transdermal 17 β estradiol and risk of developing type 2 diabetes in a population of healthy nonobese postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE —Various observational and randomized studies have demonstrated a reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women who received estrogen orally. No studies have been performed on the incidence of type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women treated with transdermal 17-β-estradiol. The purpose of our study was to assess the influence of transdermal 17-β-estradiol on the incidence of type 2 diabetes in a population of healthy, nonobese postmenopausal women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —Between January 1998 and December 2002, 673 healthy, nonobese postmenopausal women (mean age 54 ± 5 years) were enrolled: 144 (21.4%) of these took transdermal 17-β-estradiol and 529 (78.6%) had never taken hormones during their postmenopausal period. Final elaboration of the data took place in July 2003, with a mean follow-up of 3.7 ± 0.7 years (ranging from 0.5 to 5 years). RESULTS —Type 2 diabetes developed in 60 patients during the follow-up period, which is the equivalent of 22 cases per 1,000 women-years. In the "hormones nonusers" group, diabetes developed in 10% (54 of 529 women; equivalent of 26.5 cases/1,000 women-years), whereas in the "hormones users" group, diabetes developed in 4.16% (6 of 144 women; equivalent of 12.1 cases/1,000 women-years). Transdermal 17-β-estradiol emerged as a treatment that significantly reduced the risk of developing diabetes (RR 2.19, 95% CI 1.79–3.56; P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS —Our results suggest a significant reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes in our population of nonobese, healthy postmenopausal women who used transdermal 17-β-estradiol. This could suggest that, in some women, the estrogen deficiency that occurs after menopause could represent a fundamental step in the process of diabetogenesis

Pounding Effects in Simply Supported Bridges Accounting for Spatial Variability of Ground Motion: A Case Study

This study carries out a parametrical analysis of the seismic response to asynchronous earthquake ground motion of a long multispan rc bridge, the Fener bridge, located on a high seismicity area in the north-east of Italy. A parametrical analysis has been performed investigating the influence of the seismic input correlation level on the structural response: a series of nonlinear time history analyses have been executed, in which the variation of the frequency content in the accelerograms at the pier bases has been described by considering the power spectral density function (PSD) and the coherency function (CF). In order to include the effects due to the main nonlinear behaviours of the bridge components, a 3D finite element model has been developed, in which the pounding of decks at cap-beams, the friction of beams at bearings, and the hysteretic behaviour of piers have been accounted for. The sensitivity analysis has shown that the asynchronism of ground motion greatly influences pounding forces and deck-pier differential displacements, and these effects have to be accurately taken into account for the design and the vulnerability assessment of long multispan simply supported bridges

Dark Matter searches using gravitational wave bar detectors: quark nuggets and newtorites

Many experiments have searched for supersymmetric WIMP dark matter, with null results. This may suggest to look for more exotic possibilities, for example compact ultra-dense quark nuggets, widely discussed in literature with several different names. Nuclearites are an example of candidate compact objects with atomic size cross section. After a short discussion on nuclearites, the result of a nuclearite search with the gravitational wave bar detectors Nautilus and Explorer is reported. The geometrical acceptance of the bar detectors is 19.5 $\rm m^2$ sr, that is smaller than that of other detectors used for similar searches. However, the detection mechanism is completely different and is more straightforward than in other detectors. The experimental limits we obtain are of interest because, for nuclearites of mass less than $10^{-5}$ g, we find a flux smaller than that one predicted considering nuclearites as dark matter candidates. Particles with gravitational only interactions (newtorites) are another example. In this case the sensitivity is quite poor and a short discussion is reported on possible improvements.Comment: published on Astroparticle Physics Sept 25th 2016 replaced fig 1

Quark nuggets search using 2350 Kg gravitational waves aluminum bar detectors

The gravitational wave resonant detectors can be used as detectors of quark nuggets, like nuclearites (nuclear matter with a strange quark). This search has been carried out using data from two 2350 Kg, 2 K cooled, aluminum bar detectors: NAUTILUS, located in Frascati (Italy), and EXPLORER, that was located in CERN Geneva (CH). Both antennas are equipped with cosmic ray shower detectors: signals in the bar due to showers are continuously detected and used to characterize the antenna performances. The bar excitation mechanism is based on the so called thermo-acoustic effect, studied on dedicated experiments that use particle beams. This mechanism predicts that vibrations of bars are induced by the heat deposited in the bar from the particle. The geometrical acceptance of the bar detectors is 19.5 $\rm m^2$ sr, that is smaller than that of other detectors used for similar searches. However, the detection mechanism is completely different and is more straightforward than in other detectors. We will show the results of ten years of data from NAUTILUS (2003-2012) and 7 years from EXPLORER (2003-2009). The experimental limits we obtain are of interest because, for nuclearites of mass less than $10^{-4}$ grams, we find a flux smaller than that one predicted considering nuclearites as dark matter candidates.Comment: presented to the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference Rio de Janeiro 201

Analysis of 3 years of data from the gravitational wave detectors EXPLORER and NAUTILUS

We performed a search for short gravitational wave bursts using about 3 years of data of the resonant bar detectors Nautilus and Explorer. Two types of analysis were performed: a search for coincidences with a low background of accidentals (0.1 over the entire period), and the calculation of upper limits on the rate of gravitational wave bursts. Here we give a detailed account of the methodology and we report the results: a null search for coincident events and an upper limit that improves over all previous limits from resonant antennas, and is competitive, in the range h_rss ~1E-19, with limits from interferometric detectors. Some new methodological features are introduced that have proven successful in the upper limits evaluation.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

Echocardiographic screening in pediatric asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 outpatients: Is it a useful test or an excess of zeal?

IntroductionData regarding echocardiographic findings during follow-up of asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are scarce in pediatric patients. The aim of the present study is to assess post-COVID-19 sequelae through echocardiography in children who have experienced mild SARS-CoV-2.MethodsThis single-center, retrospective, observational study enrolled a cohort of 133 pediatric outpatients, born between 2005 and 2022, with a history of asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, who underwent transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) evaluation at an outpatient pediatric clinic in Northern Italy.ResultsThe percentage of the pediatric activity of the clinic which was focused on post-COVID evaluation was not negligible, representing almost 10% of the similar to 1500 pediatric patients examined from 1 January 2021 to 31 August 2022. According to ACEP classification, children enrolled in this study had previously experienced in 72.9% (97) asymptomatic COVID-19 and nearly 27% (36) a mild illness. Clinical and instrumental examinations did not show any relevant abnormality in the functional [left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP)] or structural [interventricular septum diameter (IVSd), left ventricular internal diameter (LViD, end-diastolic volume (EDV), left atrium volume (LAV)] parameters examined related to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the total of 133 children.ConclusionAccording to our results, children who experienced an asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection should not be systematically investigated with second-level techniques, such as TTE, in the absence of clinical suspicion or other risk conditions such as congenital heart diseases, comorbidities or risk factors

Electrical Integrity Tests during Production of the LHC Dipoles

For the LHC dipoles, mandatory electrical integrity tests are performed to qualify the cold mass (CM) at four production stages: individual pole, collared coil, CM before end cover welding and final CM. A description of the measurement equipment and its recent development are presented. After passing the demands set out in the specification, the results of the tests are transmitted to CERN where they are further analyzed. The paper presents the most important results of these measurements. We also report a review of the electrical non-conformities encountered e.g. interturn shorts and quench heater failure, their diagnostic and the cures

Effect of cosmic rays on the resonant gravitational wave detector NAUTILUS at temperature T=1.5 K

The interaction between cosmic rays and the gravitational wave bar detector NAUTILUS is experimentally studied with the aluminum bar at temperature of T=1.5 K. The results are compared with those obtained in the previous runs when the bar was at T=0.14 K. The results of the run at T = 1.5 K are in agreement with the thermo-acoustic model; no large signals at unexpected rate are noticed, unlike the data taken in the run at T = 0.14 K. The observations suggest a larger efficiency in the mechanism of conversion of the particle energy into vibrational mode energy when the aluminum bar is in the superconductive status.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted by Physics Letters