107 research outputs found
Progettazione e introduzione del sistema di valutazione della performance individuale in tre aziende sanitarie
No full textThe introduction of the appraisal system of individual performance in the health care organisations is overall considered very important, in compliance with the legal framework. Such a system requires two main elements: the design of a methodology coherent with the objectives and a strong investment on the competencies and the organisational culture of assessors and people assessed, in order to manage emotional conflicts and to qualify the relationship between all the actors involved in the assessing process. This article focuses on some key factors to be designed and managed, both organisational and cultural, representing the essential condition for an effective appraisal system. The author has tutored, within three health care organisations, the process of design and introduction of the appraisal system of individual performance, using a gradual and experimental approach
"The Burial at Thebes: l'Antigone di Seamus Heaney"
No full textNel 2004, per celebrare il centenario della sua fondazione, l’Abbey Theatre scelse l’Antigone di Sofocle, commissionando la traduzione dell’opera a Seamus Heaney. Proprio perché strettamente legato al contesto socio-culturale del paese, il personaggio di Antigone e il suo rifiuto di rispettare la legge di Creonte ha rappresentato, nel tempo, un’istanza viva per Seamus Heaney e per scrittori e intellettuali cresciuti nell’Irlanda del Nord. In occasione della traduzione dell’opera, il poeta vi ci si è confrontato e ha scelto di creare un contesto che, da un punto di vista linguistico, fosse segnatamente irlandese, senza tuttavia piegare eccessivamente il testo di partenza alle urgenze della cultura di arrivo
Potential Contribution of Hypertension to Evolution of Chronic Migraine and Related Mechanisms
No full textAims: To investigate the potential contributions of diastolic and systolic blood pressure (BP) and the circadian rhythm of BP to chronic migraine evolution. Methods: This cross-sectional study included four groups of patients selected based on migraine frequency (high frequency ≥ 10 days per month and low frequency < 10) and on the presence of hypertension. Among-group and pairwise comparisons were carried out to investigate potential neurophysiologic differences in the cerebral vessel reactivity to a nitroglycerin test, in autonomic balance (tilting test), and BP circadian rhythm. Results: A more marked decrease in cerebral blood flow velocity was observed in hypertensive high-frequency migraineurs compared to all other groups (P = .037). Moreover, a smaller decrease in vagal tone was recorded in the orthostatic position in hypertensive subjects, whether they were high- (P = .032) or low-frequency migraineurs (P = .014), with a consistently higher vagal to sympathetic tone ratio (P = .033). Finally, in nonhypertensive subjects, a higher but not significant prevalence of systolic nondippers was detected in high-frequency migraineurs (67%) compared to low-frequency subjects (25%; P = .099). Conclusion: These findings suggest that hypertension may contribute to the chronic evolution of headache with mechanisms shared with migraine; ie, vascular tone alteration and autonomic dysregulation
A visco-hyperelastic numerical model for the dynamic behaviour of rubbers
No full textIn this work, a visco-hyperelastic numerical model is proposed, based on the decoupling of the strain and time dependent contributions. Four different rubber blends, used for the production of athletics tracks, have been experimentally characterized in compression under varying loading histories. A robust identification procedure provided reliable constitutive parameters to be implemented in the numerical simulations. Model predictions have been validated against the outcome of impact tests performed on the different materials using an Artificial Athlete. Results demonstrate that the presence of a viscoelastic component grants a more accurate description of the energy return characteristics of rubbers under dynamic conditions
A new electronic read-out for the YAPPET scanner
No full textA small animal PET-SPECT scanner (YAPPET) prototype was built at the Physics Department of the Ferrara University and is presently being used at the Nuclear Medicine Department for radiopharmaceutical studies on rats. The first YAPPET prototype shows very good performances, but needs some improvements before it can be fully used for intensive radiopharmaceutical research. The main problem of the actual prototype is its heavy electronics, based on NIM and CAMAC standard modules. For this reason a new, compact read-out electronics was developed and tested. The results of a first series of tests made on the first prototype will be presented in the paper
Effect of ramipril/hydrochlorothiazide and ramipril/canrenone combination on atrial fibrillation recurrence in hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients with and without cardiac autonomic neuropathy
No full textIntroduction: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of ramipril/canrenone versus ramipril/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) combination on atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence in type 2 diabetic hypertensives with and without cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN).
Material and methods : A total of 289 hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients, 95 with CAN, in sinus rhythm but with at least two episodes of AF in the previous 6 months were randomized to ramipril 5 mg plus canrenone 50 mg (titrated to 10/100 mg) or to ramipril 5 mg plus HCTZ 12.5 mg (titrated to 10/25 mg) or to amlodipine 5 mg (titrated to 10 mg) for 1 year. Clinic blood pressure (BP) and a 24-h ECG were evaluated monthly. Patients were asked to report any episode of symptomatic AF and to perform an ECG as early as possible. Serum procollagen type I carboxy-terminal peptide (PIP) and carboxy-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (CITP) were evaluated before and after each treatment period.
Results : Blood pressure was similarly and significantly reduced by all treatments. A total of 51% of patients with amlodipine had a recurrence of AF, as did 31% of patients with ramipril/HCTZ (p < 0.05 vs amlodipine) and 13% of patients with ramipril/canrenone (p < 0.01 vs amlodipine and p < 0.05 vs ramipril/HCTZ). A similar trend was found in diabetic patients with CAN. Both combinations reduced PIP and increased CITP, but the effects of ramipril/canrenone were significantly more marked.
Conclusions : These findings suggest that in type 2 diabetic hypertensives, ramipril/canrenone treatment was more effective than ramipril/HCTZ in reducing AF recurrence. This could be related to the greater improvement in cardiac fibrosis
Benzodiazepins and cardiovascular risk: recent acquisitions and revision of literature.
No full textUtilizzo di BZD e sviluppo del rischio cadriovascolare, con particolare riferimento all'ipertensione arteriosa
Effect of Diazepam on 24-Hour Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Healthy Young Volunteers
No full textTo assess the effects of evening chronic administration
of diazepam on 24-h blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR)
in healthy young adults. Methods: This randomized double
blind, cross-over study evaluated the effects of diazepam 5
mg or placebo, both ingested in the evening, on 24-h ambulatory
BP and HR in healthy subjects aged 21–30. Results: A
total of 30 subjects were included in the analysis. At the end
of 4-week diazepam intake, an increase in 24-h HR mean values
was found (+5.2 beats/min, p < 0.05). Analysis of subperiods
showed that diazepam produced a 10.1% increase in
night-time HR (+6.1 beats/min, p < 0.01) without affecting
BP. A significant HR rise (+4.9 beats/min, p < 0.05) and SBP
reduction (–3.8 mm Hg, p < 0.05) were observed in the morning
hours. The HR increase persisted in day-time hours (+4.6
beats/min, p < 0.05), while BP values resulted unaffected.
Conclusions: In healthy subjects, diazepam taken as a hypnotic
agent induces a significant HR increase, possibly mediated by a decrease in vagal tone. This effect might be of clinical
relevance due to the role that HR plays as an independent
cardiovascular risk factor
Development of a plethysmography system for use under microgravity conditions
No full textWe present a novel application of strain-gauge plethysmography that is suitable to detect blood volume variations in the human venous system. The plethysmography system uses capacitive sensors that are electrically connected to a portable electronic unit to record changes of blood volume over time. Such system has been developed within a project that aimed to monitor the cerebral venous return of the astronaut during an experiment on the International Space Station. In this work, we describe the novel solution in which measurement of elongation is directly obtained by charging the sensor capacitance with a constant current. We also report the full characterization of the plethysmography system and an example of the experimental protocol that has been performed in microgravity condition. Remarkably, the system we propose is able to detect cross-sectional area variations of neck veins with enough sensitivity to be useful for studies concerning cardiac oscillations. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
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