Toward LOCOSTRA: Blast-resistant Wheels Test

Technical Survey, often an efficient method of achieving land release, can also be prohibitively expensive for certain communities due to the utilization of the same hulking, heavily-armored machines used in clearance operations. If Technical Survey could be achieved through the use of less expensive agricultural equipment that is already present in communities near suspected areas, land release could be achieved at a much lower price. The following study explores this possibility by examining the explosion resilience of four different designs of blast-resistant tractor wheels, each made of commercial off-the-shelf components and designed for easy reproduction in mine-affected communities

L’evoluzione dell’obbligo vaccinale Covid-19 per gli over 50 anni

“National Strategic Vaccine Plan for the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infections”. The plan made it mandatory, throughout the national territory, to always have respiratory protective devices with you and to wear them in indoor places other than private homes and in all outdoor places, as well as interpersonal distancing and constant and careful hand hygiene, as well as being well identified the priority categories for the first phase of the vaccination campaig

I vaccini in ambito lavorativo sanitario

La vaccinazione è uno dei maggiori successi della sanità pubblica della nostra epoca e negli ultimi sessanta anni ha salvato la vita a più persone di qualsiasi altro intervento medico; l’uomo infatti non ha mai avuto a disposizione armi preventive più efficaci delle vaccinazioni.Gli ambienti di vita e di lavoro, sono potenzialmente contaminati da microrganismi patogeni e il rischio di contrarre una malattia infettiva è insito nel fatto di vivere in comunità (rischio generico). All’interno di una struttura sanitaria, in determinate aree e nel corso di definite attività, a causa della concentrazione di soggetti infetti e materiali contaminati, tale rischio può essere maggiore (rischio lavorativo da esposizione ad agenti biologici: potenziale o deliberato). Vaccination is one of the greatest public health successes of our time and in the last sixty years it has saved the lives of more people than any other medical intervention; in fact, man has never had more effective preventive weapons than vaccinations.Living and working environments are potentially contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms and the risk of contracting an infectious disease is inherent in the fact of living in community (generic risk). Within a health facility, in certain areas and during defined activities, due to the concentration of infected subjects and contaminated materials, this risk may be greater (work risk from exposure to biological agents: potential or deliberate)

Rottlerin Inhibits ROS Formation and Prevents NFκB Activation in MCF-7 and HT-29 Cells

Rottlerin, a polyphenol isolated from Mallotus Philippinensis, has been recently used as a selective inhibitor of PKC δ, although it can inhibit many kinases and has several biological effects. Among them, we recently found that Rottlerin inhibits the Nuclear Factor κB (NFκB), activated by either phorbol esters or H2O2. Because of the redox sensitivity of NFκB and on the basis of Rottlerin antioxidant property, we hypothesized that Rottlerin could prevent NFκB activation acting as a free radicals scavenger, as other natural polyphenols. The current study confirms the antioxidant property of Rottlerin against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) in vitro and against oxidative stress induced by H2O2 and by menadione in culture cells. We also demonstrate that Rottlerin prevents TNFα-dependent NFκB activation in MCF-7 cells and in HT-29 cells transfected with the NFκB-driven plasmid pBIIX-LUC, suggesting that Rottlerin can inhibit NFκB via several pathways and in several cell types

OSAS: valutazione della patologia e patente professionale

La sindrome delle apnee ostruttive del sonno è una patologia che colpisce indistintamente maschi e femmine. La OSAS (Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome) è determinata da episodi ripetuti di ostruzione parziale o completa delle vie aeree superiori.I disturbi del sonno non solo si ripercuotono negativamente sulla salute e sulla qualità della vita di chi ne soffre, ma aumentano anche i rischi sulle strade. Il 19 febbraio 2016 è stato pubblicato sulla Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 41 il decreto dirigenziale 3 febbraio 2016 del Ministero della Salute, che fornisce gli indirizzi medico-legali da osservare per l’accertamento dell’idoneità psico-fisica alla guida per coloro che sono affetti, o che si sospetta possano essere affetti, da OSAS. The syndrome of obstructive sleep apneee is a condition that affects males and females without distinction. OSAS (Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome) is advanced by Repeated episodes of partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway.Sleep disorders not only have a negative effect on the health and quality of life of those who suffer, but also increase the risks on the roads.On February 19, 2016 it was published in the Official Gazette no. 41 of the Ministry of Health Decree of 3 February 2016, which contains the medical-legal guidelines to be observed for the assessment of the psycho-physical fitness to guide those who are affected, or who are suspected of being affected, by OSA

Generational brokerage:An intersubjective perspective on managing temporal orientations in family firm succession

Interactions between family members of different generations often unleash powerful tensions in family firms. Intergenerational tensions can be particularly prominent during intra-family succession as a result of the different temporal orientations of senior and junior generation family members. However, scant systematic attention has thus far been paid to understanding the temporality of intergenerational tensions in family firms. Through an embedded case study, we explore the mediation process that helps family firms manage intergenerational tensions by way of temporal work. Our investigation of an advisory firm and its clients led us to identify generational brokerage as the intersubjective process through which temporal work enables generations toward the joint understanding of temporal orientations. Our theoretical insights have significant implications for developing a temporal view of succession and add novel important knowledge to research on mediation and time. Indeed, we show that generational brokerage is a dialectic construct with organizing properties able to blend disparate research streams by going beyond a unidirectional forward-flowing logic of time in examining organizational processes

The Melanocortin System behind the Dysfunctional Eating Behaviors

The dysfunction of melanocortin signaling has been associated with obesity, given the important role in the regulation of energy homeostasis, food intake, satiety and body weight. In the hypothalamus, the melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R) and melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) contribute to the stability of these processes, but MC3R and MC4R are also localized in the mesolimbic dopamine system, the region that responds to the reinforcing properties of highly palatable food (HPF) and where these two receptors seem to affect food reward and motivation. Loss of function of the MC4R, resulting from genetic mutations, leads to overeating in humans, but to date, a clear understanding of the underlying mechanisms and behaviors that promote overconsumption of caloric foods remains unknown. Moreover, the MC4R demonstrated to be a crucial modulator of the stress response, factor that is known to be strictly related to binge eating behavior. In this review, we will explore the preclinical and clinical studies, and the controversies regarding the involvement of melanocortin system in altered eating patterns, especially binge eating behavior, food reward and motivation

Investigating a Prognostic Factor for Canine Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Analysis of Different Histological Grading Systems and the Role of PIVKA-II

SIMPLE SUMMARY: PIVKA-II is an aberrant form of vitamin K that is increased in human coagulation disfunctions and in some neoplastic diseases. In veterinary medicine, PIVKA-II concentrations can be useful to identify patients with coagulative disorders in plasma and tissues, but its role as marker for hepatocellular carcinoma has not been investigated previously. In this study we characterized ed the expression of PIVKA-II in canine hepatocellular carcinomas in relation with the prognosis and some histological grading systems with the aim of finding useful prognostic factors for this canine tumour. ABSTRACT: Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in dogs is uncommon and often associated with a good prognosis, although some cases prove to be aggressive. In human oncology HCC is often very aggressive and diagnostic methods and prognostic factors are widely used to predict its biological behaviour. These include the expression of PIVKA-II. Methods: in order to identify a prognostic factor for canine HCC, we applied different methods of histological grading and investigated PIVKA-II expression in 22 HCC of dogs treated surgically and followed clinically for at least 2 years. Results: Nineteen patients analysed have passed the observation period without tumour recurrence, while 3 died following the development of metastases. PIVKA-II was positive in 15/22 cases without correlation with prognosis or tumoural grading even if a trend of PIVKA-II negativity in low WHO grades as well as increased number of PIVKA-II positive cases in higher WHO grades weres observed. Conclusions: This work showed that, PIVKA-II cannot be considered either as a marker of malignancy or as a prognostic marker for canine HCC. The poor prognosis depends usually on the clinical presentation. Thus prognostic parameters in canine HCC able to predict its aggressive behaviour through histological examination are still missing. The most promising method, limited to our study, seems to be the WHO histological grading

Action Observation Combined With Conventional Training Improves the Rugby Lineout Throwing Performance: A Pilot Study

Combining action observation (AO) and physical practice contributes to motor skill learning, and a number of studies pointed out the beneficial role of AO training in improving the motor performance and the athletes' movement kinematics. The aim of this study was to investigate if AO combined with immediate conventional training was able to improve motor performance and kinematic parameters of a complex motor skill such as the lineout throw, a gesture that represents a key aspect of rugby, that is unique to this sport. Twenty elite rugby players were divided into two groups. The AO group watched a 5-min video-clip of an expert model performing the lineout throw toward a target at 7 m distance and, immediately after the AO, this group executed the conventional training, consisting of six repetitions x five blocks of throws. The CONTROL group performed only the conventional lineout training. Intervention period lasted 4 weeks, 3 sessions/week. The AO group showed significant improvements in throwing accuracy (i.e., number of throws hitting the target), whilst no significant changes were observed in the CONTROL group. As concerns kinematic parameters, hooker's arm mean velocity significantly increased in both groups, but the increase was higher in AO group compared to CONTROL group. Ball velocity significantly increased only in the AO group, whereas ball angle release and ball spinning significantly decreased in both groups, with no differences between groups. Finally, no significant changes in knee and elbow angles were observed. Our results showed that the combination of AO and conventional training was more effective than a conventional training alone in improving the performance of elite rugby players, in executing a complex motor skill, such as the lineout. This combined training led to significant improvements in throwing accuracy and in hooker's and ball's kinematic parameters. Since AO can be easily implemented in combination with conventional training, the results of this study can encourage coaches in designing specific lineout training programs, which include AO cognitive training

A hydrogeological study to support the optimized management of the main sea level aquifer of the island of Malta

Management groundwater resources, coastal aquifer, seawater intrusion, safe-yield, Malta