Page as a Visual Story: An Adventure in a Workshop Images Deeply Settled in a Real Space to Promote Cambiano City’s (Turin’s Area) Artistic, Cultural and Territorial Heritage and the Distilleria Mazzetti d’Altavilla in Alexandria

What is the meaning each of us want to give to “his own” architecture, “his own” city, “his own” life? And how can we communicate this with a vision and especially through images? Can the “visual story” become a mirror reflecting our culture, our soul? We are going through a historical moment of which reflection on “visual culture”, but even the most widespread practice of the “act of seeing”, is back to being very contemporary, supported by an ever wider use of images in scientific practice. In this sense, the fundamental role of images in many different disciplines and scientific areas is undeniable, ranging from the culture of vision experienced in the introductory workshop “The page as a visual narrative”, declined in its various applications, from public to private. This workshop ranged between theory and practice, between vision laws and graphic applications for existing work and products, interacting with the customer. The activity carried out a series of practical experiences and reasoning aimed at showing how communication should be planned. The realization of four exhibition panels and four illustrative brochures have put in practice the concept of “visual narrative” to evoke, in the modern communicative reality, the artistic cultural heritage of Cambiano city in Turin’s area and history, products and philosophy of Mazzetti d’Altavilla company in Monferrato

Magneto-plasmonic heterodimers: Evaluation of different synthesis approaches

Nanomedicine has gained huge attention in recent years with new approaches in medical diagnosis and therapy. Particular consideration has been devoted to the nanoparticles (NPs) in theranostic field with specific interest for magnetic and gold NPs (MNPs and GNPs) due to their peculiar properties under exposition to electromagnetic fields. In this paper, we aim to develop magneto-plasmonic heterodimer by combining MNPs and GNPs through a facile and reproducible synthesis and to investigate the influence of different synthesis parameters on their response to magnetic and optical stimuli. In particular, various syntheses were performed by changing the functionalization step and using or not a reducing agent to obtain stable NP suspensions with tailored properties. The obtained heterodimers were characterized through physical, chemical, optical, and magnetic analysis, in order to evaluate their size, shape, plasmonic properties, and superparamagnetic behavior. The results revealed that the shape and dimensions of the nanocomposites can be tuned by MNPs surface functionalization, as well as by the use of a reducing agent, giving rise to nanoplatform suitable for biomedical application, exploiting the gold absorbing peak in the specific gold absorbing range of GNPs, while maintaining the superparamagnetic behavior typical of the MNPs. The obtained nanocomposites can be proposed as potential candidates for cancer theranostics

Lacrimal Gland Tumours in Dogs: A Histological and Immunohistochemical Study

Previous article in issueNext article in issue Introduction: Lacrimal gland tumours (LGTs) are well-known neoplasms affecting both the nictitating membrane and the main lacrimal glands in dogs; however, extensive histological and immunohistochemical studies are currently lacking. In recent years an increasing number of LGTs with a complex (i.e. epithelial and myoepithelial) phenotype have been recorded in our routine histopathology service. The aim of the present study was to review histological and immunohistochemical features of LGTs in dogs. Material and Methods: Nictitating membrane (NM) and main lacrimal gland (LG) biopsy samples from the departmental archive (2010\u20132016) were reviewed. HE sections were re-evaluated by light microscopy. Since a specific classification for LGTs is currently lacking, the classification proposed by Goldschmidt (2011) for mammary gland tumours was applied. Immunohistochemistry for pancytokeratin (CK AE1/AE3), CK14, \u3b1-smooth muscle actin, calponin and p63 was performed. Results: One-hundred and sixty-one NM and LG specimens were reviewed: 106 neoplastic lesions were diagnosed, 28 were epithelial gland tumours (25 NM; three LG). Twenty-four of 28 were carcinomas: seven complex, five solid, two simple tubular, two tubulopapillary, two comedocarcinoma, one ductal, four carcinoma and malignant myoepithelioma, one malignant myoepithelioma. Four were benign tumours: two complex adenomas, two multilobular adenomas. CKAE1/AE3 labelled tubular cells, while CK14, \u3b1-SMA, calponin and p63 labelled myoepithelial cells, when present. Conclusions: In the present cohort of cases, NM and LG complex carcinomas and adenomas were highly represented among LGTs. NM and LG carcinomas outnumbered adenomas and were characterized by marked intratumoural variability. A specific classification for lacrimal tumours is needed

Improving pulse crops as a source of protein, starch and micronutrients

Pulse crops have been known for a long time to have beneficial nutritional profiles for human diets but have been neglected in terms of cultivation, consumption and scientific research in many parts of the world. Broad dietary shifts will be required if anthropogenic climate change is to be mitigated in the future, and pulse crops should be an important component of this change by providing an environmentally sustainable source of protein, resistant starch and micronutrients. Further enhancement of the nutritional composition of pulse crops could benefit human health, helping to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies and reduce risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This paper reviews current knowledge regarding the nutritional content of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.), two major UK pulse crops, and discusses the potential for their genetic improvement

The influence of brushing movement on geometrical shaping outcomes: A micro-CT study

Brushing motion has been proposed for endodontic single-file reciprocating systems to eliminate coronal interferences, but it may hesitate in a less conservative root canal shaping. The aim of the study was to compare the maintenance of the original root canal anatomy using the WaveOne Gold (WOG) technique with or without a brushing motion. Sixty extracted human mandibular first molars were selected. Manual canal scouting and mechanical glide path were performed. Samples were randomized into two groups (n = 30): WOG Primary was used to shape the mesio-lingual canals without (NB group) or with (B group) an intentional brushing motion. Specimens were scanned with micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) before and after instrumentation in order to match the volumes. Increases in canal volume and surface area were measured. Centroid shift and thickness of removed dentine from the inner curvature were assessed at the furcation, 1.5 mm and 3 mm apically from the furcation, and in relation to the point of maximum curvature. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Student–Newmann–Keuls tests (p < 0.05). No brushing technique resulted in being significantly associated with a better maintenance of the canal anatomy, especially in the coronal third (p < 0.05). When using the WOG system, a no-brushing technique resulted in less invasive shaping, reducing the risk of stripping

Postoperative quality of life after single-visit root canal treatment performed with reciprocating shaping systems: An observational study

Postoperative pain is a frequent complication of root canal treatment. It could worse patients’ quality of life (QoL) and it may be associated to several factors, including the shaping technique. The aim of the study was to compare the impact of WaveOne Gold (WOG) and WaveOne Classic (WOC) reciprocating instrumentation on postoperative QoL after single-visit primary root canal treatment. Healthy subjects with pulp necrosis on multirooted teeth were observed. Canal shaping was performed with WaveOne Gold Primary (n = 25) or WaveOne Classic Primary (n = 29) and canal filling was completed with a carrier-based technique. Mean and maximum scores for postoperative pain were assessed through a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and QoL indicators were evaluated with a self-assessment questionnaire based on a Likert scale. Postoperative pain curves were similar in both groups (mean pain p = 0.43; maximum pain p = 0.27) and quality of life indicators showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). There was a more favourable trend of QoL values in the WOG group, reaching statistical significance on day six posttreatment (p = 0.021). Within the limitations of the study, reciprocating instrumentation may have an impact on patients’ QoL, but the innovative geometrical and alloy properties of the WaveOne Gold seemed to induce a faster resolution of the postoperative symptoms

Seven Capital Devices for the Future of Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability for adults in industrialized societies. Rehabilitation's efforts are tended to avoid long-term impairments, but, actually, the rehabilitative outcomes are still poor. Novel tools based on new technologies have been developed to improve the motor recovery. In this paper, we have taken into account seven promising technologies that can improve rehabilitation of patients with stroke in the early future: (1) robotic devices for lower and upper limb recovery, (2) brain computer interfaces, (3) noninvasive brain stimulators, (4) neuroprostheses, (5) wearable devices for quantitative human movement analysis, (6) virtual reality, and (7) tablet-pc used for neurorehabilitation

Effects of Walking Endurance Reduction on Gait Stability in Patients with Stroke

Control of gait is usually altered following stroke, and it may be further compromised by overexertion and fatigue. This study aims to quantitatively assess patients' gait stability during six-minute walking, measuring upper body accelerations of twenty patients with stroke (64 ± 13 years old) and ten age-matched healthy subjects (63 ± 10 years old). Healthy subjects showed a steady gait in terms of speed and accelerations over the six minutes. Conversely, the patients unable to complete the test (n = 8) progressively reduced their walking speed (−22 ± 11%, confidence interval CI95%: −13, −29%, P = 0.046). Patients able to complete the test (n = 12) did not vary their walking speed over time (P = 0.493). However, this ability was not supported by an adequate capacity to maintain their gait stability, as shown by a progressive increase of their upper body accelerations (+5 ± 11%, CI95%: −1; +12%, P = 0.010). Walking endurance and gait stability should be both quantitatively assessed and carefully improved during the rehabilitation of patients with stroke

Association between ramucirumab-related hypertension and response to treatment in patients with metastatic gastric cancer

PURPOSE: Hypertension (HTN) is frequently associated with the use of angiogenesis inhibitors targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway, such as ramucirumab. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate if occurrence of HTN is correlated with response to second line treatment with ramucirumab+paclitaxel for metastatic gastric cancer. METHODS: Treatment consisted of ramucirumab 8 mg/kg intravenously (iv) on days 1 and 15, plus paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 iv on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Patients received study treatment until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients were retrospectively evaluated. Among these, 6 (17.6%) developed grade 3 ramucirumab-induced HTN. These patients had a better outcome than those with lesser grades events, with a progression-free survival (PFS) of 7.8 months (95% CI 4.4-not reached) versus 4.2 months (95% CI 3.1-5.2) (p=0.001). overall survival (OS) was 11.9 months (95% CI 9.3-not reached) in the grade 3 HTN group, versus 7.2 months (95% CI 5.9-10.1). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small number of patients and the retrospective nature of the data, our analysis showed that occurrence of ramucirumab-related HTN, in particular G3 HTN, predicts response to treatment with ramucirumab+paclitaxel in patients with metastatic gastric cancer