Age-related and prognostic risk factors in dialysis patients

The replacement of renal function by dialysis is one of the major achievements of modern medicine. However, given the fact that renal failure shares common causes with cardiovascular diseases, dialysis patients are a population with a risk profile of almost unique severity. In fact, it was remarked that the risk of cardiovascular death of a young man (<30 years) on dialysis equals that of a healthy man over 85 years in the general population, suggesting that the pathogenetic processes linked to aging may be accelerated in dialysis patients

The usefulness of ICTs in interpreting practice

Drawing from recent developments and studies on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in interpreting practice, this paper is aimed at analysing and discussing the usefulness of Computer-Assisted Interpreting (CAI). The currently available technology will be explored in order to analyse the application of ICTs to interpreting practice, with the objective of assessing which technologies may assist interpreters in their real-life work, which forms of interpreting may benefit from these technological advancements, and to which extent interpreting rendition would benefit from the use of these new technologies. The author will also consider the possible future application of ICTs in interpreting and on the way in which this sector may change in the future, in light of the need for this professional field to look to the future of communication and adapt accordingly to the trends of the Third Millennium

English for Special Purposes used by and for Non-native English-speaking Interlocutors: The Interpreter’s Role and Responsibility

This chapter is aimed at exploring and discussing the role and responsibility of the interpreter, both liaison and simultaneous, at encounters where English is the main channel of communication and the interpreter is called to translate English for Special Purposes (ESP) between non-native English interlocutors. Discussion will be based on the analysis of several scenarios taken from the medical, technical and financial world where peer relations between the interlocutors involved as well as knowledge of ESP and/or standard language usage vary and affect communication accordingly. The analysis is aimed at discussing the interpreter’s intervention in the scenarios studied and how s/he can effectively facilitate communication, not only by providing a linguistically accurate translation, but also by understanding the parties involved and preventing disappointment in the clients’ expectations. The paper will also show how the form of interpreting used can largely influence the translation and, thus, comprehension among the parties

Differential expression of aquaporin 3 in Triturus italicus from larval to adult epidermal conversion

By using immunohistochemical techniques applied to confocal microscopy, the presence of aquaporin 3 water channel in the epidermis of Triturus italicus (Amphibia, Urodela) has been shown. We analysed the expression of aquaporin 3 (AQP3) during the larval, pre-metamorphic and adult phases; we also showed the localization of the water-channel protein AQP3 in free-swimming conditions and during aestivation in parallel with histological analysis of the skin, focusing on the possible relationship between protein expression and terrestrial habitats. Our results indicate that aquaporin is produced as the epidermis modifies during the functional maturation phase starting at the climax. Moreover, our data suggest an increase in enzyme expression in aestivating newts emphasizing the putative functional importance of differential expression related to a distinct phase of the biological cycle

Chapter Unsheathing the Katana. The Long Fortune of the First Two Japanese Embassies in Italy: Rediscovery and Rereading between Continuity and Discontinuity (1873–1905)

At the end of the nineteenth century, Italy welcomed an official embassy sent by the government in Tokyo to make Japan more integrated into the new world scene it was entering. The cultural and political elites of the peninsula had the chance to discover, or rather rediscover, the charm of a world that had been lost over the centuries. This essay aims to reflect on the means and meanings of this late nineteenth-century encounter. Indeed, from this moment onwards, Japan increasingly became part of Italian mental horizons, in particular through the rereading and reuse of two precedents dating back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that saw the two countries dialogue and “discover” each other for the first time

Soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 and 2 predict outcomes in advanced chronic kidney disease : a prospective cohort study

Background : Soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 (sTNFR1) and 2 (sTNFR2) have been associated to progression of renal failure, end stage renal disease and mortality in early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), mostly in the context of diabetic nephropathy. The predictive value of these markers in advanced stages of CKD irrespective of the specific causes of kidney disease has not yet been defined. In this study, the relationship between sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 and the risk for adverse cardiovascular events (CVE) and all-cause mortality was investigated in a population with CKD stage 4-5, not yet on dialysis, to minimize the confounding by renal function. Patients and methods : In 131 patients, CKD stage 4-5, sTNFR1, sTNFR2 were analysed for their association to a composite endpoint of all-cause mortality or first non-fatal CVE by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. In the multivariate models, age, gender, CRP, eGFR and significant comorbidities were included as covariates. Results : During a median follow-up of 33 months, 40 events (30.5%) occurred of which 29 deaths (22.1%) and 11 (8.4%) first non-fatal CVE. In univariate analysis, the hazard ratios (HR) of sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 for negative outcome were 1.49 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-1.75) and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.06-1.20) respectively. After adjustment for clinical covariables (age, CRP, diabetes and a history of cardiovascular disease) both sTNFRs remained independently associated to outcomes (HR: sTNFR1: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.30-1.77; sTNFR2: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06-1.20). A subanalysis of the non-diabetic patients in the study population confirmed these findings, especially for sTNFR1. Conclusion : sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 are independently associated to all-cause mortality or an increased risk for cardiovascular events in advanced CKD irrespective of the cause of kidney disease

WALOWA (wave loads on walls) : large-scale experiments in the delta flume

Overtopping wave loads on vertical structures on top of a dike have been investigated in several small scale experiments in the past. A large-scale validation for a mild foreshore situation is still missing. Hence the WALOWA experimental campaign was carried out to address this topic. In the present paper the objectives of the WALOWA project are outlined in detail, the model and measurement set-up described and the test program presented. Furthermore, preliminary results featuring a single 1000 irregular waves test of the test program are highlighted. This includes the study of the mild and sandy foreshore evolution by comparing profiles before and after the test execution. The profile measurements are obtained with a mechanical profiler. The wave parameters offshore and at the dike toe are numerically simulated using a SWASH model. The numerical results are validated against the measurements. Finally, the force and pressure time series of the waves impacting against the wall are processed and filtered. The load cell measurements and the time series of integrated pressures are compared to each other and for each impact event the maximum force is derived.Hydraulic Structures and Flood RiskEnvironmental Fluid Mechanic

Salt and the heart in chronic kidney disease: an atrial connection

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