Ozone in Lombardy: Years 1998-1999

Photochemical pollutants, especially ozone, have reached very high levels in Lombardy in recent years, with peaks of up to 150 ppb in late spring and summer. Lombardy, lying on the Po Plain, supports a large number of cities and industries and these, along with heavy traffic, produce copious amounts of primary pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and numerous volatile organic compounds. Furthermore, the peculiar orography of this region fosters the stagnation of air masses on a basin-scale and the presence of diurnal breezes towards northern areas, along with the evolution of the Mixing Layer, spread the polluted air masses over a large territory. Numerous stations in Lombardy give the concentrations of ozone and of nitrogen oxides. In this paper, ozone measurements carried out at the plain area around Milan and at pre-alpine sites in the spring and summer 1998 and 1999 will be shown and discussed, focusing on the months of May and July. The study of temporal and spatial behaviour of ozone goes hand in hand with the analysis of the Boundary Layer’s evolution. A number of radon stations were operating in Milan and in other sites in Lombardy. Measurements of atmospheric concentrations of radon yield an index of atmospheric stability, of the formation of thermal inversion, of convective turbulence, and of the movement of air masses, and hence they are very relevant to the understanding of the conditions of atmospheric pollutants

When everything seems right: the first birth experience of women in an Italian hospital

Objective: To explore how women live the experience of giving birth and the treatment that they received in hospital, focusing on their needs and on their points of view. Design: An exploratory descriptive study using semi-structured interviews, conducted 1\u20133 days after childbirth. Setting: The postnatal ward of an Italian hospital. Participants: Twenty first-time mothers who had a vaginal birth. Measurements and findings: We conducted a qualitative analysis using ATLAS.ti to code the data. Feeling in control versus trust in medical interventions, need of support during labour, and the importance of the birth environment were the main themes that emerged from the interviews. Satisfaction derived from how women experienced the aspects as outlined above and from their desire to retain a good memory of their first birth experience, consistent with the hospital culture that focused on this goal. Key conclusions and implications for practice: These results highlight the usefulness of a patientcentred approach and the centrality of the hospital context in shaping the birth experience. Indications for best practices may be derived from the reconstruction of women\u2019s stories

Evaluation of intra-aneurysmal hemodynamics after flow diverter placement in a patient-specific aneurysm model

BACKGROUND: The growth and rupture of cerebral aneurysms is intrinsically related to the hemodynamics prevailing in the diseased area. Therefore, a better understanding of intra-aneurysmal hemodynamics is essential for developing effective treatment methods. OBJECTIVE: The intention of this study was to evaluate the intra-aneurysmal flow and flow reduction induced by flow diverters in a true-to-scale elastic aneurysm model, obtained from real patient data. METHODS: Based on the computed tomography angiography (CTA) data of a fusiform aneurysm of a 34 year old patient, an elastic silicon rubber model of the aneurysm was produced. A physiologic pulsatile flow was created with a circulatory experimental set-up, and a non-Newtonian perfusion fluid was used as a substitute for human blood. Hemodynamics were measured by LDA before and after flow diverter implantation. RESULTS: Implantation of a flow diverter device resulted in a reduction of intra-aneurysmal maximum flow velocities of 97.8% at the inflow zone, 89.1% in the dome and 89.3% at the outflow zone, when compared to the native model. A significant reduction of 94% in the mean intra-aneurysmal velocity was found. CONCLUSIONS: This promising methodology can optimize patient treatment and will correlate with computational simulations to evaluate their reliability

CFD and MRI studies of hemodynamic changes after flow diverter implantation in a patient-specific model of the cerebral artery

Abstract: Flow changes after flow diverter (FD) placement may be assessed by 4D phase-contrast MR-angiography (4D flow MRI) or simulated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). However, cross-validation and future assessments with both approaches to take advantage of their individual strengths are required. In this study, we investigate the influence of a FD on intra-aneurysmal blood flow using both MRI experiments and CFD simulations. MR measurements were performed in a true-to-scale silicone model of a wide-neck saccular aneurysm of the distal internal carotid artery before and after FD deployment. An experimental setup, including a computer-controlled piston pump, was assembled to simulate pulsatile blood flow. For CFD studies, a virtual stenting technique was used to place a FD into the aneurysm model. Boundary conditions were applied according to MRI-measured flow data. A qualitative and quantitative agreement of velocity fields measured by CFD and MRI both before and after FD placement was demonstrated. The intra-aneurysmal flow reduction in the CFD results was 19%, while a reduction of 23% was measured by 4D flow MRI. Despite of the low spatial resolution, MRI was able to correctly determine the flow pattern in the aneurysm. The pre-treatment CFD simulation could be helpful in predicting the outcome of a FD treatment, while a post-interventional MRI could prove the desired treatment effect.Fil: Frolov, S. V.. Tambov State Technical University; RusiaFil: Sindeev, S. V.. Tambov State Technical University; RusiaFil: Kirschke, J. S.. Universitat Technical Zu Munich; AlemaniaFil: Arnold, P.. Universitat Technical Zu Munich; AlemaniaFil: Prothmann, S.. Universitat Technical Zu Munich; AlemaniaFil: Liepsch, D.. Munich University of Applied Sciences; AlemaniaFil: Balasso, A.. Ludwig Maximilians Universitat; AlemaniaFil: Potlov, A.. Tambov State Technical University; RusiaFil: Larrabide, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Grupo de Plasmas Densos Magnetizados. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comision de Investigaciones Científicas. Grupo de Plasmas Densos Magnetizados; ArgentinaFil: Kaczmarz, S.. Universitat Technical Zu Munich; Alemani

Vestibular and lingual orthodontics: Experimental study on plaque and blood indexes

BACKGROUND: In patients with fixed orthodontic treatment, good oral hygiene management is important to prevent complications such as caries, enamel demineralization, white spots, gingivitis, gingival hyperplasia and periodontitis. The aim of this experimental study is to compare the plaque and gingival indexes in patients with labial or lingual appliances. METHODS: Twenty patients with a mean age of 27\ub1-4.95 years were selected; ten patients (eight females and two males) between 17 and 39 years were fitted with a labial appliance while ten patients (nine females and one male) between 16 e 36 years were fitted with a lingual appliance. The dental hygienist made an evaluation using the plaque index and the gingival index, motivated and instructed the patients with labial and lingual devices to perform correct home oral hygiene. The timepoint were the following: T0 before the bonding, T1 one month after the bonding, T2 three months after the bonding, T3 six months after the bonding. RESULTS: In the vestibular appliance at T0, the plaque index is significantly lower than the lingual device, but the bleeding index is significantly higher. Moreover, in both treatments, an increase in the parameters from T0 to T1, T2 and T3 was confirmed, and in the latter a linear increase trend both in the plaque index and in the gingival index can be observed. CONCLUSIONS: The plaque and bleeding index increase gradually from T0 to T3, but there is no significant difference between the vestibular and lingual appliances

Screening of chemical linkers for development of pullulan bioconjugates for intravitreal ocular applications

The treatment of posterior segment disorders of the eye requires therapeutic strategies to achieve drug effects over prolonged times. Innovative colloidal delivery systems can be designed to deliver drugs to the retina and prolong their intravitreal permanence. In order to exploit pullulan (Pull) as polymeric drug carrier for intravitreal drug delivery, derivatives of hydrophobic model molecule rhodamine B (RhB) were conjugated to the pullulan backbone through linkers with different stability, namely ether (Et), hydrazone (Hy) or ester (Es) bond to obtain Pull-Et-RhB, Pull-Hy-RhB and Pull-Es-RhB, respectively. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy analyses showed that the polymer conjugates self-assembled into 20-25 nm particles. Pull-Et-RhB was fairly stable at all tested pH values. At the vitreal pH of 7.4, 50% of RhB was released from Pull-Hy-RhB and Pull-Es-RhB in 11 and 6 days, respectively. At endosomal pH (5.5), 50% of RhB was released from Pull-Hy-RhB and Pull-Es-RhB in 4 and 1 days, respectively. Multiple particle tracking analyses in ex vivo porcine eye model showed that the diffusivity of the bioconjugates in the vitreous was about 103 times lower than in water. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy analyses showed that bioconjugates are remarkably taken up by the retinal RPE cells. In vivo studies showed that after intravitreal injection to mice, the bioconjugates localize in the ganglion cell layer and in the inner and outer plexiform layers. Pull-Hy-RhB particles were detected also inside the retinal blood vessels. These results demonstrate that pullulan with tailored linkers for drug conjugation is a promising vehicle for long-acting intravitreal injectables that are capable to permeate to the retina