172,299 research outputs found
L'abate Chiari narratore: il romanzo disadorno
No full textIl saggio analizza la produzione romanzesca dell'abate Chiari, in particolare il suo rapporto con la narrativa francese e inglese settecentescaThe essay analyzes the influence of British and French literature on Pietro Chiari's novel
“Genere e orientamento: rappresentazioni condivise in un campione di etero ed omosessuali”.
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What videos can tell us about falling
Get PDFIn 2004, a videotape of a fall by Fidel Castro, then Cuban President, gained extensive press coverage and elicited a range of reactions [1]. The sequence captured a key shot for researchers who study falls. In the film, Castro, after one of his exhausting speeches and probably dazzled by lights, misses a step, starts falling after an unsuccessful stepping attempt, and turns in the air to reduce the impact of his head on the ground at the expense of an upper limb; the fall resulted in a broken shoulder and patella.
Falls and fall-related injuries are a major health burden. Despite many epidemiological studies of predisposing risk factors [2], many assumptions and decisions about falls are still based on subjective and often biased information [3]. Fewer than 10% of falls are witnessed and, even when reports are available, they often do not provide detailed and objective information about the context and circumstances of the fall, or what happened during the fall. This absence of understanding is one of the reasons why efforts to prevent falls have had little success, although some progress has been achieved. [4], [5] and [6]
In The Lancet, Stephen Robinovitch and colleagues [7] present results of an observational study of videotaped falls. They extensively studied falls in two long-term care institutions in British Columbia, Canada, between 2007 and 2010, using more than 200 public video cameras that were preinstalled for safety purposes. With a well-defined protocol, they were able to match staff incident reports of falls to video footage, making this a unique study. The researchers recorded 227 falls by 130 individuals whose mean age was 78 years (SD 10). Studies of this type are important because falls by elderly people are much more frequent in long-term care facilities than in the community; more than 90% of all hip fractures are caused by falls, and 20% of all hip fractures occur among residents of long-term care [8].
Robinovitch and colleagues' report provides some important findings. Among these is the high occurrence of falls caused by incorrect weight shifting (the most frequent cause of falls, 93 [41%] of 227 falls) and external perturbations, such as hit or bump events (which accounted for 25 [11%] falls). A further notable aspect is the improved understanding of the role of poor ergonomic design and environmental factors—eg, of the 48 falls caused by trip or stumble, 14 were attributable to a foot catching on equipment and 12 to a foot catching on furniture. This understanding should lead to revised housing norms and improved design of furniture and assistive devices. However, the study has some major limitations. Robinovitch and colleagues present data from publicly accessible spaces and not from private areas, such as bedrooms and toilets. More than 50% of falls in long-term care facilities occur in private areas that cannot be supervised by video footage [9]. Other objective approaches are needed to study falls in these rooms, such as sensors worn on the body. Although some findings might apply to people who depend on care but live at home, independent seniors probably have different risk factors and environmental cofactors that contribute to falls. Thus, the findings might not be applicable to community-dwelling seniors.
Where could this study take fall prevention research? Robinovitch and colleagues build a strong case for classification of falls and a taxonomy of causes leading to falls. Currently, falls are most often presented as composite endpoints. Video footage, including that captured by members of the public with smartphones, will be one valuable source of information to generate new research hypotheses. High-speed video footage can also be used to study balance recovery reactions and landing responses in other groups, such as children and athletes.
To study falls in the community, we will need a technological shift. Evidence provided by Robinovitch and colleagues of the movement patt..
Immobilized pH gradients: new pK values of acrylamido buffers in poly(N-acryloylamino ethoxy ethanol) matrices.
No full textA novel matrix consisting of N-acryloylaminoethoxyethanol, a hydrophilic monomer extremely resistant to hydrolysis, was recently reported by Chiari et al. (Electrophoresis, 1994, 15, 177-186). When using it as a matrix for grafting immobilized pH gradients for isoelectric focusing, a shift in protein spot position was noticed. This was attributed to a shift in ph values of the Immobiline buffers when changing from the standard poly(acrylamide) to a poly(N-acryloylaminoethoxyethanol) matrix. A series of 1 pH unit gradients was constructed, where a single buffering Immobiline was used and titrated with a counterion having a ph removed by at least 3 pH units from the nearest extreme of the generated pH interval. It was noted that all compounds became weaker acids and bases, with a Delta pK ranging from -0.02 to -0.06 for the acids (pK 3.6, 4.4, and 4.6) and a Delta pK ranging from -0.12 tp -0.20 for the bases. The new pK values for the seven commercially available buffers are thus pK 3.6 -> pK 3.58, ph 4.4 -> pK 4.36, pK 4.51 -> 4.45, pK 6.21 -> 6.09, ph 7.06 -> 6.94, ph 8.50 -> pK 8.37, and pK 9.59 -> pK 9.39. These values refer to 10 degrees C in the gel phase, the first value in poly(acrylamide) and the second in poly(N-acryloylaminoethoxyethanol)
Budd-Chiari Syndrome in a Patient with Hepatitis C
No full textChronic Budd-Chiari syndrome can present with cirrhosis and signs and symptoms similar to those of other chronic liver diseases. We present a case of Budd-Chiari syndrome discovered during attempted transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting in a patient with decompensated cirrhosis believed to be secondary to hepatitis C. Although the patient had hepatocellular carcinoma, the Budd-Chiari syndrome was a primary disease due to hepatic venous webs. Angioplasty was performed in this case, which resolved the patient’s symptoms related to portal hypertension. Follow-up venography 5 months after angioplasty demonstrated continued patency of the hepatic veins. A biopsy was obtained in the same setting, which showed centrilobular fibrosis indicating that venous occlusion was indeed the cause of cirrhosis. It is important to consider a second disease when treating a patient with difficult to manage portal hypertension
Familial Chiari malformation: case series
No full textChiari malformations (Types I–IV) are abnormalities of the posterior fossa that affect the cerebellum, brainstem, and the spinal cord with prevalence rates of 0.1%–0.5%. Case reports of familial aggregation of Chiari malformation, twin studies, cosegregation of Chiari malformation with known genetic conditions, and recent gene and genome-wide association studies provide strong evidence of the genetic underpinnings of familial Chiari malformation. The authors report on a series of 3 family pairs with Chiari malformation Type I: 2 mother-daughter pairs and 1 father-daughter pair. The specific genetic causes of familial Chiari malformation have yet to be fully elucidated. The authors review the literature and discuss several candidate genes. Recent advances in the understanding of the genetic influences and pathogenesis of familial Chiari malformation are expected to improve management of affected patients and monitoring of at-risk family members.</jats:p
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