Liquid-based medium used to prepare cytological breast nipple fluid improves the quality of cellular samples automatic collection

Background: Breast cancer is the second cause of death in women worldwide. The spontaneous breast nipple discharge may contain cells that can be analyzed for malignancy. Halo® Mamo Cyto Test (HMCT) was recently developed as an automated system indicated to aspirate cells from the breast ducts. The objective of this study was to standardize the methodology of sampling and sample preparation of nipple discharge obtained by the automated method Halo breast test and perform cytological evaluation in samples preserved in liquid medium (SurePath™). Methods: We analyzed 564 nipple fluid samples, from women between 20 and 85 years old, without history of breast disease and neoplasia, no pregnancy, and without gynecologic medical history, collected by HMCT method and preserved in two different vials with solutions for transport. Results: From 306 nipple fluid samples from method 1, 199 (65%) were classified as unsatisfactory (class 0), 104 (34%) samples were classified as benign findings (class II), and three (1%) were classified as undetermined to neoplastic cells (class III). From 258 samples analyzed in method 2, 127 (49%) were classified as class 0, 124 (48%) were classified as class II, and seven (2%) were classified as class III. Conclusion: Our study suggests an improvement in the quality and quantity of cellular samples when the association of the two methodologies is performed, Halo breast test and the method in liquid medium

Balanced scorecard adoption: the case of the Milan TA team at BNP Paribas

This Work Project, written in the form of a Direct Research, is to develop a Balanced Scorecard (BSC), specifically designed for the Milan Transfer Agent (TA) Team of BNP Paribas Securities Services (BP2S), located in Warsaw. The goal is not to focus on the whole company, but to identify the main characteristics of the aforementioned team and to develop the BSC that suit it the most, according also to the strategy given by the corporation. As for all the BSC implementations, the purpose is to balance long-term goals, stemming from the corporate strategy and competitive advantage needs, and short-term objectives

Effectiveness of load-level isolation system for pallet racking systems

Recent Italian earthquakes have shown the high seismic vulnerability of pallet racking systems. In the down-aisle direction and in the absence of bracing systems, these structures are very flexible moment-resisting frames. Instead, in the cross-aisle direction they consist of slender trusses, stiffened by various bracing systems; the latter, although necessary for lateral stability, attract significant seismic accelerations, which can cause the stored goods to fall, posing a threat to human safety. To reduce this risk while increasing the rack structural performance, some mitigation systems were proposed, based on specific base-isolation or dissipation devices. In this paper, an innovative passive control system is investigated, i.e., the Load-Level Isolation System (LLIS), which consists of applying isolators to the load level to control the movement of pallets in the cross-aisle direction. The LLIS is based on the Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) strategy and exploits the high payload of these structures. Among the major uncertainties of this system are the amount of isolated mass and its position within the structure. Therefore, for a case study rack, the LLIS parameters (isolation stiffness and damping ratio) are optimized for various arrangements of this system, considering cases with one or two isolated levels. The applied optimization procedure is an extension of the classical TMD approaches. The effectiveness of the optimized LLISs is then investigated through bidirectional Time-History analyses on 3D Finite Element rack models. The results show that using the LLIS, even on a single load-level, can greatly reduce the upright stresses and the cross-aisle displacements and accelerations, and that the optimal position of the LLIS is in the upper part of the rack

Simulation and Modeling of Convective Mixing of Carbon Dioxide in Geological Formations

We perform large-scale numerical simulations of convection in 3D porous media at Rayleigh-Darcy numbers up to (Formula presented.). To investigate the convective mixing of carbon dioxide ((Formula presented.)) in geological formations, we consider a semi-infinite domain, where the (Formula presented.) concentration is constant at the top and no flux is prescribed at bottom. Convection begins with a diffusion-dominated phase, transitions to convection-driven solute finger growth, and ends with a shutdown stage as fingers reach the bottom boundary and the concentration in the system increases. For (Formula presented.), we observe a constant-flux regime with dissolution flux stabilizing at 0.019, approximately 13% higher than in 2D estimates. Finally, we provide a simple and yet accurate physical model describing the mass of solute entering the system throughout the whole mixing process. These findings extend solutal convection insights to 3D and high- (Formula presented.), improving the reliability of tools predicting the long-term (Formula presented.) dynamics in the subsurface.</p

Effect of environmental conditions on the modal response of a 10-story reinforced concrete tower

We analyse the effect of temperature and wind velocity on the natural frequencies and modal damping ratios of the Faculty of Engineering Tower at the Università Politecnica delle Marche, a 10-story reinforced concrete frame building, permanently monitored with low-noise accelerometers. The data recorded over the first 5 months of monitoring demonstrate that temperature variations and wind intensity have a clear effect on the first three natural frequencies and the corresponding damping ratios. Temperature is positively correlated to the first and second frequencies, corresponding to shear displacement modes and negatively correlated to the third frequency, corresponding to a torsional mode. All frequencies are positively correlated to wind velocity and changes in damping ratios are inversely correlated to any change in frequency. A mechanical explanation of these phenomena is offered, based on a critical review of literature case studies. These results suggest that using changes in modal parameters for damage detection always requires accurate knowledge of the correlation between modal parameters and environmental quantities (temperature, humidity, and wind velocity), an information which is only available through long-term continuous monitoring of the structural response

MMP-9/RECK imbalance: a mechanism associated with high-grade cervical lesions and genital infection by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Chlamydia trachomatis

"Manuscript"BACKGROUND: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are important enzymes in the tumor microenvironment associated with progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) toward squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix. However, the role of MMPs in the inflammatory process associated with Chlamydia trachomatis infection concomitant with the carcinogenic process driven by HPV has not yet been addressed. In the present study, we analyzed the state of the MMP-9-RECK axis in cervical carcinogenesis. METHODS: The levels of MMP-9 and RECK expression were analyzed by immunocytochemistry in liquid-based cytology samples from 136 women with high-grade cervical lesions (CIN2/CIN3) and cervical SCC diagnosed by LLETZ, and in 196 women without cervical neoplasia or CIN1. Real-time qPCR was performed to analyze expression of MMP-9 and RECK in 15 cervical samples. The presence of HPV-DNA and other genital pathogens was evaluated by PCR. RESULTS: We found a higher expression of MMP-9 [OR, 4.2; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.2-7.8] and lower expression of RECK (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.7) in women with CIN2/CIN3/SCC when compared with women from the control group (no neoplasia/CIN1). A statistically significant association was also found between MMP-9/RECK imbalance and infection by alpha-9 HPV and C. trachomatis. The prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was significantly higher in women with high-grade cervical disease (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.3-11.3). CONCLUSIONS: MMP-9/RECK imbalance in cervical smears is significantly associated with high-grade cervical diseases and infection by alpha-9 HPV and C. trachomatis. IMPACT: MMP-9/RECK imbalance during cervical inflammation induced by C. trachomatis might play a role in HPV-mediated cervical carcinogenesis.This work was supported by Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), numbers 2008/03232-1 (to L.L. Villa) and 2012/09746-2 (to M.G. Discacciati and S.S. Maria-Engler) and National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development pharmaceutical innovation (CNPQ-INCT-if; to S.S. Maria-Engler)

Efeitos de exercícios físicos sobre fatores de risco cardiovascular em idosos hipertensos

Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos de um programa de exercícios na redução dos fatores de risco cardiovascular em idosos sedentários e hipertensos. Métodos: Trata-se de ensaio clínico não randomizado, realizado em uma clínica escola de fisioterapia em São Paulo, em 2016, com amostra de 34 idosos que realizaram um programa de exercícios de noventa minutos, duas vezes por semana, durante o período de três meses. As variáveis avaliadas foram: pressão arterial, índice de massa corporal, frações de colesterol, colesterol total e triglicérides. Houve comparação dos dados em dois momentos, antes do início e ao término do programa de exercícios, considerando-se p<0,0001 em todos os casos pelo teste de Wilcoxon. Resultados: Encontrou-se idade mediana dos avaliados (intervalo interquartis) de 63 (61-66) anos, sendo 25 (74%) do sexo feminino. Após três meses, houve redução estatisticamente significativa do peso, índice de massa corpórea, pressão arterial sistólica (PAS) e diastólica (PAD) dos idosos avaliados (p < 0,0001 em todos os casos). Conclusão: O efeito do programa de exercícios foi eficaz na redução dos fatores de risco cardiovascular dos idosos sedentários e hipertensos estudados

IMPACTOS DO TREINAMENTO INTERVALADO DE ALTA INTENSIDADE DE CURTA E LONGA DURAÇÃO EM ADULTOS JOVENS

INTRODUÇÃO: O treinamento intervalado de alta intensidade é caracterizado por períodos curtos de exercícios muito intensos, e ainda há poucas evidências que determinem diferenças nos resultados obtidos com os diferentes tempos de duração desse tipo de treinamento. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o impacto do treinamento intervalado de alta intensidade de curta e longa duração em adultos jovens. MÉTODOS: Ensaio clínico controlado com 44 universitários, que foram divididos em três grupos: Grupo 1 (controle), Grupo 2 (curta duração) e Grupo 3 (longa duração), sendo que os grupos 2 e 3 realizaram quatro minutos de exercícios com 8 séries de 20 segundos e diferenciando-se apenas nas pausas de 10 segundos (passiva) e 90 segundos (ativa/corrida). Foram realizados testes para avaliar a capacidade aeróbia e o volume máximo de oxigênio estimado (VO2máx) e resistência muscular de flexão de braços e abdominal, além de testes de composição corporal e coletas de sangue para análise do perfil lipídico, tanto no basal quanto ao final do estudo. RESULTADOS: Não foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre os grupos quanto as variáveis composição corporal, flexão de braços, flexão abdominal e VO2máx estimado. Entretanto, houve maior distância percorrida pelo grupo 3 no teste de Cooper (Teste de Kruskal-Wallis, p = 0,04). CONCLUSÕES: Os treinamentos intervalados de alta intensidade de curta e longa duração proporcionaram melhor performance dos participantes no Teste de Cooper. Esse achado suscita a importância desta estratégia de treinamento para melhorar a resistência aeróbica de adultos jovens

Development of a Large Database of Italian Bridge Bearings: Preliminary Analysis of Collected Data and Typical Defects

This paper presents the development and analysis of a bridge bearing databaseconsistent with the 2020 Italian Guidelines (LG2020), currently enforced by the Italian lawfor risk classification and management of existing bridges. The database was developedby putting together the contribution of 24 research teams from 18 Italian universities inthe framework of a research project foreseen by the agreement between the High Councilof Public Works (CSLP, part of the Italian Ministry of Transportation) and the researchconsortium ReLUIS (Network of Italian Earthquake and Structural Engineering UniversityLaboratories). This research project aimed to apply LG2020 to a set of about 600 bridgesdistributed across the Italian country, in order to find possible issues and propose modifica-tions and integrations. The database includes almost 12,000 bearing defect forms relatedto a portfolio of 255 existing bridges located across the entire country. This paper reportsa preliminary analysis of the dataset to provide an overview of the bearings installed ina significant bridge portfolio, referring to major highways and state roads. After a briefstate of the art about the main bearing types installed on the bridges, along with inspectionprocedures, the paper describes the database structure, showing preliminary analysesrelated to bearing types and defects. The results show the prevalence of elastomeric pads,representing more than 55% of the inspected bearings. The remaining bearings are pot,low-friction with steel–Teflon surfaces and older-type steel devices. Lastly, the study pro-vides information about typical defects for each type of bearing, while also underscoringsome issues related to the current version of the LG2020 bearing inspection form