Acute and long-term effects of ACE inhibition on renal haemodynamics in glomerular and interstitial nephropathies

Background Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are the drugs of choice for the treatment of hypertension in patients with non-diabetic nephropathies. However, not every trial has reported better results with ACE inhibitors (ACE-I) than with other drugs. This study investigates whether the acute and chronic effects of ACE inhibition on renal and glomerular haemodynamics are similar in glomerular and interstitial nephropathies. Methods We studied 20 hypertensive patients, on their usual diet, with mild-to-moderate chronic renal failure secondary to non-diabetic nephropathy. After a three-week wash out period, we determined plasma clearances of para-amino-hippurate and inulin before, and after acute oral administration of either enalapril or ramipril. This same test was carried out after one and two years of treatment with the same drug. Results Acute ACE inhibition causes a decrease of renal perfusion, glomerular filtration and pressure with an increase of afferent resistances. Long-term ACE inhibition is associated only with a decrease in renal perfusion, with a non-significant tendency to higher filtration fraction and lower afferent resistances. All the renal haemodynamic modifications mentioned above are present only in patients with glomerular diseases. Conclusions Renal and glomerular haemodynamic responses are not similar after acute and chronic ACE inhibition. Only patients with glomerular diseases show acute or long-term responses to ACE inhibition

Can Clinical and Surgical Parameters Be Combined to Predict How Long It Will Take a Tibia Fracture to Heal? A Prospective Multicentre Observational Study: The FRACTING Study

Background. Healing of tibia fractures occurs over a wide time range of months, with a number of risk factors contributing to prolonged healing. In this prospective, multicentre, observational study, we investigated the capability of FRACTING (tibia FRACTure prediction healING days) score, calculated soon after tibia fracture treatment, to predict healing time. Methods. The study included 363 patients. Information on patient health, fracture morphology, and surgical treatment adopted were combined to calculate the FRACTING score. Fractures were considered healed when the patient was able to fully weight-bear without pain. Results. 319 fractures (88%) healed within 12 months from treatment. Forty-four fractures healed after 12 months or underwent a second surgery. FRACTING score positively correlated with days to healing: r = 0.63 (p < 0.0001). Average score value was 7.3 \ub1 2.5; ROC analysis showed strong reliability of the score in separating patients healing before versus after 6 months: AUC = 0.823. Conclusions. This study shows that the FRACTING score can be employed both to predict months needed for fracture healing and to identify immediately after treatment patients at risk of prolonged healing. In patients with high score values, new pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments to enhance osteogenesis could be tested selectively, which may finally result in reduced disability time and health cost savings

Riluzole and other prognostic factors in ALS: a population-based registry study in Italy

In this prospective population-based registry study on ALS survival, we investigated the role of riluzole treatment, together with other clinical factors, on the prognosis in incident ALS cases in Emilia Romagna Region (ERR), Italy

Riluzole and other prognostic factors in ALS: a population-based registry study in Italy

Objective: In this prospective population-based registry study on ALS survival, we investigated the role of riluzole treatment, together with other clinical factors, on the prognosis in incident ALS cases in Emilia Romagna Region (ERR), Italy. Methods: A registry for ALS has been collecting all incident cases in ERR since 2009. Detailed clinical data from all patients diagnosed with ALS between 1.1.2009 and 31.12.2014 have been analyzed for this study, with last follow up date set at 31.12.2015. Results: During the 6 years of the study, there were 681 incident cases with a median tracheostomy-free survival of 40 months (95% CI 36â\u80\u9344) from onset and of 26 months (95% CI 24â\u80\u9330) from diagnosis; 573 patients (84.14%) were treated with riluzole, 207 (30.39%) patients underwent gastrostomy, 246 (36.12%) non invasive ventilation, and 103 (15.15%) invasive ventilation. Patients who took treatment for â\u89¥Â 75% of disease duration from diagnosis had a median survival of 29 months compared to 18 months in patients with < 75% treatment duration. In multivariable analysis, factors independently influencing survival were age at onset (HR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02â\u80\u931.05, p < 0.001), dementia (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.05â\u80\u932.32, p = 0.027), degree of diagnostic certainty (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.78â\u80\u930.98, p = 0.021), gastrostomy (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.14â\u80\u931.88, p = 0.003), NIV (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.12â\u80\u931.82, p = 0.004), and weight loss at diagnosis (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03â\u80\u931.07, p < 0.001), diagnostic delay (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97â\u80\u930.99, p = 0.004), and % treatment duration (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.98â\u80\u930.99, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Independently from other prognostic factors, patients who received riluzole for a longer period of time survived longer, but further population based studies are needed to verify if long-tem use of riluzole prolongs survival

The present status of the VIRGO Central Interferometer

The VIRGO Central Interferometer (CITF) is a short suspended interferometer operated with the central area elements of the VIRGO detector. The main motivation behind the CITF is to allow the integration and debugging of a large part of the subsystems of VIRGO while the construction of the long arms of the antenna is being completed. This will permit a faster commissioning of the full-size antenna. In fact, almost all the main components of the CITF, with the exception of the large mirrors and a few other details, are the same as those to be used for the full-size detector. In this paper the present status of the VIRGO CITF is reported

Data analysis methods for non-Gaussian, nonstationary and nonlinera features and their application to VIRGO

International audienc

Virgo Commissioning Progress

none130sìmixedF. Acernese ; P. Amico; M. Alshourbagy; F. Antonucci; S. Aoudia ; P. Astone; S. Avino ; D. Babusci ; G. Ballardin ; F. Barone ; L. Barsotti; M. Barsuglia ; F.Beauville ; S. Bigotta; M.A.Bizouard ; C.Boccara ; F.Bondu ; L.Bosi; C. Bradaschia; S. Birindelli; S. Braccini; A. Brillet ; V. Brisson ; D.Buskulic ; E.Calloni ; E.Campagna ; F. Carbognani ; F.Cavalier ; R.Cavalieri ; G.Cella; E.Cesarini ; E.Chassande-Mottin ; N. Christensen ; A.-C.Clapson ; F.Cleva ; C. Corda; A. Corsi; F.Cottone; J.-P.Coulon ; E.Cuoco ; A. Dari; V.Dattilo ; M.Davier ; M. del Prete ; R.De Rosa ; L.Di Fiore ; A.Di Virgilio; B.Dujardin ; A.Eleuteri ; I.Ferrante; F.Fidecaro; I.Fiori; R.Flaminio; ; J.-D.Fournier ; S.Frasca; F.Frasconi; L.Gammaitoni; F. Garufi ; E. Genin; A.Gennai; A.Giazotto; G.Giordano ; L. Giordano ; R. Gouaty ; D. Grosjean ; G.Guidi ; S.Hebri ; H.Heitmann ; P.Hello ; S. Karkar ; S.Kreckelbergh ; P.La Penna ; M. Laval ; N. Leroy ; N.Letendre ; B. Lopez ; M. Lorenzini ; V.Loriette ; G.Losurdo ; J.-M.Mackowski ; E.Majorana ; C.N.Man ; M. Mantovani; F. Marchesoni; F.Marion ; J. Marque ; F.Martelli ; A.Masserot ; M.Mazzoni ; F. Menzinger ; L.Milano ; C. Moins ; J.Moreau ; N.Morgado ; B.Mours ; F. Nocera ; C.Palomba; F.Paoletti;; S. Pardi ; A. Pasqualetti ; R.Passaquieti; D.Passuello; F. Piergiovanni ; L.Pinard ; R.Poggiani; M.Punturo; P.Puppo; K.Qipiani ; P.Rapagnani; V.Reita ; A.Remillieux ; F. Ricci; I.Ricciardi ; P. Ruggi ; G.Russo ; S.Solimeno ; A. Spallicci ; M. Tarallo; M. Tonelli; A. Toncelli; E.Tournefier ; F.Travasso; C. Tremola; G. Vajente; D. Verkindt ; F. Vetrano ; A.Viceré ; J.-Y.Vinet ; H. Vocca; M. YvertAcernese, F.; Amico, P.; Alshourbagy, M.; Antonucci, F.; Aoudia, S.; Astone, P.; Avino, S.; Babusci, D.; Ballardin, G.; Barone, F.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Beauville, F.; Bigotta, S.; Bizouard, M. A.; Boccara, C.; Bondu, F.; Bosi, L.; Bradaschia, C.; Birindelli, S.; Braccini, S.; Brillet, A.; Brisson, V.; Buskulic, D.; Calloni, E.; Campagna, E.; Carbognani, F.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Christensen, N.; Clapson, A. -C.; Cleva, F.; Corda, C.; Corsi, A.; Cottone, F.; Coulon, J. -P.; Cuoco, E.; Dari, A.; Dattilo, V.; Davier, M.; del Prete, M.; De Rosa, R.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Virgilio, A.; Dujardin, B.; Eleuteri, A.; Ferrante, I.; Fidecaro, F.; Fiori, I.; Flaminio, R.; Fournier, J. -D.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Gammaitoni, L.; Garufi, F.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; Giazotto, A.; Giordano, G.; Giordano, L.; Gouaty, R.; Grosjean, D.; Guidi, G.; Hebri, S.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Karkar, S.; Kreckelbergh, S.; La Penna, P.; Laval, M.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Lopez, B.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Losurdo, G.; Mackowski, J. -M.; Majorana, E.; Man, C. N.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Marque, J.; Martelli, F.; Masserot, A.; Mazzoni, M.; Menzinger, F.; Milano, L.; Moins, C.; Moreau, J.; Morgado, N.; Mours, B.; Nocera, F.; Palomba, C.; Paoletti, F.; Pardi, S.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pinard, L.; Poggiani, R.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Qipiani, K.; Rapagnani, P.; Reita, V.; Remillieux, A.; Ricci, F.; Ricciardi, I.; Ruggi, P.; Russo, G.; Solimeno, S.; Spallicci, A.; Tarallo, M.; Tonelli, M.; Toncelli, A.; Tournefier, E.; Travasso, F.; Tremola, C.; Vajente, G.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Vinet, J. -Y.; Vocca, H.; Yvert, M

Measurement of the optical parameters of the Virgo interferometer

The Virgo interferometer, aimed at detecting gravitational waves, is now in a commissioning phase. Measurements of its optical properties are needed for the understanding of the instrument. We present the techniques developed for the measurement of the optical parameters of Virgo. These parameters are compared with the Virgo specifications. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America