Net shape HIPping of a Ni-superalloy: A study of the influence of an as-leached surface on mechanical properties

Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) is a net-shape powder metallurgy technique where powders densification is achieved through the application of high temperature and pressure at the same time. Powders are allocated into a hollow steel mold called capsule or canister which gives the final shape to the particles. This technique is particularly useful for manufacturing complex components made of materials which are extremely difficult to process via forging or casting. Thus, HIP is particularly indicated to handle superalloy powders such as Astroloy, which is the object of the following study. One of the most attractive peculiarities of HIP is the low material waste obtained since the overstock is limited to the layers immediately beneath the steel capsule. At the end of the HIP cycle, the canister is typically removed using an acid leaching bath which is responsible for the alteration of the outermost layers of the final product. Only a little number of research papers deal with the optimization of the removal of these layers; Consequently, manufacturers often apply a very conservative approach by eliminating more material than is actually needed with a final machining procedure. This paper aims to optimize this procedure by systematically assessing the total thickness of the altered layer of material deriving from the HIPping and leaching process together. To achieve this goal, a set of samples were prepared by removing progressively thicker layers of material and then they were bend tested. Finally, the recorded mechanical properties were compared with those obtained with the samples machined from the core material. One of the main findings is that the removal of 500 μm of material is enough to recover mechanical properties which are comparable with those observed in samples coming from the core. More specifically, by eliminating the first 100 μm material, all the corroded layer is removed, which results in an overall increase of all the mechanical properties except for ductility. This property strongly depends on the number of prior particle boundaries arising from the HIPping process itself. Thus, the correct amount of overstock material must include both these layers

Multidimensional geriatric evaluation in acromegaly: a comparative cross-sectional study

Background: Improvement in acromegaly management increased disease survival and prevalence. Evidence regarding acromegaly in older adults are sparse. We aim to explore acromegaly impact on aging process quality. Methods: Multicenter case-control study conducted on 42 older adults (≥ 65 years) acromegaly patients (ACRO) compared to an age- and gender-matched control group (CTR). Each participant underwent a multidimensional geriatric evaluation. Results: Mean age in both groups was 73 ± 6 years and female gender was most represented (69%). All comorbidities were more frequent in ACRO than CTR. Thirteen ACRO were in remission and 29 had active disease controlled by medical therapy except for one patient. ACRO showed worse physical performance and mobility skills worsening with age as compared to CTR. ACRO performed poorly in functional status assessment, and age negatively correlated with instrumental and basic daily activities execution. Cognitive evaluation scores were significantly lower in ACRO vs. CTR, worsening with age. No difference was found concerning nutritional and psychological status. Musculoskeletal and bone diseases were more frequent in ACRO than in CTR (52% vs. 12%; 64% vs. 10%; P < 0.05) and independently associated with geriatric outcomes in ACRO. ACRO reported a less satisfactory quality of life concerning physical activity and pain, general health, vitality, social activities. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates increased frailty of older acromegaly patients as compared to non-acromegaly patients with a consequent negative impact on their quality of life. Therefore, it seems advisable to include physical, functional, cognitive, nutritional, and psychological status assessments in routine clinical practice. Further studies are needed to identify the most appropriate geriatric tools

PRENDERSI CURA DI SÉ IN GRUPPO - PERCORSO DI GRUPPO DI MUTUO-AIUTO GUIDATO PER LA CURA DEI DISAGI PSICOLOGICI CONSEGUENTI ALLE PATOLOGIE IPOFISARIE: OBIETTIVI, DESCRIZIONE E RISULTATI

La finalità del lavoro in gruppo è creare uno spazio per attivare risorse personali nel prendersi cura di sé e della malattia. In linea con il modello bio-psico-sociale di prevenzione e assistenza della malattia cronica, curare l’aspetto fisico,psichico e relazionale permette alla persona di fare al meglio la sua parte. La patologia ipofisaria con le sue complicanze impone alla persona di cambiare l’immagine di sè e del modo con cui conduce la propria vita. Senza un sostegno adeguato, la persona corre il rischio di non riuscire ad “evolversi”, cronicizzando i disagi psichici ed emotivi,che vanno ad impattare sulla aderenza alle cure, con conseguenti aggravamenti clinici. Il lavoro in gruppo attiva la consapevolezza su cosa ciascuno sente e pensa nei confronti di sé e della malattia e come agisce nel sistema di assistenza. Il gruppo diventa luogo di cura e di adattamento alla condizione di cronicità. DESCRIZIONE Il percorso è promosso dall’associazione di persone con patologie ipofisarie, strutturato e guidato da una psicoterapeuta, in collaborazione con il dipartimento Patologie Ipofisarie dell’Università la Sapienza e il policlinico Gemelli di Roma. Le diagnosi dei partecipanti: 6 Acromegalia GH secernente, 5 Cushing ACTH secernente, 1 Cushing iperplasia ipofisaria, 1 Ipofisite autoimmune, 1 Morbo di Addison. Il percorso inizia a settembre 2015, con 10 incontri per anno a cadenza mensile. L’incontro di 3 ore è strutturato in 4 momenti: scambio informazioni sulle patologie ipofisarie (normative sanitarie, eventi…); lavoro personale; condivisione di gruppo; chiusura. I temi trattati: Ho una malattia non sono malato; Come mi prendo cura di me, delle mie relazioni, della mia malattia; Le relazioni che mi nutrono; Entro in contatto con i miei bisogni: parto dal corpo; Ansia da nemica ad amica. RISULTATI I partecipanti hanno valutato individualmente modalità e contenuti del percorso al termine di ogni anno. In sintesi trovano utile: riflettere sugli atteggiamenti che sostengono e quelli che ostacolano una gestione costruttiva della malattia e di cura verso sé, condividere i vissuti, sperimentare supporto reciproco, attivare le risorse personali, conoscere ed utilizzare strumenti per arricchire la relazione verso se stessi e gli altri, vivere momenti di serietà e delicatezza alternati a momenti di divertimento, continuare gli incontri per sostenersi nel gruppo nel costruire una migliore qualità di vita

Investigation of Post HIP Interface Formation Between Powder Astroloy and Steel Capsule

The use of Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) technology for directly forming components to a near net or net shape (NNSHIP or NSHIP) is currently depending on the possibility to limit the interaction between the capsule and the powder mass. The capsule is typically made of low carbon steel and its main role is to efficiently transfer the forming pressure at HIP temperature to the consolidating powder mass. However, at the powder mass/capsule interface elements inter-diffusion occurs. This study reports of the consequences of such diffusion during the consolidation via HIP of a Ni super-alloy, Astroloy

Multidimensional geriatric evaluation in acromegaly: a comparative cross-sectional study

Background: Improvement in acromegaly management increased disease survival and prevalence. Evidence regarding acromegaly in older adults are sparse. We aim to explore acromegaly impact on aging process quality. Methods: Multicenter case-control study conducted on 42 older adults (≥ 65 years) acromegaly patients (ACRO) compared to an age- and gender-matched control group (CTR). Each participant underwent a multidimensional geriatric evaluation. Results: Mean age in both groups was 73 ± 6 years and female gender was most represented (69%). All comorbidities were more frequent in ACRO than CTR. Thirteen ACRO were in remission and 29 had active disease controlled by medical therapy except for one patient. ACRO showed worse physical performance and mobility skills worsening with age as compared to CTR. ACRO performed poorly in functional status assessment, and age negatively correlated with instrumental and basic daily activities execution. Cognitive evaluation scores were significantly lower in ACRO vs. CTR, worsening with age. No difference was found concerning nutritional and psychological status. Musculoskeletal and bone diseases were more frequent in ACRO than in CTR (52% vs. 12%; 64% vs. 10%; P < 0.05) and independently associated with geriatric outcomes in ACRO. ACRO reported a less satisfactory quality of life concerning physical activity and pain, general health, vitality, social activities. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates increased frailty of older acromegaly patients as compared to non-acromegaly patients with a consequent negative impact on their quality of life. Therefore, it seems advisable to include physical, functional, cognitive, nutritional, and psychological status assessments in routine clinical practice. Further studies are needed to identify the most appropriate geriatric tools

Time to SARS‐CoV‐2 clearance among patients with cancer and COVID‐19

Abstract Background For cancer patients, coronavirus disease 19 (COVID‐19) infection can lead to delays in cancer therapy both due to the infection itself and due to the need to minimize exposure to other patients and to staff. Clearance guidelines have been proposed, but expected time to clearance has not been established. Methods We identified all patients at a tertiary care hospital cancer center between 25 March 2020 and 6 June 2020 with a positive nasopharyngeal reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) test for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), a cancer‐related visit within 3 years, and at least one follow‐up assay. We determined the time to clearance using American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK‐NICE), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. A matched non‐cancer comparison cohort was also identified. Results Thirty‐two cancer patients were identified. Nineteen were cleared by ASCO criteria, with estimated median time to clearance of 50 days. Fourteen patients resumed chemotherapy prior to clearance. Using UK‐NICE criteria, median time to clearance would have been 31 days, and using CDC criteria, it would have been 13 days. The matched non‐cancer cohort had similar clearance time, but with less frequent testing. Conclusion SARS‐CoV‐2 clearance times differ substantially depending on the criteria used and may be prolonged in cancer patients. This could lead to a delay in cancer care, increased use of clearance testing, and extension of infection control precautions

The commercialization of genome-editing technologies

<p>The emergence of new gene-editing technologies is profoundly transforming human therapeutics, agriculture, and industrial biotechnology. Advances in clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) have created a fertile environment for mass-scale manufacturing of cost-effective products ranging from basic research to translational medicine. In our analyses, we evaluated the patent landscape of gene-editing technologies and found that in comparison to earlier gene-editing techniques, CRISPR has gained significant traction and this has established dominance. Although most of the gene-editing technologies originated from the industry, CRISPR has been pioneered by academic research institutions. The spinout of CRISPR biotechnology companies from academic institutions demonstrates a shift in entrepreneurship strategies that were previously led by the industry. These academic institutions, and their subsequent companies, are competing to generate comprehensive intellectual property portfolios to rapidly commercialize CRISPR products. Our analysis shows that the emergence of CRISPR has resulted in a fivefold increase in genome-editing bioenterprise investment over the last year. This entrepreneurial movement has spurred a global biotechnology revolution in the realization of novel gene-editing technologies. This global shift in bioenterprise will continue to grow as the demand for personalized medicine, genetically modified crops and environmentally sustainable biofuels increases. However, the monopolization of intellectual property, negative public perception of genetic engineering and ambiguous regulatory policies may limit the growth of these market segments.</p