Environmental Pollution and Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) of the lower limbs represents one of the most important clinical conditions among vascular disease and can negatively impact quality of life of affected patients, representing also an important socioeconomic burden. Several risk factors predispose to PAD and its complications. Nevertheless, the role of pollution in this context has not been fully evaluated and this article explored the most updated information on epidemiology and environmental pollution in order to hypothesize the possible contribution of air pollution in the onset of PAD. Pollution is an important problem for the global community and has harmful effects on human health and cardiovascular system, and, specifically, particulate matter 10 (PM10) was found significantly associated with PAD

L'impronta ecologica : analisi regionale e settoriale

Working Paper ; n.152/2001- Indice #5- Sommario #7- Abstract #7- Introduzione #9- L'Impronta Ecologica: la formulazione classica #11- La formulazione dell'Impronta Ecologica per settore economico #15- L'applicazione dell'Impronta Ecologica per settore economico al caso studio della Regione Piemonte #19- Conclusioni #27- Bibliografia #29- Figure #3

Analysis of a Cardiac-Necrosis-Biomarker Release in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction via Nonlinear Mixed-Effects Models

The release of the cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in patients with acute myocardial infarc tion (AMI) has been analyzed through a methodology based on nonlinear mixed-effects (NME) models. The aim of this work concerns the investigation of any possible relationship between clin ical covariates and the dynamics of the release of cTnT to derive more detailed and useful clinical information for the correct treatment of these patients. An ad-hoc mechanistic model describing the biomarker release process after AMI has been devised, assessed, and exploited to evaluate the im pact of the available clinical covariates on the cTnT release dynamic. The following approach was tested on a preliminary dataset composed of a small number of potential clinical covariates: em ploying an unsupervised approach, and despite the limited sample size, dyslipidemia, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, was found to be a statistically significant covariate. By increasing the number of covariates considered in the model, and patient cohort, we envisage that this approach may provide an effective means to automatically classify AMI patients and to investigate the role of interactions between clinical covariates and cTnT relea

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Nutritionally Relevant Concentrations of Oleuropein and Hydroxytyrosol on Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells: An Age-Related Analysis

: Immunosenescence and inflammaging facilitate the insurgence of chronic diseases. The Mediterranean diet is a non-invasive intervention to improve the chronic low-grade inflammatory status associated with aging. Olive oil oleuropein (OLE) and hydroxytyrosol (HT) demonstrated a controversial modulatory action on inflammation in vitro when tested at concentrations exceeding those detectable in human plasma. We studied the potential anti-inflammatory effects of OLE and HT at nutritionally relevant concentrations on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as regards cell viability, frequency of leukocyte subsets, and cytokine release, performing an age-focused analysis on two groups of subjects: Adult (age 18–64 years) and Senior (age ≥ 65 years). OLE and HT were used alone or as a pre-treatment before challenging PBMCs with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Both polyphenols had no effect on cell viability irrespective of LPS, but 5 µM HT had an LPS-like effect on monocytes, reducing the intermediate subset in Adult subjects. OLE and HT had no effect on LPS-triggered release of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8, but 5 µM HT reduced IL-10 secretion by PBMCs from Adult vs. Senior group. In summary, nutritionally relevant concentrations of OLE and HT elicit no anti-inflammatory effect and influence the frequency of immune cell subsets with age-related different outcomes

Hydrogeological Survey, Radiometric Analysis and Field Parametric Measurements: A Combined Tool for the Study of Porous Aquifers

The use of isotopic geochemistry for hydrogeological studies is growing internationally. The use of isotopic geochemistry methodologies on hydrogeological survey data, integrated with the use natural tracers, is helpful when defining the hydrogeological model of the aquifer. In particular, the use of radioisotope concentration measurements as natural tracers and the detection of the temperature, redox potential and dissolved oxygen in groundwater in the field provide information on underground water circulation, which is useful for identifying recharge areas and groundwater drainage. Variations in these parameters in the aquifer allow for information about its hydrodynamics to be obtained. The application of this method in a sample area showed how the uranium and radon concentrations, temperature, redox potential and dissolved oxygen vary in the different sectors of the aquifer, depending on water mobility. This information, integrated with the results of a hydrogeological survey of the static levels, distinguished the recharge and drainage areas of the aquifer and the preferential directions in terms of water flow and allowed for information on the mobility of the aquifer in the various sectors to be obtained. The method presented in this paper was tested in a larger hydrogeological study in the southern sector of the shallow aquifer of the S. Eufemia Lamezia plain (Calabria, Italy)

L'impronta ecologica : analisi regionale e settoriale

Working Paper ; n.152/200

Gamma dose rate calculation and mapping of Piemonte (North-West Italy) from gamma spectrometry soil data

In this study the air gamma dose rate map of Piemonte, a region in the North-West of Italy, was produced from gamma spectrometry soil data. Soil samples collected in 110 different sites of Piemonte were analysed with Hyperpure Germanium (HPGe) detectors (30% relative efficiency), which allow the evaluation of the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides and Cs-137. Then, using the available mathematical models, the gamma absorbed dose rate in air due to radionuclides was calculated. The contribution of the cosmic radiation to the total absorbed dose rate, which depend on the site altitude was also evaluated and added to the soil contribution. Finally, the map of the whole region was obtained by fitting the dose rate values of the different sites with kriging algorithms

Non-Conventional Methodologies in the Synthesis of 1-Indanones

1-Indanones have been successfully prepared by means of three different non-conventional techniques, namely microwaves, high-intensity ultrasound and a Q-tube™ reactor. A library of differently substituted 1-indanones has been prepared via one-pot intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation and their efficiency and “greenness” have been compared