120,842 research outputs found
Neurophysiological correlates of sleep leg movements in acute spinal cord injury
No full textAbstract not availableRaffaele Ferri, Paola Proserpio, Francesco Rundo, Andrea Lanza, Katrina Sambusida, Tiziana Redaelli, Fabrizio De Carli, Lino Nobil
Un mitico garage da salvare a Milano
No full textA Milano il Garage delle Nazioni è un fulgido esempio di architettura moderna. Oggi un progetto già approvato dalla Commissione per il Paesaggio ne consente la demolizione. Qui il parere (contrario) di due espert
“Temporary” Cathodic Prevention for the Durability and Sustainability of Reinforced Concrete Subjected to Carbonation
No full textThis study examines the efficacy of galvanic cathodic prevention (GCP) with zinc sacrificial anodes, applied to reinforced concrete specimens made with low-environmental-impact cements and subjected to accelerated carbonation. Specifically, it focuses on the protective effect provided by an initial polarization phase, which proved effective in reducing corrosion even after removal of the anodes from the reinforcement. The polarization memory phenomenon was highlighted through measurements of electrochemical potential and corrosion rate, comparing polarized reinforcements with control specimens. The findings could be particularly relevant for concretes made with low-clinker cements, which are more vulnerable to carbonation due to their reduced alkaline reserve. Temporary application of GCP in the early stages of service life could be an effective strategy to enhance durability without increasing maintenance and monitoring costs
12 years of natural carbonation on concretes made with supplementary cementing materials
No full textCarbonation-induced corrosion is one of the major causes of degradation of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. To design durable RC structures the knowledge of the resistance to carbonation penetration is essential. Usually, in the literature, the carbonation resistance is evaluated through accelerated tests, which allow a first screening of the performances of different types of concrete, but cannot be directly used to evaluate their long-term behaviour. Hence, there is the need of tests under natural exposure conditions. Unfortunately, their duration is often quite limited compared to the usual values of service life of RC structures. This paper reports the results obtained on different types of concrete made with Portland cement and several supplementary cementing materials and different water/binder ratios, exposed for more than twelve years outdoor in Milan in sheltered conditions. Results showed that concrete with Portland cement has a higher carbonation resistance than concrete with limestone and pozzolanic cements
Infrared Thermography (IRT) in nude mice : an alternative method for body temperature measurement
No full textResearchers at Milan University and Mario Negri Institute in Italy have developed an alternative method for body temperature measurement, using infrared thermography (IRT) in nude mice. At the 2010 Scand FELASA meeting, Fornasier et Al., showed that baseline recordings (5 min) of Tmax (the time after administration of a drug where maximum plasma concentration is achieved) showed an acceptable variability within the same animal with a coefficient of variability (CV%) ranging between 0.8–1.21. Tmax (39.0°C) was always located in the intrascapular region, in the area of brown adipose deposits (IBAT) which is normally involved in thermogenesis in rodents.
In another trial2,3, researchers studied stress in C57BL/6j and BALB / c mice housed in different individually ventilated cages (IVCs). To ensure the highest state of welfare of laboratory animals, they evaluated the behavioural and physiological (surface temperature) response of mice maintained in two different IVCsystems characterised by different points of air injection (cover or animal level) to determine any possible difference in the anxiety levels of the animals.
64 C57Bl6/J and 64 BALB/c 6 weeks old SPF, female mice were used; the animals were maintained at 22± 2 °C and 55± 10% RH with food and water provided ad-libitum. The animals were housed four per cage in two different IVC cages with different air inlet solutions at cover (75 ACH) or animal (50 ACH) level and observed for seven weeks.
They found significant differences in anxiety-related behaviour between strain and housing systems. These results suggest that, in addition to influencing mouse choice4, different IVC housing systems can influence mouse behaviour, with mice of both strains, exhibiting more anxiety-related behaviour when housing in cage systems where the air entry is at “animal” level at 50 ACH.
The same Milan University team2 showed the use of IRT analysis in immunodeficient mice’s nest (Figures 1 and 2). Through the use of IRT, they evaluated the temperature of the nest during the cage change, showing a decrease of about 3°C, as shown in Figure 3. The thermographic technique ensured a strict SPF status and limited operator intervention and invasiveness, improving animal welfare.
CONCLUSION
InfraRed thermography is a non-invasive method to monitor the health status of laboratory animals. In the future, the thermographic technique could be optimised in order to detect temperature of the animals in the least invasive way possible. This technique has to be further investigated to determine the correlation between superficial (as measured by thermography) and internal body temperatures in different species and in different physiological conditions.
REFERENCES
Fornasier M., Redaelli V., Tarantino A., Luzi F., Verga M. “Infrared Thermography (IRT) in nude mice: alternative method for body temperature measurement. SCAND FELASA 2010, Helsinki, June 14-17 2010.
Freschi M. Thermographic analysis of immunodeficient mice’s nest. Degree Thesis Diss (2012). Medicine Veterinary Faculty. Università di Milano. Italy.
Burman O., Buccarello L., Redaelli V., Cervo L. The effect of two different Individually Ventilated Cages systems on anxiety-related behavior and welfare in two strains of laboratory mouse. 12nd FELASA SECAL Congress, Barcelona, 10-13 June 2013.
Baumans, V., Schlingmann, F., Vonck, M., Van Lith, H.A., 2002. Individually ventilated cages: Beneficial for mice and man? Contemporary Topics 41, 13–19
Pressure-flow relationship in swine ureter:effect of NO-synthase inhibition by L-NAME
No full textIntroduction: The purpose of this report is to elucidate the possible role of nitric oxide (NO) in modulating smooth muscle tone of swine ureteral wall and its hydraulic resistance to urinary flow. Materials and Methods: We performed direct monitoring of perfusion pressure for different flows in isolated fresh swine ureter. Fluid used for perfusions was saline or L-NAME 200 mu mol saline added, and relative pressure-flow relationships were obtained. Results: The general shape of pressure-flow relationships indicates a decrease of ureteral hydraulic resistance with increasing flow. NO synthase inhibition by L-NAME caused a statistically significant increase of perfusion pressures for every tested flow, hence of ureteral hydraulic resistance. Conclusions: Our data show an effective role of NO in modulating ureteral flow resistance, and suggest possible pharmacological implications. A simple mathematical approach to define hydraulic ureteral flow resistance for low and high urinary flows is also suggested. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Base
“Neuromonitoring as an alternative to awake intubation in uncooperative patients at risk for cervical spine injury”
No full textThe Role of Endoscopic Assistance in Surgery for Pediatric Cholesteatoma in Reducing Residual and Recurrent Disease
No full textThe primary aim of this study was to evaluate long-term recurrent and residual disease after surgery for acquired cholesteatoma in children according to surgical approach. A total of 71 interventions performed on 67 pediatric patients were included in the study. Canal wall-up tympanomastoidectomy (CWUT) was performed in 31 ears (13 with endoscopic assistance), a transcanal esclusive endoscopic approach (TEEA) was used in 22, and canal wall-down tympanomastoidectomy (CWDT) was performed in 18. Overall, the cholesteatoma relapse rate estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method was 47 +/- 6% at 12 years; the recurrent cholesteatoma rate was 28 +/- 6% and the residual cholesteatoma rate was 26 +/- 5%. The relapse rate according to surgical approach was 33 +/- 11% for CWDT, 60 +/- 9% for CWUT, and 40 +/- 11% for TEEA (p = 0.04). The difference for recurrent disease was no recurrent disease for CWDT, 42 +/- 9% for CWUT, and 32 +/- 11% for TEEA (p = 0.01). The residual disease rate was significantly reduced with endoscopy: 42 +/- 8% without endoscopy vs. 9 +/- 5% with (p = 0.003). CWDT can still be considered in primary surgery in case of extensive cholesteatomas and small mastoid with poor pneumatization. TEEA can be recommended for small cholesteatoma not extending to the mastoid to reduce morbidity. Endoscopic assistance seems useful to reduce residual disease in CWUT, whereas it does not have a significant impact on preventing recurrent disease
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