118 research outputs found
Indagine termografica dell'affresco di Diana nel Palazzo Comitini a Palermo
No full textIl testo descrive l’applicazione sperimentale di una nuova metodologia analitica diagnostica basata sullo svolgimento sinergico del rilevamento fotogrammetrico e dell'indagine termografica delle superfici architettoniche. La ricerca si pone l'obiettivo di caratterizzare lo stato di conservazione degli affreschi del Palazzo Comitini a Palermo attraverso l'elaborazione della diagnosi che risulti specifica per la redazione del progetto di conservazione e la direzione del relativo cantiere di restauro. L'applicazione scientifica è svolta inoltre nell'ambito della sperimentazione della nuova metodologia e del software T.R.U.E.
Plasma B-endorphin resistance to dexamethasone suppression in obese patients
No full textPatients with simple exogenous obesity are characterized by increased B-endorphin (B-EP) plasma levels, despite normal ACTH and B-Lipotropin (B-LPH). To evaluate the origin of such an hyperendorphinemia, 42 obese patients were submitted to a short overnight dexamethasone suppression test (DST: 1 mg at 23:00 h). Blood samples were taken in basal conditions and 9, and 17 h after DST. The same procedure was applied in 12 healthy, normal weight volunteers. In further five patients, 0.5 mg per 4/die were given. B-EP was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) after silicic acid extraction and Sephadex G-75 column chromatography. ACTH and Cortisol were measured by direct IRMA and RIA, respectively. Basal B-EP levels of patients (24.2 +/- 16.5, fmol/ml, M +/- SD) were double than in normal weight controls (10.8 +/- 4.6), while ACTH and cortisol fell in the normal range. ACTH and cortisol were significantly reduced by DST in both patients and controls, while B-EP in patients did not. Cortisol, however, was not suppressed in 7 patients (16%). At 08:00, the suppression of B-EP in controls was 49.0 +/- 18.4%, while in obese patients it was only 21.2 +/- 38.8% (p less than 0.01). However, patients with weight excess below 50% normally suppressed B-EP (41.6 +/- 15.3%), while those with weight excess over 75% did not (11.3 +/- 47.5%). The doubling of dexamethasone intake does not lead to a suppression of plasma B-EP in these last patients. These data indicate the existence of neuroendocrine abnormalities in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis of obese patients and suggest that their hyperendorphinemia originates outside the anterior pituitary
PREGNANCY IN THALASSEMIA
No full textTherapeutic advances, including the availability of oral iron chelators and new non-invasive methods for early detection and treatment of iron overload, have significantly improved the life expectancy and quality of life of patients with thalassemia, with a consequent increase in their reproductive potential and desire to have children. Hundreds of pregnancies have been reported so far, highlighting that women carefully managed during preconception usually carry out a successful gestation and labour, both in case of spontaneous conception and use of assisted reproductive techniques. A multidisciplinary team including a cardiologist, an endocrinologist and a gynaecologist, with the supervision of an expert in beta-thalassemia should be involved.
During pregnancy, a close follow-up of maternal disorders and of the baby's status is recommended. Haemoglobin should be maintained over 10 g/dL to to allow normal foetal growth. Chelators are not recommended during pregnancy; nevertheless, it may reasonable to consider restarting chelation therapy with desferrioxamine towards the end of the second trimester when the potential benefit outweighs the potential foetal risk.
Women with non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia who have never previously been transfused or who have received only minimal transfusion therapy are at risk of severe alloimmune anaemia if blood transfusions are required during pregnancy. Since pregnancy increases the risk of thrombosis three-fold to four-fold and thalassemia is also a hypercoagulable state, the recommendation is to keep women who are at higher risk -such as those who are not regularly transfused and those splenectomised- on prophylaxis during pregnancy and during the postpartum period.
Keywords:Pregnancy, Thalassemia major, Thalassemia intermedia, Haemoglobin H disease, Counsellin
Cell-recycle batch process of Scheffersomyces stipitis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae co-culture for second generation bioethanol production
No full textObjectives To achieve an optimized co-culture ratio
of Scheffersomyces stipitis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae
for the production of second generation
bioethanol under a cell-recycle batch process.
Results Three Sacc. cerevisiae strains were evaluated
in co-culture with Sch. stipitis CBS 5773 at
different ratios using synthetic medium containing
glucose and xylose. Bioreactor trials indicated that the
optimal condition for ethanol production using Sacc.
cerevisiae EC1118 and Sch. stipitis co-culture was
1 % of O2 concentration. To increase ethanol production
with Sacc. cerevisiae/Sch. stipitis co-culture a
cell-recycle batch process was evaluated. Using this
process, the maximum ethanol production (9.73 g l-1)
and ethanol yield (0.42 g g-1) were achieved exhibiting
a tenfold increase in ethanol productivity in
comparison with batch process (2.1 g l-1 h-1). In
these conditions a stabilization of the cells ratio Sacc.
cerevisiae/Sch. stipitis (1:5) at steady state condition
was obtained.
Conclusion Batch cells recycling fermentation is an
effective process to use Sch. stipitis/Sacc. cerevisiae
co-culture for second generation ethanol production
Cervical length changes during preterm cervical ripening: effects of 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate
No full textOBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) treatment affect changes in cervical length. STUDY DESIGN: Women with singleton pregnancy, between 25 and 33 + 6 weeks of gestation, who were hospitalized for preterm labor were included. Patients with rupture of membranes and/or signs of chorioamnionitis were excluded. Sixty undelivered patients were allocated randomly to either observation or to receive 341 mg of 17P intramuscularly, twice each week until gestational week 36. Cervical length was measured by transvaginal ultrasound scanning at discharge and at day 7 and 21 after discharge. Statistical comparisons were done with analysis of variance and chi-square test. RESULTS: Shortening of the cervix in the observation group (30 cases) was higher than in the 17P group (30 cases) both at day 7 (2.37 +/- 2.0 mm vs 0.83 +/- 1.74 mm; P = .002) and day 21 (4.60 +/- 2.73 mm vs 2.40 +/- 2.46 mm; P = .002). Treatment with 17P was associated with both a reduction in the risk of cervical shortening of > or = 4 mm (odds ratio, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04-0.66) and in the risk of preterm delivery (odds ratio, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.04-0.58). CONCLUSION: Undelivered patients after preterm labor undergo progressive shortening of the cervix, which is attenuated by 17P treatmen
Effectiveness against strawberry postharvest decay of volatile organic compounds produced by biocontrol agents.
No full textImpairment of opioid control of luteinizing hormone secretion in menstrual disorders
No full textecretion, we evaluated the LH response to naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist, in patients affected by normo-, hyper-, and hypogonadotropic amenorrhea, polycystic ovarian disease, and hyperprolactinemia. The results indicate that opioid influences are altered in well-defined pathologic conditions (hyperprolactinemia, obesity), in addition to being modified by gonadal steroids
Reduced estriol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate plasma levels in methadone-addicted pregnant women.
No full textThe plasma levels of human chorionic somatomammotropin (hCS), estriol (E3), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHA-S), cortisol and the circadian changes of the two last adrenal hormones were studied in 25 pregnant methadone-addicted women (MA) and 21 pregnant drug-naive controls (C) at different periods of gestation and in 13 non-pregnant women (7 MA and 6 drug-naive). MA pregnant women showed normal plasma levels of hCS both at the second (6.9 +/- 0.1 vs. 7.2 +/- 0.1 micrograms/ml) and third (9.6 +/- 0.2 vs. 9.3 +/- 0.2) trimester, while plasma concentrations of E3 at term were lower than normal (MA: 4.4 +/- 0.8; C: 8.2 +/- 1.0 ng/ml, P less than 0.05). DHA-S plasma levels of MA pregnant women were half the normal values in three trimesters of gestation, while there were no differences in non-pregnant subjects. Circadian variations of cortisol and DHA-S plasma levels were present in both MA and C. The blunted DHA-S but normal cortisol plasma levels found in MA pregnant women indicate that opiate abuse interferes with adrenal function, mainly of the fetus. Due to the scarce availability of adrenal precursors, these data suggest that E3 measurements should not be considered as a useful index of fetal well-being in the presence of opiate addiction
Enological and genetic traits of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from former and modern wineries
No full text- …
