Some authors have suggested that intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the bile duct(IPMN-B) could be the the biliary counterpart of IPMN of the pancreas(IPMN-P) since they share several clinical-pathological fe...Some authors have suggested that intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the bile duct(IPMN-B) could be the the biliary counterpart of IPMN of the pancreas(IPMN-P) since they share several clinical-pathological features.These include prominent intraductal papil-lary proliferation pattern,a gastrointestinal phenotype,frequent mucin hyper-secretion and progression to mu-cinous carcinoma.To date there are just four reported cases of patients with synchronous IPMN-B and IPMN-P all of which were treated surgically.We hereby report the case of a 76-year-old woman who was incidentally diagnosed with both an asymptomatic 3 cm bulky uid lesion obstructing the bile duct lumen,diagnosed as a malignant IPMN-B,and synchronous multiple pancreatic cystic lesions(10-13 mm) communicating with an irreg-ular Wirsung,diagnosed as branch duct IPMN-P.Since surgery was ruled-out because of the patient's age and preferences,she underwent a conservative manage-ment regimen comprising both chemotherapy and radio-therapy.This was effective in decreasing the mass size and in resolving subsequent jaundice.This is also the f irst reported case of IPMN-B successfully treated with chemoradiotherapy.Clinicians should consider medical treatment as an option in this clinical scenario,in pa-tients who may be unf it for surgery.展开更多
This study is aimed to assess the long-term healthrelated quality of life （HRQL） of patients after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in comparison with established norms, and to evaluate changes in HRQL during the...This study is aimed to assess the long-term healthrelated quality of life （HRQL） of patients after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in comparison with established norms, and to evaluate changes in HRQL during the different stages of follow-up after esophageal resection. A systematic review was performed by searching medical databases （Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library） for potentially relevant studies that appeared between January 1975 and March 2011. Studies were included if they addressed the question of HRQL after esophageal resection for esophageal cancer. Two researchers independently performed the study selection, data extraction and analysis processes. Twenty-one observational studies were included with a total of 1282 （12-355） patients. Five studies were performed with short form-36 （SF-36） and 16 with European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer （EORTC） QLQ c30 （14 of them also utilized the disease-specific OESI8 or its previous version OES24）.The analysis of long-term generic HRQL with SF-36 showed pooled scores for physical, role and social function after esophagectomy similar to United States norms, but lower pooled scores for physical function, vitality and general health perception. The analysis of HRQL conducted using the Global EORTC C30 global scale during a 6-mo follow-up showed that global scale and physical function were better at the baseline. The symptom scales indicated worsened fatigue, dyspnea and diarrhea 6 mo after esophagectomy. In contrast, however, emotional function had significantly improved after 6 mo. In conclusion, short- and long-term HRQL is deeply affected after esophagectomy for cancer. The impairment of physical function may be a long-term consequence of esophagectomy involving either the respiratory system or the alimentary tract. The short- and long-term improvement in the emotional function of patients who have undergone successful operations may be attributed to the impression that they have survived a near-death experienc展开更多
AIM:To assess the rate of spontaneous tube migration and to compare the effects of naso-gastric and nasointestinal(NI)(beyond the ligament of Treitz) feeding in severe acute pancreatitis(SAP).METHODS:After bedside int...AIM:To assess the rate of spontaneous tube migration and to compare the effects of naso-gastric and nasointestinal(NI)(beyond the ligament of Treitz) feeding in severe acute pancreatitis(SAP).METHODS:After bedside intragastric insertion,tube position was assessed,and enteral nutrition(EN) started at day 4,irrespective of tube localization.Patients were monitored daily and clinical and laboratory parameters evaluated to compare the outcome of patients with nasogastric(NG) or NI tube.RESULTS:Spontaneous tube migration to a NI site occurred in 10/25(40%) prospectively enrolled SAP patients,while in 15(60%) nutrition was started with a NG tube.Groups were similar for demographics and pancreatitis aetiology but computed tomography(CT) severity index was higher in NG tube patients than in NI(mean 6.2 vs 4.7,P=0.04).The CT index seemed a risk factor for failed obtainment of spontaneous distal migration.EN trough NG or NI tube were similar in terms of tolerability,safety,clinical goals,complications and hospital stay.CONCLUSION:Spontaneous distal tube migration is successful in 40% of SAP patients,with higher CT severity index predicting intragastric retention;in such cases EN by NG tubes seems to provide a pragmatic alternative opportunity with similar outcomes.展开更多
Studies have confirmed that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） can be used for treatment of several nervous system diseases. However, isolation of bone marrow-derived MSCs （BMSCs） is an invasive and...Studies have confirmed that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） can be used for treatment of several nervous system diseases. However, isolation of bone marrow-derived MSCs （BMSCs） is an invasive and painful process and the yield is very low. Therefore, there is a need to search for other alterative stem cell sources. Adipose-derived MSCs （ADSCs） have phenotypic and gene expression profiles similar to those of BMSCs. The production of ADSCs is greater than that of BMSCs, and ADSCs proliferate faster than BMSCs. To compare the effects of venous grafts containing BMSCs or ADSCs on sciatic nerve injury, in this study, rats were randomly divided into four groups： sham （only sciatic nerve exposed）, Matrigel （MG; sciatic nerve injury ＋ intravenous transplantation of MG vehicle）, ADSCs （sciatic nerve injury ＋ intravenous MG containing ADSCs）, and BMSCs （sciatic nerve injury ＋ intravenous MG containing BMSCs） groups. Sciatic functional index was calculated to evaluate the function of injured sciatic nerve. Morphologic characteristics of nerves distal to the lesion were observed by toluidine blue staining. Spinal motor neurons labeled with Fluoro-Gold were quantitatively assessed. Compared with sham-operated rats, sciatic functional index was lower, the density of small-diameter fibers was significantly increased, and the number of motor neurons significantly decreased in rats with sciatic nerve injury. Neither ADSCs nor BMSCs significantly improved the sciatic nerve function of rats with sciatic nerve injury,increased fiber density, fiber diameters, axonal diameters, myelin sheath thickness, and G ratios （axonal diameter/fiber diameter ratios） in the sciatic nerve distal to the lesion site. There was no significant difference in the number of spinal motor neurons among ADSCs, BMSCs and MG groups. These results suggest that neither BMSCs nor ADSCs provide satisfactory results for peripheral nerve repair when using MG as the conductor for engraftment.展开更多
The sixth-generation(6G)network must provide better performance than previous generations to meet the requirements of emerging services and applications,such as multi-gigabit transmission rate,higher reliability,and s...The sixth-generation(6G)network must provide better performance than previous generations to meet the requirements of emerging services and applications,such as multi-gigabit transmission rate,higher reliability,and sub-1 ms latency and ubiquitous connection for the Internet of Everything(IoE).However,with the scarcity of spectrum resources,efficient resource management and sharing are crucial to achieving all these ambitious requirements.One possible technology to achieve all this is the blockchain.Because of its inherent properties,the blockchain has recently gained an important position,which is of great significance to the 6G network and other networks.In particular,the integration of the blockchain in 6G will enable the network to monitor and manage resource utilization and sharing efficiently.Hence,in this paper,we discuss the potentials of the blockchain for resource management and sharing in 6G using multiple application scenarios,namely,Internet of things,deviceto-device communications,network slicing,and inter-domain blockchain ecosystems.展开更多
AIM:To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of abdominal ultrasound (US) for the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis in severe obese subjects and its relation to histological grade of steatosis. METHODS: A consecutive ...AIM:To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of abdominal ultrasound (US) for the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis in severe obese subjects and its relation to histological grade of steatosis. METHODS: A consecutive series of obese patients, who underwent bariatric surgery from October 2004 to May 2005, was selected. Ultrasonography was performed in all patients as part of routine preoperative time and an intraoperative wedge biopsy was obtained at the beginning of the bariatric surgery. The US and histological findings of steatosis were compared, considering histology as the gold standard. RESULTS: The study included 105 patients. The mean age was 37.2 ± 10.6 years and 75.2% were female. The histological prevalence of steatosis was 89.5%. The sensitivity and specificity of US in the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis were, respectively, 64.9% (95% CI: 54.9-74.3) and 90.9% (95% CI: 57.1-99.5). The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were, respectively, 98.4% (95% CI: 90.2-99.9) and 23.3% (95% CI: 12.3-39.0). The presence of steatosis onUS was associated to advanced grades of steatosis on histology (P = 0.016). CONCLUSION: Preoperative abdominal US in our series has not shown to be an accurate method for the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis in severe obese patients. Until another non-invasive method demonstrates better sensitivity and specificity values, histological evaluation may be recommended to these patients undergoing bariatric surgery.展开更多
Lactate, as a metabolite of easy and quick assessment, has been studied over time in critically ill patients in order to evaluate its prognostic ability. The present review is focused on the prognostic role of lactate...Lactate, as a metabolite of easy and quick assessment, has been studied over time in critically ill patients in order to evaluate its prognostic ability. The present review is focused on the prognostic role of lactate levels in acute cardiac patients(that is with acute coronary syndrome, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, non including post cardiac surgery patients). In patients with STelevation myocardial infarction treated with mechanical revascularization, hyperlactatemia identified a subset of patients at higher risk for early death and in-hospital complications, being strictly related mainly to hemodynamic derangement. The prognostic impact of hyperlactatemia on mortality has been documented in patients with cardiogenic shock and in those with cardiac arrest even if there is no cut-off value of lactate to be associated with worse outcome or to guide resuscitation or hemodynamic management. Therapeutic hypothermia seems to affect per se lactate values which have been shown to progressively decrease during hypothermia. The mechanism(s) accounting for lactate levels during hypothemia seem to be multiple ranging from the metabolic effects of reduced temperatures to the hemodynamic effects of hypothermia(i.e., reduced need of vasopressor agents). Serial lactate measurements over time, or lactate clearance, have been reported to be clinically more reliable than lactate absolute value also in acute cardiac patients. Despite differences in study design, timing of lactate measurements and type of acute cardiac conditions(i.e., cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, refractory cardiac arrest), available evidence strongly suggests that higher lactate levels can be observed on admission in non-survivors and that higher lactate clearance is associated with better outcome.展开更多
Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal accumulation disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A (Gal A), resulting in excessive storage of glycosphingolipids, particularly globotriaosy...Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal accumulation disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A (Gal A), resulting in excessive storage of glycosphingolipids, particularly globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). This leads to cellular dysfunction in various organs, with cardiovascular compromise being the major cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of FD focusing on its genetic, epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects. This study explored the genetic mutations associated with FD, its epidemiology, clinical phenotypes, cardiac manifestations, diagnostic approaches, and current treatment options. Background: FD is caused by mutations in GLA on the X chromosome, with over 1000 identified variants. Neonatal screening and specific studies have shown an increased incidence of FD. The clinical presentation varies between classic and late phenotypes, with cardiac involvement being a major concern, particularly in late-onset FD. Purpose: This study aimed to summarize the current knowledge on FD, emphasizing cardiac involvement, diagnostic modalities, and treatment options. Methods: A literature review of relevant studies on FD, including genetics, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, and treatment options, was conducted. Results: Cardiac manifestations of FD included left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden death. Diagnostic approaches such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging play crucial roles in the early detection and monitoring of cardiac involvement. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and emerging treatments have shown promise in managing FD, although challenges remain. Conclusions: FD remains a challenging condition in cardiology, with under-diagnosis being a concern. Early detection and specific therapy are essential to improve patient outcomes. Echocardiography and cardiac MRI are valuable tools for diagnosis and follow-up. De展开更多
Introduction: 68Ga-PSMA-11 is considered the gold standard in detection of micro and oligometastases in advanced prostate cancer, being used for therapeutic planning, as well as, potentially, for evaluating response t...Introduction: 68Ga-PSMA-11 is considered the gold standard in detection of micro and oligometastases in advanced prostate cancer, being used for therapeutic planning, as well as, potentially, for evaluating response to treatment. The development of ready-to-use lyophilized kit of PSMA-11 adds quality and safety to the routine use of this radiopharmaceutical and represents a pharmacotechnical challenge as it must preserve the integrity and specificity of the ligand. Methods: PSMA-11 kit formulation was proposed, considering radiolabeling parameters and the preservation of the peptide during the lyophilization process, using mannitol as an excipient. Critical temperature characterization studies were carried out using DSC equipment and the freeze-drying process was developed. The direct radiolabeling conditions were evaluated and standardized using 68Ge/68Ga generator eluate from two different manufacturers (ITG and Eckert & Ziegler). The radiochemical purity was evaluated by TLC and HPLC. Biological evaluation was carried out with lyophilized PSMA-11 to demonstrate the integrity of the peptide and preservation of biological activity after the lyophilization process. Results: Based on critical temperature characterization studies, the freeze-drying cycle was designed to reach a freezing temperature of around −40˚C and primary drying at 2˚C. Using 20 mg of mannitol, an intact and elegant lyophilized cake was obtained. PSMA-11 lyophilized kit was directly labeled with 68Ga eluate from 68Ge/68Ga GMP generators (ITG and Eckert & Ziegler) resulting in % RP > 95% at pH 4.0 to 4.5. The results obtained from in vitro and in vivo biological competition studies confirmed the preservation of PSMA-11 affinity for the receptor after lyophilization. Conclusion: A lyophilized formulation (Kit) of PSMA-11 was successfully obtained, which preserved the integrity and biological activity of the peptide and guaranteed radiolabeling efficiency.展开更多
The increasing need to manage natural resources sustainably, driven by population growth, requires the simultaneous use of Participatory Techniques (PT) and landscape planning for structured decision-making. We conduc...The increasing need to manage natural resources sustainably, driven by population growth, requires the simultaneous use of Participatory Techniques (PT) and landscape planning for structured decision-making. We conducted a bibliometric and systematic review to provide an overview of PT usage, identifying evolution in scientific production. We considered the number of publications and citations, prominent journals, and highly cited articles on scientific papers published in the Web of Science database between 1993 and 2023. A total of 415 articles related to PT were identified. After content evaluation, 19 critical articles were selected that underpin the growing combined use of models and indices with PT, enhancing the robustness and credibility of decision-making processes.展开更多
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-guided ablation procedures are emerging as a minimally invasive therapeutic alternative to radiological and surgical treatments for...Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-guided ablation procedures are emerging as a minimally invasive therapeutic alternative to radiological and surgical treatments for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PNETs), and pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs). The advantages of treatment under endoscopic control are the real-time imaging guidance and the possibility to reach a deep target like the pancreas. Currently, radiofrequency probes specifically designed for ERCP or EUS ablation are available as well as hybrid cryotherm probe combining radiofrequency with cryotechnology. To date, many reports and case series have confirmed the safety and feasibility of that kind of ablation technique in the pancreatic setting. Moreover, EUS-guided fine-needle injection is emerging as a method to deliver ablative and anti-tumoral agents inside the tumuor. Ethanol injection has been proposed mostly for the treatment of PCLs and for symptomatic functioning PNETs, and the use of gemcitabine and paclitaxel is also interesting in this setting. EUS-guided injection of chemical or biological agents including mixed lymphocyte culture, oncolytic viruses, and immature dendritic cells has been investigated for the treatment of LAPC. Data on the long-term efficacy of these approaches, and large prospective randomized studies are needed to confirm the real clinical benefits of these techniques for the management of pancreatic lesions.展开更多
Background: Osteoarthritis is a slowly progressive and debilitating disease with high prevalence in adult population. Knee is one of the joints most affected by this disorder. There are several models for animals’ os...Background: Osteoarthritis is a slowly progressive and debilitating disease with high prevalence in adult population. Knee is one of the joints most affected by this disorder. There are several models for animals’ osteoarthritis induction, however it is not identified any paper that compares these techniques. The present study was aimed to define the most appropriate model for rats osteoarthritis induction. Material and Methods: 40 Wistar rats were distributed into 4 groups of 10 animals each: normality group (NG);meniscectomy group (MG);quinolone group (QG) and iodoacetate group (IG). Radiographic images of the rat’s knees were analyzed as well as the amount of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal and articular cartilage. Results: In the radiographic analysis, there was a low correlation between the raters. Regarding the amount of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal cartilage, it was noticed that the IG and QG groups had fewer chondrocytes than NG, in contrast to MG that reported similar results to normality (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between IG and QG groups (p > 0.05). Regarding the amount of chondrocytes in articular cartilage, it was noticed that the IG group showed fewer chondrocytes than NG (p 0.05). There was no significant difference between QG and MG groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Intraarticular injection of iodoacetate in rats is the model with greatest effect on reduction of chondrocytes amount.展开更多
AIM： To investigate the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori （Hpylori） infection and its more virulent strains as well as the correlation with the histologic features among patients who had undergone surgery for g...AIM： To investigate the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori （Hpylori） infection and its more virulent strains as well as the correlation with the histologic features among patients who had undergone surgery for gastric cancer （GC）. METHODS： Samples from 317 （184 males, 133 females, mean age 69±3.4 years） consecutive patientswho had undergone surgery for gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma were included in the study. Five hundred and fifty-five （294 males, 261 females, mean age 57.3±4.1 years） patients consecutively admitted to the Emergency Care Unit served as control. Histological examination of tumor, lymph nodes and other tissues obtained at the time of surgery represented the diagnostic ＂gold standard＇： An enzyme immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum anti-H pylori （IgG） antibodies and Western blotting technique was utilized to search for anti-CagA protein （IgG）. RESULTS： Two hundred and sixty-one of three hundred and seventeen （82.3%） GC patients and 314/555 （56.5%） controls were seropositive for anti-H pylori （P〈0.0001; OR, 3.58; 95%CI, 2.53-5.07）. Out of the 317 cases, 267 （84.2%） were seropositive for anti-CagA antibody vs 100 out of 555 （18%） controls （P〈0.0001; OR, 24.30; 95%CI, 16.5-35.9）. There was no difference between the frequency of H pylori in intestinal type carcinoma （76.2%） and diffuse type cancer （78.8%）. Intestinal metaplasia （IM） was more frequent but not significant in the intestinal type cancer （83.4% vs 75.2% in diffuse type and 72.5% in mixed type）. Among the patients examined for IM, 39.8% had IM type Ⅰ, 8.3% type Ⅱ and 51.9% type Ⅲ （type IU vs others, P = 0.4）. CONCLUSION： This study confirms a high seroprevalence of H pylori infection in patients suffering from gastric adenocarcinoma and provides further evidence that searching for CagA status over H pylori infection might confer additional benefit in identifying populations at greater risk for this tumor.展开更多
The search for common characteristics between the musical abilities of humans and other animal species is still taking its frst steps.One of the most promising aspects from a comparative point of view is the analysis ...The search for common characteristics between the musical abilities of humans and other animal species is still taking its frst steps.One of the most promising aspects from a comparative point of view is the analysis of rhythmic components,which are crucial features of human communicative performance but also well-identifable patterns in the vocal displays of other species.Therefore,the study of rhythm is becoming essential to understand the mechanisms of singing behavior and the evolution of human communication.Recent fndings provided evidence that particular rhythmic structures occur in human music and some singing animal species,such as birds and rock hyraxes,but only 2 species of nonhuman primates have been investigated so far(Indri indri and Hylobates lar).Therefore,our study aims to consistently broaden the list of species studied regarding the presence of rhythmic categories.We investigated the temporal organization in the singing of 3 species of crested gibbons(Nomascus gabriellae,Nomascus leucogenys,and Nomascus siki)and found that the most prominent rhythmic category was isochrony.Moreover,we found slight variation in songs’tempo among species,with N.gabriellae and N.siki singing with a temporal pattern involving a gradually increasing tempo(a musical accelerando),and N.leucogenys with a more regular pattern.Here,we show how the prominence of a peak at the isochrony establishes itself as a shared characteristic in the small apes considered so far.展开更多
The ability to control the wavefront of light is fundamental to focusing and redistribution of light,enabling many applications from imaging to spectroscopy.Wave interaction on highly nonlinear photorefractive materia...The ability to control the wavefront of light is fundamental to focusing and redistribution of light,enabling many applications from imaging to spectroscopy.Wave interaction on highly nonlinear photorefractive materials is essentially the only established technology allowing the dynamic control of the wavefront of a light beam with another beam of light,but it is slow and requires large optical power.Here we report a proof-of-principle demonstration of a new technology for two-dimensional(2D)control of light with light based on the coherent interaction of optical beams on highly absorbing plasmonic metasurfaces.We illustrate this by performing 2D all-optical logical operations(AND,XOR and OR)and image processing.Our approach offers diffractionlimited resolution,potentially at arbitrarily-low intensity levels and with 100 THz bandwidth,thus promising new applications in space-division multiplexing,adaptive optics,image correction,processing and recognition,2D binary optical data processing and reconfigurable optical devices.展开更多
Railway infrastructure relies on the dynamic interaction between wheels and rails;thus,assessing wheel wear is a critical aspect of maintenance and safety.This paper focuses on the wheel-rail wear indicator T-gamma(T...Railway infrastructure relies on the dynamic interaction between wheels and rails;thus,assessing wheel wear is a critical aspect of maintenance and safety.This paper focuses on the wheel-rail wear indicator T-gamma(Tγ).Amidst its use,it becomes apparent that Tγ,while valuable,fails to provide a comprehensive reflection of the actual material removal and actual contact format,which means that using only Tγas a target for optimization of profiles is not ideal.In this work,three different freight wagons are evaluated:a meter-gauge and a broad-gauge heavy haul vehicles from South American railways,and a standard-gauge freight vehicle operated in Europe,with different axle loads and dissimilar new wheel/rail profiles.These vehicles are subjected to comprehensive multibody simulations on various tracks.The simulations aimed to elucidate the intricate relationship between different wear indicators:Tγ,wear index,material removal,and maximum wear depth,under diverse curves,non-compensated lateral accelerations(A_(nc)),and speeds.Some findings showed a correlation of 0.96 between Tγand wear depth and 0.82 between wear index and material removed for the outer wheel.From the results,the Tγis better than the wear index to be used when analyzing wear depth while the wear index is more suited to foresee the material lost.The results also show the low influence of A_(nc)on wear index and Tγ.By considering these factors together,the study aims to improve the understanding of wheel-rail wear by selecting the best wear analysis approaches based on the effectiveness of each parameter.展开更多
Recently,the term theragenerative has been proposed for biomaterials capable of inducing therapeutic approaches followed by repairing/regenerating the tissue/organ.This study is focused on the design of a new theragen...Recently,the term theragenerative has been proposed for biomaterials capable of inducing therapeutic approaches followed by repairing/regenerating the tissue/organ.This study is focused on the design of a new theragenerative nanocomposite composed of an amphiphilic non-ionic surfactant(Pluronic F127),bioactive glass(BG),and black phosphorus(BP).The nanocomposite was prepared through a two-step synthetic strategy,including a microwave treatment that turned BP nanosheets(BPNS)into quantum dots(BPQDs)with 5±2 nm dimensions in situ.The effects of surfactant and microwave treatment were assessed in vitro:the surfactant distributes the ions homogenously throughout the composite and the microwave treatment chemically stabilizes the composite.The presence of BP enhanced bioactivity and promoted calcium phosphate formation in simulated body fluid.The inherent anticancer activity of BP-containing nanocomposites was tested against osteosarcoma cells in vitro,finding that 150μg mL^(-1)was the lowest concentration which prevented the proliferation of SAOS-2 cells,while the counterpart without BP did not affect the cell growth rate.Moreover,the apoptosis pathways were evaluated and a mechanism of action was proposed.NIR irradiation was applied to induce further proliferation suppression on SAOS-2 cells through hyperthermia.The inhibitory effects of bare BP nanomaterials and nanocomposites on the migration and invasion of bone cancer,breast cancer,and prostate cancer cells were assessed in vitro to determine the anticancer potential of nanomaterials against primary and secondary bone cancers.The regenerative behavior of the nanocomposites was tested with healthy osteoblasts and human mesenchymal stem cells;the BPQDs-incorporated nanocomposite significantly promoted the proliferation of osteoblast cells and induced the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells.This study introduces a new multifunctional theragenerative platform with promising potential for simultaneous bone cancer therapy and regeneration.展开更多
Payments for ecosystem services (PES) have been created worldwide to assist watershed management and improve or maintain water quality. Considering their importance, we conducted a holistic review of payment for water...Payments for ecosystem services (PES) have been created worldwide to assist watershed management and improve or maintain water quality. Considering their importance, we conducted a holistic review of payment for water-related ecosystem services to understand how this instrument has been applied in watershed management worldwide. First, we identified the watershed management actions considered by the PES programs and the challenges of implementing water-related PES. After we identified the methods and criteria used to define priority areas for water-related PES. Our review considered articles published on the Web of Science from 2011 to 2022. We found 236 articles relating PES to water resources, highlighting the main water conservation strategies: native vegetation conservation, native vegetation restoration, and implementing best agricultural practices. The method most frequent was interview, followed by the use of technologies, document analysis, and hydrological models. Another significant result was that priority areas for receiving PES are mainly riparian zones, areas near or with native vegetation cover, areas with higher erosion potential, steep areas, and areas with socially vulnerable communities. This review was crucial to identify efficient water resource conservation strategies and potential challenges in the implementation and development of PES programs.展开更多
Background: Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a lymphoid proliferation related to Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus 8/human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV/HHV8) that affects mainly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individua...Background: Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a lymphoid proliferation related to Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus 8/human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV/HHV8) that affects mainly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals but can also occur in other immunodeficiency settings. It is characterized by lymphomatous effusions in different serous body cavities without the presence of a detectable tumor mass. The diagnosis is challenging and the clinical outcomes are poor. Aim: The aim of this paper is to report a rare case of PEL in a man who have sex with women (MSW) with HIV-1/2 infection, history of visceral Kaposi sarcoma (KS) and the development of a seronegative arthritis previous to the lymphoproliferative disease diagnosis. PEL presented with ascites, was treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, with a good clinical outcome. Case Presentation: We describe a case of a 48-year-old HIV-1/2-infected patient from a high HHV8 seroprevalent country, hospitalized following a three-month history of increased abdominal volume and general constitutional symptoms. Laboratory data revealed normocytic normochromic anemia and a high level of lactate dehydrogenase. A diagnostic paracentesis was performed with cytology compatible with high-grade B-cell lymphoma. Peritoneal fluid cytology showed large lymphoid cells expressing leucocyte-common antigen CD45 without expression of the CD20 antigen (B-lymphocytes) and positivity for HHV8 by immunocytochemical staining, compatible with the diagnosis of PEL.展开更多
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the focus of authorities and health organizations with respect to other infectious diseases. This review aims to examine the changes in global epidemiological parameters related to Zi...The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the focus of authorities and health organizations with respect to other infectious diseases. This review aims to examine the changes in global epidemiological parameters related to Zika virus during the COVID-19 pandemic and the progress made since 2020 in various aspects of infection. A narrative review was conducted, focusing on articles published between January 2020 and June 2023, covering epidemiology, pathogenicity, transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of Zika virus. The findings of this survey reveal that there has been a significant decrease in reported cases of Zika virus infection during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, advancements have been made in understanding the pathogenicity of the virus and the development of new diagnostic methods, vaccines, and treatments. The lessons learned from the response to COVID-19 have played a pivotal role in guiding efforts that have resulted in progress regarding various aspects related to Zika virus infection.展开更多
文摘Some authors have suggested that intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the bile duct(IPMN-B) could be the the biliary counterpart of IPMN of the pancreas(IPMN-P) since they share several clinical-pathological features.These include prominent intraductal papil-lary proliferation pattern,a gastrointestinal phenotype,frequent mucin hyper-secretion and progression to mu-cinous carcinoma.To date there are just four reported cases of patients with synchronous IPMN-B and IPMN-P all of which were treated surgically.We hereby report the case of a 76-year-old woman who was incidentally diagnosed with both an asymptomatic 3 cm bulky uid lesion obstructing the bile duct lumen,diagnosed as a malignant IPMN-B,and synchronous multiple pancreatic cystic lesions(10-13 mm) communicating with an irreg-ular Wirsung,diagnosed as branch duct IPMN-P.Since surgery was ruled-out because of the patient's age and preferences,she underwent a conservative manage-ment regimen comprising both chemotherapy and radio-therapy.This was effective in decreasing the mass size and in resolving subsequent jaundice.This is also the f irst reported case of IPMN-B successfully treated with chemoradiotherapy.Clinicians should consider medical treatment as an option in this clinical scenario,in pa-tients who may be unf it for surgery.
文摘This study is aimed to assess the long-term healthrelated quality of life （HRQL） of patients after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in comparison with established norms, and to evaluate changes in HRQL during the different stages of follow-up after esophageal resection. A systematic review was performed by searching medical databases （Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library） for potentially relevant studies that appeared between January 1975 and March 2011. Studies were included if they addressed the question of HRQL after esophageal resection for esophageal cancer. Two researchers independently performed the study selection, data extraction and analysis processes. Twenty-one observational studies were included with a total of 1282 （12-355） patients. Five studies were performed with short form-36 （SF-36） and 16 with European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer （EORTC） QLQ c30 （14 of them also utilized the disease-specific OESI8 or its previous version OES24）.The analysis of long-term generic HRQL with SF-36 showed pooled scores for physical, role and social function after esophagectomy similar to United States norms, but lower pooled scores for physical function, vitality and general health perception. The analysis of HRQL conducted using the Global EORTC C30 global scale during a 6-mo follow-up showed that global scale and physical function were better at the baseline. The symptom scales indicated worsened fatigue, dyspnea and diarrhea 6 mo after esophagectomy. In contrast, however, emotional function had significantly improved after 6 mo. In conclusion, short- and long-term HRQL is deeply affected after esophagectomy for cancer. The impairment of physical function may be a long-term consequence of esophagectomy involving either the respiratory system or the alimentary tract. The short- and long-term improvement in the emotional function of patients who have undergone successful operations may be attributed to the impression that they have survived a near-death experienc
文摘AIM:To assess the rate of spontaneous tube migration and to compare the effects of naso-gastric and nasointestinal(NI)(beyond the ligament of Treitz) feeding in severe acute pancreatitis(SAP).METHODS:After bedside intragastric insertion,tube position was assessed,and enteral nutrition(EN) started at day 4,irrespective of tube localization.Patients were monitored daily and clinical and laboratory parameters evaluated to compare the outcome of patients with nasogastric(NG) or NI tube.RESULTS:Spontaneous tube migration to a NI site occurred in 10/25(40%) prospectively enrolled SAP patients,while in 15(60%) nutrition was started with a NG tube.Groups were similar for demographics and pancreatitis aetiology but computed tomography(CT) severity index was higher in NG tube patients than in NI(mean 6.2 vs 4.7,P=0.04).The CT index seemed a risk factor for failed obtainment of spontaneous distal migration.EN trough NG or NI tube were similar in terms of tolerability,safety,clinical goals,complications and hospital stay.CONCLUSION:Spontaneous distal tube migration is successful in 40% of SAP patients,with higher CT severity index predicting intragastric retention;in such cases EN by NG tubes seems to provide a pragmatic alternative opportunity with similar outcomes.
基金supported by Brazilian grants from Fundacao de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo(FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico(CNPq)CAPES
文摘Studies have confirmed that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） can be used for treatment of several nervous system diseases. However, isolation of bone marrow-derived MSCs （BMSCs） is an invasive and painful process and the yield is very low. Therefore, there is a need to search for other alterative stem cell sources. Adipose-derived MSCs （ADSCs） have phenotypic and gene expression profiles similar to those of BMSCs. The production of ADSCs is greater than that of BMSCs, and ADSCs proliferate faster than BMSCs. To compare the effects of venous grafts containing BMSCs or ADSCs on sciatic nerve injury, in this study, rats were randomly divided into four groups： sham （only sciatic nerve exposed）, Matrigel （MG; sciatic nerve injury ＋ intravenous transplantation of MG vehicle）, ADSCs （sciatic nerve injury ＋ intravenous MG containing ADSCs）, and BMSCs （sciatic nerve injury ＋ intravenous MG containing BMSCs） groups. Sciatic functional index was calculated to evaluate the function of injured sciatic nerve. Morphologic characteristics of nerves distal to the lesion were observed by toluidine blue staining. Spinal motor neurons labeled with Fluoro-Gold were quantitatively assessed. Compared with sham-operated rats, sciatic functional index was lower, the density of small-diameter fibers was significantly increased, and the number of motor neurons significantly decreased in rats with sciatic nerve injury. Neither ADSCs nor BMSCs significantly improved the sciatic nerve function of rats with sciatic nerve injury,increased fiber density, fiber diameters, axonal diameters, myelin sheath thickness, and G ratios （axonal diameter/fiber diameter ratios） in the sciatic nerve distal to the lesion site. There was no significant difference in the number of spinal motor neurons among ADSCs, BMSCs and MG groups. These results suggest that neither BMSCs nor ADSCs provide satisfactory results for peripheral nerve repair when using MG as the conductor for engraftment.
基金This work was supported in part by the U.K.EPSRC(EP/S02476X/1)Sichuan International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation/Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Project(2019YFH0163)Key Research and Development Project of Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology(2018JZ0071).
文摘The sixth-generation(6G)network must provide better performance than previous generations to meet the requirements of emerging services and applications,such as multi-gigabit transmission rate,higher reliability,and sub-1 ms latency and ubiquitous connection for the Internet of Everything(IoE).However,with the scarcity of spectrum resources,efficient resource management and sharing are crucial to achieving all these ambitious requirements.One possible technology to achieve all this is the blockchain.Because of its inherent properties,the blockchain has recently gained an important position,which is of great significance to the 6G network and other networks.In particular,the integration of the blockchain in 6G will enable the network to monitor and manage resource utilization and sharing efficiently.Hence,in this paper,we discuss the potentials of the blockchain for resource management and sharing in 6G using multiple application scenarios,namely,Internet of things,deviceto-device communications,network slicing,and inter-domain blockchain ecosystems.
文摘AIM:To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of abdominal ultrasound (US) for the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis in severe obese subjects and its relation to histological grade of steatosis. METHODS: A consecutive series of obese patients, who underwent bariatric surgery from October 2004 to May 2005, was selected. Ultrasonography was performed in all patients as part of routine preoperative time and an intraoperative wedge biopsy was obtained at the beginning of the bariatric surgery. The US and histological findings of steatosis were compared, considering histology as the gold standard. RESULTS: The study included 105 patients. The mean age was 37.2 ± 10.6 years and 75.2% were female. The histological prevalence of steatosis was 89.5%. The sensitivity and specificity of US in the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis were, respectively, 64.9% (95% CI: 54.9-74.3) and 90.9% (95% CI: 57.1-99.5). The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were, respectively, 98.4% (95% CI: 90.2-99.9) and 23.3% (95% CI: 12.3-39.0). The presence of steatosis onUS was associated to advanced grades of steatosis on histology (P = 0.016). CONCLUSION: Preoperative abdominal US in our series has not shown to be an accurate method for the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis in severe obese patients. Until another non-invasive method demonstrates better sensitivity and specificity values, histological evaluation may be recommended to these patients undergoing bariatric surgery.
文摘Lactate, as a metabolite of easy and quick assessment, has been studied over time in critically ill patients in order to evaluate its prognostic ability. The present review is focused on the prognostic role of lactate levels in acute cardiac patients(that is with acute coronary syndrome, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, non including post cardiac surgery patients). In patients with STelevation myocardial infarction treated with mechanical revascularization, hyperlactatemia identified a subset of patients at higher risk for early death and in-hospital complications, being strictly related mainly to hemodynamic derangement. The prognostic impact of hyperlactatemia on mortality has been documented in patients with cardiogenic shock and in those with cardiac arrest even if there is no cut-off value of lactate to be associated with worse outcome or to guide resuscitation or hemodynamic management. Therapeutic hypothermia seems to affect per se lactate values which have been shown to progressively decrease during hypothermia. The mechanism(s) accounting for lactate levels during hypothemia seem to be multiple ranging from the metabolic effects of reduced temperatures to the hemodynamic effects of hypothermia(i.e., reduced need of vasopressor agents). Serial lactate measurements over time, or lactate clearance, have been reported to be clinically more reliable than lactate absolute value also in acute cardiac patients. Despite differences in study design, timing of lactate measurements and type of acute cardiac conditions(i.e., cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, refractory cardiac arrest), available evidence strongly suggests that higher lactate levels can be observed on admission in non-survivors and that higher lactate clearance is associated with better outcome.
文摘Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal accumulation disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A (Gal A), resulting in excessive storage of glycosphingolipids, particularly globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). This leads to cellular dysfunction in various organs, with cardiovascular compromise being the major cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of FD focusing on its genetic, epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects. This study explored the genetic mutations associated with FD, its epidemiology, clinical phenotypes, cardiac manifestations, diagnostic approaches, and current treatment options. Background: FD is caused by mutations in GLA on the X chromosome, with over 1000 identified variants. Neonatal screening and specific studies have shown an increased incidence of FD. The clinical presentation varies between classic and late phenotypes, with cardiac involvement being a major concern, particularly in late-onset FD. Purpose: This study aimed to summarize the current knowledge on FD, emphasizing cardiac involvement, diagnostic modalities, and treatment options. Methods: A literature review of relevant studies on FD, including genetics, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, and treatment options, was conducted. Results: Cardiac manifestations of FD included left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden death. Diagnostic approaches such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging play crucial roles in the early detection and monitoring of cardiac involvement. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and emerging treatments have shown promise in managing FD, although challenges remain. Conclusions: FD remains a challenging condition in cardiology, with under-diagnosis being a concern. Early detection and specific therapy are essential to improve patient outcomes. Echocardiography and cardiac MRI are valuable tools for diagnosis and follow-up. De
文摘Introduction: 68Ga-PSMA-11 is considered the gold standard in detection of micro and oligometastases in advanced prostate cancer, being used for therapeutic planning, as well as, potentially, for evaluating response to treatment. The development of ready-to-use lyophilized kit of PSMA-11 adds quality and safety to the routine use of this radiopharmaceutical and represents a pharmacotechnical challenge as it must preserve the integrity and specificity of the ligand. Methods: PSMA-11 kit formulation was proposed, considering radiolabeling parameters and the preservation of the peptide during the lyophilization process, using mannitol as an excipient. Critical temperature characterization studies were carried out using DSC equipment and the freeze-drying process was developed. The direct radiolabeling conditions were evaluated and standardized using 68Ge/68Ga generator eluate from two different manufacturers (ITG and Eckert & Ziegler). The radiochemical purity was evaluated by TLC and HPLC. Biological evaluation was carried out with lyophilized PSMA-11 to demonstrate the integrity of the peptide and preservation of biological activity after the lyophilization process. Results: Based on critical temperature characterization studies, the freeze-drying cycle was designed to reach a freezing temperature of around −40˚C and primary drying at 2˚C. Using 20 mg of mannitol, an intact and elegant lyophilized cake was obtained. PSMA-11 lyophilized kit was directly labeled with 68Ga eluate from 68Ge/68Ga GMP generators (ITG and Eckert & Ziegler) resulting in % RP > 95% at pH 4.0 to 4.5. The results obtained from in vitro and in vivo biological competition studies confirmed the preservation of PSMA-11 affinity for the receptor after lyophilization. Conclusion: A lyophilized formulation (Kit) of PSMA-11 was successfully obtained, which preserved the integrity and biological activity of the peptide and guaranteed radiolabeling efficiency.
文摘The increasing need to manage natural resources sustainably, driven by population growth, requires the simultaneous use of Participatory Techniques (PT) and landscape planning for structured decision-making. We conducted a bibliometric and systematic review to provide an overview of PT usage, identifying evolution in scientific production. We considered the number of publications and citations, prominent journals, and highly cited articles on scientific papers published in the Web of Science database between 1993 and 2023. A total of 415 articles related to PT were identified. After content evaluation, 19 critical articles were selected that underpin the growing combined use of models and indices with PT, enhancing the robustness and credibility of decision-making processes.
文摘Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-guided ablation procedures are emerging as a minimally invasive therapeutic alternative to radiological and surgical treatments for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PNETs), and pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs). The advantages of treatment under endoscopic control are the real-time imaging guidance and the possibility to reach a deep target like the pancreas. Currently, radiofrequency probes specifically designed for ERCP or EUS ablation are available as well as hybrid cryotherm probe combining radiofrequency with cryotechnology. To date, many reports and case series have confirmed the safety and feasibility of that kind of ablation technique in the pancreatic setting. Moreover, EUS-guided fine-needle injection is emerging as a method to deliver ablative and anti-tumoral agents inside the tumuor. Ethanol injection has been proposed mostly for the treatment of PCLs and for symptomatic functioning PNETs, and the use of gemcitabine and paclitaxel is also interesting in this setting. EUS-guided injection of chemical or biological agents including mixed lymphocyte culture, oncolytic viruses, and immature dendritic cells has been investigated for the treatment of LAPC. Data on the long-term efficacy of these approaches, and large prospective randomized studies are needed to confirm the real clinical benefits of these techniques for the management of pancreatic lesions.
文摘Background: Osteoarthritis is a slowly progressive and debilitating disease with high prevalence in adult population. Knee is one of the joints most affected by this disorder. There are several models for animals’ osteoarthritis induction, however it is not identified any paper that compares these techniques. The present study was aimed to define the most appropriate model for rats osteoarthritis induction. Material and Methods: 40 Wistar rats were distributed into 4 groups of 10 animals each: normality group (NG);meniscectomy group (MG);quinolone group (QG) and iodoacetate group (IG). Radiographic images of the rat’s knees were analyzed as well as the amount of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal and articular cartilage. Results: In the radiographic analysis, there was a low correlation between the raters. Regarding the amount of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal cartilage, it was noticed that the IG and QG groups had fewer chondrocytes than NG, in contrast to MG that reported similar results to normality (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between IG and QG groups (p > 0.05). Regarding the amount of chondrocytes in articular cartilage, it was noticed that the IG group showed fewer chondrocytes than NG (p 0.05). There was no significant difference between QG and MG groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Intraarticular injection of iodoacetate in rats is the model with greatest effect on reduction of chondrocytes amount.
基金Supported by the grants from Regione Piemonte, Ministry of Instruction,University and Research, University of Torino, AIRC,StolaAutoSpA
文摘AIM： To investigate the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori （Hpylori） infection and its more virulent strains as well as the correlation with the histologic features among patients who had undergone surgery for gastric cancer （GC）. METHODS： Samples from 317 （184 males, 133 females, mean age 69±3.4 years） consecutive patientswho had undergone surgery for gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma were included in the study. Five hundred and fifty-five （294 males, 261 females, mean age 57.3±4.1 years） patients consecutively admitted to the Emergency Care Unit served as control. Histological examination of tumor, lymph nodes and other tissues obtained at the time of surgery represented the diagnostic ＂gold standard＇： An enzyme immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum anti-H pylori （IgG） antibodies and Western blotting technique was utilized to search for anti-CagA protein （IgG）. RESULTS： Two hundred and sixty-one of three hundred and seventeen （82.3%） GC patients and 314/555 （56.5%） controls were seropositive for anti-H pylori （P〈0.0001; OR, 3.58; 95%CI, 2.53-5.07）. Out of the 317 cases, 267 （84.2%） were seropositive for anti-CagA antibody vs 100 out of 555 （18%） controls （P〈0.0001; OR, 24.30; 95%CI, 16.5-35.9）. There was no difference between the frequency of H pylori in intestinal type carcinoma （76.2%） and diffuse type cancer （78.8%）. Intestinal metaplasia （IM） was more frequent but not significant in the intestinal type cancer （83.4% vs 75.2% in diffuse type and 72.5% in mixed type）. Among the patients examined for IM, 39.8% had IM type Ⅰ, 8.3% type Ⅱ and 51.9% type Ⅲ （type IU vs others, P = 0.4）. CONCLUSION： This study confirms a high seroprevalence of H pylori infection in patients suffering from gastric adenocarcinoma and provides further evidence that searching for CagA status over H pylori infection might confer additional benefit in identifying populations at greater risk for this tumor.
基金the University of Torino.A.R.is funded by the European Union(ERC,TOHR,101041885)Center for Music in the Brain is funded by the Danish National Research Foundation(DNRF117)The Comparative Bioacoustics Group was funded by Max Planck Group Leader funding to A.R.
文摘The search for common characteristics between the musical abilities of humans and other animal species is still taking its frst steps.One of the most promising aspects from a comparative point of view is the analysis of rhythmic components,which are crucial features of human communicative performance but also well-identifable patterns in the vocal displays of other species.Therefore,the study of rhythm is becoming essential to understand the mechanisms of singing behavior and the evolution of human communication.Recent fndings provided evidence that particular rhythmic structures occur in human music and some singing animal species,such as birds and rock hyraxes,but only 2 species of nonhuman primates have been investigated so far(Indri indri and Hylobates lar).Therefore,our study aims to consistently broaden the list of species studied regarding the presence of rhythmic categories.We investigated the temporal organization in the singing of 3 species of crested gibbons(Nomascus gabriellae,Nomascus leucogenys,and Nomascus siki)and found that the most prominent rhythmic category was isochrony.Moreover,we found slight variation in songs’tempo among species,with N.gabriellae and N.siki singing with a temporal pattern involving a gradually increasing tempo(a musical accelerando),and N.leucogenys with a more regular pattern.Here,we show how the prominence of a peak at the isochrony establishes itself as a shared characteristic in the small apes considered so far.
基金supported by the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory(Grant DSTLX1000064081)the MOE Singapore(Grant MOE2011-T3-1-005)+2 种基金the Leverhulme Trustthe University of Southampton Enterprise Fundthe UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(Grant EP/G060363/1)。
文摘The ability to control the wavefront of light is fundamental to focusing and redistribution of light,enabling many applications from imaging to spectroscopy.Wave interaction on highly nonlinear photorefractive materials is essentially the only established technology allowing the dynamic control of the wavefront of a light beam with another beam of light,but it is slow and requires large optical power.Here we report a proof-of-principle demonstration of a new technology for two-dimensional(2D)control of light with light based on the coherent interaction of optical beams on highly absorbing plasmonic metasurfaces.We illustrate this by performing 2D all-optical logical operations(AND,XOR and OR)and image processing.Our approach offers diffractionlimited resolution,potentially at arbitrarily-low intensity levels and with 100 THz bandwidth,thus promising new applications in space-division multiplexing,adaptive optics,image correction,processing and recognition,2D binary optical data processing and reconfigurable optical devices.
基金funding this study and technical support,and also to CNPQ(Grant Number 315304/2018-9)CAPES(Grant Number 88887.892546/2023-00),which funded partially this project.
文摘Railway infrastructure relies on the dynamic interaction between wheels and rails;thus,assessing wheel wear is a critical aspect of maintenance and safety.This paper focuses on the wheel-rail wear indicator T-gamma(Tγ).Amidst its use,it becomes apparent that Tγ,while valuable,fails to provide a comprehensive reflection of the actual material removal and actual contact format,which means that using only Tγas a target for optimization of profiles is not ideal.In this work,three different freight wagons are evaluated:a meter-gauge and a broad-gauge heavy haul vehicles from South American railways,and a standard-gauge freight vehicle operated in Europe,with different axle loads and dissimilar new wheel/rail profiles.These vehicles are subjected to comprehensive multibody simulations on various tracks.The simulations aimed to elucidate the intricate relationship between different wear indicators:Tγ,wear index,material removal,and maximum wear depth,under diverse curves,non-compensated lateral accelerations(A_(nc)),and speeds.Some findings showed a correlation of 0.96 between Tγand wear depth and 0.82 between wear index and material removed for the outer wheel.From the results,the Tγis better than the wear index to be used when analyzing wear depth while the wear index is more suited to foresee the material lost.The results also show the low influence of A_(nc)on wear index and Tγ.By considering these factors together,the study aims to improve the understanding of wheel-rail wear by selecting the best wear analysis approaches based on the effectiveness of each parameter.
基金support from Progetto MIUR PRIN2017-ACTION,Grant No.2017SZ5WZB and POR Campania FESR 2014-2020(Campania imaging Infrastructure for Research in Oncology-C.I.R.O)The authors also thank Maria Rosaria Bonetti for lab technical support,Cristina Del Barone for facilitating microscopy analysis,Dr.Antonio Pennetta for ICP analysis and Dr.Roberta Marzella for support to project management.CISUP(Centre for Instrument Sharing-University of Pisa)and the EUroBioImaging(EUBI)Facility at CNR(Naples)are acknowledged for the use of the Bruker Avance NEO 500 Solid State NMR spectrometer and of AxioVision microscope(Carl Zeiss Micro Imaging GmbH),respectively.
文摘Recently,the term theragenerative has been proposed for biomaterials capable of inducing therapeutic approaches followed by repairing/regenerating the tissue/organ.This study is focused on the design of a new theragenerative nanocomposite composed of an amphiphilic non-ionic surfactant(Pluronic F127),bioactive glass(BG),and black phosphorus(BP).The nanocomposite was prepared through a two-step synthetic strategy,including a microwave treatment that turned BP nanosheets(BPNS)into quantum dots(BPQDs)with 5±2 nm dimensions in situ.The effects of surfactant and microwave treatment were assessed in vitro:the surfactant distributes the ions homogenously throughout the composite and the microwave treatment chemically stabilizes the composite.The presence of BP enhanced bioactivity and promoted calcium phosphate formation in simulated body fluid.The inherent anticancer activity of BP-containing nanocomposites was tested against osteosarcoma cells in vitro,finding that 150μg mL^(-1)was the lowest concentration which prevented the proliferation of SAOS-2 cells,while the counterpart without BP did not affect the cell growth rate.Moreover,the apoptosis pathways were evaluated and a mechanism of action was proposed.NIR irradiation was applied to induce further proliferation suppression on SAOS-2 cells through hyperthermia.The inhibitory effects of bare BP nanomaterials and nanocomposites on the migration and invasion of bone cancer,breast cancer,and prostate cancer cells were assessed in vitro to determine the anticancer potential of nanomaterials against primary and secondary bone cancers.The regenerative behavior of the nanocomposites was tested with healthy osteoblasts and human mesenchymal stem cells;the BPQDs-incorporated nanocomposite significantly promoted the proliferation of osteoblast cells and induced the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells.This study introduces a new multifunctional theragenerative platform with promising potential for simultaneous bone cancer therapy and regeneration.
文摘Payments for ecosystem services (PES) have been created worldwide to assist watershed management and improve or maintain water quality. Considering their importance, we conducted a holistic review of payment for water-related ecosystem services to understand how this instrument has been applied in watershed management worldwide. First, we identified the watershed management actions considered by the PES programs and the challenges of implementing water-related PES. After we identified the methods and criteria used to define priority areas for water-related PES. Our review considered articles published on the Web of Science from 2011 to 2022. We found 236 articles relating PES to water resources, highlighting the main water conservation strategies: native vegetation conservation, native vegetation restoration, and implementing best agricultural practices. The method most frequent was interview, followed by the use of technologies, document analysis, and hydrological models. Another significant result was that priority areas for receiving PES are mainly riparian zones, areas near or with native vegetation cover, areas with higher erosion potential, steep areas, and areas with socially vulnerable communities. This review was crucial to identify efficient water resource conservation strategies and potential challenges in the implementation and development of PES programs.
文摘Background: Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a lymphoid proliferation related to Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus 8/human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV/HHV8) that affects mainly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals but can also occur in other immunodeficiency settings. It is characterized by lymphomatous effusions in different serous body cavities without the presence of a detectable tumor mass. The diagnosis is challenging and the clinical outcomes are poor. Aim: The aim of this paper is to report a rare case of PEL in a man who have sex with women (MSW) with HIV-1/2 infection, history of visceral Kaposi sarcoma (KS) and the development of a seronegative arthritis previous to the lymphoproliferative disease diagnosis. PEL presented with ascites, was treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, with a good clinical outcome. Case Presentation: We describe a case of a 48-year-old HIV-1/2-infected patient from a high HHV8 seroprevalent country, hospitalized following a three-month history of increased abdominal volume and general constitutional symptoms. Laboratory data revealed normocytic normochromic anemia and a high level of lactate dehydrogenase. A diagnostic paracentesis was performed with cytology compatible with high-grade B-cell lymphoma. Peritoneal fluid cytology showed large lymphoid cells expressing leucocyte-common antigen CD45 without expression of the CD20 antigen (B-lymphocytes) and positivity for HHV8 by immunocytochemical staining, compatible with the diagnosis of PEL.
文摘The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the focus of authorities and health organizations with respect to other infectious diseases. This review aims to examine the changes in global epidemiological parameters related to Zika virus during the COVID-19 pandemic and the progress made since 2020 in various aspects of infection. A narrative review was conducted, focusing on articles published between January 2020 and June 2023, covering epidemiology, pathogenicity, transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of Zika virus. The findings of this survey reveal that there has been a significant decrease in reported cases of Zika virus infection during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, advancements have been made in understanding the pathogenicity of the virus and the development of new diagnostic methods, vaccines, and treatments. The lessons learned from the response to COVID-19 have played a pivotal role in guiding efforts that have resulted in progress regarding various aspects related to Zika virus infection.
