Strategy for the development of a new stick formula without microplastics

Plastic is a synthetic, malleable, and durable material that has been used for various applications since its invention in the late 19th century. During its very long-time degradation process, mechanical and/or photochemical processes fragment plastic into increasingly smaller fragments called microplastics (MPs). In the cosmetic field, MPs are directly added to many products for various functions, including to exploit their exfoliating and structuring power. Unfortunately, it has been realized that MPs are not retained in purification plants and therefore end up in the aquatic environment causing a high problem of environmental pollution. Polyethene (PE) is the most widely used MP in cosmetics due to its use as a structuring agent, to provide consistency to formulations and as a key ingredient in lipsticks and mascaras. Given the limitations imposed by regulations and the growing demand from consumers for chemical-free and eco-friendly products, the common synthetic and petroleum-based waxes used in lipstick formulations, such as PE, must necessarily be replaced by natural waxes of plant origin. In this paper we report the development of a chemical-free and eco-friendly cosmetic stick. To achieve the goal, it was necessary to study the compatibility of the ABWAX® Revowax, natural alternative to PE, with oils and colours to predict the behaviour of these structuring waxes in more complex systems. Through a systematic comparative study, the two waxes showed similar thermal characteristics and showed similar penetration curves, presenting overall comparable performance in the MP-free finished product. We can therefore consider ABWAX® Revowax natural wax a valid alternative to PE

Usefulness of hybrid SPECT/CT for the 99mTc-HMPAO-labeled leukocyte scintigraphy in a case of cranial osteomyelitis

Cranial osteomyelitis is a potentially fatal lesion. White blood cell scanning (WBC) with 99mTc-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO) has proven highly sensitive and specific in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with suspected osteomyelitis. In this report we show the usefulness of SPECT and transmission CT performed simultaneously using a hybrid imaging device for the functional anatomic mapping of soft tissue and cranial bone infections. 99mTc-HMPAO-labeled leukocytes scintigraphy was performed on an elderly diabetic man with an intracranial mass lesion and with suspected temporal bone infection. Planar scans were acquired 30 min, 4 h, and 24 h after injection. SPECT/CT was obtained 6 h after tracer injection, using a dual-head camera coupled with a low-power X-ray tube. The scintigraphic results were matched with the results of surgery and of clinical follow-up. The planar images alone were true-positives for abscess in this patient. SPECT/CT improves the accuracy of 99mTc-HMPAO scintigraphy especially in discriminating between soft-tissue and bone involvement. In fact, SPECT/CT also showed temporal bone osteomyelitis. This result indicates that SPECT/CT performed using a hybrid device can improve imaging with 99mTc-HMPAO-labeled leukocytes in patients with suspected osteomyelitis by providing accurate anatomic localization and precise definition of the extent of infection

Engaging and disengaging recurrent inhibition coincides with sensing and unsensing of a sensory stimulus

AbstractEven simple sensory stimuli evoke neural responses that are dynamic and complex. Are the temporally patterned neural activities important for controlling the behavioral output? Here, we investigated this issue. Our results reveal that in the insect antennal lobe, due to circuit interactions, distinct neural ensembles are activated during and immediately following the termination of every odorant. Such non-overlapping response patterns are not observed even when the stimulus intensity or identities were changed. In addition, we find that ON and OFF ensemble neural activities differ in their ability to recruit recurrent inhibition, entrain field-potential oscillations and more importantly in their relevance to behaviour (initiate versus reset conditioned responses). Notably, we find that a strikingly similar strategy is also used for encoding sound onsets and offsets in the marmoset auditory cortex. In sum, our results suggest a general approach where recurrent inhibition is associated with stimulus ‘recognition’ and ‘derecognition’.</jats:p

Wearable and interactive mixed reality solutions for fault diagnosis and assistance in manufacturing systems: Implementation and testing in an aseptic bottling line

Thanks to the spread of technologies stemming from the fourth industrial revolution, also the topic of fault diagnosis and assistance in industrial contexts has benefited. Indeed, several smart tools were developed for assisting with maintenance and troubleshooting, without interfering with operations and facilitating tasks. In line with that, the present manuscript aims at presenting a web smart solution with two possible applications installed on an Android smartphone and Microsoft HoloLens. The solution aims at alerting the operators when an alarm occurs on a machine through notifications, and then at providing the instructions needed for solving the alarm detected. The two devices were tested by the operators of an industrial aseptic bottling line consisting of five machines in real working conditions. The usability of both devices was positively rated by these users based on the System Usability Scale (SUS) and additional appropriate statements. Moreover, the in situ application brought out the main difficulties and interesting issues for the practical implementation of the solutions tested

Traumatic brain injury and suicide risk

Among the various consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI), evidence supports the notion that individuals exposed to such events may be at higher risk of suicide. We therefore aim at reviewing the literature by focusing on possible association between TBI and features of the suicidal spectrum, such as suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and completed suicides. We carried out a computerized search for reports of studies involving TBI and suicide risk. A total of 35 reports provide data with preliminary support of this association. Seven articles showed a direct correlation between TBI and completed suicides. Thirteen articles have shown a direct relationship between TBI and suicide attempts; five articles demonstrated a positive correlation with suicidal ideation and suicidality. We also found negative results failing to show a correlation between TBI and completed suicides (one article), suicide attempts (one article) and suicidality (one article). In addition, one article showed that patients who received psychological treatment (CBT therapy) after suffering a head injury showed a significant reduction in suicidal ideation. These preliminary findings encourage further testing of the association between TBI and suicide risk regardless of the psychiatric history. Furthermore, those who have a history of psychiatric illness before the TBI present a greater risk of suicide than those who do not have psychiatric precedents

Social Cognition in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Epilepsy

Introduction: The purpose of our study was to perform a comparative analysis of social cognition in children and adolescents with epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific learning disorder (SLD) and in typical development (TD) controls. The secondary aim was to relate social cognition to some clinical and demographic characteristics. Methods: Our work is a transversal observational study. The recruits were 179 children and adolescents aged between 6 and 18 years diagnosed with epilepsy, ASD, or SLD and 32 subjects with TD. All the participants underwent neuropsychological assessment of Emotion Recognition (ER) and Theory of Mind (ToM) skills. Results: All three clinical groups performed significantly worse than controls in ER and ToM. The ASD group achieved significantly lower performance than the other groups; however, the scores of SLD and epilepsy groups were comparable. The ER performances are related to non-verbal intelligence only in the group with epilepsy. Conclusion: Children and adolescents with focal epilepsy, SLD, or ASD may present a deficit of varying extent in emotion recognition and ToM, compared with TD peers. These difficulties are more pronounced in individuals with ASD, but impairment worthy of clinical attention also emerges in individuals with SLD and epilepsy

Peripheral ameloblastoma of the upper gingiva: Report of a case and literature review

According to the 2005 histological classification of odontogenic neoplasms by the World Health Organization, ameloblastoma is a benign, locally invasive epithelial odontogenic tumor of putative enamel organ origin. There are four distinct subgroups in which this neoplasm can be gathered: the solid/multicystic type, the unicystic type, the desmoplastic and the peripheral type. Peripheral ameloblastoma is believed to be the rarest subgroup, making up for 2 to 10% of all ameloblastomas. From its first description by Kuru in 1911 to date, less than 200 cases of PA have been described in literature. PAs commonly affect the mandible, in the maxilla the most common location is the soft palatal tissue of the tuberosity area. The present report discusses a rare case of PA aroused in the gingiva of upper jaw in a 64-year-old woman. The treatment of the lesion and its immunohistochemical phenotype are described. A review of the literature is also performed, focusing on the epidemiological and pathological aspects of the lesions and their implications on the therapy

Oxidative stress involving changes in Nrf2 and ER stress in early stages of Alzheimer's disease

AbstractOxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress have been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. In this study we analyzed whether oxidative stress involving changes in Nrf2 and ER stress may constitute early events in AD pathogenesis by using human peripheral blood cells and an AD transgenic mouse model at different disease stages. Increased oxidative stress and increased phosphorylated Nrf2 (p(Ser40)Nrf2) were observed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Moreover, we observed impaired ER Ca2+ homeostasis and increased ER stress markers in PBMCs from MCI individuals and mild AD patients. Evidence of early oxidative stress defense mechanisms in AD was substantiated by increased p(Ser40)Nrf2 in 3month-old 3xTg-AD male mice PBMCs, and also with increased nuclear Nrf2 levels in brain cortex. However, SOD1 protein levels were decreased in human MCI PBMCs and in 3xTg-AD mice brain cortex; the latter further correlated with reduced SOD1 mRNA levels. Increased ER stress was also detected in the brain cortex of young female and old male 3xTg-AD mice. We demonstrate oxidative stress and early Nrf2 activation in AD human and mouse models, which fails to regulate some of its targets, leading to repressed expression of antioxidant defenses (e.g., SOD-1), and extending to ER stress. Results suggest markers of prodromal AD linked to oxidative stress associated with Nrf2 activation and ER stress that may be followed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Neurologic outcome of postanoxic refractory status epilepticus after aggressive treatment

OBJECTIVE: To investigate neurologic outcome of patients with cardiac arrest with refractory status epilepticus (RSE) treated with a standardized aggressive protocol with antiepileptic drugs and anesthetics compared to patients with other EEG patterns. METHODS: In the prospective cohort study, 166 consecutive patients with cardiac arrest in coma were stratified according to 4 independent EEG patterns (benign, RSE, generalized periodic discharges [GPDs], malignant nonepileptiform) and multimodal prognostic indicators. Primary outcomes were survival and cerebral performance category (CPC) at 6 months. RESULTS: RSE occurred in 36 patients (21.7%) and was treated with an aggressive standardized protocol as long as multimodal prognostic indicators were not unfavorable. RSE started after 3 \ub1 2.3 days after cardiac arrest and lasted 4.7 \ub1 4.3 days. A benign EEG pattern was recorded in 76 patients (45.8%); a periodic pattern (GPDs) was seen in 13 patients (7.8%); and a malignant nonepileptiform EEG pattern was recorded in 41 patients (24.7%). The 4 EEG patterns were highly associated with different prognostic indicators (low-flow time, clinical motor seizures, N20 responses, neuron-specific enolase, neuroimaging). Survival and good neurologic outcome (CPC 1 or 2) at 6 months were 72.4% and 71.1% for benign EEG pattern, 54.3% and 44.4% for RSE, 15.4% and 0% for GPDs, and 2.4% and 0% for malignant nonepileptiform EEG pattern, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Aggressive and prolonged treatment of RSE may be justified in patients with cardiac arrest with favorable multimodal prognostic indicators

Interim [18F] Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (Pet) for Early Metabolic Assessment of Response to Peb Chemotherapy for Metastatic Seminoma: Preliminary Findings

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