Biomechanical Features of Bidirectional-barbed Suture: A Randomized Laboratory Analysis

The aim of the current prospective study was to evaluate the biomechanical stability of barbed suture vs. conventional suture. Biomechanical stability of a 14x14-cm PDO/polydioxanone, with a half circle and 36-mm needle, bidirectional barbed 0-Quill suture (Angiotech, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) vs. 1-Poliglecaprone 25 (Monocryl, Ethicon, Inc, Somerville, NJ) suture was evaluated on biological specimens. The 1-Monocryl suture was chosen because it is widely used by gynecological surgeons in the repair either of the vaginal cuff or the uterine wall defects. Forty specimens of aponeurotic muscle, obtained from abdominal wall of a lamb, were prepared, and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 repair groups: Group A (n = 20) classic repair with 1-Monocryl suture; Group B (n = 20) 0-Quill barbed suture. Each specimen was transected at the midpoint and then repaired. Biomechanical stability of the repaired specimen was verified on a CMT6000 electromechanical universal testing machine (SANS, MTS SYSTEMS, China Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China), with a 1kN cell. Biomechanical tests showed that maximum force was similar for 1-Monocryl and 0-Quill respectively (p = non-significant). This randomized laboratory study shows that biomechanical stability of the sutures is comparable

ALTERNATIVE AL CS2 PER L'ESTRAZIONE DI BTEX DA SUBSTRATI A BASE DI CARBONE ATTIVO

Nell’ambito di una ricerca mirata alla tutela della salute negli ambienti di lavoro si sono indagate procedure alternative al disolfuro di carbonio (CS2) nell’estrazione di benzene, toluene, etilbenzene e xyleni (BTEX) da substrati a base di carbone utilizzati per il monitoraggio della qualità dell’aria

Comparative gene expression profiling reveals partially overlapping but distinct genomic Nuclear ERα-β-actin network in breast cancer cells actions of different antiestrogens in human breast cancer cells

Abstract Antiestrogens used for breast cancer (BC) treatment differ among each other for the ability to affect estrogen receptor (ER) activity and thereby inhibit hormone-responsive cell functions and viability. We used high-density cDNA microarrays for a comprehensive definition of the gene pathways affected by 17b-estradiol (E2), ICI 182,780 (ICI), 4OH-tamoxifen (Tamoxifen), and raloxifene (RAL) in ER-positive ZR-75.1 cells, a suitable model to investigate estrogen and antiestrogen actions in hormone-responsive BC. The expression of 601 genes was significantly affected by E2 in these cells; in silico analysis reveals that 86 among them include one or more potential ER binding site within or near the promoter and that the binding site signatures for E2F-1, NF-Y, and NRF-1 transcription factors are significantly enriched in the promoters of genes induced by estrogen treatment, while those for CAC-binding protein and LF-A1 in those repressed by the hormone, pointing to novel transcriptional effectors of secondary responses to estrogen in BC cells. Interestingly, expression of 176 E2-regulated mRNAs was unaffected by any of the antiestrogens tested, despite the fact that under the same conditions the transcriptional and cell cycle stimulatory activities of ER were inhibited. On the other hand, of 373 antiestrogen-responsive genes identified here, 52 were unresponsive to estrogen and 25% responded specifically to only one of the compounds tested, revealing non-overlapping and clearly distinguishable effects of the different antiestrogens in BC cells. As some of these differences reflect specificities of the mechanism of action of the antiestrogens tested, we propose to exploit this gene set for characterization of novel hormonal antagonists and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and as a tool for testing new associations of antiestrogens, more effective against BC

Immaginazione e rivoluzione. Considerazioni intorno all’estetica politica di Friedrich Schiller

Al centro del saggio si trova l'immaginazione con le sue implicazioni pedagogiche e politiche. Viene inoltre indagato il rapporto tra la tragedia e la commedia, ovvero tra l'autore tragico e quello comico. Schiller stabilisce la superiorità dell'ultimo. Tale valutazione viene esemplificata con la figura di Samuel Beckett. Nel finale si confronta la cultura con la natura