267 Occupation and Multiple Sclerosis: an Italian case-control study

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Effects of biophysical stimulation in patients undergoing arthroscopic reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament: prospective, randomized and double blind study

Pre-clinical studies have shown that treatment by pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) can limit the catabolic effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines on articular cartilage and favour the anabolic activity of the chondrocytes. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is usually performed by arthroscopic procedure that, even if minimally invasive, may elicit an inflammatory joint reaction detrimental to articular cartilage. In this study the effect of I-ONE PEMFs treatment in patients undergoing ACL reconstruction was investigated. The study end-points were (1) evaluation of patients’ functional recovery by International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Form; (2) use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), necessary to control joint pain and inflammation. The study design was prospective, randomized and double blind. Sixty-nine patients were included in the study at baseline. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 30, 60 and 180 days, followed by 2-year follow-up interview. Patients were evaluated by IKDC Form and were asked to report on the use of NSAIDs. Patients were randomized to active or placebo treatments; active device generated a magnetic field of 1.5 mT at 75 Hz. Patients were instructed to use the stimulator (I-ONE) for 4 h per day for 60 days. All patients underwent ACL reconstruction with use of quadruple hamstrings semitendinosus and gracilis technique. At baseline there were no differences in the IKDC scores between the two groups. At follow-up visits the SF-36 Health Survey score showed a statistically significant faster recovery in the group of patients treated with I-ONE stimulator (P < 0.05). NSAIDs use was less frequent among active patients than controls (P < 0.05). Joint swelling resolution and return to normal range of motion occurred faster in the active treated group (P < 0.05) too. The 2-year follow-up did not shown statistically significant difference between the two groups. Furthermore for longitudinal analysis the generalized linear mixed effects model was applied to calculate the group × time interaction coefficient; this interaction showed a significant difference (P < 0.0001) between the active and placebo groups for all investigated variables: SF-36 Health Survey, IKDC Subjective Knee Evaluation and VAS. Twenty-nine patients (15 in the active group; 14 in the placebo group) underwent both ACL reconstruction and meniscectomy; when they were analysed separately the differences in SF-36 Health Survey scores between the two groups were larger then what observed in the whole study group (P < 0.05). The results of this study show that patient’s functional recovery occurs earlier in the active group. No side effects were observed and the treatment was well tolerated. The use of I-ONE should always be considered after ACL reconstruction, particularly in professional athletes, to shorten the recovery time, to limit joint inflammatory reaction and its catabolic effects on articular cartilage and ultimately for joint preservation

The Survival of Non-capitalism

This article explores the importance of non-capitalist space within the global political economy. The issue of how to categorise and understand space in so-called peripheral regions such as Latin America has been a contentious one. Whilst many radical analyses have focused on the dynamics of capitalism in relation to the geography of development, explaining how it has been able to survive and grow, this article makes the case for a more multi-linear theoretical framework with which to view the socio-economic landscape. This is inspired not only by the later writings of Marx but also the specific Marxian class analysis of those involved in Rethinking Marxism. Via a focus on Oaxaca in southern Mexico, this article highlights both the survival and the recreation of spaces of non-capitalism, and provides an argument for why we should consider these to be important for transformative action more broadly, whilst also discussing their potential limitations

A Note on Probabilistic and Geometric Shaping for the AWGN Channel

When considering coded modulation schemes for the AWGN channel, two main practical limitations prevent achieving channel capacity, namely the need to use a finite constellation and coding inefficiencies. Constellation shaping was given new impetus in recent works by Böcherer et al., which combined probabilistically shaped ASK constellations with LDPC coding. One open question is how far their results are from optimal solutions based on the use of finite constellations. We investigate this issue and show through experimental analysis that most of the loss is due to inefficient coding design and little benefits should be expected by adding two-dimensional geometric shaping

El Estado en América Latina: continuidades y rupturas

Comprender el límite estructural que determina la existencia de todo Estado capitalista como instancia de dominación territorialmente acotada es un paso necesario, pero no suficiente para entender su funcionamiento. Por eso hace falta avanzar en determinaciones más concretas, en tiempo y espacio, para entender la multiplicidad de expresiones que adoptan los Estados nacionales particulares, que no son inocuas ni irrelevantes para la práctica social y política. Porque sigue siendo en el marco de realidades específicas donde se sitúan y expresan las relaciones de fuerza que determinan formas de materialidad estatal que tienen consecuencias fundamentales sobre las condiciones y calidad de vida de los pueblos.Índice Introducción 7 Primera parte Miradas sobre la(s) especificidad(es) del Estado en América Latina ¿Cómo aproximarnos al Estado en América Latina? Víctor Manuel Moncayo C. La estatalidad latinoamericana revisitada. Reflexiones e hipótesis alrededor del problema del poder político y las transiciones Mabel Thwaites Rey y Hernán Ouviña El Leviatán criollo Elementos para el análisis de la especificidad del Estado en América Latina Martín Cortés El Estado en la región. La conflictiva discusión de alternativas teóricas María Susana Bonetto Revoluciones pasivas en América Latina Una aproximación gramsciana a la caracterización de los gobiernos progresistas de inicio del siglo Massimo Modonesi Segunda parte El Estado neoliberal: continuidades en crisis Notas sobre la crisis del Estado en México Guillermo Almeyra Estado, dominación, hegemonía y crisis política en la sociedad neoliberal, Chile 1973-2012 Juan Carlos Gómez Leyton La evolución del Estado en El Salvador durante el siglo XX: el giro neoliberal y las continuidades clasistas Carlos Velásquez Carrillo Tercera parte Estados en disputa: contradicciones y tensiones El estado del Estado en la Argentina despues de 2001. Continuidades y rupturas Beatriz Rajland La crisis del Estado neoliberal en la Argentina Alberto Bonnet ¿Estado desarrollista de bienestar o construcción de la izquierda del Estado neoliberal? Los gobiernos del Frente Amplio de Uruguay Pedro Narbondo Cuarta parte Construyendo nuevos Estados en América Latina Reconfiguraciones estatales en Ecuador: 1990-2011 Franklin Ramírez Gallegos Estado plurinacional y nueva fase del proceso boliviano Jorge Viaña Venezuela: la revolución mágica Juan Carlos Moneder

Alcuni manoscritti relativi all’insegnamento del calcolo delle probabilità presenti nelle carte di Giusto Bellavitis (1803-1880)

Sono introdotti, riportati e analizzati i testi di cinque manoscritti relativi ad alcune lezioni sul calcolo delle probabilità tenute da Bellavitis presso l’Università di Padova, dove insegnò, in corsi liberi, dal 1857 al 1867 “Teoria delle probabilità” e dal 1863 al 1867 “Geometria superiore, e Calcolo delle probabilità” . Questi manoscritti sono contenuti in un fascicolo relativo, in parte, anche a questioni geometriche. L’unico a grafia di Bellavitis è datato 23.4.1864 e fa da copertina agli altri quattro. Il fatto che due siano seguiti da una serie di firme e un terzo contenga l’elenco di studenti che frequentarono le lezioni di Geometria Superiore nel 1864, fa supporre che siano stati scritti da allievi che seguivano i corsi di probabilità proprio in quell’anno. Un manoscritto è autografo di Martini Silvio, nome che ritroviamo anche negli elenchi citati sopra. I manoscritti sono ben conservati. Il testo di ogni manoscritto è seguito da una sua parafrasi didascalica con esplicitazioni di enunciati di teoremi e calcoli accennati nel testo

Prognostic indicators of survival

The three main components of medical intervention are diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis, of which, the last is often the least studied aspect in the scientific literature as it is a known fact that physicians do not feel comfortable with the issue of prognosis. Recent studies show that simultaneous palliative care or early palliative care is effective at any stage of cancer disease, leading to specific choices regarding therapeutic programs and appropriate care settings. However, in order to provide early integrated care, good prognostication and an active identification of patients with poor prognosis are needed for both oncological and nononcological patients. In all patients, prognostication and identification of palliative approach needs should be seen as one and part of a thorough evaluation process. With the increased survival rate in cancer patients and the many anticancer treatment options available, good prognostication has become necessary not only to help in the decision-making process, but also to limit the frequency of chemotherapy administration close to death. For patients with advanced stage of nonneoplastic disease, due to the variability of the disease trajectory, the access to palliative care services often happens late. As a result of population aging and the increased frequency of noncancer diseases in the elderly, in the past few years, interest has increased in the area of prognosis in noncancer patients too. In this chapter, we focus on prognosis from a palliative care point of view and we will give a description of prognostic indicators and scores available for clinical and research purposes. We chose to refer to older papers through their evaluation in recent reviews and integrate such references with more up-to-date significant original studies

157 Occupation and cancer: an alternative tool for evaluating the evidences

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