1,721,086 research outputs found
Pharmacological management of severe plaque psoriasis in patients with cardiovascular disease
No full textIntroduction There is compelling evidence about the independent association between psoriasis and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, in particular myocardial infarction, chronic heart failure and cardiac arrythmia. This is due to both the higher prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and an independent contribution of chronic inflammation associated with psoriasis. Inflammation is not only important in atherosclerosis, but also is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor to heart failure and arrythmia through microvascular dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis. This enhanced risk should be considered when treating a patient with severe psoriasis. Moreover, the the pro and cons of a systemic treatment in a patient with already existing cardiovascular comorbidities should always be assessed with caution. Areas covered Herein, the authors review the pharmacological management of severe plaque psoriasis in patients with cardiovascular disease, providing their expert opinion and future perspectives on the subject. Expert opinion Theoretically, anti-inflammatory drugs may not only dampen the systemic burden associated with psoriasis, but also potentially contribute to prevent long-term cardiovascular events in psoriasis. On the other hand, some treatments may negatively affect the cardiovascular system. Whether findings from observational studies or ones evaluating surrogates of cardiovascular risk translate into reductions in cardiovascular events needs to be investigated by long-term clinical trials with clinically meaningful endpoints
Recycling of MSWI fly ash by means of cementitious double step cold bonding pelletization: Technological assessment for the production of lightweight artificial aggregates
No full textIn this work, an extensive study on the recycling of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash by means of cold bonding pelletization is presented. The ash comes from an incineration plant equipped with rotary and stoker furnaces, in which municipal, hospital and industrial wastes are treated. Fly ash from waste incineration is classified as hazardous and cannot be utilized or even landfilled without prior treatment. The pelletization process uses cement, lime and coal fly ash as components of the binding systems. This process has been applied to several mixes in which the ash content has been varied from 50% (wt.%) up to a maximum of 70%. An innovative additional pelletization step with only cementitious binder has been performed in order to achieve satisfactory immobilization levels. The obtained lightweight porous aggregates are mostly suitable for recovery in the field of building materials with enhanced sustainability properties. Density, water absorption and crushing strength ranged from 1000 to 1600kg/m(3), 7 to 16% and 1.3 to 6.2MPa, respectively, and the second pelletization step increased stabilization efficiency. The feasibility of the process has been analyzed by testing also concrete specimens containing the artificial aggregates, resulting in lightweight concrete of average performance
Comment on: Recovery from COVID-19 in a patient with spondyloarthritis treated with TNF-alpha inhibitor etanercept. A report on a patient with COVID-19 with psoriatic arthritis receiving ustekinumab
No full textThe dark side of the moon: the immune-mediated adverse events of IL-17A/IL-17R inhibition
No full textAs aberrant IL-17 signaling plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, biologic agents targeting this pathway have become an important weapon against this disease. Some biologic agents such as IL-17 inhibitors (secukinumab and ixekizumab) and the IL-17 receptor (IL17R) inhibitor (brodalumab) are relatively safe, tolerable and efficacious drugs. Nevertheless, side effects of IL-17 pathway inhibition occur. This review focuses on the dermatological manifestations linked to these treatments. Paradoxical psoriasis and atopic-like eczema may be the most common cutaneous adverse events, while manifestations such as neutrophilic dermatoses, hypersensitivity reactions, lichenoid eruptions, vasculitides, bullous diseases, lupus-like reactions, pigmentation disorders, adnexal diseases and granulomatous dermatoses have been described less frequently
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Alkali activated waste fly ash as sustainable composite: Influence of a curing and pozzolanic admixtures on the early-age physico-mechanical properties and residual strength after exposure at elevated temperature
No full textWaste fly ash, referred in literature also as "weathered", represents a major management issue for coal-fired power plants. The low qualification of this relevant fraction of produced fly ash is not adequate for recycling in structural concrete. Non-structural applications may represent an economically feasible solution to maximize the recovery of coal fly ash from power plants. A potentially valuable recycling track may be represented by alkaline activation for the production of sustainable precast elements based on geopolymeric binders. In this work, three mineral admixtures, namely blast furnace slag, silica fume and metakaolin, were used to synthesize binary alkali activated binders whose major volumetric fraction was waste fly ash. Three curing temperatures (20, 40, 60 °C) were also considered. Early age kinetics and properties development were assessed by means of strength development and ultrasonic pulse velocity. Residual compressive strength after exposure at high temperature was also assessed in order to highlight typical geopolymeric thermal resistance which is generally observed for higher value raw materials. Furthermore, microstructural analysis was carried out by means of scanning electron microscopy. Silica fume exhibited an increasing detrimental effect (formation of agglomerates/partial foaming) with early age curing temperature, while blast furnace slag and metakaolin revealed to be effective admixtures without strict need of higher curing temperatures
- …
