Evaluation of health conditions using POSET approach

In this contribution, we study health status of Italian aging population using an evaluation method based on the theory of partially ordered set. The method allows to create synthetic measures out of a set of ordinal indicators without the need for aggregation. After preliminary definitions, we calculate two indices to evaluate physical and mental health, and by means of regression trees we analyse the role that simple indicators play in discriminating health profiles

Effect of disinfectant agents on dimensional stability of elastomeric impression materials.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Difficulties in sterilizing impressions by traditional methods have led to chemical disinfection as an alternative, and some studies have shown that disinfectants may adversely affect impressions. PURPOSE: This study investigated the effect of disinfection methods on the dimensional stability of 6 elastomeric materials. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Impression materials were submitted to the following treatments: immersion in 5.25% sodium hypochlorite solution for 10 minutes, immersion in 2% glutaraldehyde solution for 30 minutes, and no immersion (control). After treatments, impressions were poured, and respective stone casts were measured with a Nikon Profile projector and compared with the master model. RESULTS: The elastomeric materials had different reproduction capacities, and the disinfecting treatments did not differ from the control

A Poset perspective for the evaluation of self-reported health of the elderly in Italy

Measuring health status is becoming a more and more relevant task, especially in relation to ageing societies. In this contribution, we first propose the use of a methodology based on the theory of Ordered Sets that allows to build synthetic indicators out of a set of ordinal variables, respecting the ordinal nature of the variables included. Secondly, using survey data, we calculate two synthetic indicators to evaluate self-rated health status of the elderly population living in Italy

Apoptosis and recognition of senescent cells in a compound ascidian: a comparison with Vertebrates.

Programmed cell death by apoptosis is a fundamental process in the develop-ment and tissue homeostasis of Vertebrates. Although widespread among meta-zoans, few data are available on the role of apoptosis in invertebrates. Ascidians are tunicates belonging to the phylum Chordata and, therefore, closely related to Vertebrates. We studied the expression of markers related to apoptosis and recognition of senescent cells in this group of organisms. Adult zooids of the ascidian Botryllus schlosseri are cyclically resorbed and replaced by zooids of new blastogenic generations. Take-over lasts about 20 h and is characterised by massive apoptosis in zooid tissues. During this period, a significant increase in the amount of phagocytes engulfed with dying cells or cell debris, as compared to mid-cycle stages, occurs. In addition, a significant higher frequency of cells expressing Bax, Fas and FasL, and of Bcl-2-negative cells is observed. These observations are consistent with the occurrence of both mitochondria-independent and mitochondria-dependent pathways of cell death induction. The amount of cells expressing phosphatidylserine and anti-CD36 on their surface increased as colonies approach take-over. As both these markers are involved in the recognition of effete cells by phagocytes, results strongly suggest that fundamental recognition mechanisms are well conserved throughout Chordate evolution

What can we learn from systematic segmental analysis of fetal heart by postmortem micro-CT: Is it time to change approach?

Background: Postmortem analysis of fetal heart is crucial but challenging. Alternative techniques to autopsy have been studied. We investigate micro-CT diagnostic accuracy in the analysis of fetal heart coming from early and late termination of pregnancy. Methods: Micro-CT and autopsy analyzed human fetal heart using twenty-six indices of cardiac anatomy derived from segmental approach. Sub-analysis of smaller specimens was performed. Primary outcome is the agreement between techniques. Secondary outcomes are sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value. Indices are defined “visible” or “non-visible” (primary end point) and “normal”, “abnormal” or “non-diagnostic” (secondary end point). Results: Fifty-five cases were included. Agreement was 74.5% and 65.2% for primary end point and 93.3% and 91.8% for secondary end point in general population and in the group of smaller specimens, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value were 92.8%, 51.8%, 67.1%, 87.2% in the general population and 92.8%, 47.8%, 54.3%, 90.9% in the subgroup of smaller specimens for primary end point. They were 97.3%, 68.3%, 95.1%, 80.0% in the general population and 95.7%, 75.6%, 94.2%, 81.0% in the subgroup of smaller specimens for secondary end point. 86.1% and 91.5% of indices defined as “non-diagnostic” at autopsy would be visible by micro-CT in the two studied populations. Conclusion: Micro-CT represents a valid alternative to autopsy for postmortem evaluation of human fetal heart. We proposed to use micro-CT for initial analysis of fetal heart and to perform autopsy only in unsolved cases or if histological analysis is needed