1,767 research outputs found
Omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of myocardial infarction and arrhythmias.
No full textIn 1978, a report from the Chief Medical Officer in Greenland documented that coronary heart disease (CHD) was
responsible for only 3.5% of all deaths in Greenland
Eskimos [1], a strikingly small number compared to the
typical figures found in the Western countries. Seeking
potential explanations for such low frequency of cardiac
events, investigators at the University of Aalborg, in Denmark, noted that the serum lipids of Eskimos was enriched in omega-3 fatty acids, that is, polyunsaturated
fatty acids with the first double bond found in position
3 when the molecule is scanned from its methyl (-CH3)
end (n-3 PUFA) [2,3]. They then identified fish oil as the
primary source of n-3 PUFA in Eskimos’ diet [4], in particular eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA), whose abundance in plasma and platelets has
antihemostatic, hence antithrombotic effects [5]. These
molecules consequently became the target of a wealth
of studies aimed at explaining their preventive effects
against cardiovascular diseases
Memoirs of San Martino, Italy and History of the San Martino Club in Trail, B.C
No full textThis paper details the history of Italian immigrants in Trail, their homeland in San Martino, Italy, and the activities that the San Martino Club puts on in Trail. Food, games, and other cultural traditions are described, having been brought over from Italy to Canada, and kept alive in part through the communal effort of the San Martino Club.Student paper submitted for Anthropology 101
Antithrombotic Therapy for Vascular Disease and Intervention: The Best Is Yet to Come?
No full textDespite ongoing progresses, atherothrombosis continues to have a substantial morbidity and mortality burden, with platelet aggregation and the coagulation cascade activation playing a pivotal role in thrombus formation at the site of endothelial injury. Indeed, endothelial barrier
breakdown can be spontaneous because of the rupture or erosion of atherosclerotic plaques or iatrogenic in the course of heart and vascular procedures. In either of the cases, the unfavorable result can be the intermittent or permanent obstruction of the blood flow
Anti-Inflammatory Therapy for Acute Coronary Syndromes: Is It Time for a Shift in the Treatment Paradigm?
No full textThe intense inflammatory response triggered by myocardial infarction (MI) is a part of the cardiac repair process: infiltrating leukocytes, by releasing proteases and reactive oxygen species, and clear the wound from dead cells and debris. Wound cleansing establishes, in turn, an environment which favors healing. Nevertheless, the close spatial relation between leukocytes and nearby viable cardiomyocytes in the border zone of ischemic damage has been deemed responsible for leukocyte-mediated cardiomyocyte injury. During diapedesis, the white blood cells interact with the endothelium and transmigrate across the vascular wall to reach the infarct zone where they adhere to the viable cardiomyocytes; the result of this proximity and of leukocyte cytotoxic effects is the worsening of ischemic injury. Furthermore, the activation of inflammatory pathways is partly accountable for postinfarction dilative and fibrotic remodeling which impairs cardiac function through changes in geometry, mass, composition, and volume of the left ventricle. As a consequence, targeting inflammatory signals has been considered for a long time a promising therapeutic approach to prevent heart failure and reduce mortality in patients with MI
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation with Allegra: procedural and mid-term outcomes according to experience phase in a high-volume center
No full textBACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has revolutionized the management of aortic stenosis. We aimed at appraising effectiveness of a new self-expandable TAVI device. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed our institutional experience with Allegra (Biosensors, Morges, Switzerland) for TAVI, focusing on procedural outcomes and 1-month adverse events. We explored the impact of operator experience with this device, dividing patients according to their time of intervention. RESULTS: Between 2018 and 2021, a total of 50 patients underwent TAVI with Allegra, with average age of 81 years, 80% women, and 50% at low or intermediate surgical risk. No major significant difference in baseline patient features were found when comparing Phase 1 and Phase 2, except for baseline left ventricular ejection fraction and New York Heart Association, which were worse in Phase 1. All procedures were performed transfemorally and percutaneously, with predilation in 94% and postdilation in 36%, yielding device success in 98%, and procedural success in 96%. No significant differences in procedural features were found when comparing Phase 1 vs. Phase 2 (all P>0.05). One-month follow-up was also favorable, with no significant difference in adverse outcomes according to phase, and a total of 1 (4%) death, 1 (4%) myocardial infarction, 1 (4%) minor vascular complication, and 4 (8%) permanent pacemaker implanta-tions. Consistent findings were obtained at exploratory 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The Allegra TAVI device is associated with favorable short-to-midterm outcomes in experienced hands. Operators already proficient with other devices can achieve satisfactory results even in the early phase of adoption of Allegra.(Cite this article as: Corcione N, Ferraro P, Morello A, Cimmino M, Albanese M, Pepe M, et al. Transcatheter aortic valve im-plantation with Allegra: procedural and mid-term outcomes according to experience phase in a high-volume center. Minerva Cardiol Angiol 2022;70:677-85. DOI: 10.23736/S2724-5683.22.06173-7
Determination of Free Fatty Acids in Cheese by Means of Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion Followed by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography and Tandem Mass Spectrometry Analysis
No full textCheese as milk derivate plays a key role in our diet due to their nutritional and functional properties; free fatty acids (FFAs) and especially conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) represent important healthy components in a dairy matrix. In this study, with the aim to detect FFAs in dairy products, we have developed a fast and accurate analytical protocol based on a matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis. The proposed method provides a rapid and selective sample pretreatment and a reliable instrumental analysis. The use of MSPD extraction with a suitable dispersing phase as C18, allowed the retention of triglycerides, which are the main cause of interference and matrix effect in this type of analysis and permits a selective elution of the FFAs. The whole method was validated demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed method: correlation coefficients greater than 0.99 were obtained for all analytes; matrix effects were minimized and recoveries ranged between 75 and 105%, with good reproducibility (≤ 12%)
Glucocorticoids are preferable to thionamides as first-line treatment for amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis due to destructive thyroiditis: a matched retrospective cohort study
No full textType 2 amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) is a destructive thyroiditis usually responsive to glucocorticoids; however, recent surveys showed that many expert thyroidologists worldwide use thionamides for type 2 AIT patients.
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of the study was to compare the effectiveness of methimazole (MMI) or prednisone (GLU) in type 2 AIT patients who had a short cure time according to a published predictive model.
DESIGN:
This was a matched retrospective cohort study.
SETTING:
The study was conducted at a university center.
PATIENTS:
Forty-two untreated type 2 AIT patients with a predicted cure time < or = 40 d were divided into two groups (MMI and GLU groups). After matching for the predicted cure time, patients in the GLU group were selected in a 1:1 ratio to patients in the MMI group.
INTERVENTION:
Patients were treated with GLU or MMI for 40 d. Patients still thyrotoxic after 40 d continued glucocorticoids if in the GLU group or were switched to prednisone (MMI-GLU group) if in the MMI group.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
Time and rate of cure (healing) at 40 d were measured.
RESULTS:
Patients still thyrotoxic after 40 d were 23.8 +/- 9.3% in the GLU group and 85.7 +/- 7.6% in the MMI group (P = 0.000). The GLU and MMI-GLU groups did not significantly differ in the nonhealing rate at 40 d (P = 0.730). When patients in the MMI group were treated with glucocorticoids, 94.1% patients achieved euthyroidism within 40 d. However, the global median cure time (MMI period + prednisone period) was longer (60 d, 95% confidence interval 53.5-66.5 d) in the MMI-GLU group than the GLU group (21 d, 95% confidence interval 15.1-26.9 d).
CONCLUSIONS:
Glucocorticoids are the first-line treatment in type 2 AIT, whereas thionamides play no role in this destructive thyroiditi
Ethos Presenza Storia: la ricerca filosofica di Ernesto De Martino
No full textSergio Fabio Berardini ha scelto di concentrare il proprio interesse scientifico sul versante squisitamente antropologico del pensiero di De Martino, sottoponendo ad un esame accurato e penetrante la nozione di “ethos trascendentale del trascendimento”: «ethos specificamente e uni-versalmente umano che è trascendimento della vita secondo valorizzazioni comunitarie e tendenzialmente intersoggettive». Si tratta di una nozione-chiave, ricca d’implicazioni di estrema importanza, senza la quale l’intero ‘edificio’ costruito da De Martino risulta inafferrabile nella sua effettiva complessità: per metterne a fuoco il significato d’insieme e le molteplici sfaccettature, Berardini si è addentrato con perizia nell’analisi delle moderne correnti filosofiche europee e italiane. Il risultato è un quadro affascinante, di notevole pregio, sostenuto da una scrittura elegante, immune da tecnicismi gratuiti, dal quale affiora l’originalità del pensiero demartiniano.
(dalla Prefazione di Marcello Massenzio
Merchandise and Replenishment Planning Optimisation for Fashion Retail
No full textThe integration among different companies functions, collaborative planning and the elaboration of focused distribution plans are critical to the success of each kind of company working in the complex retail sector. In this contest, the present work proposes the description of a model able to support coordinated strategic choices continually made by Supply Chain (SC) actors. The final objective is achievement of the full optimisation of Merchandise & Replenishment Planning phases, identifying the right replenishment quantities and periods. To test the proposed model's effectiveness, it was applied to an important Italian fashion company in the complex field of fast-fashion, a sector in which promptness is a main competitive leverage and, therefore, the planning cannot exclude the time variable. The passage from a total push strategy, currently used by the company, to a push-pull one, suggested by the model, allowed us not only to estimate a reduction in goods quantities to purchase at the beginning of a sales period (with considerable economic savings), but also elaborate a focused replenishment plan that permits reduction and optimisation of departures from network warehouses to Points of Sale (POS)
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