Rat subcutaneous tissue response to MTA Fillapex® and Portland cement

The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of rat subcutaneous tissue to MTA Fillapex® (Angelus), an experimental root canal filling material based on Portland cement and propylene glycol (PCPG), and a zinc oxide, eugenol and iodoform (ZOEI) paste. These materials were placed in polyethylene tubes and implanted into the dorsal connective tissue of Wistar rats for 7 and 15 days. The specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and evaluated regarding inflammatory reaction parameters by optical microscopy. The intensity of inflammatory response against the sealers was analyzed by two blinded and previously calibrated examiners for all experimental periods (kappa=0.96). The histological evaluation showed that all materials caused a moderate inflammatory reaction at 7 days, which subsided with time. A greater inflammatory reaction was observed at 7 days in the tubes filled with ZOEI paste. Tubes filled with MTA Fillapex presented some giant cells, macrophages and lymphocytes after 7 days. At 15 days, the presence of fibroblasts and collagen fibers was observed indicating normal tissue healing. The tubes filled with PCPG showed similar results to those observed in MTA Fillapex. At 15 days, the inflammatory reaction was almost absent at the tissue, with several collagen fibers indicating normal tissue healing. Data were analyzed by the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test (?=0.05). Statistically significant difference (p<0.05) was found only between PCPG at 15 days and ZOEI at 7 days groups. No significant differences were observed among the other groups/periods (p>0.05). MTA Fillapex and Portland cement added with propylene glycol had greater tissue compatibility than the PCPG paste.O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a resposta do tecido subcutâneo de rato ao MTA Fillapex® (Angelus), a um cimento endodôntico experimental à base de cimento Portland e propilenoglicol, e à pasta de óxido de zinco e eugenol com iodofórmio. Estes materiais foram colocados em tubos de polietileno e implantados no tecido conjuntivo do dorso de ratos Wistar, por 7 e 15 dias. Os espécimes foram corados com hematoxilina e eosina e os parâmetros de reação inflamatória foram avaliados em microscópio óptico. A intensidade da resposta inflamatória provocada pelos cimentos foi analisada em todos os períodos por dois observadores previamente calibrados (kappa 0,96) e sem conhecimento dos grupos experimentais. O exame histológico mostrou que todos os materiais provocaram reação inflamatória moderada aos 7 dias que regrediu com o tempo. A maior resposta inflamatória do tecido foi observada aos 7 dias, nos tubos preenchidos com pasta de Óxido de Zinco e Eugenol com Iodofórmio. Os tubos com MTA Fillapex apresentaram algumas células gigantes, macrófagos e linfócitos após 7 dias. Aos 15 dias, a presença de fibroblastos e fibras de colágenas foi observada, indicando processo de cicatrização do tecido. Os tubos com o cimento Portland mostraram resultados semelhantes aos observados no grupo MTA Fillapex. Aos 15 dias, a reação inflamatória apresentada foi praticamente ausente, com muitas fibras colágenas, indicando cicatrização normal do tecido. A análise estatística mostrou diferença estatisticamente significante entre o grupo de cimento Portland (15 dias) e óxido de zinco eugenol com Iodofórmio (7 dias) (p<0,05). Nos outros grupos não houve diferença estatística significante. MTA Fillapex e cimento Portland são mais biocompatíveis do que os outros cimentos testados

Automatic Phrase Continuation from Guitar and Bass guitar Melodies

A framework is proposed for generating interesting, musically similar variations of a given monophonic melody. The focus is on pop/rock guitar and bass guitar melodies with the aim of eventual extensions to other instruments and musical styles. It is demonstrated here how learning musical style from segmented audio data can be formulated as an unsupervised learning problem to generate a symbolic representation. A melody is first segmented into a sequence of notes using onset detection and pitch estimation. A set of hierarchical, coarse-to-fine symbolic representations of the melody is generated by clustering pitch values at multiple similarity thresholds. The variance ratio criterion is then used to select the appropriate clustering levels in the hierarchy. Note onsets are aligned with beats, considering the estimated meter of the melody, to create a sequence of symbols that represent the rhythm in terms of onsets/rests and the metrical locations of their occurrence. A joint representation based on the cross-product of the pitch cluster indices and metrical locations is used to train the prediction model, a variable-length Markov chain. The melodies generated by the model were evaluated through a questionnaire by a group of experts, and received an overall positive response. </jats:p

Sistema Integrato Multicentrico di Indicatori. Rapporto 2005. Provincia di La Spezia.

The SIMI (Integrated System of Indicators multicenter) Project contributes to the development of an integrated management of informative data streams related to drug addicted persons. This report analyzes the phenomenon of addiction on the territory of the La Spezia Province through a description of the network services that provide care and rehabilitation of those addicted. Besides the characteristics of users of local services for addictions, has been developed the analysis of the subjects reported to the prefectures for use of illegal drugs and any action taken. Standard methods of estimation were also applied to quantify the proportion of users of substances that do not relate to services and to identify certain characteristicsIl Progetto SIMI (Sistema Integrato Multicentrico di Indicatori) intende contribuire allo sviluppo di una gestione integrata e sinergica dei flussi informativi relativi ai consumatori di sostanze stupefacenti afferenti alle diverse amministrazioni dello Stato. In linea con quanto proposto dall\u27Osservatorio europeo di Lisbona, per la descrizione e analisi del fenomeno connesso all\u27uso/abuso di sostanze, risulta di fondamentale importanza la possibilit? di ottenere informazioni esaustive e comparabili sulle persone che usano e/o abusano di sostanze psicotrope. Il presente rapporto analizza il fenomeno delle dipendenze sul territorio della provincia di La Spezia attraverso la descrizione della rete dei servizi preposti alla cura e riabilitazione dei soggetti tossicodipendenti. Accanto alle caratteristiche degli utenti dei servizi territoriali per le dipendenze, ? stata sviluppata l\u27analisi dei soggetti segnalati alle Prefetture per uso di sostanze illegali e degli eventuali provvedimenti adottati. Sono state inoltre applicate metodologie standard di stima per quantificare la quota parte di utilizzatori di sostanze che non afferiscono ai servizi e per identificarne alcune caratteristiche

Progetto per una biblioteca a Berlino

LAUREA MAGISTRALEIl progetto riguarda una biblioteca situata nel centro della città di Berlino. L’area di progetto di cui si tratterà in seguito è ubicata nei pressi della rinomata Isola dei Musei ed affaccia sul canale denominato Spree che attraversa Berlino da Ovest ad Est. L’obiettivo progettuale, che meglio verrà descritto successivamente, è quello di ricreare la struttura dell’isolato attraverso lo studio approfondito della forma dell’edificio; Più precisamente la Biblioteca assumerà la conformazione di una forma topografica, cioè in grado, attraverso la ripetizione di una struttura di base, di donare nuovo carattere alle spazialità negative (spazi aperti) che l’isolato può offrire, ma anche di raggiungere una certa articolazione degli spazi interni. Per sviluppare tutto ciò si è reso necessario intraprendere un approfondimento riguardo al lavoro svolto precedentemente da altri architetti quali si ricordano L. Kahn e A. Van Eick

In-Silico Identification of Novel Pharmacological Synergisms: The Trabectedin Case

The in-silico strategy of identifying novel uses for already existing drugs, known as drug repositioning, has enhanced drug discovery. Previous studies have shown a positive correlation between expression changes induced by the anticancer agent trabectedin and those caused by irinotecan, a topoisomerase I inhibitor. Leveraging the availability of transcriptional datasets, we developed a general in-silico drug-repositioning approach that we applied to investigate novel trabectedin synergisms. We set a workflow allowing the identification of genes selectively modulated by a drug and possible novel drug interactions. To show its effectiveness, we selected trabectedin as a case-study drug. We retrieved eight transcriptional cancer datasets including controls and samples treated with trabectedin or its analog lurbinectedin. We compared gene signature associated with each dataset to the 476,251 signatures from the Connectivity Map database. The most significant connections referred to mitomycin-c, topoisomerase II inhibitors, a PKC inhibitor, a Chk1 inhibitor, an antifungal agent, and an antagonist of the glutamate receptor. Genes coherently modulated by the drugs were involved in cell cycle, PPARalpha, and Rho GTPases pathways. Our in-silico approach for drug synergism identification showed that trabectedin modulates specific pathways that are shared with other drugs, suggesting possible synergisms

Acute exposure to air pollution particulate matter aggravates experimental myocardial infarction in mice by potentiating cytokine secretion from lung macriphages

Clinical, but not experimental evidence has suggested that air pollution particulate matter (PM) aggravates myocardial infarction (MI). Here, we aimed to describe mechanisms and consequences of PM exposure in an experimental model of MI. C57BL/6J mice were challenged with a PM surrogate (Residual Oil Fly Ash, ROFA) by intranasal installation before MI was induced by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Histological analysis of the myocardium 7 days after MI demonstrated an increase in infarct area and enhanced inflammatory cell recruitment in ROFA-exposed mice. Mechanistically, ROFA exposure increased levels of the circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1, activated myeloid and endothelial cells, and enhanced leukocyte recruitment to the peritoneal cavity and the vascular endothelium. Notably, these effects on endothelial cells and circulating leukocytes could be reversed by neutralizing anti-TNF-α treatment. We identified alveolar macrophages as the primary source of elevated cytokine production after PM exposure. Accordingly, in vivo depletion of alveolar macrophages by intranasal clodronate attenuated inflammation and cell recruitment to infarcted tissue of ROFA-exposed mice. Taken together, our data demonstrate that exposure to environmental PM induces the release of inflammatory cytokines from alveolar macrophages which directly worsens the course of MI in mice. These findings uncover a novel link between air pollution PM exposure and inflammatory pathways, highlighting the importance of environmental factors in cardiovascular disease.Fil: Marchini, Timoteo Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Wolf, Dennis. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Anto Michel, Nathaly. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Mauler, Maximilian. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Dufner, Bianca. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Hoppe, Natalie. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Beckert, Jessica. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Jäekel, Markus. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Magnani, Natalia Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Duerschmied, Daniel. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Tasat, Deborah Ruth. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología. Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Reinöhl, Jochen. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: von zur Muhlen, Constantin. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Idzko, Marco. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Bode, Christoph. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Hilgendorf, Ingo. University Of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Evelson, Pablo Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Zirlik, Andreas. University Of Freiburg; Alemani

Toric Aberrometric Extended Depth of Focus Intraocular Lens: Visual Outcomes, Rotational Stability, Patients' Satisfaction, and Spectacle Independence

: Objective: To evaluate visual outcomes, rotational stability, patients' satisfaction, and spectacle independence after bilateral Toric extended depth of focus intraocular lens (EDOF IOL) implantation. Methods: Prospective observational study including cataract patients with bilateral corneal astigmatism between 0.75 and 3.00 D implanted with Toric EDOF IOLs. After three months distance corrected and uncorrected visual acuity at 4 m (DCVA and UDVA), 80 cm (DCI80VA and UI80VA), 67 cm (DCI67VA and UI67VA), and 40 cm (DCNVA and UNVA), IOL stability by Toric IOL Assistant tool (Osiris T, CSO, Florence, Italy), binocular defocus curves, contrast sensitivity (CS), halometry, reading performance, and subjective and objective (Root mean square-RMS, modulation transfer function-MTF, cut-off and point-spread-function-PSF-Strehl ratio) visual quality were evaluated. Results: Forty eyes from 20 astigmatic patients were enrolled. Mean refractive spherical equivalent and residual cylinder were -0.21 ± 0.74 D and 0.29 ± 0.31 D, respectively. No patients needed additional surgery due to IOL rotation. Binocular UDVA, UI80VA, UI67VA, and UNVA ≤ 0.2 logMAR was found in 90%, 95%, 85%, and 80%. Distance-corrected visual outcomes have overall shown higher performances. All visual acuities at defocus curves were ≤0.125 logMAR between +0.50 D and -2.00 D. PSF-Strehl ratio, MTF cut-off, RMS were 0.26 ± 0.28, 19.82 ± 12.35, 0.31 ± 0.17. Reading analysis reached 125.42 ± 27.21 words/minute, 92.56 ± 7.82, 0.17 ± 0.15 logMAR and 0.50 ± 0.11 logRAD for mean reading speed, visual acuity score, reading acuity, and critical print size, respectively. CS was higher in photopic conditions. Subjective spectacle independence was achieved in 80% of patients. Conclusions: Toric EDOF IOL showed rotational stability and reliable astigmatic correction. It provided spectacle independence and good performance from distance to near distance, reaching high patient satisfaction without undermining binocular quality of vision

Quality of vision and outcomes after bilateral implantation of pseudo-non diffracting beam IOL

Purpose: To analyze the objective and subjective visual performances of a new hybrid refractive/aspheric extended depth of focus (EDOF) intraocular lens (IOL). Methods: In this monocentric prospective study patients with bilateral cataracts underwent cataract surgery and were implanted with a Lucidis IOL (SAV-IOL SA, Neuchâtel, Switzerland) in both eyes, 1 week apart from each other. At 3 months from implantation postoperative evaluations included monocular and binocular uncorrected and distance-corrected distant (4 m), intermediate (80 cm, 67 cm) and near (40 cm) visual acuities (UDVA/DCVA, UI80-67VA/DCI80-67VA, UNVA/DCNVA), binocular defocus curves, halometry, contrast sensitivity and objective quality-of-vision measurements. Also, patients were also asked to complete the national eye institute refractive error quality of life (NEI-RQL-42) questionnaire. Results: Twenty-five patients (50 eyes) were included. The mean postoperative binocular UDVA, UI80VA, UI67VA and UNVA were-0.02 ± 0.13, 0.05 ± 0.09, 0.05 ± 0.08 and 0.03 ± 0.1 LogMar, and did not significantly differ from their corrected counterparts. On binocular defocus curves a VA ≥0.05LogMar was found between +0.50 and - 2.50 D of vergence, whereas the mean distance from the central stimulus on halometry was 1.23 ± 0.01. Mean ocular and corneal radical mean square at 4 mm were 0.31 ± 0.28 and 0.19 ± 0.07, respectively; whereas the mean Strehl ratio was 0.2 ± 0.09. Conclusion: Lucidis IOLs demonstrated excellent visual performances, especially at close distances while maintain good quality of vision, contrast sensitivity, and overall patient-satisfaction

Prevalence of and short-term changes in conjunctival manifestations among patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection

[no abstract available