Experimental investigation on cyclic response of RC elements repaired by CFRP external reinforcing systems

This paper deals with the experimental results of an investigation aimed at studying cyclic response of half scaled RC specimens previously damaged and then repaired with externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheets. The research involved the test of ten specimens. Two of them were tested without any external strengthening material in order to provide a reference for the response of repaired specimens. These latter were tested after a previous damaging procedure and a subsequent repair intervention with fiber reinforced polymer composites. The parameters under investigation were the level of initial damage, the strengthening configuration, and the level of axial load. Test results have pointed out effectiveness of the adopted strengthening systems, since repaired specimens exhibited better mechanical responses than the unstrengthened ones

Experimental investigation on cyclic response of RC elements repaired by CFRP external reinforcing systems

This paper deals with the experimental results of an investigation aimed at studying cyclic response of half scaled RC specimens previously damaged and then repaired with externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheets. The research involved the test of ten specimens. Two of them were tested without any external strengthening material in order to provide a reference for the response of repaired specimens. These latter were tested after a previous damaging procedure and a subsequent repair intervention with fiber reinforced polymer composites. The parameters under investigation were the level of initial damage, the strengthening configuration, and the level of axial load. Test results have pointed out effectiveness of the adopted strengthening systems, since repaired specimens exhibited better mechanical responses than the unstrengthened ones

Successful cryopreservation of human biliary tree stem/progenitor cells (hbtscs) isolated from adult liver based on Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)

BACKGROUND AND AIM : hBTSCs isolated from adult and fetal livers are candidate sources for regenerative medicine of liver and pancreas. Freshly isolated hBTSCs w ere transplanted in patients w ith advanced liver cirrhosis. The aim of our study w as to identify the best strategy for the cryopreservation of hBTSCs. MATERIAL AND METHODS : Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule positive hBTSCs w ere immunoselected from liver donors, and transferred into Kubota’s Medium (KM). Thereafter, the cells w ere subjected to a gradual controlled cryopreservation (1°C/min dow n to -196 °C in liquid nitrogen) in serum-free media containing 10% dimethyl-sulfoxide (DMSO) and different concentrations of human albumin and/or synthetic human hyaluronic acid. Thaw ed cells w ere assessed for viability, expression of different genes (CD44, ITGB1, ITGB4, CDH1, PDX1, SOX17, OCT4 by RT-PCR), platting efficiency, engraftment and differentiation potential. RESULTS : Solutions containing 15% albumin ± 0.1% hyaluronic acid determined the greatest cell viability (77.8±6.5%;N=9,p<0.01) compared to 0.1%-0.05% hyaluronic acid (50.6±5.3%;N=9) or low er concentration (1.5%) of albumin (50.4±4.3%;N=9). RT-PCR show ed no difference in the expression of tested genes among different media or betw een cryopreserved and freshly isolated cells. The number of colonies in culture w as markedly higher in the medium containing 0.1% hyaluronic acid/15% albumin (31.5±8.5;N=18,p<0.01) w ith respect to the medium containing 15% albumin alone (9.0±3.4;N=18). The differentiation potential w as preserved w hen cells w ere cryopreserved in solutions containing 15% albumin ± 0.1% hyaluronic acid, since thaw ed cells show ed a higher expression of albumin/cytokeratin(CK) 18 w hen transferred in medium tailored for hepatocytes (N=5,p<0.01), higher expression of CK7/secretin receptor in medium tailored for cholangiocytes (N=5,p<0.01), and higher expression of insulin/c-peptide in medium tailored for beta-pancreatic islets (N=5,p<0.01), in comparison to hBTSCs mantained constantly in KM. CONCLUSIONS : We identified strategy and conditions for successful cryopreservation of hBTSCs. This could help in clinical trials of cell therapy for liver diseases and poses the basis for banking hBTSCs

Collagen treatment of complex anorectal fistula: 3 years follow-up

Fistula in ano is a common anorectal disease in adults. Currently, surgery remains the definitive therapeutic approach, but in some cases, it can lead to serious complications as faecal or gas incontinence. Therefore, sphincter sparing treatments should be considered for complex fistulas. One of the sphincteric preserving treatment is the filling with a dermal extract commonly called “collagen glue” as Salvecoll-E® gel. This is a multicentric, prospective, observational study on the use of Salvecoll-E® gel in treatment of complex anal fistulas. We treated 70 patients from May 2016 to May 2017. In the first phase, we debrided the fistula tract using a loose seton kept for 4–6 weeks. In the second phase, the seton was removed and the fistula tract was filled with Salvecoll-E® gel. In this article, we report results at 36 months of follow-up. Fifty patients (71.4%) had completely healed fistula within 36 months of follow-up. Twenty-eight patients (28.2%) had recurrences. Among these failures, 65% were within 6 months. All low transphincteric fistulas healed. Recurrences occurred only in median and high transphincteric fistulas. No patient had a worsening of continence status measured with Cleveland Clinic Florida Incontinence Severity score. Salvecoll-E® gel is a recent finding among sphincter-sparing treatments. In this study, we demonstrate that it is a safe option in the treatment of complex fistulas. Final results are satisfactory and in line with the best results published in literature among mini-invasive treatments