Un Fallo Del Tedh Que Denota Su Postura Acerca De La Gestación Por Sustitución: La Tarea De Enfrentar Los Conflictos Que Plantea Una Práctica “Sin Sustento Legal”, Priorizando Sus Efectos.

Desde una perspectiva realista se posiciona el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos en lo sucesivo TEDH encauzando el debate que se viene dando en la regi n en torno a la gestaci n por sustituci n 1 y tomando una postura determinada con respecto al tema Seguramente la tarea ha sido dificultosa ya que este pronunciamiento im plic romper con algunos esquemas cl sicos acerca de la filiaci n cuyo debate se presenta en varios puntos del mundo -inclusive en nuestro pa s2- De esta forma el Tribunal puso fin a un conflicto jur dico -con cuestiones ticas y morales de fondo- de gran complejidad abord ndolo sin abstracciones y posibilitando el asentamiento de las bases para futuras aperturas normativas As el 26 de junio de 2014 el TEDH ha dictado su sentencia declarando en los asuntos 65192 11 Mennesson c Francia y 65941 11 Labassee c Francia la violaci n del ar

Seismic vulnerability of churches in Faial and Pico islands, Azores

Earthquakes represent one of the main cause of serious damage and loss of historic and architectural heritage. Interventions to preserve these building should start with a careful knowledge and assessment of their seismic vulnerability, in order to support any needed retrofitting and strengthening measures. This paper proposes a procedure to register and diagnose of the level of damage on churches after the occurrence of an earthquake, and also to assess the seismic vulnerability of this type of construction. This procedure was applied to sixteen churches in the Azores islands which were hit by the July 9th 1998 earthquake. Belfries of church towers are elements with a particular seismic vulnerability. For this reason, and based on the Italian methodology proposed by the Linee Guida (2006), it is applied to belfries of two churches from Pico (Azores), a simplified mechanical model for assessment of seismic vulnerability of this type of structures

Current formulation approaches in design and development of solid oral dosage forms through three-dimensional printing

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies are continuously applied to novel fields, laying the foundations for a new industrial revolution. With regard to pharmaceutical sciences, 3D printed drug products are emerging as attractive and innovative tools in personalised medicine. For example, solid oral dosage forms (e.g. tablets) can be printed in a wide range of dosages, release profiles, geometries and sizes by simply modifying a digital model, thus providing patients with tailored therapies. Various 3D printing technologies have been applied to pharmaceutical manufacture in recent years, and different materials have been investigated to fabricate solid oral dosage forms in a broad range of properties. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the state of the art of 3D printing oral pharmaceuticals, with the view to provide formulation scientists with essential information to approach the development of 3D printed drug products, from digital design to final product quality control. Short- to long-term potential areas of application of 3D printed drug products and their relative regulatory pathway challenges are also presented

Metodologia para a avaliação da vulnerabilidade sísmica do património religioso: caso de estudo - Faial e Pico, Açores

Os sismos representam uma das grandes causas de danos graves e perda do património histórico e arquitectónico. Qualquer intervenção de reabilitação destes edifícios deve partir de uma cuidada avaliação e análise da sua vulnerabilidade sísmica, de modo a desenvolver, se necessário, estratégias de reforço sísmico adequadas. O principal objectivo do presente artigo é estudar a vulnerabilidade sísmica do património religioso das ilhas do Faial e do Pico, nos Açores. Para tal, numa primeira parte deste trabalho, é proposta uma metodologia para o diagnóstico e registo do grau de dano em igrejas após a ocorrência de um sismo, assim como para a avaliação da vulnerabilidade associada a estas. A partir da análise dos danos observados em dezasseis igrejas afectadas pelo sismo de 9 de Julho de 1998 nos Açores, é elaborada uma base de dados que, para além de reunir as características de cada igreja estudada, apoia o cálculo simplificado do índice de dano, vulnerabilidade e coeficiente de segurança global. O campanário das torres sineiras é um elemento particularmente vulnerável aos sismos, devido à sua geometria típica. Por um lado, a existência de grandes aberturas a certos níveis produz tipicamente elementos verticais muito esbeltos. Por outro lado, a elevada concentração de massa no topo das torres também contribui para esta vulnerabilidade. Assim, na segunda parte deste trabalho, é aplicada a metodologia italiana, proposta na Linee Guida per la Valutazione e Reduzione del Rischio Sísmico del Patrimônio Culturale, aos campanários de duas igrejas localizadas na ilha do Pico, com base num modelo mecânico simplificado para a avaliação da vulnerabilidade deste tipo de estruturas. Com o trabalho desenvolvido, pretende-se contribuir para uma sistematização de processos de inspecção e registo de informação relativa a igrejas, com vista a apoiar estratégias de intervenção quer em situações de pós-sismo, quer na mitigação do risco sísmico destas estruturas

Tailoring the Photoelectrochemical Activity of TiO2 Electrodes by Multilayer Screen-Printing

Screen‐printing is a commonly used method for the preparation of photoelectrodes. Although previous studies have explored the effect of the number of printed layers on the efficiency of dye‐sensitized solar cells, its interplay with the photoelectrocatalytic properties of the electrodes has rarely been examined. This study focuses on this issue by studying the photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of methanol over TiO2 electrodes. Incident photon‐to‐current efficiencies reached 87 % at the optimal conditions of monochromatic (338 nm) irradiation of one‐layer films at 0.2 V vs NHE. However, the irradiation wavelength and applied bias strongly influenced the relative behavior of the films. For instance, at 0.5 V and 327 nm irradiation, the one‐layer electrode was 6 times more efficient than the four‐layer one, while at 385 nm the four‐layer electrode was 3.5 times more efficient. The results were explained on the basis of differing light absorption properties and charge carrier lifetimes. Modelling and quantification of the electron diffusion length (5.7 μm) helped to explain why the two‐layer electrode (4.89 μm thick) showed the most consistent efficiencies across all conditions. Complementarily, transient absorption spectroscopy was used to correlate the thicknesses with charge carrier lifetimes. Electron transfer to FTO was apparent only for the thinner electrode. Our work shows that the optimization of photoelectrocatalytic processes should include the number of layers as a key variable

Ileocecal reservoir reconstruction after total mesorectal excision: functional results of the long-term follow-up

Background: The aim of this study is to obtain functional results of the long-term follow-up after TME and ileocecal interposition as rectal replacement. Methods: The study included patients operated on between March 1993 and August 1997 who received an ileocecal interposition as rectal replacement. Follow-up was carried out 3 and 5 years postoperatively. For statistical analysis, the paired t-test, rank test (Wilcoxon), and chi-square or Fisher's exact test were applied; level of significance, P<0.05. Results: Forty-four patients were included in the studies. Of these, five were not available and four patients could not be evaluated (dementia 1, radiation proctitis 1, fistula 1, pouchitis 1). Seventeen patients died during the observation period; 12 died of the disease. Recurrence of the disorder occurred in 2 of 35 patients (5.7%); 26 and 18 patients, 3 and 5 years postoperatively, respectively remained in the study. At 5 years, 78% of the patients were continent; mean stool frequency was 2.5±1.6 per day. Conclusions: Functional results and subjective assessment of ileocecal interposition were constant at 3 and 5 years postoperatively. If construction of a colonic J-pouch is not possible due to lack of colonic length, especially after prior colonic resections, the ileocecal interpositional reservoir may offer an alternative to rectal replacemen

Tempeh flour as a substitute for soybean flour in coconut cookies.

The objective of this study was to prepare roasted and lyophilized tempeh flour with soybean cultivar BRS 267 to apply them in the formulation of coconut biscuits. The cookies produced with whole soy flour and mixed flour of soybean and tempeh were evaluated for proximate composition, fatty acid profile, and isoflavone aglycones in order to verify the effects of inoculation with the fungus Rhizopus oligosporus and those of the drying processes of roasting and lyophilization on the chemical characteristics of the final product. Sensory acceptance and purchase intention of the formulated products were also evaluated. The results indicate the maintenance of linolenic acid, which is important in the prevention of coronary diseases, and an increase in the aglycones levels when the tempeh flour was used. Lipids and proteins showed differences, and the sensory analyses demonstrated similarity between the cookies with satisfactory scores for aroma, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability for both samples. when compared to the control. Purchase intent was also positive for the lyophilized and toasted tempeh flours, thus enabling the use of the roasting process as a simple drying method, for processing tempeh and obtaining a flour rich in proteins and aglycones that can be used as a partial substitute for soy flour in cookies and other bakery products

Sunitinib Exerts In Vitro Immunomodulatory Activity on Sarcomas via Dendritic Cells and Synergizes With PD-1 Blockade

Background: High-grade sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of aggressive tumors arising in bone and soft tissues. After relapse, treatment options are limited. The multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) sunitinib and inhibitor of PD-1 (anti-PD-1) nivolumab have shown antitumor activity in selected subtypes. In this study, we examine the role of TKIs and PD-1 based therapy in in vitro cocultures of sarcoma. Methods: The human osteosarcoma (SaOS-2) and synovial sarcoma (SYO-1) cell lines were treated with sunitinib. After cell death and proliferation assessment, expression of PD-L1 was analyzed by flow cytometry. Sunitinib-treated sarcoma cells were cocultured with dendritic cells (DCs), and the phenotype of mature DCs was determined by flow cytometry. Mature DCs were cultured with autologous T cells. PD-1 expression on T cells, their proliferation, T regulatory cell (Tregs) induction and IFN-γ production, before and after nivolumab exposure, were analyzed. Results: Along with its anti-proliferative and direct pro-apoptotic effect on sarcoma cell lines, sunitinib prompted PD-L1 upregulation on sarcoma cells. Interestingly, sunitinib-treated sarcoma cells drive DCs to full maturation and increase their capacity to induce sarcoma-reactive T cells to produce IFN-γ. Conversely, no effect on T cell proliferation and T cell subpopulation composition was observed. Moreover, both bone and synovial sarcoma cell lines induced Tregs through DCs but sunitinib treatment completely abrogated Treg induction. Finally, sarcoma cell lines induced PD-1 upregulation on both effector T cells and Tregs when loaded into DCs, providing a rationale for using PD-1 blockade. Indeed, PD-1 blockade by nivolumab synergized with sunitinib in inducing IFN-γ-producing effector T cells. Conclusions: Taken together, our in vitro data indicate that the treatment of sarcoma cells with sunitinib can exert significant changes on immune cell subsets toward immune activation, leading to DC-based cross-priming of IFN-γ-producing effector T cells and reduced Treg induction. PD-1 blockade with nivolumab has a synergistic effect with sunitinib, supporting the use of TKI and anti-PD-1 approach in sarcomas, and perhaps in other cancers. DC-targeted drugs, including toll-like receptor 3 inhibitors and CD47 inhibitors, are under development and our preclinical model might help to better design their clinical application

Stereolithography Apparatus Evolution: Enhancing Throughput and Efficiency of Pharmaceutical Formulation Development

Pharmaceutical applications of 3D printing technologies are growing rapidly. Among these, vat photopolymerisation (VP) techniques, including Stereolithography (SLA) hold much promise for their potential to deliver personalised medicines on-demand. SLA 3D printing offers advantageous features for pharmaceutical production, such as operating at room temperature and offering an unrivaled printing resolution. However, since conventional SLA apparatus are designed to operate with large volumes of a single photopolymer resin, significant throughput limitations remain. This, coupled with the limited choice of biocompatible polymers and photoinitiators available, hold back the pharmaceutical development using such technologies. Hence, the aim of this work was to develop a novel SLA apparatus specifically designed to allow rapid and efficient screening of pharmaceutical photopolymer formulations. A commercially available SLA apparatus was modified by designing and fabricating a novel resin tank and build platform able to 3D print up to 12 different formulations at a single time, reducing the amount of sample resin required by 20-fold. The novel SLA apparatus was subsequently used to conduct a high throughput screening of 156 placebo photopolymer formulations. The efficiency of the equipment and formulation printability outcomes were evaluated. Improved time and cost efficiency by 91.66% and 94.99%, respectively, has been confirmed using the modified SLA apparatus to deliver high quality, highly printable outputs, thus evidencing that such modifications offer a robust and reliable tool to optimize the throughput and efficiency of vat photopolymerisation techniques in formulation development processes, which can, in turn, support future clinical applications

Systematic screening of photopolymer resins for Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing of solid oral dosage forms: investigation of formulation factors on printability outcomes

Pharmaceutical three-dimensional printing (3DP) is now in its golden age. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the research in 3D printed pharmaceuticals due to their potential to deliver highly personalised medicines, thus revolutionising the way medicines are designed, manufactured, and dispensed. A particularly attractive 3DP technology used to manufacture medicines is stereolithography (SLA), which features key advantages in terms of printing resolution and compatibility with thermolabile drugs. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm for pharmaceutical SLA has not been followed by the introduction of novel excipients specifically designed for the fabrication of medicines; hence, the choice of biocompatible polymers and photoinitiators available is limited. This work provides an insight on how to maximise the usefulness of the limited materials available by evaluating how different formulation factors affect printability outcomes of SLA 3D printed medicines. 156 photopolymer formulations were systematically screened to evaluate the influence of factors including photoinitiator amount, photopolymer molecular size, and type and amount of liquid filler on the printability outcomes. Collectively, these factors were found highly influential in modulating the print quality of the final dosage forms. Findings provide enhanced understanding of formulation parameters informing the future of SLA 3D printed medicines and the personalised medicines revolution