Experimental investigation of the productivity of a wet separation process of traditional and bio-plastics

The separation process within a mechanical recycling plant plays a major role in the context of the production of high-quality secondary raw materials and the reduction of extensive waste disposal in landfills. Traditional plants for plastic separation employ dry or wet processes that rely on the different physical properties among the polymers. The hydraulic separator is a device employing a wet technology for particle separation. It allows the separation of two-polymer mixtures into two products, one collected within the instrument and the other one expelled through its outlet ducts. Apparatus performance were analyzed as a function of fluid and solid flow rates, flow patterns developing within the apparatus, in addition to the density, shape, and size of the polymers. For the hydraulic configurations tested, a two-way coupling takes place where the fluid exerts an influence on the plastic particles and the opposite occurs too. The interaction between the solid and liquid phases determines whether a certain polymer settles within the device or is expelled from the apparatus. Tests carried out with samples of increasing volumes of solid particles demonstrate that there are no significant differences in the apparatus effectiveness as far as a two-way interaction takes place. Almost pure concentrates of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), and Polycarbonate (PC) can be obtained from a mixture of traditional polymers. Tests conducted on Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Mater-Bi® samples showed that the hydraulic separator can be effectively employed to separate bio-plastics from conventional plastics with remarkable grade and recovery

Preliminary results about the archeological and paleopathological study of roman necropolis of Monte Carru - Alghero (Sardinia)

Following the discovery of burials in Monte Carru – Alghero (Sardinia) during the preliminary investigation to the creation of a housing development detected a Imperial Roman necropolis (I-III century A.D.). A total of 350 tombs – 150 burials and 200 cremations. This necropolis is supposed belongs to the undiscovered village of Carbia mantioned by the sources. Up to now have been analyzed 11 burials. The samples are clened by water and glued with PVA glue. Subsequently has been performed the anthropological study following the mains anthropological methods ( Meindel & Lovejoy, 1985; Iscan 1985; Ubelaker 1989; Trotter & Gleser 1952) and some new method (Vance – Steyn- L’Abbé 2011; Chibba e Bidmos, 2007; Bidmos, 2006). Every burial has been sampled for metagenomic and DNA study. Up to now have been analyzed 10 adults and 1 subadult. The adults are in 60% female and just 1 is undeterminate; the age of death is between 25 and 45 years; it was no possible to determinate the height . There were no obvius pathology but this can be for the extreme deterioration of bones. There are dental wear widespread mainly on premolars and first molar ; caries is present mainly on molars and dental calculus mainly on incisors. The analyzed population of Monte Carru in Roman Age shows a good state of health, no obvious pathologies and a enamel wear. More analysies are neccesary to better understand the site

Osteological Markers of Malaria

Malaria is an acute and chronic disease caused by a parasitic protozoan, the Plasmodium. Five species infect humans and one of them, the Plasmodium falciparum, is the most attested in the past by biomolecular research (1). Recently the connection between malaria and various skeletal and dental lesions like Cribra Orbitalia (2, 3), Cribra Femuri and Hypoplasia (4) was supposed, already related with nutritional deficiency during development. The aim of this study is to verify this connection comparing osteological and biomolecular data. Samples from Nord-West of Sardinia were examined: four necropolis ranging from the Prenuragic period (3000 BC) to Middle Age (1400 AD). The necropolis underwent analysis using standard anthropological methods. To verify the presence of Plasmodium, samples from each necropolis were analyzed using an immune-chromatographic approach; only the fragment from Nuragic period showed a positive signal to Plasmodium falciparum. Cribra were evaluated according to a scale present in literature for Orbitalia (5) and Femuri (6); to better evaluate them, each pathological sample underwent radiographic and TC analysis. Crossing malaria and osteological data we can see that hypoplasia seems not to be related to malaria because it is absent when there is the Plasmodium falciparum; on the contrary, Cribra seems to be related to Plasmodium falciparum, especially Cribra Orbitalia were the most severe and the most common. Thanks to our data, we can say that osteological diseases like Cribra can be used to diagnose ancient cases of malaria

Enamel thickness and trace elements: a new approach to the paleonutritional study

The paleonutrition study of ancient people mainly affects the teeth as the outer and the strongest part of the digestive tract, perfused with blood and lymphatic vessels; bring a lot of information that may be useful to understand the nourishment in the past. The aim of this study is to identify possible correlations between the thickness of the enamel and the presence of trace elements as indicators of Palaeolithic diet. The samples came from seven different Sardinian sites dated back to the 3000 bC and 1400 AD. previously subjected to a classical anthropological study, were washed in absolute acetone and rinsed in distilled water. To calculate the amount of enamel on the teeth and its correlation with the dentin, we chose to analyse the samples with micro-CT oriented perpendicular to the occlusal plane with 360° rotation. For the qualitative estimation of trace elements, we used a X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The study on the thickness of the enamel showed that the total area is approximately uniform and varying the total area, both the area of the enamel and of the dentine proportionally vary. As regards the study of trace elements, the samples showed an almost constant presence of Zinc, Strontium and Manganese due to a diet essentially omnivorous, the enamel appears thicker in the sites where the elements found were Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper and Phosphorus reporting to a carnivorous diet. The thickness of the enamel may be affected by the trace elements present in it, so it may be also related to the type of diet. A quantitative study of the elements them- selves could provide, in the near future, more reliable data

Application of a Clinical Workflow May Lead to Increased Diagnostic Precision in Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias and Cerebellar Ataxias: A Single Center Experience

The molecular characterization of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias (HSP) and inherited cerebellar ataxias (CA) is challenged by their clinical and molecular heterogeneity. The recent application of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies is increasing the diagnostic rate, which can be influenced by patients\u2019 selection. To assess if a clinical diagnosis of CA/HSP received in a third-level reference center might impact the molecular diagnostic yield, we retrospectively evaluated the molecular diagnostic rate reached in our center on 192 unrelated families (90 HSP and 102 CA) (i) before NGS and (ii) with the use of NGS gene panels. Overall, 46.3% of families received a genetic diagnosis by first-tier individual gene screening: 43.3% HSP and 50% spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA). The diagnostic rate was 56.7% in AD-HSP, 55.5% in AR-HSP, and 21.2% in sporadic HSP. On the other hand, 75% AD-, 52% AR- and 33% sporadic CA were diagnosed. So far, 32 patients (24 CA and 8 HSP) were further assessed by NGS gene panels, and 34.4% were diagnosed, including 29.2% CA and 50% HSP patients. Eleven novel gene variants classified as (likely) pathogenic were identified. Our results support the role of experienced clinicians in the diagnostic assessment and the clinical research of CA and HSP even in the next generation era

The clinical effectiveness of an integrated multidisciplinary evidence-based program to prevent intraoperative pressure injuries in high-risk children undergoing long-duration surgical procedures: a quality improvement study

The prevention of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) in children undergoing long-duration surgical procedures is of critical importance due to the potential for catastrophic sequelae of these generally preventable injuries for the child and their family. Long-duration surgical procedures in children have the potential to result in high rates of HAPI due to physiological factors and the difficulty or impossibility of repositioning these patients intraoperatively. We developed and implemented a multi-modal, multi-disciplinary translational HAPI prevention quality improvement program at a large European Paediatric University Teaching Hospital. The intervention comprised the establishment of wound prevention teams, modified HAPI risk assessment tools, specific education, and the use of prophylactic dressings and fluidized positioners during long-duration surgical procedures. As part of the evaluation of the effectiveness of the program in reducing intraoperative HAPI, we conducted a prospective cohort study of 200 children undergoing long-duration surgical procedures and compared their outcomes with a matched historical cohort of 200 children who had undergone similar surgery the previous year. The findings demonstrated a reduction in HAPI in the intervention cohort of 80% (p < 0.01) compared to the comparator group when controlling for age, pathology, comorbidity, and surgical duration. We believe that the findings demonstrate that it is possible to significantly decrease HAPI incidence in these highly vulnerable children by using an evidence-based, multi-modal, multidisciplinary HAPI prevention strategy

A truncating mutation in the IL1RAPL1 gene is responsible for X-linked mental retardation in the MRX21 family

X-linked mental retardation (XLMR) is a genetically heterogeneous condition, due to mutations in at least 50 genes, involved in functioning of the central nervous system and located on the X chromosome. Nonspecific XLMR (MRX) is characterized essentially by mental retardation transmitted by X-linked inheritance. More than 80 extended MRX pedigrees have been reported to date, which have been distinguished exclusively by physical position of the corresponding gene on the X chromosome, established by linkage analysis. One such family, MRX21, which was described by us in 1993 and localized to Xp11.4-pter, has now been reanalyzed with additional markers and after one more affected individual had became available. This extra information allowed a significant reduction of the linkage interval and, eventually, identification of the mutant gene. A stop mutation in exon 10 of the IL1RAPL1 gene (in Xp21) was found in the four affected males and in obligate carriers, allowing conclusive counseling of other family members of uncertain carrier status. The W487X mutation results in the production of a truncated IL1RAPL protein, comprised of the extracellular Ig-like domain and transmembrane tract, but lacking the last 210 aminoacids of the cytoplasmic domain. MRX21 is the first extended MRX family with a point mutation in IL1RAPL1 and the second with a stop mutation, which had been previously found only in a small family. Our report confirms the role of the IL1RAPL1 gene in causing nonspecific mental retardation in males and underlines the importance of detailed linkage analysis before candidate gene mutational screening

Characterization of MSH2 and MLH1 mutations in Italian families with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer

Mismatch repair genes MSH2 and MLH1 are considered to be the two major genes that are responsible for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). Germline heterozygous inactivating mutations of MSH2 and MLH1 have been identified previously in a substantial fraction of individuals who are predisposed genetically to colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and other tumors of the HNPCC spectrum. With the aim of determining the relevance of these two genes in the Italian population, we submitted to mutational analysis a set of 17 HNPCC families, all of which fulfilled the 'Amsterdam criteria.' A combination of different techniques, including reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of long fragments and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) on cDNA and genomic DNA, allowed the identification of ten molecular variants, seven of which are predicted to inactivate mismatch repair function. The mutated predisposing gene was MSH2 in two families and MLH1 in five other families. All of the mutations were characterized by DNA sequencing and appeared to involve different molecular mechanisms, such as short in-frame and out-of-frame deletions, splicing errors, and nonsense mutations. This study also demonstrates that, in the Italian population, a considerable fraction of HNPCC families (at least 41%) is linked to MSH2 and MLH1 mutations

Understanding Factors Associated With Psychomotor Subtypes of Delirium in Older Inpatients With Dementia

Objectives: Few studies have analyzed factors associated with delirium subtypes. In this study, we investigate factors associated with subtypes of delirium only in patients with dementia to provide insights on the possible prevention and treatments. Design: This is a cross-sectional study nested in the “Delirium Day” study, a nationwide Italian point-prevalence study. Setting and Participants: Older patients admitted to 205 acute and 92 rehabilitation hospital wards. Measures: Delirium was evaluated with the 4-AT and the motor subtypes with the Delirium Motor Subtype Scale. Dementia was defined by the presence of a documented diagnosis in the medical records and/or prescription of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine prior to admission. Results: Of the 1057 patients with dementia, 35% had delirium, with 25.6% hyperactive, 33.1% hypoactive, 34.5% mixed, and 6.7% nonmotor subtype. There were higher odds of having venous catheters in the hypoactive (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.18-2.81) and mixed type of delirium (OR 2.23, CI 1.43-3.46), whereas higher odds of urinary catheters in the hypoactive (OR 2.91, CI 1.92-4.39), hyperactive (OR 1.99, CI 1.23-3.21), and mixed types of delirium (OR 2.05, CI 1.36-3.07). We found higher odds of antipsychotics both in the hyperactive (OR 2.87, CI 1.81-4.54) and mixed subtype (OR 1.84, CI 1.24-2.75), whereas higher odds of antibiotics was present only in the mixed subtype (OR 1.91, CI 1.26-2.87). Conclusions and Implications: In patients with dementia, the mixed delirium subtype is the most prevalent followed by the hypoactive, hyperactive, and nonmotor subtype. Motor subtypes of delirium may be triggered by clinical factors, including the use of venous and urinary catheters, and the use of antipsychotics. Future studies are necessary to provide further insights on the possible pathophysiology of delirium in patients with dementia and to address the optimization of the management of potential risk factors