103 research outputs found
POST-TRANSPLANT NIVOLUMAB PLUS UNSELECTED AUTOLOGOUS LYMPHOCYTES IN REFRACTORY HODGKIN LYMPHOMA PATIENTS: A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE THERAPY ASSOCIATED WITH EXPANSION AND MATURATION OF NK CELLS
No full textHodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is a B-Cell neoplasia with a favourable outcome in responding patients. However, despite the efficacy of first line therapy about 30% of patients eventually relapse or are refractory (R/R). Recently, the immune checkpoint inhibitor (CI) nivolumab demonstrated good activity in R/R HL patients although the complete response (CR) rate was less than 20%. The efficacy of nivolumab is strictly related to the host degree of immune competence, which is greatly impaired in heavily pre-treated HL patients after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). To enhance the activity of CI, we explored the feasibility of the infusion of autologous lymphocytes (ALI) in combination with the pre-emptive administration of nivolumab, early post-ASCT, in patients affected by R/R HL. Eight patients (median age 29, range 18-56) with active R/R disease, who had already failed at least two chemotherapy lines and Brentuximab, were eligible for the trial. HL patients underwent early lymphocyte apheresis, with a target cell dose of 5x107 CD3+/kg. All patients then received ASCT with FEAM conditioning followed by ALI at a median time of 14 days after infusion, starting with 1x104 CD3+ cells/kg in the first infusion to a maximum of 1x107cells/kg in the fourth and last infusion. Each ALI was followed after 48 hours by the administration of nivolumab 240 mg flat dose. As a control cohort, two patients, in CR after second line chemotherapy, were given ALI only, without nivolumab.
No grade 3 or 4 adverse events were recorded. All treated patients achieved negative PET scan after immunotherapy and are alive and disease-free after a median follow-up of 20 months. Two patients did receive allogeneic stem cell transplantation while in CR. Notably, compared to control patients, a faster expansion/reconstitution of highly differentiated NK cells was observed as well as a quicker T-cell recovery. These data suggest the potential role of PD-1 receptor in the direct or indirect control of NK cell maturation/development and, probably, NK anti-tumor activity. Thus, the combination of adoptive cell therapy with CI may represent a novel approach for chemorefractory HL patients
Chronic graft versus host disease as a weapon for treating chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
No full textSome data about rising damp from 30 years of analysis in Venetian buildings
No full textVenice, famous for its urban peculiarity, artistic and architectural heritage, is one of the richest cities in marble and stones, which have been used over the centuries both as building materials and as decoration. But this city suffers from a serious flooding problem, called “acqua alta”, which has given rise to its fragility since ancient times, causing many damages to buildings and individual constructive materials. The causes of material degradation are various, but the main problem is rising damp.
An analysis of the rising damp behavior in masonry is proposed, basing on previous studies on Venetian buildings, considering both the construction period and the location. Results have been collected from partially destructive and non-destructive tests carried out on the walls of the building to determine the moisture content at different heights and depths. The purpose is to understand whether there is a general behavior of the results obtained in the wall structure of the buildings, correlated by high water, material and/or exposure, or, if these outputs are specific of each individual building. The salt water exfoliates the brick and plaster, and the water rises up until 2.5-3 meters, with serious problems from thermal, mechanical and indoor comfort point of view. The final goal is to propose targeted remedial action to limit losses from rising damp by supplying a basic knowledge of the moisture process related to external conditions (environment) and intrinsic parameters (materials and their composition)
Environmental impacts for polyurethane panels
No full textAccording to the European targets for 2030, for managing a policy of improving the environmental sustainability of buildings it is essential to assess the buildings and building components impacts both in the construction and in the utilization phases. The use of building is essential on the environmental impacts (equal to about 90%) as consequence the commitment must be aimed at reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions of buildings during their lifetime, through correct design and proper selection of materials and technologies; above all, the use of thermal insulation materials is fundamental. A useful support tool for manufacturers and designers for the eco-design innovation of products and production processes is the LCA - Life Cycle Assessment: the assessment allows to identify and to quantify energy, consumed materials and residues released as environment impact during the processes. Comparison of the environmental impact data of the different products it is possible by adopting the EPD - Environmental Product Declarations approach, which envisages, for each group of products, the elaboration of a specific technique, the PRC - Product Category Rules. In the building sector, among the thermal insulating materials currently in use, the rigid expanded polyurethane (thermoset polymeric insulation products with a substantially closed cell structure including both polymer types based on PIR and PUR), allows to obtain excellent characteristics of very low density masses, resulting in a reduction in energy consumption deriving from transport, installation and disposal or recycling at the end of life. Numerous studies on environmental impacts during the polyurethane life cycle have shown that the amount of resources consumed for the production of polyurethane foam is amortized in the use phase of buildings thanks to the energy savings determined by thermal insulation. Very important features of polyurethane is the high durability in time (higher or equal to the life of the building). This is demonstrated following some tests of physical characterization and verification of durability of rigid polyurethane insulation panels used in different types of building and construction, without maintenance: according to the determination of thermal conductivity and of the compressive strength is proven as the values are unchanged despite the years of use (over 40 years). The paper presents the LCA evaluation of a polyurethane panel; the durability of thermal properties has been verified by experimental tests
IR Thermography for Non-Destructive Monitoring of Moisture in Cultural Heritage
No full textOne of the main sources of damage to historical buildings is the presence of humidity. It is fundamental to develop a diagnosis protocol to identify the presence of water, evaluate the damage in a building (the whole structure, part of it or individual materials), assess its vulnerability and, finally, carry out a restoration plan. IR thermography is a sustainable method to guarantee structure analysis and preservation. Here, an application is presented, permitting us to identify the wet and dry areas and transition zone related to evaporation on the surface of the investigated materials. Thanks to temperature maps, it is possible to observe saturated regions, qualitatively at first and then quantitatively, processing the images by plotting reference lines/points and correlating surface temperatures with moisture
Studio dei fenomeni di umidità da risalita capillare nel contesto Veneziano
No full textQuesta ricerca vuole presentare una delle principali fonti di danno nei beni culturali: la presenza di umidità, in particolare l'umidità di risalita capillare e la sua interazione con il patrimonio costruito. Questo fenomeno, descritto mediante modelli fisici ed elettrici, può causare una serie di danni all'edificio, dall'indebolimento della struttura alla perdita del comfort interno. Per tale motivo è fondamentale identificare quali siano le vulnerabilità dell'edificio stesso e realizzare un piano di restauro che consenta di migliorare la salubrità degli spazi interni. Sul mercato sono diffuse diverse tecnologie utilizzate per identificare questo problema, quantitative ma soprattutto qualitative, adatte nel patrimonio storico-culturale. Mancano però dei veri e propri protocolli di diagnosi e molto spesso sussistono varie difficoltà da parte degli operatori del settore edilizio nel riconoscere realmente il problema.
Venezia è una delle città del mondo particolarmente colpite dai fenomeni di umidità, incrementati da specifiche condizioni ambientali, ovvero dalla costruzione di edifici direttamente sull'acqua e a diretto contatto con eventi alluvionali di marea. Per studiare cause e conseguenze del fenomeno, è molto importante indagare anche i parametri intrinseci degli edifici stessi, partendo dalla conoscenza dei materiali storici
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(mattoni, malte, intonaci) e utilizzando un monitoraggio non distruttivo per indagare l'eventuale presenza e quantità di umidità nella struttura. Questa valutazione della letteratura è stata supportata da test di laboratorio e simulazioni dinamiche, confrontando il comportamento igrometrico di diversi materiali e tecnologie murarie, e in alcuni casi mediante approfondimenti in casi studio del territorio lagunare.
I test di laboratorio hanno quindi previsto di realizzare delle murature mock-up in condizioni controllate e limitandone le variabili al contorno, come “modello ideale”, per simulare i processi di suzione ed evaporazione che avvengono nelle strutture soggette ad umidità e individuarne le peculiarità fisiche. Infine, le simulazioni termo-igrometriche in regime dinamico, hanno avuto lo scopo di valutare la vulnerabilità e il comportamento nelle pareti degli edifici, tenendo in considerazione la quantità di acqua che si può accumulare in esse. È quindi stato sviluppato un modello fenomenologico che descrive il trasferimento di umidità, la cinetica della risalita capillare ed il fenomeno di evaporazione.This research aims to present one of the main sources of damage in cultural heritage: the presence of humidity, particularly rising damp and its interaction with the building stock. This phenomenon, described by physical and electrical models, can cause a range of damage to the building, from the weakening of the structure to the loss of internal comfort. This is why it is essential to identify the vulnerabilities of the buildings and to implement a restoration plan to improve the healthiness of the interior spaces. Various technologies used to identify this problem are widespread on the market, quantitative but above all qualitative, suitable in the historical-cultural heritage. However, real diagnosis protocols are lacking and very often there are various difficulties for building operators to really recognize the problem.
Venice is one of the cities in the world particularly affected by moisture phenomena, increased by specific environmental conditions, i.e. the construction of buildings directly on water and in direct contact with tidal flooding events. In order to study the causes and consequences of the phenomenon, it is very important to also investigate the intrinsic parameters of the buildings themselves, starting with the knowledge of the historical materials (bricks, mortars, plasters) and using non-destructive monitoring to investigate the possible presence and quantity of moisture in the structure. This literature evaluation was supported by laboratory tests and dynamic simulations, comparing the hygrometric behavior of different materials and masonry technologies, and in some cases with in-depth analysis in case studies of the lagoon territory.
The laboratory tests involved building masonry mock-ups under controlled conditions and limiting surrounding variables as an “ideal model” to simulate the suction and evaporation processes occurring in wet structures and to analyze their physical properties. Finally, hygrothermal simulation in dynamic regime aims to evaluate the vulnerability and behavior of building walls, considering the amount of water that can be accumulated inside. A phenomenological model was then developed to describe moisture transport, rising damp kinetics and evaporation phenomena
The Rising Damp in Venetian Masonry: Preliminary Results Comparing Laboratory Tests and Dynamic Simulations
No full textThe control of moisture in the building sector represents a widespread issue and research topic, in terms of improving the quality of indoor space healthiness and energy performance. In Venice, rising damp and moisture phenomena are very diffused and difficult to solve, due to building structures and specific environmental conditions. All of the buildings and artefacts in the city are presently wall structures filled with bricks, which lean on relatively permeable soil, are exposed to an environment rich in saline aerosols, and are continuously lapped by floods and brackish water. The aim of this research was to analyze typical Venetian masonry walls affected by rising damp through the application of non-destructive methods, in order to understand and assess the behavior of construction materials in specific boundary conditions. The data given by non-destructive monitoring in mock-up masonries were compared with dynamic simulations to estimate the hygrothermal behavior and analyze the effect on different parameters, such as the physical properties of new and historical materials (i.e., density, thermal conductivity, etc.), the presence and type of plasters, and the kinds of traditional treatment applications. The evaluation of experimental data, supported by simulations provides to the literature an empirical comprehension of rising damp phenomena in real masonry toward careful heritage conservation
Un islam repubblicano: Le contraddizioni del caso francese
No full textFrance, a secular country that does not recognize any role for religion in the public sphere, is engaged in an attempt to hinder the expansion of "separatist" islamism through the construction of a republican state Islam. This path, which gained particular momentum during the presidency of Macron, inevitably magnifies the politicization of religion. The objective of this article is to show the intrinsic contradictions of this project and the dynamics of opposite sign that it can produce. The author also underlies the risk that such a socio-religious model may not find legitimacy among muslims
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