Capillary rising damp in Venetian context : state of the art and numerical simulation

The fragility of Venice and its buildings are linked to the floods, observed since ancient times and emphasized in recent years: the periodic sea level rise, accompanied by rising damp, are the main causes of the alteration. In particular, the rising damp causes a series of complex diseases in the historic buildings, such as physical decay, chemical or biological, with loss of aesthetic and economic value. In addition, greater heat dispersion and reduced thermal comfort can also occur in interior spaces, with consequent risks for human health. This is a sign of “Sick Building Syndrome”. It is very important to develop models for assessing the vulnerability of assets and to manage sustainable plans related to maintenance processes and activities, satisfying the requirements of effectiveness and compatibility.Basing on numerical models performed with the WUFI 2D software, the paper analyses the different behavior of rising damp in relation to materials or masonry structures. In particular, the construction techniques and typical materials used in Venetian buildings were investigated, such as clay brick walls, lime plaster, Marmorino and Cocciopesto, adopted mainly to limit the capillary rise also caused by the phenomenon of “acqua alta”

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment and Cardiovascular Autonomic Parameters in Rugby Players: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on cardiovascular autonomic parameters after a rugby match. Methods: Resting and reactivity (ie, response to orthostasis) measures of mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability were assessed in 23 male players after a single session of OMT, both 18 to 20 hours after a rugby match and in a corresponding no-match condition, in a randomized, sham-controlled, crossover design. Results: Signs of reduced heart rate variability and elevated mean arterial pressure and heart rate were found 18 to 20 hours after a rugby match compared with the no-match condition. A significant increase in heart rate variability and a significant reduction in mean arterial pressure were observed after OMT in both the after-match and no-match conditions. Heart rate and heart rate variability responses to orthostasis were not affected by previous match competition, but were significantly larger after OMT compared with sham treatment. Conclusion: This study suggests the presence of cardiovascular autonomic alterations in rugby players after a competitive match, which may be indicative of prolonged fatigue and incomplete recovery. In these players, favorable changes in cardiovascular autonomic parameters were observed following a single session of OMT

Pattern and characteristics of advanced cancer patients admitted to hospices in Italy

Abstract The aim of this multicenter study was to assess the pattern and the characteristics of advanced cancer patients admitted to hospices. A consecutive sample of patients admitted in a period of 6 months was taken into consideration. Two hundred thirty-six patients admitted to hospices were consecutively assessed. Ninety-six percent of patients were admitted in acute hospital in the previous 3 months, with a mean time spent in hospital of 34.5 days, and 47 % of patients had received chemotherapy the month before hospice admission. Thirty-four percent of patients for whom data were available had significant persistent pain, and 44 % of them presented episodes of breakthrough pain. Sixty-one percent of patients were receiving opioid drugs at admission, and 70 % the day before death, with parenteral morphine and transdermal fentanyl being the opioids most frequently administered. The mean admission time in hospice was 18.4 days. Eighty-six percent died in hospice. Palliative sedation was performed in 25 % of patients who died in hospice. The short survival and the number of patients dying in hospice were the principal finding, as it appears that hospice admission is only one way for end of life treatments. Patients receive specialized palliative care only for 2-3 weeks before death, implying an inacceptable timing for patients with several problems presumed to be present early during the course of disease. Data from hospice activities in Italy strongly suggest to spread palliative care in other settings, other than home care and hospice, to intercept oncologic patients in their disease trajectory early

Cancer Immunotherapy by Blocking Immune Checkpoints on Innate Lymphocytes.

Immune checkpoints refer to a plethora of inhibitory pathways of the immune system that play a crucial role in maintaining self-tolerance and in tuning the duration and amplitude of physiological immune responses to minimize collateral tissue damages. The breakdown of this delicate balance leads to pathological conditions, including cancer. Indeed, tumor cells can develop multiple mechanisms to escape from immune system defense, including the activation of immune checkpoint pathways. The development of monoclonal antibodies, targeting inhibitory immune checkpoints, has provided an immense breakthrough in cancer therapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), initially developed to reverse functional exhaustion in T cells, recently emerged as important actors in natural killer (NK)-cell-based immunotherapy. Moreover, the discovery that also helper innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) express inhibitory immune checkpoints, suggests that these molecules might be targeted on ILCs, to modulate their functions in the tumor microenvironment. Recently, other strategies to achieve immune checkpoint blockade have been developed, including miRNA exploiting systems. Herein, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on inhibitory immune checkpoints on NK cells and ILCs and we discuss how to target these innate lymphocytes by ICI in both solid tumors and hematological malignancies

A simple cytofluorimetric score may optimize testing for biallelic CEBPA mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia with biallelic mutation of CEBPA (CEBPA-dm AML) is a distinct good prognosis entity recognized by WHO 2016 classification. However, testing for CEBPA mutation is challenging, due to the intrinsic characteristics of the mutation itself. Indeed, molecular analysis cannot be performed with NGS technique and requires Sanger sequencing. The association of recurrent mutations or translocations with specific immunophenotypic patterns has been already reported in other AML subtypes. The aim of this study was the development of a specific cytofluorimetric score (CEBPA-dm score), in order to distinguish patients who are unlikely to harbor the mutation. To this end, the correlation of CEBPA-dm score with the presence of the mutation was analyzed in 50 consecutive AML patients with normal karyotype and without NPM1 mutation (that is mutually exclusive with CEBPA mutation). One point each was assigned for expression of HLA DR, CD7, CD13, CD15, CD33, CD34 and one point for lack of expression of CD14. OS was not influenced by sex, age and CEBPA-dm score. Multivariate OS analysis showed that CEBPA-dm (p < 0.02) and FLT3-ITD (p < 0.01) were the strongest independent predictors of OS. With a high negative predictive value (100%), CEBPA-dm score < 6 was able to identify patients who are unlikely to have the mutation. Therefore, the application of this simple score might optimize the use of expensive and time-consuming diagnostic and prognostic assessment in the baseline work up of AML patients

Fludarabine, high-dose cytarabine and idarubicin-based induction may overcome the negative prognostic impact of flt3-itd in npm1 mutated aml, irrespectively of flt3-itd allelic Burden

The mutations of NPM1 and FLT3-ITD represent the most frequent genetic aberration in acute myeloid leukemia. Indeed, the presence of an NPM1 mutation reduces the negative prognostic impact of FLT3-ITD in patients treated with conventional “3+7” induction. However, little information is available on their prognostic role with intensified regimens. Here, we investigated the efficacy of a fludarabine, high-dose cytarabine and idarubicin induction (FLAI) in 149 consecutive fit AML patients (median age 52) carrying the NPM1 and/or FLT3-ITD mutation, treated from 2008 to 2018. One-hundred-and-twenty-nine patients achieved CR (86.6%). After a median follow up of 68 months, 3-year overall survival was 58.6%. Multivariate analysis disclosed that both NPM1mut (p < 0.05) and ELN 2017 risk score (p < 0.05) were significant predictors of survival. NPM1-mutated patients had a favorable outcome, with no significant differences between patients with or without concomitant FLT3-ITD (p = 0.372), irrespective of FLT3-ITD allelic burden. Moreover, in landmark analysis, performing allogeneic transplantation (HSCT) in first CR proved to be beneficial only in ELN 2017 high-risk patients. Our data indicate that FLAI exerts a strong anti-leukemic effect in younger AML patients with NPM1mut and question the role of HSCT in 1st CR in NPM1mut patients with concomitant FLT3-ITD

Fludarabine, high-dose cytarabine and idarubicin-based induction may overcome the negative prognostic impact of flt3-itd in npm1 mutated aml, irrespectively of flt3-itd allelic Burden

The mutations of NPM1 and FLT3-ITD represent the most frequent genetic aberration in acute myeloid leukemia. Indeed, the presence of an NPM1 mutation reduces the negative prognostic impact of FLT3-ITD in patients treated with conventional \u201c3+7\u201d induction. However, little information is available on their prognostic role with intensified regimens. Here, we investigated the efficacy of a fludarabine, high-dose cytarabine and idarubicin induction (FLAI) in 149 consecutive fit AML patients (median age 52) carrying the NPM1 and/or FLT3-ITD mutation, treated from 2008 to 2018. One-hundred-and-twenty-nine patients achieved CR (86.6%). After a median follow up of 68 months, 3-year overall survival was 58.6%. Multivariate analysis disclosed that both NPM1mut (p < 0.05) and ELN 2017 risk score (p < 0.05) were significant predictors of survival. NPM1-mutated patients had a favorable outcome, with no significant differences between patients with or without concomitant FLT3-ITD (p = 0.372), irrespective of FLT3-ITD allelic burden. Moreover, in landmark analysis, performing allogeneic transplantation (HSCT) in first CR proved to be beneficial only in ELN 2017 high-risk patients. Our data indicate that FLAI exerts a strong anti-leukemic effect in younger AML patients with NPM1mut and question the role of HSCT in 1st CR in NPM1mut patients with concomitant FLT3-ITD