophages, and mast cells via cell–cell and cell–matrix signaling regulate the permeability of this interface. A greater knowledge of the dynamic nature of tight junctions and the factors that induce and/or modulate these key elements of the BNI will increase our understanding of peripheral nerve disorders as well as stimulate the development of therapeutic strategies to treat these disorders

L'Italia come modello per l'Europa e per il mondo nelle politiche sanitarie per il trattamento dell'epatite cronica da HCV

The World Health Organization foresees the elimination of HCV infection by 2030. In light of this and the curre nt, nearly worldwide, restriction in direct-acting agents (DAA) accessibility due to their high price, we aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of two alternative DAA treatment policies: Policy 1 (universal): treat all patients, regardless of the fibrosis stage; Policy 2 (prioritized): treat only priori tized patients and delay treatment of the remaining patients until reaching stage F3. T he model was based on patient’s data from the PITER cohort. We demonstrated that extending HC V treatment of patients in any fibrosis stage improves health outcomes and is cost-effective

The logistic EuroSCORE in cardiac surgery: how well does it predict operative risk?

OBJECTIVES: To study the ability of the logistic EuroSCORE to predict operative risk in contemporary cardiac surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. SETTING: All National Health Service centres undertaking adult cardiac surgery in northwest England. PATIENTS: All patients undergoing cardiac surgery between April 2002 and March 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The predictive ability of the logistic EuroSCORE was assessed by analysing how well it discriminates between patients with differing observed risk by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and studying how well it is calibrated against observed in‐hospital mortality. The performance of the EuroSCORE was examined in the following surgical subgroups: all cardiac surgery, isolated coronary artery surgery, isolated valve surgery, combined valve and coronary surgery, mitral valve surgery, aortic valve surgery and other surgery. RESULTS: 9995 patients underwent surgery. The discrimination of the logistic EuroSCORE was good with a ROC curve area of 0.79 for all cardiac surgery (range 0.71–0.79 in the subgroups). For all operations, the predicted mortality was 5.7% and observed mortality was 3.3%. The logistic EuroSCORE overpredicted observed mortality for all subgroups but by differing degrees (p  =  0.02) CONCLUSIONS: The logistic EuroSCORE is a reasonable overall predictor for contemporary cardiac surgery but overestimates observed mortality. Its accuracy at predicting risk in different surgical subgroups varies. The logistic EuroSCORE should be recalibrated before it is used to gain reassurance about outcomes. Caution should be exercised when using it to compare hospitals or surgeons with a different operative case mix