1,721,390 research outputs found
MOUNTAIN ARCHITECTURE: DESIGNING BETWEEN THE DESIRE TO EXPLORE AND NEED FOR PROTECTION
No full textThe beginning of 21(st) century witnesses a recovery of interests on territories and ways of living far from urban and industrialised contexts, for this reason considered marginal and peripheral during the previous century.The aim of this study is to investigate their qualities, and specifically the ones of mountain (somebody could say alpine) architecture: do they have peculiarities? Are there common features between different types and uses? Is it possible to recognize a kind of architecture starting from the place where it has been realised?We tried to answer these questions looking at projects of residential buildings (houses, or holiday houses, colonies, lodges and bivouacs) realised or designed along the Alpine arch during the last century. Their comprehension, developed in several years of didactic works in the Interior Design Studio of the School of Architecture of Politecnico di Milano, has been supported by bibliographical analysis, drafting and realizations of models in a detailed scale. It always tried to keep the connection between detail and general scale, interior spaces and environment.A complex word seems to surround mountain buildings: landscape, that is "an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors", as the European Landscape Convention stated in 2000. Landscape, which is a complex of human works and natural elements having a value of common heritage.Architecture in its outer face, can either recall it, even in unexpected ways (using for instance geometry and materials of crystals and rocks), or transcend it, in a relationship both of dissimilarity and of mimesis.Architecture can recall its natural or human components, discussing through forms an idea of tradition, the skill to read a place and interpret it by buildings, without interrupting the continuous flow of history.Much more than in urban environment, mountain architecture, and especially residential buildings, maintain their role of shelter protecting human life and giving the possibility to dwell in a space. Architecture can thus work on strict evaluation of needs and on study of building techniques to reduce costs and times (for the short duration of building season and to the complexity of building plots), on the relationship desired with the outer world (developing the layout of rooms, studying geometry of spaces, profile of sections and windows: the height of living room of Wright's Fallingwater decrease close to the openings and sofas look inside to give a sense of protection to inhabitants), on quality and form of furniture.Mountain architecture seems to be built on antinomies, due to the tension between desire to explore and need for protection, desire to blend and will to prevail: natural/human, mimesis/dissimilarity, open/closed, wild/protected. They are all caused either by the relationship with the landscape and by the need for protection from a still wild, uncontrolled nature
One year after the ESC/EAS guidelines on cholesterol control. What's the new evidence? What's missing?
No full textThe recent ESC/EAS 2019 Guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias are centred on the causal role of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or more generally apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins, in atherosclerosis as an essential principle. Despite updated goals and recommendations, that have further highlighted the importance of a powerful reduction in LDL-C levels to reduce the individual CV risk, some challenges remain to be addressed in view of future guideline elaboration. In this review, we will summarize the new evidence from clinical trials since 2019 guideline release and discuss the possible challenges for the future
Clinical evaluation of bempedoic acid for the treatment of hyperlipidaemia
Full text linkBempedoic acid (BA) is a novel first-in-class oral lipid-lowering therapy. BA has been approved by the European Medicinal Agency and Food and Drug Administration and has been commercialised throughout Europe since the end of 2020 as an add-on therapy in patients at high/very-high cardiovascular risk that are not at LDL-C goals with current lipid-lowering treatments. Recently, Italian lipid management experts gathered to discuss several open questions on BA characteristics and BArelated practical clinical issues. The panel permitted collection of its opinions in a ten Q&A format. Aim: The aim of this viewpoint is to discuss and answer several open questions on BA characteristics and BA-related practical clinical issues. Data synthesis: The data includes main phase III studies, subanalysis and meta-analysis on BA. Conclusions: The panel permitted collection of its opinions in a ten Q&A format
Genetics of familial hypobetalipoproteinemia
Full text linkPrimary hypobetalipoproteinemias include three monogenic disorders: the relatively frequent codominant familial hypobetalipoproteinemia (FHBL), the rare recessive conditions abetalipoproteinemia (ABL) and chylomicron retention disease (CMRD). Approximately 50% of FHBL patients are carriers of mutations in the APOB gene, mostly causing the formation of truncated forms of ApoB. In some kindred, FHBL is linked to a locus on chromosome 3 (3p21), but the candidate gene is still unknown. Recently, a FHBL-like phenotype was observed in carriers of mutations of the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) gene causing loss-of-function of the encoded protein, a proprotein convertase that regulates LDL-receptor number in the liver. Inactivation of the PCSK9 protein is associated with an increased number of LDL receptors and increased receptor-mediated hepatic uptake of plasma LDL. ABL and CMRD are due to mutations in the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein and Sar1-ADP-ribosylation GTPase 2 genes, which affect assembly and secretion of ApoB-containing lipoproteins. In this review we present the current information on the genetics and pathophysiology of these disorders affecting either the secretion or the catabolism of ApoB-containing lipoproteins
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
New and Emerging Therapies for Dyslipidemia
No full textGenetic studies have informed on biological pathways modulating lipid and lipoprotein
metabolism, which have been exploited to design new drugs
Inhibition of PCSK9 expression by long-acting siRNA is effective in lowering LDL-C
Bi-annual administration of long-acting siRNA will improve adherence and represents a
novel therapeutic strategy in high and very high CV risk patients
Selective PPARa modulator (SPPARM) pemafibrate might represent a new option for
combination LLT to decrease the risk of macro and microvascular complications in
diabetes.
Targeting ANGPTL3 is showing highly effective in reducing LDL-C and total triglycerides
Targeting ApoCIII reduces TGRL by an LPL-independent mechanis
Differences in cardiac structure and function between black and white patients: Another step in the evaluation of cardiovascular risk in chronic kidney disease
No full textFamilial combined hypolipidemia due to mutations in the ANGPTL3 gene
Full text linkThe role of ANGPTL3 in lipoprotein metabolism emerged from studies in a mutant mouse strain characterized by
severe hypotriglyceridemia and carrying a loss-of-function (LOF) mutation of the ANGPTL3 gene. ANGPTL3 was found to inhibit lipoprotein lipase and endothelial lipase. Genome-wide association studies in humans demonstrated
the association of ANGPTL3 variants with plasma triglyceride levels and LOF mutations of ANGPTL3 were found in
hypotriglyceridemic subjects in population studies. Recently, individuals originally classified as affected by familial hypobetalipoproteinemia were found to be homozygotes/compound heterozygotes for rare LOF mutations of
ANGPTL3. They show a striking reduction of all lipoprotein classes (VLDL, LDL and HDL), a condition defined as familial combined hypolipidemia. This disorder,transmitted as a recessive trait, does not seem to be associated
with specific clinical manifestations, such as premature atherosclerosis or fatty liver disease
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