1,721,039 research outputs found
Caratterizzazione di setti murari mediante tecnologia Georadar - Georadar penetrating radar analysis of masonry structures
No full textThe combined use of ITC and LDV for the investigation of historical thin vaults
No full textCorrect interventions on cultural heritage should have as their starting point an accurate diagnosis of its health, in order to design a compatible care. NDTs seem to offer a promising way in this sense. This paper deals with the combined use of IRT and LDV for the investigation of historical thin vaults made by timber arches, reeds, and plaster and it demonstrates that they can effectively support a deeper knowledge of these vaults as it concerns the presence of detached areas among the different mortar layers of the plaster and of detached areas among the mat of reeds and the nailed connection with the wooden bearing elements. This is a very important goal because these ND methodologies can be employed only on the lower surface of these vaults and sufficiently far from it, and they do not have any mechanical interaction with the historical, eventually frescoed or stuccoed, plaster, thus saving money and time
Metastatic pleural mesothelioma presenting with solitary involvement of the tongue: report of a new case and review of the literature
No full textTartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRACP 5b) as serum marker of bone metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and breast cancer. Preliminary results
No full textThe skeleton is a frequent site of metastasis from both non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and breast cancer (BC). It can also be the only site in patients with advanced or aggressive tumors. Delayed diagnosis of bone metastases (BMs) may seriously affect the quality of life of patients, and is associated with several adverse skeletal-related events. Thus, there is the need of early diagnosis of BMs. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRACP 5b) is a well-established serum marker of osteoclast activity and bone resorption. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of TRACP 5b measurement in patients with BMs. TRACP 5b was a marker significantly more sensitive and specific in patients with metastatic NSCLC than in those with metastatic BC. Our preliminary results suggest that it should be routinely used in patients with advanced NSCLC with the aim of early detection of BMs
Applicazione integrata di sistemi di misura non distruttivi per la caratterizzazione di murature monumentali
No full textMilan
Improved quality of life of patients with malignant pleural effusion who underwent video-assisted minimally invasive thoracentesis and talc pleurodesis
No full textMalignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common complication in patients with primary or refractory cancer, and a poor prognostic factor. When the effusion is diagnosed, the majority of patients have several objective and subjective symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, anxiety, anorexia, which are difficult to be managed. The aim of this study was to analyze the usefulness of video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) thoracentesis and talc pleurodesis (TP) in improving quality of life of patients with symptomatic MPE, according to the causes on this complication.
Methods: Two Groups of sex- and age-matched patients with MPE (21 men, 13 women, median age 66 years, range 45-87 years) underwent VATS thoracentesis and TP: Group 1 (N = 18 patients) with MPE due to advanced lung cancer, and Group 2 (N = 16) with MPE due to metastases from extra-thoracic cancer. All patients were asked to report their functional limitations and health-related quality of life (QoL) by filling the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (MOS-SF-36) questionnaire, preoperatively and at discharge.
Results: Talc (Steritalc, Novatech, La Ciotat, France) was administered by a pneumatic atomizer, and the duration of VATS procedure was 26 ± 10 minutes. As expected, there was a significant correlation between amount of MPE (1920 ± 968 mL) and preoperative MOS-SF-36 score (R = 0.38, p = 0.03), which did not differ between Groups (p = NS), and was independent of age of patients (R = 0.32, p = 0.07). The postoperative scores are reported in the Table. Only two parameters (social function and role emotional) improved more in Group 1 compared to Group 2, but the overall improvement of the score was not different (p = NS) between the two Groups.
In conclusion, VATS thoracentesis and TP leads to similar advantages in patients with MPE due to lung cancer or metastases. Therefore, this minimally-invasive treatment should be performed in all patients with MPE independently of the cause of pleural effusion
Short-term results of surgery in elderly (>65 years) versus younger patients with Stage I-II colonic adenocarcinoma. A case-control study
No full textBackground: Colorectal cancer is a common malignancy especially in elderly patients, who usually have several comorbidities (e.g., cardiovascular diseases requiring anticoagulation therapy) potentially leading to increased short- and long-term operative risks. Unfortunately, colorectal cancer rarely affects young people and the most part of patients are usually scheduled as ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) II-III and thus considered generally at risk. The aim of this study was to compare the short-term results of curative surgery in elderly (>65 years) versus younger patients with colonic adenocarcinoma.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our medical record database of a group of 97 patients (67 men, 69.1%, 30 women, 30.9%) who underwent surgical resection for left (N=36, 37.1%) or right (N=61, 62.9%) Stage I-II (Dukes A-B) colonic adenocarcinoma. The population was divided into two Groups of sex-matched patients: (i) younger (≤65 years, N=31, 32%) and (ii) older (>65 years, N=66, 68%). The following parameters were considered: comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and anticoagulation therapy, chronic pulmonary diseases), operative time and intraoperative bleeding, postoperative complications, including serious anastomotic leak, pneumonia and urinary infections, and postoperative hospital stay. Student’s t-test, chi-squared (X2) and Fisher exact probability test were used for comparing parameters between Groups.
Results: The results are reported in the Table. The two Groups were homogeneous with regard to all considered comorbidities. Operative time (149±32 vs. 162±36 min, p=0.089) and postoperative hospital stay (7.2±1.7 vs. 8.0±2.1, p=0.067) were shorter in younger patients, but the difference was not significant (p=NS). Similarly, both intraoperative bleeding (78±26 vs. 90±34 mL, p=0.085) and postoperative complications were reduced, in lack of statistical significance.
Conclusions: We conclude that elderly patients with colonic cancer should not be considered overall at increased risk with respect to younger, when a surgical resection is necessary. However, older (>65) patients require a careful individual preoperative evaluation in the presence of more than one comorbidity, because they are usually multiple drug users
3.4 Structural Analysis
No full textStructural analysis is quite a demanding task, especially in the case of historical buildings where centuries of (often) un-documented interventions make it almost impossible to get to an appropriate pre-intervention level of knowledge without a complex investigative phase that involves both documentary research and multilevel visual inspections together with physical / chemical / non-destructive / mechanical testing. This problem has been addressed in different ways in different European countries. In this chapter the Italian approach is presented, because it is quite systematic and has already been tested successfully on many occasions, often after some natural disaster has made emergency measures necessary
3.6 Non-destructive testing – NDT methodologies
No full textAlthough the diagnostics included in 3ENCULT mainly focus on energyrelated issues, reliable understanding of a building’s state of preservation also needs to be obtained, so as to undertake all subsequent interventions safely. For this reason, a full diagnosis of the building must be made before any other work is started. Diagnoses are usually conducted to understand the reasons for some damage that has occurred and/or to augment the knowledge of the building’s structure. The diagnostic process should always follow a logical path, starting from visual indications and aiming to understand the causes of damage so that remedies can be implemented. The diagnostic plan would usually respond to the necessity of taking samples from the object under examination, ranging from micro-sampling for chemical analysis to cutting out sections of a wall for structural examination in a laboratory. Such invasive, destructive procedures should be kept to a minimum, so it is highly important to manage the sampling phase: for this purpose, a long series of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques exists that requires neither sampling nor destruction. These allow the operator to select the areas more suitable for sampling and also to extrapolate local results to broader areas of the object. NDT techniques may also be used to
visualise hidden structures and structural defects, characterise surfaces and in general allow the operator to obtain a complete view of the object’s state of preservation. However, it is very important to remember that NDT techniques are mainly qualitative and do not allow some important characteristics of materials and objects, such as strength or residual stress, to be evaluated
directly; in such cases destructive testing is mandatory and national regulations are quite strict in this respect. Moreover, NDT techniques usually require specialised personnel who must be able to interpret the results, not , even briefly, all the NDT techniques commonly utilised for the diagnosis of cultural heritage monuments.So, we will restrict the focus of this chapter to some of the NDT techniques employed in evaluating the energy efficiency of historic buildings
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