Determinants of fibrinogen in an Italian population suffering from claudication. Lower fibrinogen in the south compared to middle and north of Italy. The ADEP Group.

Prospective studies have shown that high plasma levels of fibrinogen are independently associated with the risk of cardiovascular complications. In patients suffering from peripheral vascular disease (PVD) fibrinogen has been shown to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease but its determinants have never been examined in this clinical setting. DESIGN AND METHODS: Fibrinogen levels were related to clinical and laboratory variables in 2,111 patients suffering from PVD. We also analyzed whether there was a regional distribution of risk factors. RESULTS: The median values of fibrinogen was 312 mg/dL. The clinical variables examined did not differentiate patients with elevated or normal fibrinogen levels. In particular, patients with ankle/arm pressure ratio < 0.8 did not show a higher prevalence of fibrinogen > 312 mg/dL. Conversely, white blood cell (WBC) count and serum cholesterol levels were significantly associated with high fibrinogen levels (p < 0.0001). Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that areas of Italy were differently associated with high plasma fibrinogen levels (p < 0.03): subjects in the north and middle of Italy having significantly higher values of fibrinogen than subjects in the south of Italy (p < 0.01). A similar regional distribution was observed for WBC count and serum cholesterol levels. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: The regional distribution of risk factors raises the question as to whether the already reported large variability of cardiovascular events so in PVD may be attributed to a non homogeneous distribution of risk factors

Photopolymerization of Ceramic Resins by Stereolithography Process: A Review

Stereolithography is known as one of the best Additive Manufacturing technologies in terms of geometrical and dimensional precision for polymeric materials. In recent years, a lot of studies have shown that the creation of ceramic resins, through a particular combination of monomeric components and ceramic powders, allows to obtain complex shape geometries thanks to the photopolymerization process. This review highlights the characteristics and properties of ceramic resins, peculiarities of the ceramic stereolithography processes, up to the relationship between the composition of the ceramic resin and the complexity of the post-processing phases. The comparison of different studies allows outlining the most common steps for the production of ceramic resins, as well as the physical and chemical compatibility of the different compounds that must be studied for the good feasibility of the process

Recent Progress in Beam-Based Metal Additive Manufacturing from a Materials Perspective: A Review of Patents

Over the last decade, the enormous potential of metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes has led these technologies to establish their position in many industries. Much effort is being made toward their widespread application; however, much remains to be done to achieve full industrialization of these processes. Therefore, many companies, research centers and universities are investing in comprehensive research and development activities in order to further promote the industrialization of metal AM. This review traces the progress of metal AM technologies through an investigation of patents. In the present study, beam-based metal AM patents were searched through the Orbit Intelligence database. First, the number of patents per year was studied, indicating that, as expected, there is strong growth in AM patenting activities. The patents were afterward examined in order to highlight the key players in the field, and it was found that the main players investing in this market are: multidisciplinary companies, AM machine producers, end users working, especially in the aerospace sector, universities and research centers. The patents were then analyzed to understand the technology domains covered by each key player and their trend of investments. Finally, the patents in the field of Materials and Metallurgy were studied individually to identify the main topics faced by the most used alloy classes: Al-, Ni- and Ti-based alloys and steels. The extensive study of these patents clearly indicated that the main gaps to fill in metal AM are strongly material dependent and that it is possible to find correlations between the alloy classes, their main industrial applications and their specific AM processability issues. The current study provides insights into global trends that can help industrial markets to identify the right investment direction and research to identify topics for future investigation

Residual stress investigation on Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb samples produced by Electron Beam Melting process

Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb (Ti-48-2-2) is an intermetallic alloy belonging to a family of gamma-TiAl intermetallic alloys that are attracting significant attention. Electron Beam Melting (EBM) process is today the only manufacturing process that allows effective production of parts made by these kinds of alloys. Proper process control avoids high temperatures in the surrounding areas that may generate significant residual stresses that could cause micro-cracks. In this paper, an investigation on the residual stress state on Ti-48-2-2 parts is carried out using the hole drilling method. In particular, the influence of EBM process parameters is evaluated in order to understand the effects of the residual stresses on part integrity

A Pilot Study on Biochemical Profile of Follicular Fluid in Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer among women in almost all countries worldwide and is one of the oncological pathologies for which is indicated fertility preservation, a type of procedure used to help keep a person's ability to have children. Follicular fluid (FF) is a major component of oocyte microenvironment, which is involved in oocyte growth, follicular maturation, and in communication between germ and somatic cells; furthermore, it accumulates all metabolites during oocytes growth. To obtain information about changes on fertility due to cancer, we aimed at investigating potential biomarkers to discriminate between FF samples obtained from 16 BC patients and 10 healthy women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments. An NMR-based metabolomics approach was performed to investigate the FF metabolic profiles; ELISA and western blotting assays were used to investigate protein markers of oxidative and inflammatory stress, which are processes closely related to cancer. Our results seem to suggest that FFs of BC women display some significant metabolic alterations in comparison to healthy controls, and these variations are also related with tumor staging

Orbital solitary fibrous tumors: A multi-centered histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis with radiological description

BACKGROUND: Solitary fibrous tumors (SFT), formerly called hemangiopericytoma, are rare tumors derived from mesenchymal cells originally described in the pleura, but these tumors may affect extraserosal tissues including the lacrimal gland and orbit. OBJECTIVE: Conduct a multi-centered clinical, radiological and histopathological analysis of 17 orbital SFT cases. DESIGN: A retrospective case series. SETTING: Three eye centers in two countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The data collected from the charts of 17 adult patients presenting with tissue diagnosis of orbital hemangiopericytoma or SFT from January 2003 to December 2018 included demographics, clinical imaging and histopathological information including immunohistochemical (IHC) characteristics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, and histopathological patterns or variants of SFT were analyzed. SAMPLE SIZE: 17 adult patients. RESULTS: Mean age was 45 years (range 23-80 years). Male to female ratio was 3:1. The right eye was affected in 12 (70.5%) patients. Commonest presentation was proptosis in 13/17 (76% of patients). Other symptoms were impaired motility (29%) and ptosis (11%). Lesions mostly affected the medial orbit (35%), then orbital apex in 11%. The histopathological classic pattern-less variant was the commonest. One case with aggressive behavior, multiple recurrences and atypical features was encountered. Immunohistochemical (IHC) markers used included CD34 expression in all cases, Bcl-2 expression in 10/11, CD99 in 9/9 and Vimentin in 4/4. STAT6 was used in 2 cases. CONCLUSIONS: SFTs are rare tumors affecting the orbit in both genders equally in their mid-forties, but showed male predominance in our analysis with a predominant classic histopathological pattern. Tissue diagnosis is essential and requires IHC studies for confirmation. LIMITATIONS: Sample size is relatively small owing to the rarity of this tumor in the orbit. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None

Ti-6Al-4V lattice structures produced by EBM: Heat treatment and mechanical properties

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes allow producing the complex components in a layerwise fashion. The complexity includes the design of lighter and stronger components by using lattice structures that can be quickly realized through AM technologies. However, the mechanical behaviour of lattice structures is not completely known, especially in the post-treated state. Thus, this work aims to explore the effect of post-treatment on the compressive strength of specimens with lattice structures. The samples are produced using Ti-6Al-4V powder processed by Electron Beam Melting (EBM). The outcomes of this work confirm the correlation between the heat treatment and final mechanical properties

Simulation models of an electric-driven smart window: energy and visual performances

 The ?in-situ? measurements acquired to characterize full-scale electric-driven glasses, able to dynamically switch from opaque to transparent state, were used to develop, calibrate and validate thermal and visual simulation models of these devices. The validated models were then used, in the simulation software TRNSYS, to assess the ability of these dynamic glasses to control the indoor conditions and reduce cooling load. The analysis was conducted for an office in a historical building, comparing the simulation results associated with the electric-driven glasses with those of the conventional double-glazing ones, from energy and visual points of view. Two different switching strategies were considered: i) Daylight strategy and ii) Thermal strategy. The use of electric-driven glasses allows from the thermal point of view to reduce about 12.5% of the cooling load, while from a visual point of view, to reach the highest values of Useful Daylight Illuminance, if controlled following the Daylight strategy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Development of an Electric-Driven Smart Window Model for Visual Comfort Assessment

Smart windows, especially those electric-driven, represent one of the most advanced technologies for controlling solar radiation. For a correct use, it is necessary to understand their real behaviour through in-situ measurements on full-scale application as well as calibrating and validating visual simulation models capable of predicting their performances. In this paper, the preliminary results of current research activities aimed at developing simulation models of electric-driven full-scale glazing are presented. The research activities started with the assessment of the visible solar transmittance as a function of light incident angle through in-situ measurements; different models, with related values, of the visible solar transmittance were considered. For each simulation model, the corresponding transmittance value was set in the RADIANCE ?trans? material model and the simulated illuminance values, for a defined acquisition point of a test-facility, were then compared with the experimental data. Finally, for each model, indoor luminance distributions were reported considering a typical office seating position. Preliminary results, based on the in-situ measurements approach, highlighted a sufficient accuracy for one of the models adopted; further analyses are needed in order to upgrade the simulation models available and assess the effective performances of these windows.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio