On the seismic design of one-story precast structures for P-Δ effects

P-Δ effects can reduce the seismic safety of structures under seismic actions and they can be vital for one-story precast buildings because of the large flexibility of columns. According to European building code, P-Δ effects can be taken into account by following some design requirements. Such requirements can significantly influence the design of the structures since they may provide the amplification of the seismic demand by means of the stability factor as well as the oversizing of the elements. This study investigates the influence of P-Δ effects on the seismic performance of precast one-story structures. An extensive parametric study is performed on one-story precast structures by varying some geometric features of the structure and the seismicity level of the site. Nonlinear dynamic analyses are performed by using Newmark’s method on all the case studies and the results of the first order and second order analysis are compared and discussed. Moreover, different design approaches are adopted in order to assess the Eurocode provisions for P-Δ effects. The results of the nonlinear dynamic analyses demonstrate that the overstrength, due to seismic detailing of columns and the materials overstrength, induces very low ductility demand for the structures. Indeed, even if P-Δ effects are totally neglected in the design phase, the overstrength due to other code prescriptions (e.g. minimum longitudinal reinforcement ratio) can still induce low ductility demand. Moreover it is demonstrated that the code prescriptions on P-Δ effects do not generally increase the structural safety and an alternative design approach is proposed, which gives both safer and cheaper structures than the ones currently designed according to Eurocodes

Induction of annexin-1 during TRAIL-induced apoptosis in thyroid carcinoma cells

We investigated the expression of annexin-1 (ANXA1) in thyroid carcinoma cell lines and in thyroid cancers with a different degree of differentiation. The highest level of ANXA1 expression examined by Western blotting was detected in the papillary carcinoma cells (NPA) and in the follicular cells (WRO). On the other hand, the most undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma cells (ARO and FRO) presented the lowest level of ANXA1 expression. In surgical tissue specimens from 32 patients with thyroid cancers, we found high immunoreactivity for ANXA1 in papillary (PTC) and follicular (FTC) thyroid cancers while in undifferentiated thyroid cancers (UTC) the expression of the protein was barely detectable. Control thyroid tissue resulted positive for ANXA1. In summary, 70% of UTC examined weakly expressed ANXA1, whereas 65% of PTC or FTC specimens tested showed high expression of the protein. Thus ANXA1 expression may correlate with the tumorigenesis suggesting that the protein may represent an effective differentiation marker in thyroid cancer

The +276 G/T Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of the Adiponectin Gene Is Associated With Coronary Artery Disease in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

OBJECTIVE —Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the adiponectin locus (+45T>G and +276G>T) have been associated with low circulating adiponectin levels, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. We investigated whether these genetic markers are determinants of coronary artery disease (CAD) in type 2 diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —A total of 376 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients were studied: 142 case subjects with coronary stenosis >50% or previous myocardial infarction and 234 control subjects with no symptoms, no electrocardiogram (ECG) signs of myocardial ischemia, and a normal ECG stress test ( n = 189) and/or ( n = 45) with coronary stenosis ≤50%. RESULTS —No association with CAD was observed for the +45 SNP ( P = 0.48). By contrast, a significant association was observed for the +276 SNP, with T/T homozygotes having a lower risk of CAD than carriers of other genotypes (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.13 [95% CI 0.037–0.46], P = 0.002). A similarly protective effect of the +276 T/T genotype was observed in 110 case and 45 control subjects for whom the CAD status had been determined by angiography (0.04 [0.006–0.30], P = 0.002).  Serum adiponectin, although clearly related to several features of the proatherogenic/insulin-resistant phenotype, was not different between control subjects and CAD patients (26 ± 17 vs. 25 ± 13 μg/ml). CONCLUSIONS —In conclusion, the +276 G>T polymorphism is a determinant of CAD risk in type 2 diabetic patients. This marker may assist in the identification of diabetic individuals at especially high risk of CAD, so that preventive programs can be targeted at these subjects

Augmented Reality to Guide Selective Clamping and Tumor Dissection During Robot-assisted Partial Nephrectomy: A Preliminary Experience.

ABSTRACT Introduction to explore the feasibility of augmented reality (AR) to guide arterial clamping during robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). Patients and Methods 15 consecutive patients with T1 renal mass underwent RAPN guided by AR. The 3D virtual model derived by computed tomography was superimposed on the actual view provided by the Da Vinci video stream thought AR technology. Preoperative plan of arterial clamping based on 2D conventional imaging, on 3D model and the effective intraoperative surgical approach guided by AR were compared using the McNeamar test. Results The plan of arterial clamping based on 2D preoperative imaging was recorded as follows: no clamping in 3 (20%), clamping of the main artery in 10 (66.7%) and selective clamping in 1 (6.7%) and super-selective clamping in 1 (6.7%) cases. After revision of the 3D model, the plan of clamping was modified as follows: no clamping in 1 (6.7%), clamping of the main artery in 2 (13.3%), selective clamping in 8 (53.3%) and super-selective clamping in 4 (26.7%) cases (p=0.03). The effective intraoperative clamping approach guided by AR-guidance was performed as planned in 13 (86.7%) patients. Conclusion AR for 3D guided renal surgery is useful to increase the adoption of selective clamping during RAPN

Cyclic shear tests on RC precast beam-to-column connections retrofitted with a three-hinged steel device

Recent European earthquakes demonstrated that the seismic response of RC precast structures can be significantly influenced by the connection systems. Moreover, during past seismic events, many failures of the beam-to-column connections occurred due to their inadequate strength under seismic loads. The seismic safety of these connections has a crucial role in the overall seismic capacity of existing precast structures. A new connection system is employed as a retrofitting solution for a damaged beam-to-column connection and its cyclic shear performance is investigated by means of two cyclic shear tests on two different configurations. In both the experimental tests, the results demonstrate an efficient behavior of the retrofitted connections under horizontal cyclic loads. The comparison between the performance of the investigated connection and the response of a typical beam-to-column dowel connection allows to discuss the main critical features of the dowel connection system

Circulating Cancer Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as a Novel Biomarker for Clinical Outcome Evaluation.

The recent introduction of the "precision medicine" concept in oncology pushed cancer research to focus on dynamic measurable biomarkers able to predict responses to novel anticancer therapies in order to improve clinical outcomes. Recently, the involvement of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cancer pathophysiology has been described, and given their release from all cell types under specific stimuli, EVs have also been proposed as potential biomarkers in cancer. Among the techniques used to study EVs, flow cytometry has a high clinical potential. Here, we have applied a recently developed and simplified flow cytometry method for circulating EV enumeration, subtyping, and isolation from a large cohort of metastatic and locally advanced nonhaematological cancer patients (N = 106); samples from gender- and age-matched healthy volunteers were also analysed. A large spectrum of cancer-related markers was used to analyse differences in terms of peripheral blood circulating EV phenotypes between patients and healthy volunteers, as well as their correlation to clinical outcomes. Finally, EVs from patients and controls were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and their protein cargoes were analysed by proteomics. Results demonstrated that EV counts were significantly higher in cancer patients than in healthy volunteers, as previously reported. More interestingly, results also demonstrated that cancer patients presented higher concentrations of circulating CD31+ endothelial-derived and tumour cancer stem cell-derived CD133 + CD326- EVs, when compared to healthy volunteers. Furthermore, higher levels of CD133 + CD326- EVs showed a significant correlation with a poor overall survival. Additionally, proteomics analysis of EV cargoes demonstrated disparities in terms of protein content and function between circulating EVs in cancer patients and healthy controls. Overall, our data strongly suggest that blood circulating cancer stem cell-derived EVs may have a role as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in cancer

Corrigendum to “Circulating Cancer Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as a Novel Biomarker for Clinical Outcome Evaluation”

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2019/5879616.].Peer Reviewe

A multicenter epidemiological study on second malignancy in non-syndromic pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma patients in Italy

SIMPLE SUMMARY: As no previous studies had assessed the risk of second malignant tumors in patients with pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas (PPGLs), we aimed to evaluate whether these patients could have an increased risk of additional malignancy, comparing them with patients in the general population who had a first malignancy and developed a second malignant tumor. We demonstrated that PPGL patients had higher incidence of additional malignant tumors and the risk of developing a second malignant tumor increased with age at diagnosis. As the main tumors were prostate, colorectal and lung/bronchial cancers in males, and breast cancer, differentiated thyroid cancer and melanoma in females, our findings could have an impact on the surveillance strategy. ABSTRACT: No studies have carried out an extensive analysis of the possible association between non-syndromic pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) and other malignancies. To assess >the risk of additional malignancy in PPGL, we retrospectively evaluated 741 patients with PPGLs followed-up in twelve referral centers in Italy. Incidence of second malignant tumors was compared between this cohort and Italian patients with two subsequent malignancies. Among our patients, 95 (12.8%) developed a second malignant tumor, which were mainly prostate, colorectal and lung/bronchial cancers in males, breast cancer, differentiated thyroid cancer and melanoma in females. The standardized incidence ratio was 9.59 (95% CI 5.46–15.71) in males and 13.21 (95% CI 7.52–21.63) in females. At multivariable analysis, the risk of developing a second malignant tumor increased with age at diagnosis (HR 2.50, 95% CI 1.15–5.44, p = 0.021 for 50–59 vs. 60- vs. <50-year). In patients with available genetic evaluation, a positive genetic test was inversely associated with the risk of developing a second tumor (HR 0.25, 95% CI 0.10–0.63, p = 0.003). In conclusion, PPGLs patients have higher incidence of additional malignant tumors compared to the general population who had a first malignancy, which could have an impact on the surveillance strategy

TOI-1235 b: A Keystone Super-Earth For Testing Radius Valley Emergence Models Around Early M Dwarfs

Small planets on close-in orbits tend to exhibit envelope mass fractions of either effectively zero or up to a few percent depending on their size and orbital period. Models of thermally driven atmospheric mass loss and of terrestrial planet formation in a gas-poor environment make distinct predictions regarding the location of this rocky/nonrocky transition in period–radius space. Here we present the confirmation of TOI-1235 b (P = 3.44 days, ${r}_{{\rm{p}}}={1.738}_{-0.076}^{+0.087}$ ${R}_{\oplus }$), a planet whose size and period are intermediate between the competing model predictions, thus making the system an important test case for emergence models of the rocky/nonrocky transition around early M dwarfs (R s = 0.630 ± 0.015 ${R}_{\odot }$, M s = 0.640 ± 0.016 ${M}_{\odot }$). We confirm the TESS planet discovery using reconnaissance spectroscopy, ground-based photometry, high-resolution imaging, and a set of 38 precise radial velocities (RVs) from HARPS-N and HIRES. We measure a planet mass of ${6.91}_{-0.85}^{+0.75}$ ${M}_{\oplus }$, which implies an iron core mass fraction of ${20}_{-12}^{+15}$% in the absence of a gaseous envelope. The bulk composition of TOI-1235 b is therefore consistent with being Earth-like, and we constrain an H/He envelope mass fraction to be \u3c0.5% at 90% confidence. Our results are consistent with model predictions from thermally driven atmospheric mass loss but not with gas-poor formation, suggesting that the former class of processes remains efficient at sculpting close-in planets around early M dwarfs. Our RV analysis also reveals a strong periodicity close to the first harmonic of the photometrically determined stellar rotation period that we treat as stellar activity, despite other lines of evidence favoring a planetary origin ($P={21.8}_{-0.8}^{+0.9}$ days, ${m}_{{\rm{p}}}\sin i={13.0}_{-5.3}^{+3.8}$ ${M}_{\oplus }$) that cannot be firmly ruled out by our data