Intergenerational programs in the public schools

The major purpose of this study was to research intergenerational programs in the public schools. The research was undertaken to establish whether intergenerational programs improve community attitudes and benefit the school systems that provide these programs. A broad base literature search and a database search were conducted. Numerous letters were written to school systems, state and county agencies, volunteer groups, and senior citizen groups that have instituted programs. The responses collected resulted in a compilation of successful programs that can be used by superintendents, community coordinators, and school public relations directors. Several major conclusions were drawn from this study. Activities that brought senior citizens into the schools were more effective in building committed involvement. Successful programs followed similar planning strategies. Programs in which the benefits surpassed expectations were ones that were ongoing and ones in which participants were actively involved. Programs resulted in more positive attitudes and support for schools

Promoting Occupational Well-Being Through Program Development at Rock Steady Boxing

This doctoral capstone was completed through a partnership with Rock Steady Boxing (RSB), a non-profit organization which aims to provide hope to people with Parkinson’s Disease and strives to improve quality of life. The goal of this project was to create resources for RSB that support business growth and promote occupational well-being amongst participants. Resources include updated intake assessment forms, workout templates, and an organized Google Drive for storage and dissemination of resources

EFFETTO DI INCLUSIONI METALLICHE NEI PROCESSI DI ANODIZZAZIONE DI LEGHE DI ALLUMINIO

La necessità di lavorare mediante asportazione di truciolo leghe di alluminio ha da tempo portato allo sviluppo di leghe specifiche, far cui le più diffuse contengono piombo. Tali leghe devono ora essere superate a causa delle restrizioni legate alla presenza del piombo, motivate principalmente da ragioni ambientali. Diverse leghe sono state sviluppate cercando di sostituire il piombo con il manganese, il ferro, il nichel o l’indio. Un altro promettente sostituto del piombo per queste applicazioni è il berillio, oggetto di studio negli ultimi anni come alligante dell’alluminio. Molto spesso per applicazioni che spaziano dalla motoristica alla attrezzatura sportiva alla componentistica per l’elettronica, i componenti in lega di alluminio devono essere modificati superficialmente per migliorarne sia la resistenza alla corrosione che le proprietà tribologiche. Uno dei trattamenti più diffusi è l’anodizzazione. La presenza però di una particolare microstruttura, contenente isole di metallo elettrochimicamente più nobile (Pb o Bi) può notevolmente influenzare la qualità dell’ossido anodico e di conseguenza le proprietà di resistenza alla corrosione del componente anodizzato. Tale aspetto non è stato ancora sufficientemente analizzato scientificamente. In questo studio sono stati considerati campioni di diverse leghe di alluminio contenenti sia Pb che Bi, sottoposti a trattamenti di anodizzazione. Sono state studiate le difettosità riscontrate nell’ossido individuate mediante microscopia elettronica ed ottica, collegandole al comportamento corrosivo e alla microstruttura del materiale (dimensioni e distribuzione delle isole di Pb o di Bi). Sono state eseguite prove elettrochimiche di vario tipo al fine di comprendere il meccanismo di degrado. Lo scopo finale del lavoro sperimentale è quello di fornire informazioni utili all’ottimizzazione di nuove leghe di alluminio, lavorabili per asportazione di truciolo esenti piombo, che mantengano buone proprietà protettive dell’ossido anodico

Emerging role of tumor-associated macrophages as therapeutic targets in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) derived from peripheral blood monocytes recruited into the renal cell carcinoma (RCC) microenvironment. In response to inflammatory stimuli, macrophages undergo M1 (classical) or M2 (alternative) activation. M1 cells produce high levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-12, IL-23 and IL-6, while M2 cells produce anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10, thus contributing to RCC-related immune dysfunction. The presence of extensive TAM infiltration in RCC microenvironment contributes to cancer progression and metastasis by stimulating angiogenesis, tumor growth, and cellular migration and invasion. Moreover, TAMs are involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition of RCC cancer cells and in the development of tumor resistance to targeted agents. Interestingly, macrophage autophagy seems to play an important role in RCC. Based on this scenario, TAMs represent a promising and effective target for cancer therapy in RCC. Several strategies have been proposed to suppress TAM recruitment, to deplete their number, to switch M2 TAMs into antitumor M1 phenotype and to inhibit TAM-associated molecules. In this review, we summarize current data on the essential role of TAMs in RCC angiogenesis, invasion, impaired anti-tumor immune response and development of drug resistance, thus describing the emerging TAM-centered therapies for RCC patients

Children and adolescents treated with neridronate for osteogenesis imperfecta show no evidence of any osteonecrosis of the jaw

Over recent years, several reports have been published on unusual cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in adults using second- and third-generation nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates such as pamidronate, alendronate, risedronate and zoledronate, but no case has ever been reported either in children or in adult patients taking neridronate. Children and adolescents affected by osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) could belong to a high-risk group for ONJ because bone fragility in OI is associated with a connective tissue malfunction. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the incidence of ONJ in a pediatric population treated with neridronate for OI. A total of 102 pediatric patients with OI who received neridronate infusions for a mean of 6.81 years (SD \ub1 3.06 years) were clinically assessed for possible ONJ. Eligibility criteria for participation included patients between 1.2 and 24 years old who received cyclical neridronate infusions for at least 1 year. All the patients were reviewed to determine duration, dosage and cumulative dose of their bisphosphonate therapy and were examined clinically to assess their oral health status. We have not demonstrated any occurrence of ONJ in our patients. In conclusion, at the moment insufficient data are available to prove a greater risk of ONJ in children with OI than in children affected by other forms of bone fragility. However, cases may emerge in future because the risk of ONJ seems to be related to the cumulative dose and the duration of therap

Nuclear translocation of haeme oxygenase-1 is associated to prostate cancer

The role of oxidative stress in prostate cancer has been increasingly recognised. Acute and chronic inflammations generate reactive oxygen species that result in damage to cellular structures. Haeme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has cytoprotective effects against oxidative damage. We hypothesise that modulation of HO-1 expression may be involved in the process of prostate carcinogenesis and prostate cancer progression. We thus studied HO-1 expression and localisation in 85 samples of organ-confined primary prostate cancer obtained via radical prostatectomy (Gleason grades 4–9) and in 39 specimens of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We assessed HO-1 expression by immunohistochemical staining. No significant difference was observed in the cytoplasmic positive reactivity among tumours (84%), non-neoplastic surrounding parenchyma (89%), or BPH samples (87%) (P=0.53). Haeme oxygenase-1 immunostaining was detected in the nuclei of prostate cancer cells in 55 of 85 (65%) patients but less often in non-neoplastic surrounding parenchyma (30 of 85, 35%) or in BPH (9 of 39, 23%) (P<0.0001). Immunocytochemical and western blot analysis showed HO-1 only in the cytoplasmic compartment of PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. Treatment with hemin, a well-known specific inducer of HO-1, led to clear nuclear localisation of HO-1 in both cell lines and highly induced HO-1 expression in both cellular compartments. These findings have demonstrated, for the first time, that HO-1 expression and nuclear localisation can define a new subgroup of prostate cancer primary tumours and that the modulation of HO-1 expression and its nuclear translocation could represent new avenues for therapy

Safety and clinical outcomes of abiraterone acetate (aa) after docetaxel (doc) in octogenarians with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mcrpc)

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Intermittent docetaxel chemotherapy as first-line treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients

Aims: The intermittent administration of chemotherapy is a means of preserving patients' quality of life (QL). The aim of this study was to verify whether the intermittent administration of docetaxel (DOC) improves the patients' QL. Patients &amp; methods: All patients received DOC 70 mg/m every 3 weeks for eight cycles. The patients were randomized to receive DOC continuously or with a fixed 3-month interval after the first four DOC courses. Results: The study involved 148 patients. There was no difference in QL between the groups receiving intermittent or continuous treatment. Intermittence had no detrimental effects on disease control. Conclusion: Although feasible and not detrimental, our results showed that true intermittent chemotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients failed to improve the patients' QL

Influenza Virus Respiratory Infection and Transmission Following Ocular Inoculation in Ferrets

While influenza viruses are a common respiratory pathogen, sporadic reports of conjunctivitis following human infection demonstrates the ability of this virus to cause disease outside of the respiratory tract. The ocular surface represents both a potential site of virus replication and a portal of entry for establishment of a respiratory infection. However, the properties which govern ocular tropism of influenza viruses, the mechanisms of virus spread from ocular to respiratory tissue, and the potential differences in respiratory disease initiated from different exposure routes are poorly understood. Here, we established a ferret model of ocular inoculation to explore the development of virus pathogenicity and transmissibility following influenza virus exposure by the ocular route. We found that multiple subtypes of human and avian influenza viruses mounted a productive virus infection in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets following ocular inoculation, and were additionally detected in ocular tissue during the acute phase of infection. H5N1 viruses maintained their ability for systemic spread and lethal infection following inoculation by the ocular route. Replication-independent deposition of virus inoculum from ocular to respiratory tissue was limited to the nares and upper trachea, unlike traditional intranasal inoculation which results in virus deposition in both upper and lower respiratory tract tissues. Despite high titers of replicating transmissible seasonal viruses in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets inoculated by the ocular route, virus transmissibility to naïve contacts by respiratory droplets was reduced following ocular inoculation. These data improve our understanding of the mechanisms of virus spread following ocular exposure and highlight differences in the establishment of respiratory disease and virus transmissibility following use of different inoculation volumes and routes