Definizione, acquisizione sperimentale ed elaborazione di traiettorie di riferimento della mano umana per la sintesi di architetture protesiche di arto superiore

This paper reports an essential part of a wider research activity, which entails the development of a procedure for the Determination of the Optimal Prosthesis Architecture (DOPA) for a given upper limb amputee. A fundamental algorithm of the DOPA procedure performs the kinematic analysis of several prosthetic arm models (also with less than the six degrees of freedom normally required to correctly execute a generic manipulation task). The algorithm must simulate the execution of important daily living activities performed by a prosthesis and thus it requires reference trajectories of the hand. By means of experimental analysis, 59 trajectories of the hand of an able-bodied subject were acquired to identify a modality to correctly perform the corresponding tasks. This paper illustrates in detail the stages of task analysis, experimental acquisition and data processing in order to define the required reference trajectories. The obtained reference trajectories are a temporal succession of the hand pose (position and orientation). A customized algorithm automatically selects the most relevant poses to be considered for the definition of the reference trajectory. The hand pose is reported in the Cartesian Space by means of Natural Coordinates. In order to correctly execute a given task the pose error admitted for the end-effector of the different architectures is associated to each trajectory. In particular, the critical problem to express the orientation error is solved by means of the use of Spherical Rotation Coordinates

Purine Metabolism Dysfunctions: Experimental Methods of Detection and Diagnostic Potential

Purines, such as adenine and guanine, perform several important functions in the cell. They are found in nucleic acids; are structural components of some coenzymes, including NADH and coenzyme A; and have a crucial role in the modulation of energy metabolism and signal transduction. Moreover, purines have been shown to play an important role in the physiology of platelets, muscles, and neurotransmission. All cells require a balanced number of purines for growth, proliferation, and survival. Under physiological conditions, enzymes involved in purines metabolism maintain a balanced ratio between their synthesis and degradation in the cell. In humans, the final product of purine catabolism is uric acid, while most other mammals possess the enzyme uricase that converts uric acid to allantoin, which can be easily eliminated with urine. During the last decades, hyperuricemia has been associated with a number of human extra-articular diseases (in particular, the cardiovascular ones) and their clinical severity. In this review, we go through the methods of investigation of purine metabolism dysfunctions, looking at the functionality of xanthine oxidoreductase and the formation of catabolites in urine and saliva. Finally, we discuss how these molecules can be used as markers of oxidative stress

Inverse Estimation of Temperature Profiles in Landfills Using Heat Recovery Fluids Measurements

In addition to leachate and gas emission analysis, temperature variations in municipal solid waste landfills are routinely monitored for safety and health reasons, such as the increased production of biogas or the danger of spontaneous combustion phenomena if the temperature exceeds 70–75°C. The increasing constraints on greenhouse gas emissions and the convenience of fuel and heat recovery have helped develop a global approach to landfills' operation and maintenance, generally referred to as bioreactor landfill management. The heat recovery piping we are presently designing can be a significant part of this approach. The heat gained by a fluid circulated in a closed network through the landfill is transferred to an external heat exchanger or used directly as warm water. Additionally, it can help reduce landfill temperature levels and control biogas generation. Since the pipes diameter is large enough to allow for a radial temperature gradient, this information can be used for an inverse estimation of the temperature profile in the landfill which constitutes the boundary conditions of the resulting heat transfer problem. In this paper, we describe an algorithm for regularising the resulting ill-posed free boundary estimation problem using sampled data of the heat recovery fluid on exiting the landfill

Serotonin Trasporter Tracks Similarities Between Sids And Idiopathic Alte

Polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter (5HTT) (SLC6A4 encoding 5HTT) as a predisposing factor in infant death. Considering stric corrispondence between 5HTT and MAOA genotypic and allelic data inIALTE and SIDS, we hypothesize that the two syndromes are different expression of a common ethiopathogenesis

Adherence to Triple Single-Pill Combination of Perindopril/Indapamide/Amlodipine: Findings from Real-World Analysis in Italy

Introduction: Single-pill combination therapy for hypertension is recognized to improve adherence to treatment. However, less is known about the benefits of triple single-pill combinations. This retrospective observational analysis aimed to assess changes in adherence when treatment was switched from perindopril (PER)/indapamide (IND) + amlodipine (AML) to PER/IND/AML single-pill combination, in Italian clinical practice. Methods: This analysis used data extracted from administrative databases of Italian healthcare entities. Adult patients receiving PER/IND/AML were selected, and the prescription date was considered as the index date. Among them, those who had a prescription for PER/IND + AML during the 12 months before the index date and a prescription of PER/IND/AML during 6 months of follow-up were included. Adherence was calculated as the proportion of days covered (PDC: PDC < 40%, non-adherent; PDC = 40-79%, partially adherent; PDC ≥ 80%, adherent). Results: Among the identified patients, 158 were exposed users and were included in the analysis. When patients were compared before and after switch to triple single-pill combination, the proportion of adherent patients was significantly higher with PER/IND/AML single-pill combination (75.3%) than with PER/IND + AML combination (44.3%) (P < 0.05). Conversely, the proportion of non-adherent patients was lower with the PER/IND/AML single-pill combination (14.6%) vs PER/IND + AML (17.7%) (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This real-world analysis showed that switching to a triple single-pill combination could offer an opportunity to improve adherence to antihypertensive treatment in real-life clinical practice

Adherence to Antihypertensive Medications andCardiovascular Morbidity Among Newly DiagnosedHypertensive Patients

Background—Nonadherence to antihypertensive treatment is a common problem in cardiovascular prevention and may influence prognosis. We explored predictors of adherence to antihypertensive treatment and the association of adherence with acute cardiovascular events. Methods and Results—Using data obtained from 400 Italian primary care physicians providing information to the Health Search/Thales Database, we selected 18 806 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients 35 years of age during the years 2000 to 2001. Subjects included were newly treated for hypertension and initially free of cardiovascular diseases. Patient adherence was subdivided a priori into 3 categories— high (proportion of days covered, 80%), intermediate (proportion of days covered, 40% to 79%), and low (proportion of days covered, 40%)—and compared with the long-term occurrence of acute cardiovascular events through the use of multivariable models adjusted for demographic factors, comorbidities, and concomitant drug use. At baseline (ie, 6 months after index diagnosis), 8.1%, 40.5%, and 51.4% of patients were classified as having high, intermediate, and low adherence levels, respectively. Multiple drug treatment (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.43 to 1.83), dyslipidemia (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.24 to 1.87), diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.71), obesity (odds ratio, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.78), and antihypertensive combination therapy (odds ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.45) were significantly (P0.001) associated with high adherence to antihypertensive treatment. Compared with their low-adherence counterparts, only high adherers reported a significantly decreased risk of acute cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.96; P0.032). Conclusions—The long-term reduction of acute cardiovascular events associated with high adherence to antihypertensive treatment underscores its importance in assessments of the beneficial effects of evidence-based therapies in the population. An effort focused on early antihypertensive treatment initiation and adherence is likely to provide major benefits

Produção de soja no Estado do Tocantins: percepções inicias sobre o sistema produtivo.

O trabalho foi desenvolvido nos anos de 2011 e 2012, através da sistematização de informações dos principais municípios produtores de soja, segundo dados da CONAB e da Secretaria da Agricultura do Estado do Tocantins (SEAGRO).Editado por Adilson de Oliveira Junior, Regina Maria Villas Bôas de Campos Leite, Cesar de Castro