A new iron free treatment with oral fi sh cartilage polysaccharide for iron defi ciency chronic anemia in infl ammatory bowel diseases: A pilot study

Abstract AIM: To investigate the effect of a new oral preparation, highly concentrated in fish cartilage, in a group of infl ammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients with chronic iron defi cient anemia. METHODS: In an open label pilot study, we supplemented a group of 25 patients (11 with Crohn's disease and 14 with ulcerative colitis) in stable clinical conditions and chronic anemia with a food supplement which does not contain iron but contains a standardized fraction of fish cartilage glycosaminoglycans and a mixture of antioxidants (Captafer Medestea, Turin, Italy). Patients received 500 mg, twice a day during meals, for at least 4 mo. Patients were suggested to maintain their alimentary habit. At time 0 and after 2 and 4 mo, emocrome, sideremia and ferritin were examined. Paired data were analyzed with Student's t test. RESULTS: Three patients relapsed during the study (2 in the 3 rd mo, 1 in the 4 th mo), two patients were lost to follow up and two patients dropped out (1 for orticaria, 1 for gastric burning). Of the remaining 18 patients, levels of serum iron started to rapidly increase within the 2 nd mo of treatment, P < 0.05), whereas serum ferritin and hemoglobin needed a longer period to signifi cantly improve their serum levels (mo 4) P < 0.05). The product was safe, easy to administer and well tolerated by patients. CONCLUSION: These data suggest a potential new treatment for IBD patients with iron defi ciency chronic anemia and warrant further larger controlled studies

Cancer of the Esophagus - Endoscopic Ultrasound: Selection for Cure

Several treatment options are available to treat esophageal cancer. Ideally, treatment should be individualized, based on the projected treatment outcome for that individual. Accurate staging of the extent of the disease at the time of diagnosis offers the most rational attempt at stratifying patients into categories that can be used to affect treatment choices. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is the most accurate nonoperative technique for determining the depth of tumour infiltration and thus is accurate in predicting which patients will be able to undergo complete resection. EUS is also being used for tumour staging in order to guide treatment decisions in patients with esophageal cancer

Cancer of the Esophagus - Endoscopic Ultrasound: Selection for Cure

Several treatment options are available to treat esophageal cancer. Ideally, treatment should be individualized, based on the projected treatment outcome for that individual. Accurate staging of the extent of the disease at the time of diagnosis offers the most rational attempt at stratifying patients into categories that can be used to affect treatment choices. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is the most accurate nonoperative technique for determining the depth of tumour infiltration and thus is accurate in predicting which patients will be able to undergo complete resection. EUS is also being used for tumour staging in order to guide treatment decisions in patients with esophageal cancer

The health potential of urban water: Future scenarios on local risks and opportunities

Although cities can be characterised as sources of economic, environmental and social challenges, they can also be part of the solution for healthy and sustainable societies. While most cities are situated close to water, whether inland waterways, lakes, or the sea, these blue spaces are not integrated into urban planning to their full potential and their public health impacts are not always recognised by planning authorities. Furthermore, cities face future challenges regarding climate change, socio-economic developments like tourism, urbanization, and rising social inequalities. The development of healthy blue spaces can support cities in their pursuit of ways to confront these challenges. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary analyses of the local impacts of these trends and promising interventions have been scarce to date. This study explores the use of such methodology by presenting experiences related to five European cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Plymouth, Tallinn and Thessaloniki, using an interactive and participative approach with local experts and stakeholders. Future scenarios have been developed based on the question: How can blue spaces contribute to a healthier city population, given the long term trends? The results highlight the importance of addressing the local context when seeking sustainable solutions for cities. The future scenarios deliver information that could serve as useful input for local planning processes

Status of the radio receiver system of the Sardina Radio Telescope

In this article, we present the design and performances of the radio receiver system installed at the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT). The three radio receivers planned for the first light of the Sardinian Telescope have been installed in three of the four possible focus positions. A dual linear polarization coaxial receiver that covers two frequency bands, the P-band (305-410 MHz) and the L-band (1.3-1.8 GHz) is installed at the primary focus. A mono-feed that covers the High C-band (5.7-7.7 GHz) is installed at the beam waveguide foci. A multi-beam (seven beams) K-band receiver (18- 26.5 GHz) is installed at the Gregorian focus. Finally, we give an overview about the radio receivers, which under test and under construction and which are needed for expanding the telescope observing capabilities

The Sardinia Radio Telescope Front-Ends

The 64 m diameter Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) has recently started an early science program using three cryogenic front-ends covering four bands: P-band (305-410 MHz), L-band (1.3-1.8 GHz), high C-band (5.7-7.7 GHz), K-band (18-26.5 GHz). The L- and the P-bands can be observed simultaneously with a single coaxial receiver installed at the primary focus, while a seven beam K-band receiver and a mono-feed high C-band receiver are installed, respectively at the secondary and beam waveguide focus. Additional front-ends are under construction to further expand the telescope observing capabilities. We report on the design and performance of the front-ends already installed on SRT and give an overview of the new ones to be completed in the near future

The health potential of urban water: Future scenarios on local risks and opportunities

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordAlthough cities can be characterised as sources of economic, environmental and social challenges, they can also be part of the solution for healthy and sustainable societies. While most cities are situated close to water, whether inland waterways, lakes, or the sea, these blue spaces are not integrated into urban planning to their full potential and their public health impacts are not always recognised by planning authorities. Furthermore, cities face future challenges regarding climate change, socio-economic developments like tourism, urbanization, and rising social inequalities. The development of healthy blue spaces can support cities in their pursuit of ways to confront these challenges. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary analyses of the local impacts of these trends and promising interventions have been scarce to date. This study explores the use of such methodology by presenting experiences related to five European cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Plymouth, Tallinn and Thessaloniki, using an interactive and participative approach with local experts and stakeholders. Future scenarios have been developed based on the question: How can blue spaces contribute to a healthier city population, given the long term trends? The results highlight the importance of addressing the local context when seeking sustainable solutions for cities. The future scenarios deliver information that could serve as useful input for local planning processes.European Union Horizon 202

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

The high-frequency upgrade of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

We present the status of the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) and its forthcoming update planned in the next few years. The post-process scenario of the upgraded infrastructure will allow the national and international scientific community to use the SRT for the study of the Universe at high radio frequencies (up to 116 GHz), both in single dish and in interferometric mode. A telescope like SRT, operating at high frequencies, represents a unique resource for the scientific community. The telescope will be ideal for mapping quickly and with relatively high angular resolution extended radio emissions characterized by low surface brightness. It will also be essential for spectroscopic and polarimetric studies of both Galactic and extragalactic radio sources. With the use of the interferometric technique, SRT and the other Italian antennas (Medicina and Noto) will operate within the national and international radiotelescope network, allowing astronomers to obtain images of radio sources at very high angular resolution

Status of the High-Frequency Upgrade of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

The Sardinia Radio Telescope is going through a major upgrade aimed at observing the universe at up to 116 GHz. A budget of 18.700.000 E has been awarded to the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics to acquire new state-of-the-art receivers, back-end, and high-performance computing, to develop a sophisticated metrology system and to upgrade the infrastructure and laboratories. This contribution draws the status of the whole project at eight months from the end of the funding scheme planned for August 2022